Chapter Eight

Axel looked Roxas up and down before he pulled him into a bone crushing hug. He buried his face in Roxas' soft blonde spikes and wished Roxas asked if he could go too. He'd rather it be him over his hyper brother Sora. An angry Sora was going to be even more of a pain over a happy Sora.

Sora strode out the door, knocking into Axel and Roxas, breaking them apart. Riku tried to chase after him, but by the time he hit the door, Sora was running for the car, his backpack flying in the air. Axel took Roxas' hand in his and they looked at Riku and then at Sora. Riku looked at the two of them, frowned and ran for Sora.

"Wait! I'm sorry Sora! Don't leave angry like this. It'll only make things worse," said Riku, "and I don't want you to leave."

Sora stopped running and sharply turned to face Riku. His hands were on his hips and his ocean blue eyes were alive and furious. Riku skidded to a halt. He tried to grab Sora's hand, but the brunette stood strong.

"I'll end up forgiving you in the middle of the night. It's in my nature Riku. And I'll be back tomorrow. It's only for the night. Calm down and go back inside. I'm still upset with you," Sora said, annoyed.

"I'm going to call you at exactly midnight to wish you a happy birthday. Here, take my cell phone. I know your dad smashed yours a while back," said Riku, pulling the small silver object from his pocket. He held it out, waiting for Sora to take it. Sora's hand left his hip as he slowly reached out to take it, not sure if he should, but snatched it quickly anyway.

"See you tomorrow Riku. Stay out of trouble and don't mess with Roxy," Sora said, turning away from the silver haired boy. Riku wanted to kiss him one last time before he left, but Sora was gone. He stood there, watched Axel and Roxas walk to the car, hand in hand, and felt hurt. Axel kissed Roxas briefly before he got into his car and started the car.

"Good bye guys! Have fun!" Roxas said, waving to his brother and his boyfriend. Sora blew Roxas a kiss and soon Axel was pulling away from the summer home. Roxas turned to the frowning boy behind him and rolled his eyes. He walked over to him and pushed him.

"Let's go order a pizza. I'm starving! Hey, Ax said he has a huge movie collection in the living room so we can pop a couple in and just hang out for the night," Roxas said, lightly punching Riku's shoulder. Riku shook his head and tried to piece together what Roxas had just said.

"Uh, yeah sure. Just get a cheesy one and I'll go pick out a movie," said Riku, turning to go walk back to the house. Roxas smiled and walked with his best friend. Riku had his hands in his pockets and kept his aqua eyes on the ground. Roxas peeked at him through the corners of his eyes and pursed his lips.

The guy was really taking their first fight hard. Hell, Axel and Roxas go at it at least once a week and it never fazes Roxas. Maybe that was because Riku truly loved Sora and Roxas only felt a weak attraction to Axel. It was enough for him to date him, but he could never see him actually having a life with the man. Roxas was still too young to be thinking about that anyway. He was only nineteen after all. His mom used to tell him that you should never grow up too fast. Roxas was always the most mature, even as a child. His dad used to say that Roxas was a grown man trapped in a kid's body when he was younger. Even if he flunked out of the first grade.

When Riku came into his life in the fourth grade however, he was still the very mature kid, but he loosened up. There was more smiles and laughter. More fun and goofing off. He was acting like a real kid instead of a grown man.

Then came Axel just when he was in high school and even though that was the time you were actually supposed to grow up, it seems that Roxas was even more of a kid. Axel was just so light hearted and childish. Surely he was the most adult-like in his group of friends, but he acted much younger again.

"Hey Rox, remember that time in the seventh grade when you and I decided to try our hands at football? You still can't catch or throw very well, but man could you run. I remember at try-outs, you caught the ball for like, the first time and you held it up in the air like a trophy, but ended up getting tackled by that really huge kid Lexaeus? You went down so hard!" Riku laughed. Roxas looked at his friend curiously.

"What brought that on?" asked Roxas, confused. Riku stopped walking and slowly raised his head.

