...
So...
O.O'
Hey guys! I'm back! It's been a long, long time...
Don't hate me, please? I've been so busy and backed up with school that I literally had to stop working on every single story that I've started, and I really had to buckle down so that I pass my junior year.
I took my first AP exam this Friday, and I feel pretty good about it, and so I sat down and just typed and went crazy with this chapter. I finished it up last night, and so yeah... maybe this means that I'll be able to update new chapters more often from now on! That would be a plus... I've really missed writing!
I hope you guys haven't given up on me! I really am sorry for the delay... of... months... o.O
Ok. So. Last time we checked... Axel was going to get lessons on being a gentleman! Let's see how this has turned out, yeah?
Yeah.
:) Enjoy!
Five Reasons Why My Life Sucks as of Right Now:
A list by Axel Flurry
1. I haven't had solid sleep in two weeks because Sora won't let me… he says it will keep me on my toes in my lessons. Therefore, he wakes me up at odd hours of the night with pots and pans clanging together. Would maim him, but then he wouldn't help me out.
2. He has refused to let me eat any more edible accessories in one bite because apparently it's, "Suggestive, revolting, and would make his suicidal brother kick me in the face." Now, I am reduced to taking small, human bites of something that could be devoured in one breath.
3. I've been awake since 3 in the morning, rehearsing something that I'm not sure I'll be able to remember anyway. Would probably throw script across the room, but I'm sure Sora would then throw me across the room. Possible? Yes. He's done it once already.
4. I'm so nervous that I'm not sure I'm Axel Flurry anymore. Since when have I ever been nervous? Since when has that ever been something that Axel Flurry has ever suffered? Would suspect that I've been taken over by pod people, but for some reason I'm not sure that's what's going on… wouldn't I be able to tell? Perhaps…
5. I'm being taught by a boy that has the smile of a retard, the brains of a six-year-old, and the mentality of someone that's acting like they're not being played by a silver haired man-whore. For some reason, I'm not so sure that this is going to work.
"Sora," Axel said wearily, dragging his fingers through his tousled, tangled spikes, "I don't think I can do this. We've been at it for hours, and I want to sleep."
"We're not going anywhere until I'm confident that you can pull this off without cue cards!" Sora exclaimed, taking a long, exaggerated drink of his coffee. It was the wee hours of the morning in the Flurry household where Axel and his brother lived, but the people in the house were still running strong and not close to stopping any time soon. Reno was hanging out with his friends in the living room, playing video games and drinking more soda than humanly possible, and their cousin, Marluxia, was crashed in the guest bedroom/extra random junk room, talking up his flavor of the week in a less than convincing way. And Axel…
Axel was rehearsing on how to be a gentleman.
For the 14th day running.
He was going to die.
Axel stared longingly at the coffee but when he reached for some to wake himself up, Sora danced out of his grasp, grinning and taking another sip.
"I can do this without cue cards!" Axel defended himself, stifling a yawn and ruffling his drooping spikes. Sora wasn't convinced though, and gave him a pointed look, guzzling down his coffee like it was the elixir of life.
To Axel, who hadn't had a solid sleep since he'd talked to this inconsiderate Strife Coffee House worker, Sora was indeed guzzling the elixir of life, and was unkindly keeping Axel away from it for cruel and unusual reasons that would never be known.
"Prove it," Sora said with a devilish grin that he'd never had until he'd met Axel. Grinding his teeth and glaring sullenly, Axel pulled himself up to his full height, and gave Sora a nasty, angry glare before changing it into a very friendly, engaging smile in the blink of an eye.
"Excuse me, Sora," Axel started, keeping his tone happy and polite, "I'm terribly thirsty, and I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to give me something to drink." He kept his hands loose at his sides and didn't relax into his natural, knee melting smirk that he was famous for. Sora studied him carefully, taking in the bright eyes and polite smile, looking for the smallest of imperfections.
Finally, an eager smile broke over his face.
"That's the best act I've seen over the past two weeks, Axel!" Sora exclaimed brightly, and with extreme gusto bred from 2 weeks of nothing but hard work with the sex-deprived red head, he then downed the rest of the coffee in one gulp.
Axel stared, jaw dropping.
"Did… you… and the… coffee…?" He asked weakly.
"A gentleman can take disappointment very well, and not break his composure because of it." Sora explained, tossing the cup in the trashcan nonchalantly.
It was at that moment that Axel concluded that Sora was indeed something equivalent to that of the anti-Christ.
That… or he was a sadist.
Axel had been working long and hard for fourteen days straight. Aside from class work in college and random odd jobs he did for money, Axel had spent every waking moment with Sora, the rules of etiquette and manners being drilled into his head. He was taught in the art of table manners and the way to address a married woman versus an unmarried woman (why he needed to know that, Axel couldn't say, but Sora found it important enough to include, for some reason). He now knew the trick to opening someone's door for them, and how to charm his way through any situation without having to resort to flirting or flipping his hair back in that irresistible way that made people begin to salivate unattractively. He knew how to have small talk without sexual innuendos, and he could give compliments that didn't center around a person's looks, or the odds of them being good in bed.
