(A/N): First off, happy AKUFUCKINGROKU Day!!!! Literally...
Anyways, weeeee! Chapter 8!!! And this one's quite a bit longer than chapter seven. I hope that satisfies everyone. -lol- I really enjoyed writing this chapter.
I must say this every time. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of my reviewers. For a writer, I feel embarrassed that I don't have the right words for how much I love, adore, and appreciate all of you and every single word you have for me. Thank you!!!
WARNING: There is some VERY steamy stuff at the end of this chapter. I didn't want to change the rating of this story because one, it would get filtered out of the default list of stories people see when they visit and two, most of the rest of the story is teen-rated stuff. AND I think you all can handle it anyway. You are mature enough to not be freaked out by hot scenes and that's what I LOVE about you. =D
Disclaimer: Do I have say it again? I don't own any of this shit.
Without further ado...I bring you...Chapter 8!! Enjoy it!!
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Life, Interrupted – Chapter 8
"Roxy…"
Roxas drifted into vague awareness, then back out.
"Oh, Roxy…wake up, Roxy…"
Feeling a weight on his stomach and slight, soft prickle on his nose and cheeks, Roxas attempted to blindly bat away whatever was causing the tickling, his eyes still closed.
"Roxy-poo, you have to wake-up…I wanna show you something…"
Roxas actually realized this time that it was Axel's voice invading his consciousness. He felt the tickle on his face again. This time, it continued until Roxas suddenly reached up and closed his fingers tightly around something thin and soft. His eyes fluttered open to find Axel sitting on his stomach. The older boy's face was caught in an expression of surprise at having what Roxas now discovered was a long, fluffy feather, caught in the blonde's hand. Axel looked down at the feather, of which he was still holding onto the end of, then to Roxas's irritated face, and his mouth spread into an overly cheerful grin, making an pathetic effort to change Roxas's expression.
Though it was, in fact, rather pitiful, Roxas couldn't help but sigh and chuckle slightly at the mischievous boy on top of him. "Axel, where in the world did you find this damn giant feather?"
Axel's grin, if possible, widened. "Oh you know, here and there, just where I find everything else." He winked down at Roxas. "But that's not what I wanted to wake you to show you."
"Why did you have to wake me up with a freakin' feather? A simply shake would have done the trick."
"Ah! See, that word there, "simple", is exactly why I did not just shake you. Simple does not equal fun. And no fun does not a happy Axel make…"
Roxas rolled his eyes at Axel's logic. "So," he sighed, giving up on the previous argument. There wasn't a chance in the burning pits of hell that he would ever win it. "What could you possibly want to show me so bright and early in the morning? And do you ever sleep??"
"I told you, I keep very odd hours," Axel replied matter-of-factly, then began pulling at Roxas's wrists to get him out of bed. "And what I want to show you is outside this room, so you're gonna have to get your lazy ass out of this bed in order to see it!"
"Urgh! I'll see it later then!" Roxas groaned, pulling his wrists from Axel's grip and twisting himself so he was face down in his pillow, attempting to bury himself as deep as he possibly could and praying sleep would overtake him again.
To Roxas's surprise, he felt Axel's weight disappear off of him and the bed completely. There was a still silence for a few moments where Roxas began to wonder if Axel had actually left. Just when he thought he was in the clear, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around Roxas's waist and he felt himself hoisted completely up in the air. He ended up hanging half upside down on Axel's shoulder, staring at the back of the redhead's shirt, as he was carried towards the door. "Alright, kid, I guess I'm just gonna have to take matters into my own hands since you're going to be so fucking difficult," Axel stated, chuckling carelessly as Roxas struggled weakly to get himself down.
Axel let Roxas gently down on his feet after he'd stepped into the hallway. It took Roxas a moment to get the blood that had rushed to his head from being upside down to settle back down. "Look!" Axel exclaimed excitedly.
Roxas complied and gazed around him. The hallway was lined with evergreen garlands and wreaths adorned with silver bells and red velvet bows leading all the way to the rec room. "I begged and begged Aerith last night to decorate the ward until she finally agreed on the condition that I had to help. So guess which of Santa's sexy little elves stayed up most of the night doing this himself?" Axel beamed at Roxas, extremely proud of himself.
"Wow…" Roxas commented, truly surprised. "The ward actually looks kinda..."
"…Merry? Well, bibbity-bobbity-fuckin'-boo! Told ya I was a fairy fuckin' godmother. You can thank me by coming to see my favorite part."