"Because I was leading it up to this!" Riku said, pouncing onto the unsuspecting Roxas. Roxas fell back onto the hard ground hard and tried to move away from Riku. Riku grabbed Roxas' arms and pinned them next to his head. He placed his knees on the sides of Roxas' stomach and grinned wickedly. Roxas' eyes bulged as he waited for Riku to say something.

"Now Roxy, tell me what that was about earlier. You know, when it looked like you were about to kiss me," Riku said, not letting Roxas move an inch.

"I don't know what you're talking about Rikki Kins! I wasn't trying to kiss you! I was trying to see what you were wrapping up for Sora," Roxas defended. Damn, Roxas didn't even know what the hell he was doing. Something was pulling him to Riku and it confused him. Riku raised an eyebrow in question, as if he didn't really believe Roxas. Still unsure if it was true, Riku got off of Roxas anyway. Roxas stood up and tried to get some of the dirt off his shirt. Yet another shirt ruined in the same day.

"Let's just get to the house and order. You're paying half this time," Roxas said. Riku nodded and started walking.

"Race you!" Riku said, taking off like a bullet out of a gun. Roxas blinked and tried to catch up with Riku. They were both extraordinarily fast, but Roxas knew he was faster. That's why he was surprised when Riku beat him to the porch. Out of breath and out of shape, Roxas panted as he walked inside at his own pace. Riku threw his head back in laughter. Slapping a hand on his shoulder, he led Roxas into the kitchen.

"Remember, cheese pizza. Don't order anything crazy like, pineapples or shit," Riku said, strolling off to go pick out a movie for them to watch.

"I feel so out of shape. Maybe I should cut back on the junk. That means you are too Rikki Kins. Just a pizza, nothing extra," Roxas said, yanking open a drawer on the island and skimming through papers. Axel really was unorganized.

"Why don't we just get a huge pizza with some breadsticks or something and burn it all off with a night swim?" Riku said, strolling into the living room.

"Excellent plan my friend! Oh, seems like I found a good place to order from," Roxas said, digging in his pocket for his cell phone and looking at the number on the take out menu. Riku said something, but Roxas already had the phone pressed to his ear and he listened to the ring.

O~o~O

"You know Ax, it's all Riku's fault. I mean, it's his fault I'm leaving him with Roxy tonight. He shouldn't have been so mean! It's the day before my birthday too! I doubt he'll even call me at midnight like he promised. He and Roxas will probably be out having too much fun without me. Oh my god, what if Riku suddenly decides he doesn't love me anymore? Axel, oh no, please tell me that won't happen," rambled Sora. He talked with his hands and never shut up. Axel felt like slamming his face on his steering wheel. Sora was talking his ears off. Why in hell he thought it would be okay to take a pissed off Sora with him for the hour and a half drive to his parents still confused him.

"I don't think Riku will just forget all about you over night," Axel said in a monotone voice. Sora's annoying voice buzzed in his ear and he tried to concentrate on the road to drown out the brunette beside him. Slowly the buzz drifted quieter until Axel was sure Sora had stopped talking.

Only a few minutes of amazing silence until Sora broke it by saying, "It all makes sense now!"

Axel flinched and rubbed the side of his head, feeling a headache coming on. His family was already a pest and now he could say Sora was just the bright pink, annoying strawberry frosting on the cake. Part of him didn't even want to respond, but the other half told him to at least see what the brat was talking about.

"What all makes sense Sora?"

"It's obvious Riku and Roxas have a thing for each other! Oh, maybe we shouldn't have left them alone! Roxas must've had his eyes on Riku for years. I mean, they are best friends after all. They have been since they were kids too! Axel, we've got to go back!"

Axel hit himself in the forehead and turned to Sora angrily. The kid was just talking nonsense. Roxas wouldn't betray him like that and hook up with Riku. He wouldn't hurt his brother like that. Axel knew Roxas a lot better than that. At least, he thought he did.