And it was all because of Sora.
Contrary to popular belief, Axel found that the innocent looking brunette was actually not so innocent. He was devious, crafty, and sometimes so cruel and wicked that it reminded him of a not as good looking version of Roxas. He often thought of vicious and downright awful ways of getting his point across; one of those ways being that he threatened to throw out Axel's cigarettes if he didn't pay attention and apply the lessons in real life. He made Axel practice with random people in the street, embarrassing himself and ruining his reputation by being a polite, well rounded individual. The people of Twilight Town were on their toes, giving Axel odd looks that had nothing to do with disgust or fear. If anything, some of them were beginning to smile at him and compliment his progress, hinting that it was a change they'd been waiting for, for quite some time. Hell, even the random ladies that sat on their rocking chairs gossiping had begun to wave at him and offer him lemonade instead of glaring at him and whispering to one another.
And it was all Sora's fault.
In fact… the only person that hadn't noticed would have had to be Roxas. Against his personal desires, Axel had stayed clear of Roxas, giving the angry blonde all the space he needed as Axel practiced and drilled with his heartless teacher. Sora had confided that Roxas was suspicious of his absence, but Axel had ignored the comment, deciding that if he thought too much on the subject, he'd go crazy thinking about Roxas.
Yes… it was safe to say that he was more than a little hooked on the angry, suicidal blonde coffee shop employee. And he didn't like it one bit.
"Hmm… it's been two weeks since we've started this little project." Sora said thoughtfully, lounging on Axel's bed like it was his own. Axel slumped into his computer chair, deciding against answering in case it sounded like he wasn't grateful for the help. Though it was a major pain the ass, and Axel's teachers were beginning to wonder what drugs he's been taking, Axel couldn't help but admit that it was… sort of… kind of… almost… nice to have someone so dedicated to helping him. Sora hadn't given up and hadn't stopped his overbearing tendencies to smile brightly when Axel wanted to strangle him, and though Axel still had moments where he wanted to throw the kid off the nearest cliff… Axel was starting to like Sora as a person.
But he wouldn't dare tell Sora that.
Ever.
"I think you're ready, Axel." Sora suddenly stated, looking over at the dozing redhead. Axel blinked slowly at that and looked over at Sora, yawning and frowning as the words suddenly processed in his aching cranium.
"Are you… you're serious?" Axel asked in a severely weary voice. He'd been trying to make it sound a little more incredulous and filled with disbelief, but he was so tired he couldn't manage to twist the tone of his voice the right way.
"Of course I'm serious!" Sora said brightly, sitting up, cross-legged in his bed. Leaning forward slightly and tugging one of Axel's spikes jokingly, he added, "I'm the sensei in this here school of gentlemanly learning-ness… and when I say you're ready, you're ready!" Axel, too tired-and smart- to argue, nodded and grinned tiredly.
"That's good… I think I'd die if this went on too much longer." Axel admitted, laughing.
"Exactly! I don't want you dead… just worn out enough to listen to exactly what I say!" Sora exclaimed, hopping up and tugging on Axel's spikes again. "But if I don't get home soon, Larxene will burn my clothes again… I have to do her chores!"
"How kind," Axel murmured, standing up and walking Sora to the door, opening it and leaning against it, waiting. Sora walked through the door and then quite suddenly stopped, looking back at Axel and grinning wildly as he suddenly moved back and held his hands up, miming that he was holding a camera. Do not be discouraged though… it's not a fake camera, and Sora hasn't lost his mind. It's a specially designed invisible camera, able to be used at any point and time, documenting important moments in history at the click of an invisible button.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Sora announced, clicking the invisible camera, "Axel Flurry has learned! I didn't even have to remind him to get the door! I do believe… he really is ready!"
Axel watched Sora snapping invisible snapshots of him, not really understanding what he was doing, and smiled vaguely, imagining himself in bed and fast asleep.
"If you say so, Sora," He mumbled before giving a very dead sounding, "Good night," and closing the door. Sora covered a smile with his hand, pocketing the invisible camera and heading down the hallway, waving to Reno and his friends before stepping outside and heading home, whistling a jaunty tune. After his chores, he was going to print out those invisible pictures and show them to everyone.
Hopefully, they'd have enough imagination to see what Sora saw. That, or they'd be nice enough to humor him.
Axel ruffled his spiky hair awkwardly for a moment before his mind finally registered that his bed was open, and giving a less than manly squeal of delight he launched himself onto it, snuggling into the covers and closing his eyes contently.
Now that Sora said he was ready… he could begin to plot.
After he caught up on two weeks of no sleep, that is.
Roxas was starting to get a little paranoid.