Taking him by the hand, Axel led Roxas eagerly towards the rec room, a cheerful bounce in his step. Roxas attempted to stifle a yawn. Though he was curious to see what Axel had to show him, it was just too damn early.
They came to a halt in the doorway of the recreation room. The walls were lined with the same swoops of garland and wreaths, as well as several silver snowflake shapes. The small card table was draped with a red velvet tablecloth to match the bows in the wreaths. In the corner of the room, a tall Christmas tree stood glittering with various ornaments of all colors and sizes. "You did all of this yourself? I'm impressed, Axel. That tree looks beautiful. I can see why it's your favorite part."
"Roxy…you're so pure and innocent…" Axel replied with a teasing tone. "You don't think my favorite part would be something as simple as Christmas tree, do you?"
Roxas stared at Axel, afraid of what was about to come.
"Look up."
Cautiously, Roxas lifted his head to find, buried amidst the garland along the top of the doorframe, was nothing less than a sprig of mistletoe. He let his eyes drop back down to Axel, who was now gazing Roxas with eyes that were half closed in lust and a playful smile on his face. "We can't deny the rules, you know…" he whispered, backing Roxas against the side of the door frame and placing a hand against the wall by the younger boy's head. "I'm sure there's some kind of bad karma or something if we don't…oblige…"
Axel's face was incredibly close to Roxas now and his breath was deep and heavy. Roxas could feel the heat from it and though he'd kissed Axel many times, he still swallowed hard and his heart began to race as Axel's index finger tilted his head up for direct access. The tip of the redhead's skilled tongue licked an excruciatingly burning trail across Roxas's lips before nudging the blonde's mouth open. Their tongues met and danced gracefully and heatedly against one another. Axel increased the pressure as his hand climbed up Roxas's shirt and scraped his nails down his chest, eliciting a yearning moan from the smaller boy.
Just as Roxas reached up to pull Axel even closer to him, Axel broke their kiss, but kept Roxas in his embrace. "Ahh…staying up all night was definitely worth that. Thank you," Axel mused, licking his own already moist and slightly swollen lips.
The color of Roxas's complexion became tinged with a soft pink at Axel words. He buried his face into Axel's chest, breathing in. The smell of fresh soap and cigarette smoke invaded his nostrils. He breathed in deeper, trying to take in as much as he possible could. He felt a hand stroke the back of his head. "You alright there, kiddo?"
Roxas looked up and a smile spread on his face. "I'm perfect, Axel. Thank you. I love my surprise."
The grin that Axel gave him in return was one of the first Roxas ever saw that actually reached the taller boy's vivid green eyes. There was true bliss in his expression and it warmed Roxas's heart and made his knees buckle to know he had been the one to put it there.
"C'mon, Roxy," Axel said, taking Roxas by the hand again. "Let's go get some breakfast. The dining hall ladies love me. They always give me the best stuff. And we'll get some time alone together before everyone wakes up."
Roxas smiled again and allowed Axel to lead the way. At that moment, he would have followed Axel anywhere.
--
By that evening, many of the patients had begun to receive their Christmas presents from family and friends outside the ward. Demyx and Zexion had each gotten a fair few, Marluxia had received a couple, and Roxas had gotten several.
Roxas had just returned to his seat on the couch next to Axel after tossing another present, this one from his aunt, under the tree. He glanced over at the tall, lean boy next to him who had draped an arm around Roxas and had his head tilted back as he lazily watched the television with uninterested eyes. Roxas realize there hadn't been a single package for Axel all day.
"Um…Axel?" Roxas tried cautiously.
"What's up, Roxy?" Axel replied, his eyes still on the celluloid screen.
"How long have you been here?" Roxas already knew the answer to this question from Aerith, but he figured this was a good segue into what he really wanted to know.
This question got Axel to turn towards the boy that was curled against him. "I've been here for eight years," he said with a wry chuckle. "Ever since I was fourteen years old."
Roxas could sense a strange sadness creeping into Axel's voice. "Oh…doesn't your family miss you?" He was hoping this question was another way of asking what he really wanted to know.
"Roxy…" Axel's eyes softened with sadness as he sighed. "I'm an orphan."
Roxas's jaw dropped and he could feel a mortified expression slip onto his face. He was horrified at himself for bring up the subject, but Axel gave him a reassuring half-smile.
"It's okay. It happened a long time ago…" Axel's eyes dropped down to his lap as he spoke and Roxas curled himself closer to him, gripping onto Axel's shirt. "They died in a car accident when I was fifteen, about a year after I was put here. They didn't really care much for me though. I think they put me here to get rid of me. They kinda neglected me before I came here anyway. But I didn't have any family left after they died so the ward just takes the money my parents left for me to pay for my stay here."