"Look, Roxas and Riku have nothing going on between them. Now, could you sit still and oh I don't know, shut the hell up for a good fifteen minutes? You've been talking me to insanity for the longest time now. Nothing will happen between them two. Riku's obviously madly in love with you, but I'm not sure how. Roxas, well, he likes me a lot. That I do know. So sit there and just listen to music," Axel barked. Sora recoiled back, as if Axel had hit him and placed his hands on his lap timidly. He looked down at his hands and tried to keep his mouth shut.

"I'm just scared. I feel like something bad is going to happen," whispered Sora. Axel groaned and tried not to say anything back. Forty-five minutes down, one whole night to go.

O~o~O

"Surprisingly fast delivery," praised Riku, already pulling out a super cheesy slice of pizza out of the box. Roxas sat next to him, two glasses filled of brown colored pop. Napkins sat next to the pizza box and Roxas stared at the remaining seven pieces. He couldn't decide on which one to start out with. Closing his eyes, he just let his hand do the picking. Steam greeted his hand and Roxas snatched up whatever slice was closest. Grease dripped down his hand and Roxas' tongue darted out to lick it up.

"Tastes pretty damn good too," Riku mumbled with his mouthful. Roxas looked at the greasy thing and opened his mouth for a nice big bite. His teeth sunk into the foul grease that was surprisingly tasty. Riku set his partially eaten pizza down onto a plate he brought in and grabbed a napkin to wipe his fingers. He reached out for the DVD remote so he could play the movie.

"So, what are we watching anyway?" Roxas said, pulling his legs onto the sofa and chomping on his pizza. Riku set the remote down and sat back. He rested a leg on top of Roxas and grabbed his pizza. Roxas glared at his leg, but allowed it anyway.

"Some movie about this chick that can see her husband die every day because it's like a vision or something. The girl on the case looked familiar so I figured, why the hell not?" Riku mumbled with his mouthful. Roxas squirmed in his seat, trying to get comfortable. More grease dripped down his hand and tried to reach over Riku's leg to grab his drink. His cup tipped a bit and a bit of the pop spilled onto Riku's leg. Roxas laughed and looked at Riku's face. Aqua eyes were on fire and Riku didn't look to happy.

"Okay, first, that was cold. Second, I'm not wearing pants. I've got shorts on. My skin will get sticky. Clean it up bitch," Riku snarled, turning back to the movie. Roxas made a dirty face at Riku and set his cup back down, without getting the sip he wanted. He grabbed a napkin and glanced at it, then at Riku. When he was sure Riku wasn't looking, Roxas licked the napkin and wiped Riku's already sticky leg with it.

"That's super nasty dude," Riku said, not even looking at Roxas. The blonde froze and waited for a smack he expected to come. Riku didn't move, so Roxas sighed with relief and threw the napkin onto the table. He tried to lay back into his spot, when a hard hand met with his back. Roxas yelped in shock and pain and his hands flung to his back. Riku snickered, but still never looked at Roxas.

"Stupid bitch," mumbled Roxas, carefully leaning back. He tried to watch the movie, but his mind was on other things.

'What was with me earlier? Was I really about to kiss Riku? Yuck, me kiss Riku? In a million years! Maybe when the dinosaurs come back! He's just my best friend and I just like to be around him. Nothing will ever change that,' Roxas thought, his mind racing. He thought the idea of kissing Riku was repulsive, but one little, insignificant part of his brain said that he just wanted to take Riku and set the whole damn place ablaze with passion. The sensible part of him drowned out that voice. It was just his crazy teen hormones acting up, making him think things like that.

"Wow, this movie blows," Riku scoffed, stretching out his arms and legs and then reaching for another slice of pizza. Roxas couldn't even finish his first one. It just sat there on his thigh, waiting to be eaten. Earlier he was absolutely starving, but something curbed his appetite. Roxas took one more bite before throwing the half eaten slice back into the box. Riku looked at his uneaten piece and then at Roxas'. Tossing his in, he just grabbed the one Roxas leftover.

"That's disgusting. You touched that one in there and I bit that one numerous times," Roxas said, giving Riku a look of disgust.