It had been three weeks since he'd last heard from Axel. Three weeks of not seeing the fiery flashes of red hair before being accosted with the smell of cigarettes, sharp cologne, and the red hot gum Axel liked to chew when he wasn't smoking. Three weeks of looking over his shoulder, just waiting to be tackled from behind and molested once more. Three weeks of seeing his brother sneak out of the house in the middle of the night, slipping back in at odd hours and hiding the heavy and loud pots and pans. Three weeks of nothing but a perfectly boring, ordinary life in The Strife Coffee House where the orders were all the same and where Roxas wasn't interrupted from his day dreams of shoving the nearest person into the deep freezer and locking the door.
He was starting to go a little insane.
The last time he'd heard from the insane redhead, he'd ran into the back room of The Strife Coffee house, locking Axel and Sora out and ensuring that he'd get peace and quiet for just a little while. When he had dared peek out of the room, he'd seen Axel and Sora hugging, and had promptly fallen from his small perch at the door window, eyes wide in shock.
After that, Sora and Axel had been strangely absent from his life.
In fact, a lot of people were strangely absent from his life, lately. As of a couple weeks ago, Demyx had begun taking less and less shifts for work in favor of spending time with his new boyfriend, Zexion, and had left Roxas with nothing but a guitar shaped sticky note saying, "I.O.U a thousand hugs!" And then, as if Demyx wasn't enough, Naminé had taken to disappearing randomly whenever a scarlet haired, smaller, differently shaped version of Axel showed up, asking in a sickeningly sweet voice if Naminé was around. Apart from being amused that Naminé was now being stalked by a female version of his strangely absent stalker, Roxas sort of missed his younger sister since she wasn't the worst he could be dealing with. Cloud was avoiding work at The Strife Coffee House, staying at his other job at Cid's garage, preferring to avoid Leon like the plague again for no random reason, and so Roxas was stuck trying to placate Leon by saying that Cloud would be by soon when Cloud had no intention of showing up.
Roxas found himself spending more and more work shifts with Larxene, and he wanted to put a bullet in her head, and then his.
Yes… it was times like these where Roxas would find himself daydreaming, staring out of The Strife Coffee House window and waiting for the familiar shade of vibrant hair to grace his life. Sure, Axel was a sex-hungry stalker that didn't know the meaning of the word, "NO!" but he meant well.
Most of the time.
And… besides, he couldn't have moved on from Roxas, could he have? Roxas scratched the side of his head and propped his head up with his hand, staring down the street and frowning. No… Axel wasn't the type to just give up when he'd marked his prey. Sure, Roxas had yelled at him, whacked him upside his head, insulted him, walked away from him, slapped him, and hidden from him, but that didn't mean Axel just gave up! Axel was the kind of guy that wasn't deterred by a "feisty blonde"!
… Was he?
Roxas shook his head, blowing the fringe of his hair out of his eyes. Maybe his statement that he hated the redhead finally pushed him away? Had that one moment in the coffee shop finally reached Axel in that special part of his brain where commands were taken and listened to? Roxas didn't like to think so, but looking at things in a logical perspective, it made sense. That small, seemingly insignificant moment where he had routinely yelled at the persistent redhead seemed to have meant something… because now he was nowhere to be found.
And Roxas hadn't seen head or tail of him for three weeks.
So maybe… he really was over him?
"No…" Roxas muttered to himself, blowing a bubble and popping it loudly. "No, he couldn't be."
So then where the hell had Axel run off to?
Roxas tilted his head thoughtfully, trying to come up with a logical explanation, since him moving on just didn't make any sense. Maybe he had gotten into a random freak accident, and was at the hospital? That would make sense, to a degree. If that was true though, then the equally annoying scarlet haired younger sibling wouldn't be at the coffee shop so much, searching for Naminé because she seemed like a loving younger sister, and would be worried. Maybe his mid-terms were coming up and he had to study? Then what was Sora doing, disappearing with Axel randomly?
Why the hell did he even care!?
Roxas made a face of disgust, agreeing with that thought completely. Why did he even care that Axel had disappeared? Why did it matter that the annoying stalker was gone, as long as it meant that he had peace and quiet while he worked? Why should he care if Axel had disappeared without so much as a word, and now Roxas hadn't seen him since one less than stellar conversation in the coffee shop?
He shouldn't!
Roxas nodded in agreement with that thought, still staring across the shop and out of the window. He shouldn't care at all. If anything, he should be grateful that Axel was gone; now he could relax and stop looking over his shoulder so much. He should actually make a note and send it to wherever Axel was, thanking him for leaving. It certainly solved his problems, and made him all the happier.
So… why didn't he feel as happy as he should, given the circumstances?
Roxas frowned once more, trying to figure out why he wasn't so elated. Maybe he'd be happier if it was just Axel that had disappeared, and not Sora too? But why should that matter? Who cared if Sora and Axel had become the best of friends in the past three weeks? And if Sora had broken up with Riku and decided to pursue Axel instead, that was killing two birds with one stone, in Roxas' opinion!