"Oh…I-I'm sorry…" Roxas's grip on Axel's shirt tightened as he lowered his gaze from Axel's face, his eyes burning with tears of shame for making Axel talk about his deceased parents.
Axel squeezed Roxas's shoulder. "Hey, kid, c'mon. I don't need Christmas presents from people who don't really give a damn about me. Besides, I've got a special little gift planned for you later tonight."
Roxas stared up at Axel with wide shocked eyes, and received a wink in return. "But…but I didn't get you—"
"Shh…" Axel silenced him by gently placing a long slender finger to his mouth. "As long as you accept my...gift, then that's gift enough for me." A sly grin slipped it way onto Axel's tempting mouth.
Before Roxas had time to reply or even react, there was a piercing scream that ended with a deep, rattling sob that shot through the hallway and reverberated into the recreation room. Both boys' heads, along with everyone else in the room, snapped towards the sound.
Yuffie and Aerith were crouched next to Saix, who was curled up on the floor in front of his bedroom, clutching his head and sobbing between his cries. "Why! Why! Why…" he choked as he moaned, tears spilling from his eyes. "No one cares!!!"
"Of course they care, darling…" Aerith began comfortingly, her hands hovering over Saix, but she was too afraid to touch him directly.
"Then why!! Why does everyone else get presents?! And I don't!! NO ONE CARES!!" Saix's screams were completely dissolved by his sobbing now. Two male nurses were lifting him up and caring him towards an empty room further back in the hallway as he continued to cry and shout incoherently.
With each of his cries, Roxas's heart sunk deeper and deeper. This was the most he'd ever heard Saix say and it hurt him to know he harbored such pain. He looked towards Axel who was watching Saix disappear with a troubled expression. The redhead sighed heavily and settled back down on the couch, pulling Roxas into their previous embrace, but remained silent. Roxas knew he was working something out in his mind because Axel's brow was furrowed and his eyes were staring ahead of him, but he wasn't exactly looking at anything. Because of this, Roxas sat in silence as well, waiting for Axel to speak.
"We're doing it again, tonight," Axel whispered.
Roxas glanced up. "What?" he said, a little too loudly.
"Shh…" Axel hissed. "We're meeting again. Tonight. At 11:30 p.m. I heard Yuffie say she was going to take her coffee break early today. This time, I'll come wake you. We're going to play a little Santa game."
--
Roxas felt a soft shake on his shoulder. "Roxy…" came a whisper. "Wakey wakey."
"Mmm…" Roxas moaned, forcing his eyes open to find Axel's Cheshire grin in the darkness of his room. "Is it 11:30 already?"
"Yeah," Axel replied. "And Yuffie decided against taking a coffee break, so I had to…" Axel paused, biting his bottom lip and giving Roxas a faux-sheepish glance. "…get creative."
"What did you do…?" Roxas asked cautiously, afraid to hear the answer as Axel helped him out of bed and took his hand. Axel simply smiled back at him and led him out of the room.
They hurried quietly down the hallway hand in hand. Roxas could feel Axel's heart fluttering through a vein in his palm and realized his own heart was racing as well. They came to a stop in front of a closed door. "Pit stop," Axel murmured, pulling a set of keys from his pocket and unlocking the door.
Roxas waited just inside of what he discovered was the music room as Axel darted to unlock a closet in the back and took out an acoustic guitar.
"What are we going to do with that?" Roxas wondered aloud as Axel relocked the music room and lead him down the hall again.
"Oh, you'll see…" Axel responded in a sing-song voice.
Axel now halted them in front of the door to the room they'd seen Saix being taken into earlier in the evening. There was a pitiful, quiet sobbing coming from behind the door. Axel lifted his fist and rapped lightly against the door.
"Go away!" Saix called out from inside.
"Sai…it's us. Axel and Roxy…" Axel soothed, his eyes flickering to Roxas. "We have…a Christmas present for you."
There was a long, silent moment where not a single sound came from behind the door, not even a sniffle. Then Saix slurred slowly, "How are you even going to get in? The door is locked..."
Axel laughed incredulously. "Sai, Sai, Sai…you should know by now that locked doors are never an obstacle for me." With this, he produced his keys again and unlocked Saix's door.
They stepped in to find Saix sitting in the corner with his knees hugged to his chest. He sniffled up at them with red, swollen eyelids. Tears were still rolling down his face as the two boys settled down on the floor next to him.