"Well, I already have your spit on my leg. Not to mention we've shared food and drink throughout our friendship. Remember that time you drank out of my water and we both got the flu and missed school for like a whole week because it was so bad?"

"Yeah, you had the shits and I puked up whatever I managed to eat," Roxas sniggered. Riku kicked his leg and frowned.

"I did not have the shits. I had a high fever and was vomiting and stuff."

"That's not what your dad told me."

"Hell, my dad says all kinds of shit."

"Ha, ha, shit."

"Can we stop saying that word Rox? It's irritating and this movie already is giving me a headache."

"No problem RikkiKins! So when you finish that slice, want to go take a dip and come back to watch some horror movies?"

Riku nodded and stuffed most of the pizza in his mouth, just letting the grease dribble down his chin. Roxas rolled his eyes and got up to go get changed. He closed the pizza box and put under one arm and had his glass of pop in his hand. Riku watched him walk into the kitchen and reached for his napkin and his glass. He chugged it back and then wiped his mouth and hands. What a pig.

"I'll meet you outside," Roxas shouted, running up the stairs. Riku stretched again and got up to turn off the incredibly boring movie they gave up on. There was a whole bunch of pizza left and Riku knew he'd be hungry again soon enough. Very soon. That's just how he was.

O~o~O

The sun was just beginning to set when the two boys emerged from the front door. Riku sniffed in the fresh air and pushed passed Roxas. He made a mad dash for the lake and Roxas huffed his way to catch up with the track star. Riku tossed his long silver hair back and slowed down as he started to get deeper into the lake. Roxas watched his best friend and skidded to a halt in awe. Riku had one hand on his hip as he walked toward the gorgeous sunset. A mix of pinks, oranges, yellows and reds decorated the sky. The dim light still managed to leave a sparkle effect on Riku's skin. Roxas crept up next to him and they watched the sunset with smiles on their faces.

"Pretty, isn't it?" Riku whispered. Roxas looked him up and down and he could feel his hand move towards Riku's, but he snapped it back to his side. What was with him? He knew Riku was waiting on a response. Roxas cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Yeah, it's beautiful and makes the lake shimmer in the most amazing way," Roxas smiled. Riku laughed shortly and knocked Roxas into the water. The blonde lost his balance and fell to the side, landing on his tailbone uncomfortably. He rubbed his lower back and looked up to glare at Riku.

"Stop being such a girl Roxy!"

"Why is it I'm always the one to be thrown or pushed into the water? I don't think I've gone in with me actually wanting to go under yet!"

"Don't whine, your voice gets extremely high pitched and then it cracks," Riku said, running out into deeper water. Roxas gasped and stood up to chase after him.

"No it doesn't!" Roxas whined with his voice breaking just as he tried to say 'doesn't.' He ran into the darker, deeper, waters and dove head first, letting it cool him. Roxas popped his head up, flicking his hair back and then shaking out the water. He grinned cheekily and his blue eyes shone. Riku was doing back strokes and Roxas thought he should just float on his back. The water was so calm and the air was just right. A nice relax would do him well.

O~o~O

They swam around, fought and splashed until the luminescent moon shone on the lake, telling them it was time to get out. Riku, of course with him being so competitive, made it a race back to the shore. The air was much cooler than earlier and Roxas could feel his muscles growing cold. Not wanted to lose to Riku however, he tried his best and kicked it into high gear to the shore. It only resulted in a tie and Riku claimed he didn't' do his best and let Roxas win.

Shivering a bit, Riku and Roxas shoved each other back and forth until they got back into the house. Roxas ran upstairs, wanting to grab a pair of comfortable pajamas. As he ran up the stairs, Riku stood in the hallway, dripping. His phone waited right by the front door and he was checking the time. Midnight. Well, happy birthday Sora. Fingers quickly went moving and the phone was gone in his wet hair.