And yet the idea of Sora with Axel made Roxas' skin positively crawl all over.
But why?
Roxas groaned something unintelligible under his breath, mind scrambling for a reason as to why that bothered him. It wasn't like it should bother him, after all. He didn't really like Riku all that much (old childhood squabble that was never resolved) and certainly thought the silver tongued man was hiding something that Sora was too airheaded to figure out, so the idea of Sora leaving him was good. And Axel was always bothering him, day in and day out, so the idea of him leaving should be good, right?
Right.
So… then it wasn't those two separate. Then… it was…
It was the idea of them together.
Not together… but together.
Oh. Oh, no…
Roxas was jealous.
Roxas' face transformed into something akin to horror as he face-palmed and shook his head violently at the twist his mind had taken. What was he meaning, thinking something like that? Roxas, jealous of the idea of Sora and Axel dating? Roxas didn't get jealous about things like that! Roxas couldn't care one way or another! Disgusted with himself, he rubbed his eyes and propped himself up more against the counter, lips turned down into a frown. He wasn't jealous. He didn't care if they were dating. He couldn't care less if Axel decided he liked brunettes instead of blondes.
No. Roxas just didn't care.
With a disgusted sigh, he promptly hit his head on the countertop, startling the coffee people that had been recording the way his facial expressions changed so quickly during his daydreaming.
Meanwhile, Roxas was mortified with himself. He couldn't be jealous of Sora. He just couldn't be. Being jealous meant that he had grown attached to Axel following him around, and he wasn't attached! He couldn't stand that odd redhead, dammit!
With a groan, Roxas lifted his head and shook it morosely, trying to talk himself out of the idea of being jealous. Because it was illogical. He couldn't be. That was final.
Sure, Roxas found it flattering that someone had taken such an interest in him that they felt the need to follow him around everywhere, trying to be with him. If anything, it was an ego boost for his looks since Axel seemed to just want to screw him. But being flattered didn't mean he'd grown to enjoy or look forward to those moments where Axel was there.
Did it?
He'd just grown used to the idea of someone liking him that much, that's all. Now that Axel had disappeared, things had gone back to a version of normal-if his life could be considered normal-and he was unused to it. It wasn't because he actually missed Axel; it was because he missed the flattering attention!
Roxas found it fascinating how he'd twisted it around to that conclusion.
And so, that is why Roxas found himself staring out of The Strife Coffee Shop window, waiting for the familiar flash of red hair. It wasn't jealousy; it wasn't desire. It was just routine.
At least, that's what he was telling himself.
Roxas was distracted from these thoughts as Naminé suddenly burst into the coffee shop, eyes wide and face flushed like she'd been running. Looking over at her, glad for the distraction, Roxas popped his bubble gum, incidentally mimicking Larxene's habit.
The moment he realized that, he then spit the gum into the trash with a look of utter disgust.
He wasn't like Larxene.
No… just no.
Looking back up, Roxas watched with vague amusement as Naminé made her way through the maze of tables and chairs, glancing back over her shoulder to see if she was being followed. When she reached the counter she slipped under the top and quickly stepped close to her brother, hiding behind him and gripping his apron ties tightly in both hands.
"Hiding?" Roxas asked with a dry edge in his tone.
"Yes, so please don't talk to me! I'm trying to avoid Kairi, and if she sees your mouth moving, she'll know what's going on!" Naminé's voice was edged with panic, and Roxas knew that if he glanced back he'd see her eyes wide and pleading. To save himself seeing such innocent eyes and ultimately feeling obligated to save her because he was her older brother, Roxas shrugged and pulled out a rag, wiping the counter down idly.
The shop's bells jingled against the door as it opened, and Roxas didn't have to look up to see the flash of scarlet hair and the tell-tale mini skirt to know that Kairi was lurking nearby. She was a demonic, fully developed female version of her brother, and all of the signs of her presence were noted. A sweet smell of some sort of fruity body spray filled the air, and the soft sound of someone chewing paopu fruit gum. He heard the sharp clacking of high heels on the floor, and then long, nicely manicured nails were set daintily on the counter, tapping lightly and impatiently.
"I'm looking for someone," Kairi said in an amused tone. "Do you know where they ran off to?" With a slightly annoyed sigh, Roxas looked up to see pale, smooth skin and long, flowing scarlet hair. Bright green eyes flashed mischievously at him, and she smiled, displaying perfectly whitened teeth.
"No," Roxas snapped, folding his arms. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Go away." Behind him, he could feel Naminé's hands gripping his apron ties tightly, and he was slightly grateful that she was so skinny to fit behind him. Though… he wasn't sure if that made him fat… if she could hide behind him, just how big was he…?
Something to think about later.
Kairi's grin widened, and her eyes flashed.
"You do know that the more she fights me, the more I want her?" She asked sweetly.