"Ho, ho, fuckin' ho, Sai my boy! Santa Axel and his little elf Roxy are here to deliver a special Christmas present just for you. I checked my list. You're not getting any coal. I'm storing that all up for the ever-lovely Vexy." Roxas giggled, but Saix simple stared at him quietly.
"Well then, here goes." Axel positioned the guitar in his lap in a ready to play position. He looked to Roxas. 'Just follow my lead,' he mouthed. Roxas nodded.
He stroked the strings once for a warm up and readjusted his fingers so that were putting pressure on them. Strumming again, he was satisfied this time and began playing a tune Roxas quickly recognized. After a few moments of the cheerful melody, Axel began to sing.
"Do you realize…that you have the most beautiful face?"
Roxas grinned at Axel's smooth, yet slightly rasping voice. It filled him with a warmth and peacefulness that spread throughout his body. Saix had stopped crying and was watching Axel as the redhead's eyes slid closed and he continued to sing, enjoying every moment of the song. This time, Roxas joined him.
"Do you realize…we're floating in space?
Do you realize…that happiness makes you cry?
Do you realize…that everyone you know…someday will die?"
Axel opened his eyes as his fingers expertly danced across the strings of the guitar. Roxas's eyes were captured by Axel, and they smiled at each other. Though the song was a gift for Saix, Roxas couldn't help but feel that he and Axel were sharing something special, just the two of them.
Focusing his gaze on Saix, Roxas found that the blue-haired boy was smiling as well. The two boys continued to sing to him until the song was over. As Axel stroked the last note on the guitar, he looked to Saix. "Merry Christmas, buddy."
"Merry Christmas, Saix," Roxas added with an encouraging smile.
Saix returned it slowly. "Merry Christmas, guys," he replied softly. "Thank you."
"We do it because we care," Axel affirmed.
For quite some time, the three boys sat in silence. Axel had leaned against the wall with Roxas in his arms while Saix was lying down on his side, facing the wall. He had been humming 'Do You Realize?' for most of the time, but had recently gone silent. Only soft snores escaped him now.
"You know, now that Sai's asleep…" Axel began thoughtfully. "I can finally give you your Christmas present. And you definitely need it now, because look…" He point up at the clock and Roxas saw that it was some minutes past midnight. "It's officially Christmas now."
"O-Okay…" Roxas stammered, feeling his heart rate quicken as Axel began to climb on top of him, backing him down against the floor. He slid a hand under Roxas's head so he wouldn't get hurt when he slipped his tongue in Roxas's mouth and pressed into him with the great force, heated and hungry.
Roxas felt it too. At that moment, he wanted Axel more than anything in the world. He opened his mouth wider taking in as much of Axel as he could. Gripping his fingers into Axel's fiery mane, he suddenly heard Axel wince in both pain and pleasure as he pulled away momentarily. Roxas opened his eyes to see Axel seductively licking a trickle of blood from his bottom lip. Apparently, Roxas had bitten Axel a little too hard without realizing it. Roxas smiled at him sheepishly, but Axel only knelt down to take Roxas's mouth again. The coppery taste of Axel's blood filled Roxas's mouth as their saliva mingled.
As their tongues continued to battle, Roxas felt a tiny droplet of something wet fall onto his cheek. Opening his eyes again, he discovered Axel was crying silently, his eyes still closed as he focused on his kiss. Though there were only moans of bliss and aroused pleasure escaping his throat, a stream of tears was now seeping from his eyes and raining down on Roxas's hot cheeks. This didn't bother the smaller boy. His face was being bathed in Axel's emotions and he was happy enough the make the boy on top of him feel. The only thing he did was reach up to comfortingly caress Axel's face, hoping this would quell whatever turmoil was plaguing his heart.
Axel's hot breath quickened inside Roxas's mouth. He broke they're kiss long enough to pull off Roxas's shirt and tear his own off as well. Ever muscle in Axel's impressive bare chest was taut and firm. It was moving in and out rapidly as he looked at Roxas with a voracious hunger in his untamed eyes. Roxas slid his excited hands all the way up Axel's chest and dragged his nails down fiercely, almost cruelly, leaving behind four angry pink trails behind on each side. Axel jerked forward with a moan when Roxas's nails scraped his rock hard nipples and Roxas couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of power. He pulled Axel down over him so the older boy's chest was just by his face. Axel tangled his fingers in Roxas's blonde locks and Roxas could feel Axel's breath against his forehead as he whispered. "Bite me, Roxas. Please, bite me hard. Really fucking hard."
