One Wish

Chapter 8 – Speechless

xXx

Roxas gripped his younger brother in a tight hug, squeezing hard after being apart for so long. "Good trip? They treated you right? You didn't bother them, did you? You better have been good!"

"Roxas! Jeez! I'm not a kid! It was fun, I was fine." Sora wormed his way out of his brother's embrace, smirking despite Roxas' worry. The blonde glared at the silver-haired younger skulking behind the brunette.

"He tellin' the truth?"

Riku rolled his eyes, stepping forward to put an arm around Sora's shoulder. "Obviously. You don't have much trust in him, do you? You're just like your dad."

"Riku, don't." Sora hissed at the words, slipping away from the slightly older boy. "Don't ever compare them, okay? They're nothing alike."

Roxas had his fist balled, ready and willing to punch Riku in the mouth if Sora hadn't gotten in the middle of it. But what else would he expect from his little brother? Sora always knew how he was feeling, how he would react. Sora knew that his best friend was just trying to egg the blonde on.

"Here, why don't you just go get unpacked? I wanna catch up with him, okay? Please?" Sora leaned closer, trying to hide his next words from the blonde but not succeeding. "You know I don't like it when you two fight. It won't be long, you know it never is. So be nice, please? For me?"

Riku nodded, sent Roxas one last glare, and disappeared into his house. Sora gave his brother an apologetic smile, rubbing at the back of his head with his gloved hand. "I'm sorry bro. But, tell me! Are you still living with dad?"

Roxas shook his head, wrapping his arms around himself in the cold December air. "Nah, I'm ... actually living with this dude ..."

"What? You got yourself a boyfriend already! And you didn't even tell me? When were you gonna? Ohhh, Roxas, that's awesome! When do I get to meet him?" Sora's face broke out into a beaming smile, making Roxas' blue eyes go wide, his head shaking vigorously to try and stop the brunette before there was too much he had to explain.

"No, Sora, Sor, Sor, Sor! Stop, just stop. It's not like that! I guess I just worded it wrong, huh? This guy ... he took me in, I guess."

Sora frowned. "That makes you sound like a homeless dog."

Roxas gave a small laugh. "Yeah ... I guess it does. And I guess ... that's what I was. I was close to sleeping on the streets, but he made me stay with him. He's ... a pretty cool dude but ... I haven't really talked to him in a few days..."

"So, let me get this straight ... I leave for what, two weeks? And you end up living on the streets and getting taken in by a stranger that you don't even talk to? What? That's better than living with dad?"

"Yeah ... Somehow ... Yeah. I like it there. I'm ... I'm not that scared with Axel ..."

"Axel, huh? Come on, come in for a sec, get outta the cold. I'm freezing." Sora led the way into Riku's house, being followed by a hesitant Roxas, knowing just how unwelcome he was. "Here, sit. Tell me about him. I'll get us some hot chocolate, okay?"

"Sor ... I don't think I should stay ... I ..."

"It's okay. Riku's upstairs. He'll ... He'll stay there. He knows I wanna talk to you. So, you first. Tell me about Axel."

Roxas sighed, seeing that there was no arguing with the younger teen. Taking a seat at the small, unused kitchen table while Sora busied himself with the hot chocolate, Roxas decided to sugar-coat the story for the younger teen. "I got locked out one night and so I ended up trying to sleep on someone's porch. Turns out that that was the night of the first snowfall this year, so Axel stopped when he saw me and let me crash on his couch."

"How'd you know him?"

"I didn't – not really. I still hardly know him. But he was at the Santa's Village thing that I'm working at that day, and we talked there for a bit, I guess."

"Is he a good guy? I mean, I'm trusting him with my bro here, I don't want him to be some creepy pedo-raper guy."

Roxas smiled at his brother's concern, shaking his head. "No, he's nothing like that... Nothing like that at all."

"You trust him?"

Roxas had to think about his answer for a long time. "Yeah ... a bit. I mean, he hasn't done anything that would make me not trust him, but ..."

"But?"

"I-It's nothing. How was the trip?"

xXx

Axel studied his list diligently, feeling slightly sad at how quickly the names were being crossed off. Only two more weeks and he would be done for another year. Only two more weeks and he would be gone, back up to live with Marluxia, a slave for the next hundred years. The progress that was made only happened because he couldn't stand being in the apartment while Roxas was. His chances at being trusted –adored, loved, a friend – had slipped away in the blood that dripped down the blonde's finger.