"I don't care. I'm not her; what you want and what you can't have is none of my concern." Roxas looked away, rubbing over the same spot in the counter, realizing he couldn't move anywhere else as long as his little sister was clinging to him. Hopefully, Kairi wouldn't notice.
"She can't run for long… sooner or later she's going to give in." Kairi replied easily, not at all deterred by his cold, dismissive tone. Hmm… Axel must have warned her. She was immune to his glare.
That was just unheard of.
"Maybe you should just leave her alone because she's obviously not that into you." Roxas snapped.
"That just means you don't understand girls, Roxas," Kairi stated breezily, flipping her hair back. "When we say we don't want something, we want it. It's like how we say we don't want the last bit of cheesecake… don't be fooled; we want it so bad we're nearly salivating at the thought."
"Another reason why I'm gay." Roxas rubbed harder at the counter, wishing she'd just leave. She was beginning to remind him a bit too much of Axel, and he didn't want to deal with that.
"Regardless… I just want to know where she is. Is that so hard to say?"
"Yes. Go away, Kairi." Roxas looked back up at her to see a pouting, annoyed expression on her face as she studied him, frustration obvious. Rolling his eyes and looking away, he rubbed a little harder at the counter.
"I… want to know where she is, Roxas." She said slowly, pronouncing each word with distinction.
"I want you to get out of my shop." Roxas snapped without missing a beat. Kairi rolled her eyes dramatically at that and then looked down, watching his mechanical motions of cleaning the spotless counter.
"That place is already clean."
"I want it cleaner."
"You've been cleaning it for the past 3 minutes I've been here."
"It's not clean enough." Kairi looked back up at him suspiciously at that, eyes narrowing. Her glossed lips puckered in thought as she looked down and then slowly looked back up at him, taking in every detail with a sharp stare. Roxas imagined her having x-ray vision, looking right through him and spotting Naminé cowering behind him.
"Why haven't you moved from that spot, Roxas?" She suddenly asked sweetly, a devilish smirk crossing her mouth. Roxas froze at that, staring at Kairi with a look of utter shock.
"Get out of my shop, Kairi." He snapped, praying she hadn't figured it out. If she had, he'd have to deal with them squealing and freaking out and he just had a headache and wanted to get his shift over with so that he could go home, lay down, and pretend that he didn't miss the routine of Axel stalking him and trying to be with him.
Because that's what it was. A routine.
"Roxas, tell me where Naminé is." Kairi said kindly, voice polite but the words demanding.
"If you're not going to buy anything, you have to leave. Standard rules and procedures here at The Strife Coffee House."
"You've been standing there this whole time washing that one spot on the counter and you haven't moved to push me out of here."
"Kairi, get out."
"I'm not leaving until you tell me where she is!"
"Kairi, I swear to God if you don't leave I'll-"
"Roxas… I'd like a hot chocolate, please."
Roxas froze, gripping the damp rag in a fist, knuckles white. Kairi had a victorious smile crossing her face as she stared at him, waiting patiently for a hot chocolate that could never come.
Not without him blowing his sister's cover, at least.
Roxas glared at her, silently admitting defeat as she tilted her head and folded her arms, tapping her nails against her skin.
"Well…?" She dragged that single word out, smirking as Roxas's eye twitched in anger and shook his head, remaining right where he was standing.
"That's what I thought." Kairi said kindly. "Naminé… you can come out now, dear."
Well damn.
Naminé let out a soft curse, reluctantly moving out from behind Roxas and staring at Kairi with a wary look of a cornered, injured, wild animal. Roxas, thoroughly annoyed, tossed his rag irritably back into the bin and stepped back, leaning against the wall to watch.
"Why are you hiding?" Kairi asked sweetly.
"Self preservation," Naminé replied calmly, hands clasped daintily in front of her black and white outfit. Instead of Kairi taking it as an insult though, she grinned and began making her way around the counter, heading towards Naminé.
"You're always resisting… it's cute." She said with a laugh. Naminé's eyes grew a fraction wide before she turned and fled through the back room, Kairi close on her heels, laughing.
Roxas shook his head.
Stupid girls.
The coffee shop was quiet once more, and Roxas took his post back at the counter, head in the palm of his hand once more as he dozed, eyes finding their way once more to the window where no red head was walking towards him with an easy smirk and a blonde haired boy on the brain. Letting out a slightly disgruntled sigh, Roxas continued to stare, hoping that maybe if he thought hard enough, Axel would suddenly appear on the sidewalk, slightly bemused but knowing what he was going to do for the day.
Go visit the blondie he had been stalking for quite some time before he'd disappeared.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Roxas jerked out of his stupor, eyes wide as he heard a voice right next to his ear that he hadn't heard for two weeks. Shock ran through him as the person he'd just been thinking about was suddenly right there, in the flesh, and looking intently at him as he attempted to process what was going on. For a second, all he could do was stare with a slightly stupid look on his face, but it was Roxas's humble opinion that such a thing wasn't his fault. If you'd been thinking of someone so intently that they actually showed up next to you, you'd jump, too!