Roxas was all too happy to comply. He began to nibble at the area around Axel's left nipple, occasionally giving him tiny catlike licks. "God, Roxy, don't tease me…" Axel gasped breathlessly, his grasp on Roxas's hair tightening. "I need it badly. Deep down…do it. Do it now." Letting his teeth sink into the flesh of Axel's nipple, Roxas heard a whimpering moan rise in Axel's throat that escalated to a loud groan of ecstasy. At the same, his narrow hips bucked violent into Roxas. Roxas felt their erections graze and knew that he couldn't take it any longer.
"Fuck me, Axel."
"Are you sure?" Axel whispered, his face buried in Roxas's neck now.
"More sure than I've ever been in my life…"
Axel didn't need to be told twice. He flipped Roxas onto his stomach, straddled him again and began tugging his pants off, all the while planting fiery, bruising kisses along Roxas's back and shoulders. Roxas heard the rustle of Axel pulling down his own pants once he'd succeeded with Roxas's. He knelt by Roxas's ear, breathing heavily in lust. "You ready, Roxy?"
"God, yes."
Roxas drew in a sharp gasping breath as he felt Axel enter him. He bit into his own arm to keep from screaming while Axel's arousal slid further in. The older boy continued to kiss the back of Roxas's neck and they both moaned together in pleasure. Axel reached around and held Roxas's erection in his hand, stroking it lovingly. An amazing feeling was swelling in Roxas's heart and he was pretty sure he knew what it was. He had to get it out. He just had to. "Axel…" he panted. "I want to tell you something…I…I lo—"
"Shh…" Axel quieted him gently, his breath beating against Roxas's shoulder. "You don't have to tell me anything…"
"But I—" This time Roxas cut himself off as he felt himself reaching his peak. "I'm so close," he whispered.
"Mmm…me too," Axel replied. Roxas could feel Axel's heart pounding against his back. It was so fast and heavy, Roxas almost feared for Axel's health.
And then it hit them both at the same time. Axel thrust in passionately and Roxas felt a warm sensation spread and knew Axel had exploded inside him. He too released himself into Axel's long fingers. When their climax had subsides, they lay one on top of the other for a long while, panting and waiting for their breathing to return to normal. When it had slowed a fair amount, Axel carefully pulled himself out of Roxas and rolled to lie on his back on the floor and faced Roxas. Without take his eyes off of him, Axel put his coated hand to his lips and licked every last bit of Roxas that was there. "Mm…" he sighed afterwards, soaking his bottom lip with his tongue. "You taste amazing."
He then pulled Roxas against his chest. Roxas smiled and closed his eyes. At this moment, he was beyond ecstatic. Though, there was something digging at him from the back of his mind. Why had Axel not wanted to hear what Roxas was dying to say? How did he feel? Roxas pushed the thoughts out of his mind for the moment as he listened to Axel's steady heartbeat and gentle breathing.
"It's a good thing Saix didn't wake up. I was sure he would a few times there," Roxas joked.
Axel laughed lightly. "If you ever need to fuck next to anyone, Saix is the guy for you. He sleeps like a fucking log."
A giggle escaped Roxas.
"I hope you liked your Christmas present, Roxy…"
Roxas lifted his head to look at Axel. "I loved it. This has been the best Christmas gift I've ever been given."
"Well that's good to hear," Axel replied as Roxas lay his head against the taller boy's chest again. "Because you are the best gift I've ever been given. Merry Christmas, Roxy."
"Merry Christmas, Axel…"
Not long after, they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms.
--
"Oh…fuck." Axel's voice invaded Roxas's consciousness for the third time in two days.
Roxas awoke in a panic to discover it was morning and looked up to Axel's face. "What? What's wrong?" he asked frantically, still fighting the sleep from his eyes.
Axel wasn't looking at him but up at someone next to them, the expression on his face foreboding. Roxas slowly turned his face to follow Axel's stare.
Vexen was standing above them, his arms crossed and venom in his eyes.
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(A/N): "Oh fuck" is right Axel. Be prepared for EXTREME ANGST in the next chapter. It actually makes me tear up just thinking about writing about it. Just a forewarning.
FYI, the song Axel and Roxas sang for Saix is "Do You Realize?" by The Flaming Lips. I recommend that anyone who has not heard it, should DEFINITELY go listen to it. It's a beautiful song. And even if you have heard it, go do it again. -lol-
So until the next chapter...oh, get ready for it.
xoxo
P.S. - Jess, I'm glad you died many deaths whilst beta-ing this chapter. Thank you. Love you to death(s). ;)