Running his claws through his vibrant spikes, Axel started when he heard the apartment door opening. Roxas was supposed to be at work, not coming through that door. Emerald orbs shot to the entrance, anxiety flooding the redhead when he saw Roxas' form slinking in through the door, boots being taken off with silent care.

Noticing that he had been caught, Roxas straightened, trying to maintain some dignity.

"I thought you had work."

"I, um ... I .. My brother came home today so ... I ... um, I took the day off."

"Oh ..." Axel took his eyes off the shaking blonde, feeling shame as he knew that it wasn't the chill in the air that was making the teen shiver. "I'll ... head out early, then. Get out of your hair." As the redhead stood, he was surprised to catch the blonde's head shaking 'no'. He saw the flinch as the blonde repeated the word 'out' but there was a defiant gleam in those blue, blue eyes.

"No, I ... We need to talk ... I'm staying at your place, so we need to talk. It's just ... not right if we don't." Roxas took a step forward, the closest that he had dared to tread to the redhead since the discovery nearly a week ago. Axel forced a small smile at the attempt at bravery.

"It's okay. I don't deserve it. You're a good kid, you don't have to put up with the likes of me. You can stay for as long as you want. Just pretend that I don't exist. I'm gone Christmas Day anyways." Axel tried to give the still-advancing blonde some room, not wanting to contaminate him.

"Axel, don't. I mean it. I ... I need to talk to you. Please." Roxas was more determined, so he moved faster, crossing the distance between the two and grabbing Axel's wrist, just as his own had been taken so that he wouldn't run from the horror. "I need to. I just ... I don't know what to say."

The two stood there for a long moment, trying to figure out what was going through the other's mind. Axel was the first to look away, not able to take the determination that he had never seen directed towards him without some underlying hate.

"Why? Roxas, if the message wasn't clear before, I kill people. Why would you-"

"Bad people!" Roxas cut over him, moving still closer until Axel was forced back, stumbling so that he landed on the couch that he had just left. "You said that you only kill bad people. What's so scary about that? Prisons do it all the time." Axel looked up at the blonde, surprised at the strength hidden in the smaller man, at the words that were coming from Roxas' mouth. His wrist was released and Roxas sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"You're bad at lying."

"I didn't say that how you do it isn't scary, just that doing it isn't. But I don't think it's fair to judge you on how you ... are." Roxas wasn't looking at the redhead, biting on his lip, fighting to find the right words.

"I hurt you. I-"

"It was just a little scratch! I was the one dumb enough to go poking around where I shouldn't have! Seriously, what normal person sticks their finger in someone's mouth? That was really dumb of me to do, so ..." Roxas let the words drown in the silence, broken only by the incessant ticking of a near-by clock. Axel gave a 'tck' of a laugh, shaking his head, sending the younger a sideways glance. Roxas shot his gaze over to the redhead at the unexpected noise. "What?"

"Why are you trying so hard? I told you I'm a monster, I've shown you, and yet you refuse to believe me. You refuse to give up. Why?" Axel watched the younger fighting for an answer.

"I ... Why wouldn't I? You don't know what shit I've gone through. You're not half as scary as my dad. If you've gone the past few years getting beer bottles tossed at you and then have someone say they can take you away from that ... you're gonna fight. But ... do you even know about family?" Roxas paused, his face falling, realizing what he said. "I'm sorry! I ... I don't even know where that came from! I'm so-" The blonde stopped when he felt Axel's hand on his shoulder, the elder leaning towards him.

Axel didn't want to let on how that comment hurt, how much rage he was feeling towards the creature that could intentionally hurt someone like Roxas, how glad he was to hear that he was doing the right thing in giving the boy a safe place to stay. So he placed his hand on Roxas' shoulder, a smirk on his lips.

"I don't, no. The only family I have is the man you would call 'Santa', but he hardly even counts. He hates me, and I hate him. I hate everything he represents. So, no, I would never be able to imagine what you're going through ... but I want to help you any way that I can."

A blush crept up Roxas' neck and he looked away. "You're helping me ... You're helping me, in so many ways."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. And I'm glad to hear that I don't scare you ... that much. But ... I wasn't lying, I should go out early tonight ... I still have a lot of people on my list ..."

Axel was glad when Roxas flinched a bit, not stopping the redhead as he got up to continue on with his duty.

xXx

To Be Continued

xXx

I'm still wondering if Sora and Riku are gonna end up being an item. . Which sounds so out of place after the confrontation that just went on.

~xbuttonsx~