Admit it.
Roxas jerked out of his musings at the sound of a soft chuckle, and instantly he was on red alert, glare darkening his face as he shoved Axel away from him.
"What are you doing here?" He snapped, folding his arms and glaring defensively up at Axel. Axel didn't seem perturbed by his actions-as if he ever was-though; a smile remained fixed on his face and he ran a hand through his spiky hair, an almost sheepish look on his face.
"Just thought I'd stop by and visit." He admitted in a calm and relaxed tone, something that Roxas had never heard from him before. In fact…
Roxas stared at him, taking in his appearance. Sure, his features and his all around look was the same as before, but… something was off. He had the same long torso and even longer legs, the same wild, fiery hair, the exact same bright, shocking green eyes… the same pale skin… the same soft, polite smile…
Wait, what?
Roxas frowned, eyes narrowing as he focused in on the smile that wasn't like Axel at all. It wasn't turned up in mockery or disdain; it wasn't twisted in perverted thought, either. It was a soft, simple smile that seemed to say so much more than, "I want you in my bed, naked."
Well… wasn't that a shock.
"Um…" Was the ever intelligent reply.
Axel didn't laugh in mockery of his less than stellar wordplay though; he only smiled a little more and stood up straight, a relaxed manner about him that Roxas had only ever thought about in passing.
"So how have you been?" Axel asked in an engaging, normal voice that wasn't like him at all. Roxas frowned, trying to see why Axel was suddenly acting so different, and in his utter confusion all he could do was blurt out,
"Where the hell have you been?"
His tact was one to be marveled at.
Axel laughed softly at his question, leaning his hip against the counter and shrugging, running his fingers through his hair that was in its usual disarray. Roxas had to conclude that the only reason he even knew that this was Axel was because of his hair, and his eyes.
Other than that, he suspected pod people.
The moment the words left his mouth though, he knew he'd messed up. He mentally prepared himself for the response that would leave him irritable and all around pissed off, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as Axel tilted his head slightly, and he parted his lips to let out the most perverted or suggestive thing he could think of.
"I've been working on a lot of stuff for school." He responded, staring at Roxas intently.
Roxas froze.
"You… what?" He asked, a look of shock crossing his face.
Again, we must look back at his knack for intelligent responses.
"School's picked up a lot of work, so I had to really buckle down. Sora's been helping me a lot, too." Axel reiterated, the same small, polite small adorning his features. His cat-like, narrowed eyes weren't twisted in some sort of perverted stare, and Roxas was seriously starting to get a little creeped out.
"School…" He mused in reply.
"Yes, school," Axel looked honestly a little amused by his inability to actually hold a conversation with him, but he kept it well schooled, like he didn't want Roxas to see it. But why wouldn't he? Wasn't the best part of stalking the fact that he was a little socially inept and couldn't handle conversations that weren't surrounding his violent moods?
A customer stepped up for his usual caramel frappe, and Roxas was able to excuse himself from the awkward situation he'd found himself in and proceeded to fill out the order, whipping the icy drink up and serving it with a look of confusion on his face instead of an I'll-kill-you glare.
The customer, to say the least, was a little more than shocked.
"How's work been?" Axel asked politely, sitting down on a stool Demyx had bothered to bring behind the counter so that on slow days he could sit down when he actually bothered to work.
"It's been… work." Roxas mumbled to him, giving him an odd glance before attempting to busy himself with cleaning up the already spotless counter and work area.
"Has anything interesting happened?" Axel prodded with that same strange, small smile adorning his face.
"What do you mean, Sora's been helping you?" Roxas suddenly demanded instead of responding to Axel's question, whirling around to face him with his arms folded across his chest. "How could he help you with school? You two don't share the same classes!" Axel laughed softly at that, not looking insulted in the least that Roxas was prying into his life like it was actually his business. Roxas couldn't bring himself to feel bad about it, either; he was prying for the sake of the routine he'd gotten used to and wanted back.
That's his justification, and he's sticking to it.
"He's pretty good with a couple topics one of my classes is going over, actually." He replied calmly, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh, yeah? What class?"
"Literature," Roxas frowned.
"What topic?"
"Romantic period," Axel deadpanned.
Roxas frowned even more, and had to nod slowly at that.
"Sora is good at that sort of thing… he's a romantic at heart."
Axel smiled, nodding with an odd, knowing look on his face. Glancing down at his watch, he then raised an eyebrow and stood up, giving Roxas an apologetic glance.
"Well, I've bothered you enough for today; I think I'll go." Roxas could only stare in shock as Axel took his hand and shook it lightly, setting it back by his side and smiling politely.
"You're… leaving."
"Yes,"
"Without any groping, touching, pick-up lines, sarcasm, or smirks."
