Midweek came and passed, and Roxas didn't go home. He didn't so much as walk down the same street as his house. Instead, he headed to Axel's straight after school. The guest room was a haven- a place for him to relax and think and draw without worry- and he liked that. A lot.
A week into the transition, Axel produced a list of things that Roxas would need to do to stick around: wash his own dishes and laundry, keep his room tidy, don't piss on the toilet seat, among other things. It was an easy enough chore chart, considering those were things that he did at home anyway, so he agreed, without hesitation, to help where it was needed. Roxas was happy and Axel was happier and for the longest time, things were okay.
It was a brisk evening, a few hours after school, when Roxas came out of his room to find Axel half asleep on the couch. He thought about waiting for a better time, when the redhead wasn't nearly so exhausted looking. But, feeling a little spontaneous, he leaned over the back of the couch and nearly touched noses with Axel. "Hey, sleepy head." He growled, "Can I show you something or are you going to sleep all day like the old man you are?"
Axel opened his eyes, startled. Roxas laughed.
"Excuse me, kiddo, but I am not old." Axel retorted, "Just because you're still a baby doesn't mean…"
"Oh come on, Axel, is that the best you can come up with? Lame."
They both laughed for a little while before the blond got back to business and the redhead adjusted himself so two could, once again, fit on the couch. "Anyway, I wanted to show you something. My sketchbook, actually. I haven't really shown anyone my drawings except for Hayner, but he doesn't care a whole lot about art."
"Ah! Well let's see it, then."
Axel's heart fluttered in his chest. It wasn't like Roxas was trusting him with his life by showing him the things, but he was, in a way, showing a little piece of his soul. And as corny as that sounded, it was both Roxas' intention to do so, and Axel's desire to be shown. The former handed off a small stack of three filled sketchbooks, which the latter took his good old time looking at. Between drawings, he would pause to comment on things he liked, and more importantly to Roxas, things he thought might need a little bit of change or improvement. It wasn't asked of him- Axel just felt it was the right thing to do.
When he finished, he set the sketchbooks on the coffee table and turned just a touch more toward Roxas. "You're an amazing artist, you know? You probably get that a whole lot, and it probably feels like people are just saying it to say it, but Roxas you really are talented. Do you make all of your characters up yourself?" Roxas nodded. "Shit, kid, you're going to make it really damn far with those hands and that mind of yours."
"Thank you. I really appreciate it. Everything you said… Thank you, god, thank you for everything."
Roxas began to cry.
"Shhh." Axel said, leaning forward to embrace the blond. "Hey, don't make that face, Roxas. You look better with a smile." Roxas tried to force a smile through his tears but found it quite impossible. "Ah, well if you need to cry, then cry. I'll leave you to it." He ran a finger across Roxas' cheek to catch a tear before it could fall completely. When he realized how personal the gesture was, he flushed bright red and tried to stand.
Roxas, however, didn't seem to mind. When Axel tried to escape, he wrapped his arms around the other's waist and pulled him back down onto the couch. It took several minutes of awkward shuffling for them to find a position of minimal comfort- Axel was smashed against the back of the couch by Roxas, who didn't seem to mind being in such close proximity to his teacher. In fact, he looked content, arms curled up under his chin, eyes closed but still puffy and wet from tears.
"Axel?" Roxas whispered.
"Yeah?" Axel responded. He wondered if Roxas could feel the beginnings of an erection against his legs.
There was a pause, and then Roxas said, "Ah, nevermind. I forgot what I was going to say."
But what he really meant to say was,
"You're my inspiration for all of this."