Roxas glanced at him one last time before he ran all the way up the stairs. Riku never called him at midnight for his birthdays. Then again, he and Sora had just got into a silly little fight. Roxas was the one who actually started the whole, call-your-friend-at-midnight-of-his-birthday thing. He made sure to call Riku, Axel, and Sora when it was their birthdays. Sora and Axel returned the favor, but not once did Riku.

"Sora? Happy birthday baby! You sound sleepy. Why not get some sleep? Tell Axel I said hey and give his dog a nice pet for me. I told you I'd call at midnight, right? Didn't believe me? That's okay. I still love you and I'm sorry. Seriously, I can't wait for all the fun we're going to have at your mini party tomorrow. What time are you going to be home? Three? Sounds great! Alright, I'm going to let you get your beauty sleep. Not that you need it. I love you and happy birthday again. From Roxy too. 'Bye baby!" Riku's voice drifted up the hallway. Roxas listened to it and closed his door quietly. He took in a deep breath and listened to the sound of Riku's footsteps coming up the stairs.

The blonde just grabbed whatever pajamas and pair of boxers he could find. He stripped of his sopping wet swimsuit and put on the warm, dry clothes. Roxas scooped up the dripping shorts and made his way to the bathroom to let them over the shower. Riku was just walking out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and he had another, trying to dry all of his hair. Roxas stopped in the hallway and waited for Riku to go into his room.

"Just go pick out a real screamer! I need a good scare Rox," Riku called from his bedroom. Roxas shook his head clear and ran into the bathroom and threw the shorts over the tub's edge and turned to look at himself in the mirror. His blonde spikes hung slightly limp from being wet still. Dark circles formed underneath his eyes from the countless nights of terrifying nightmares that woke him up and made him frightened to fall back asleep.

"I look positively dreadful. Really, it looks like I haven't had a wink of sleep in ages! Just one night I wish I could have a good full night's sleep. I really could use it," Roxas whispered to himself, dragging down his skin with two fingers. He ran a hand through his damp hair and shrugged. Roxas never particularly cared about his hair. Another thing that made him completely different from Sora. Sora obsessed over having his hair absolutely perfect. Roxas thought it was waste of time trying to please others with his looks.

Yawning, Roxas left the bathroom and his hand got caught in his very long and baggy blue shirt. He had a pair of shorts on underneath, but the shirt covered them. Grumbling, he yanked his hand free and slowly made his way down the stairs. Riku was already leaving the bedroom, noticing the snail on the stairs. The silver haired one ran to him, pushed him aside and ran down the stairs.

"Move slow poke!" he shouted as he pushed through Roxas who barely reacted. Blue eyes rolled slightly, but his pace never changed. Roxas definitely didn't need a scary movie to mix in with his already horrifying nightmares. Why not turn his dad into a chainsaw wielding monster that seemed to be right on his heel, no matter how fast Roxas ran? Makes perfect sense.

"I knew you'd take forever picking out a single movie, so when I found that super lame one earlier, I saw this there and the damn cover has me shaking. I mean come on, look at that eye. It just gives me the creeps. She really should fix her hair or whatever," Riku said, showing Roxas the cover of the movie when he finally made it to the living room. Roxas flinched at the sight and sat down on the sofa, waiting for Riku to set everything up. He yawned again and felt his eyes drooping a bit. Roxas didn't think he'd last through the movie.

O~o~O

They thought the movie was almost over Roxas was scared enough not to even dare close his eyes. He jumped so high into the air and Riku could only give him a nervous laugh. Roxas knew that even though he was acting tough, the boy was terrified. Riku kept looking back at the stairs, checking to see if anything creepy was coming down to kill them or something. They moved closer to each other with each scare. For protection of course. Oh hell, Riku was just going to throw Roxas at the monster and run for his life.

Roxas covered his eyes and he sat on Riku's ankles, shaking. Riku was talking to the movie itself and when Roxas heard a shriek, he closed his eyes tighter. He could feel a hand rub his back softly and Roxas slowly looked up. Riku mouthed a few words and Roxas raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"God damn your stupid! I said, sleep down here tonight? I'm too tired to walk up the stairs," Riku said, yawning. Liar. He was just as scared as Roxas, but wouldn't admit it. Everyone knows that in a scary movie, if you go up the stairs, you die first.