"Yes, that was the plan."
"Oh… ok." Axel gave a slightly larger smile at that and waved before making his way out of the shop, whistling a tune and stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Roxas could only stare sullenly before he took his regular post at the counter, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, staring at the retreating figure of his stalker-gone-normal, ignoring the fact that he was seriously a little peeved that Axel had left, and ignoring the fact that while he'd been there in that less than five minute conversation, things had felt…
… kind of nice.
The last customers left the shop, and Roxas began locking things up, a sullen expression coloring his face. The rest of the day had been just like the other days where Axel wasn't bothering him, and he just wanted to go home and sleep. Turning on the dimmer for the lights, he finished flipping the chairs onto the tables and stepping through the front door, watching the lights slowly dim as he jammed his key into the opening and let the tumblers click.
"Home," He mumbled to himself, giving a sour glance to the homeless man that always sat outside of the shop at night. Roxas truly hated this man. Whenever Roxas locked up, the man tried to convince him to go back and get him the old edible accessories to munch on, and every single time Roxas declined, he was spit on.
One of these days, Roxas was going to snap on him.
"This is my home, boyo!" The man exclaimed brightly, smiling and displaying his toothless gums for Roxas to shudder and stare at.
"I hate you," Roxas snapped to the man irritably, tossing his apron over his shoulder and tugging at his spiky hair lazily.
"You're just saying that because your wee redheaded man has been ignorin' ya fer yer brother!" The man exclaimed brightly. Roxas flashed him his best glare, flipping him the middle finger in retaliation.
"I couldn't care less you annoying, ugly, old-"
"Hey, Roxas! Jump in!" Roxas turned to see Sora sitting in the front seat of his dad's car, the engine running and a large, eager grin on his face.
"What do you want, Sora?" Roxas asked, getting into the car and ignoring the spark of gratefulness at Sora picking him up instead of making him walk.
"I just came to see how you were doing; we haven't talked in ages!"
"We don't really talk, Sora."
"Are you in a bad mood?" Sora asked brightly, pulling away from the curb and heading to the outskirts of town where the burrow was.
"I'm tired, Sora."
"Oh, I'd imagine… Kairi told me how you looked like you were on the end of your rope." Roxas looked over at him, frowning and shaking his head. So now not only was Sora getting cozy with Axel, but he was holding conversations with his demonic younger sister as well?
He wanted to stab someone with a fork.
He didn't reply to Sora's statement. Instead, he turned and pressed his forehead against the window, watching as they took their sweet time driving down the paved road towards their house…
…only... there was one small problem with that.
The road to their house wasn't paved.
"Sora," Roxas said tiredly, pulling his head away from the glass to look at his brother, "Sora, where are we going?" Sora grinned and leaned over, ruffling Roxas's spikes and then tossed him a small bottle of cologne, winking.
"Spray your usual amount, dear brother of mine." He exclaimed. Roxas took the bottle but didn't spray any, his gaze remaining fixed on Sora, violent images of a car wreck flashing through his mind as he contemplated throttling his twin brother that was a direct opposite of him in every way possible.
"Sora… tell me where we're going."
"Now if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!" Sora chirped to him, beaming. Roxas sunk down in his seat, folding his arms like a petulant child and shaking his head irritably.
"Sora, I'm going to break things down for you in a way that you might be able to understand," Roxas informed him, keeping his tones calm and low, hoping that if he acted calm, they'd survive the car ride to wherever the hell they were going. "Let's start with the basics, shall we…? Number one, I don't do surprises of any sort, and you know that; number two, I've been working all day and want to go home and sleep away the monotony that is my life; number three, my patience level is about the equivalent to Demyx's ability to function as a normal human being… which is at that zero bar on the scale; number four, whenever you feel the need to intrude in my life, I find myself pissed off beyond all reason… and articles of clothing end up burnt, or missing." Roxas stared at him as Sora listened with a thoughtful look on his face. "Do I need to go on…?"
"Nope, I understand perfectly, Roxas!"
Roxas stared at him with a look of utter disdain.
"Then why isn't the car turning around and heading towards our crappy house?" Roxas demanded in a cold, quiet tone. Sora wasn't intimidated by this tone however; he'd grown up hearing it for years.
"Because I've got a plan, Roxas! You can't deter me from this one, no matter the threat on my life!" Sora was practically bouncing up and down in his seat at the thought as he took another turn and headed for the outskirts of Twilight Town, reaching under the seat and pulling out a bag. "Just make it easier on yourself… go through there and pick out whatever you think is best. Just make sure you spray the cologne… you smell like coffee."
Roxas glared at his brother before looking down into the bag where random shirts and pants were stuffed into the denim pack, a tie resting on top with a bottle of hair gel and a few random toiletries that he used on a daily basis before stepping out of the house. Looking back up at his brother, he stared at Sora for a moment, studying the way that he was practically jumping out of the car window he was so excited, his eyes bright and eager, a goofy smile plastered to his face. He hadn't seen his brother like this… in a long time. Ever since he'd come to Roxas asking about Riku, Sora had been subdued, quiet… sad. And now…
Roxas cursed the soft side of him that no one knew he had.
He was usually good about supressing that side, but since Axel had disrupted the routine...
Roxas cursed once more.
"What is this for, Sora?" Roxas asked in a defeated tone that said quite clearly he was giving up on fighting. Sora beamed, taking another random turn and looking over at his brother.
"This is all for you, dear twin of mine!" Sora exclaimed, waving at the bag. "I'd suggest you just add the black vest that's around there somewhere, spray your smelly good stuff, spruce up your hair, and then you'll be good to go!" Roxas gave him a flat look at that before sighing irritably and grabbing the vest, slipping it on and feeling utterly ridiculous as he sprayed his cologne and "spruced" up his hair. He didn't say anything though, secretly happy that Sora seemed so happy, and when they parked at some random house on the edge of town, he pretended he didn't want to impale himself on the sharp pointy spikes on the gate they passed through.
"Where are we?" He asked as Sora didn't bother knocking, pushing him in through the front door and past a living room where the TV was on some show that was muted, the lights off.
"We're at a house!" Sora exclaimed before suddenly covering his eyes.
"Sora…" Roxas said in a warning tone.
"Just relax, ok? Ok, Roxas? I promise this isn't bad." Sora said in a pleading tone. Roxas sighed irritably at that and gave a grunt for Sora to continue, not complaining verbally as he was led through the strange house with his eyes covered, his brother's excited steps making him careful not to trip over his own feet as he was practically pushed into a room, the hands disappearing from his eyes. He blinked and looked back to see Sora flee from the room, and then with a stern glare he looked back into the room to see where his oddity of a brother had taken him.
He could only stare in shock.
The room was dim, lighted only by the glow of two candles set up at a small table where the silverware and plates were set, the china gleaming. The sound of a soft violin carried around the room, and the feel of the room was relaxed, elegant. To the side, next to a chair, a tall and lanky red head stood, looking almost nervous with a hand resting on the back of the chair and the other tapping a beat on his leg. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, a few strands escaping to frame his face, and he wore simple black dress pants, a white button up shirt, and a red tie. Shadows from the candles played up the curve of his cheekbones, and lighted his eyes with a bright gleam as he stared at Roxas.
"Hey," He said softly, clearing his throat and looking away awkwardly before looking back at Roxas and pulling the chair out a little. Roxas could only stare though, shock coursing through him. What was going on? What was Axel doing? Was this the whole thing that Sora was so excited about? Was this why Axel had disappeared for two weeks, taking a break from his stalking?
"I… would you… would you like to sit down…?" Axel asked softly, motioning to the chair that he had pulled out, his other hand still tapping a nervous beat against his leg.
"Huh?" Came the ever intelligent reply. Axel looked a little confused at that, the beat against his leg increasing slightly before he let out a sound of nervous laughter, the hand moving up to run through his hair.
"I guess I'm trying to say… would you like to have dinner with me?" A small smile found its way to his face as he waited for Roxas's reply and Roxas, once again, could only stare.
"…"
"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to… but I'd like it if you had dinner with me. If you wanted to, at least." Axel added on, and Roxas did something that surprised even himself. He didn't laugh and roll his eyes before turning and walking out of the house. He didn't make a snide remark about Axel playing dirty. He didn't even imagine sharp and pointy objects. Call it the urge to make the routine go back to normal, or call it him acting out because the routine wasn't normal, but Roxas didn't turn away.
"Sure… I'll have dinner with you."
5 Reasons Why I Think I've lost my Mind:
A list by Roxas Strife
1. I have actually bonded with my stalker to the point that his absence has made me actually miss the routine that we've created. Would suspect Stockholm syndrome, but I've not been taken hostage, and he's not my captor. Though… I'm sure that idea crossed his mind once or twice.
2. I didn't literally throw Kairi from the shop when I could have. Would suspect that she's made a soft spot in my heart, but whenever I see her, I get ulcers and my blood pressure goes up.
3. When Sora took me captive in the truck and threw things at me, I didn't attack him and incidentally wreck the car, getting me out of this impromptu get together with Axel.
4. I was pushed into a room with Axel and didn't immediately reach for the closest sharp object.
5. I am now sitting down at the fancy looking table with Axel pushing the chair in behind me, and I'm still not reaching for the closest sharp object.
Hit or miss? Let me know in a review! :)
So, this is where it's ended up... for now. :3
What will Roxas do? How will Axel handle himself? I mean, think about it... he's all alone at his house... with Roxas... and at his house there's a bed, in a room, with a lock on the door...
Teehee!
Now that I've got you thinking dirty thoughts, don't forget to press that button below, and review! I know I don't deserve your utter love and happiness, but I'd like it... :) Peez?