"Yeah sure, is it over yet? I'm not going to be able to sleep. This shit is just so messed up," Roxas gulped, his voice breaking a bit. Riku just shrugged and laid back into the sofa. Roxas nonchalantly scooted closer to him and went to lie on his legs. He was just glad Riku was wearing pants.

His eyes slowly closed as he watched someone die and Roxas knew he was going to be out in a matter of minutes. He tried hard to keep his eyes open, but they were extremely disobedient that night. Roxas looked up at Riku one last time, who was also starting to nod off, before he just gave up and fell asleep on his legs.

O~o~O

The gnawing pain of hunger came to meet Roxas with what he thought was only a few minutes of sleep. He never moved or opened his eyes, but he knew he was awake. His stomach made sure of that. It roared loudly and ripped through his abdomen. Roxas groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Riku was snoring loudly and the DVD's menu screen music was playing. He flinched at the image on the TV and tried to shake it from his mind. It had not yet clicked how he slept.

Something warm and heavy was draped over his body and he had the feeling he was sleeping with Axel. More awake now, he looked up to see Riku, obviously, sleeping, and the silver haired boy had Roxas pulled into his arms. Roxas was sleeping on Riku's stomach and in his arms. His eyes grew large and he knew getting off of Riku to get a slice of pizza was going to be difficult. He had no idea how they ended up like that. Roxas remembered passing out on his legs, not Riku's softer stomach.

His stomach growled once more and Roxas groaned in pain. He had to get something to eat if he wanted to fall back asleep. One foot at a time, he stepped onto the floor and slid his body off of Riku. Riku stirred slightly, but did not wake up. Roxas blew out a sigh of relief and stood up to tip toe to the kitchen.

It was pitch black down there and he was already leaving his only source of light. Roxas clenched his fists and carefully moved through the darkness. The house was small and familiar enough for Roxas to remember a path to the fridge that wouldn't get him hurt.

His fingers wrapped around the handle and Roxas smiled at himself for not falling or bumping his hip into anything. Not to mention he was excited there'd be light once he opened the fridge. Roxas yanked it open and bent down to grab a piece of pizza from the box. He scanned around looking for the right one and gave up only to grab a random piece. It was in his mouth by the time he was closing the fridge door. Roxas looked out the window above the kitchen sink and let out a scream that could wake the dead.

Riku's eyes snapped open, hearing the cry and he leapt over the back of the couch. It was too dark for him to see a way and he ended up tripping over everything. His hands felt the walls, looking for a light switch. Feeling the cool tile of the kitchen, and meeting with a light switch, he flicked it on. Poor Roxas was cowering behind the island and pizza was splattered onto the floor. Riku was laughing as he walked over to where Roxas was sniveling.

"Alright Roxy, what the hell was that about? You scream bloody murder and I expect to see blood and death. All I see is pizza sauce. Way to bring me down," Riku joked, bending down to the shaking Roxas. Roxas had his hands on the side of his head and he was trembling violently.

"R-Riku, there was someone out there. I saw a face, in the window! R-red eyes were staring back at me! I was so scared and it was so dark!" Roxas stuttered. He jumped onto Riku and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't be an idiot, you were probably still dreaming. Why are you even up anyway? Another nightmare?"

"N-no, actually not tonight. I was just really hungry and it woke me up. I came here, grabbed pizza and when I closed the door, I saw the face. He or it was staring at me angrily, eyes glowing red. The hair was so wildly and he looked like he was trying to get in!"

Riku sighed and sat on the floor with Roxas. He kept an arm around his best friend's shoulder and let the blonde just shake it out. Riku knew it was just a combination of lack of sleep, scary movie, and constant nightmares. He rested his head against the island and he could feel himself falling back asleep. Roxas clung to his shirt like a helpless baby. Like, like his brother. Riku first thought it was Sora who had screamed until he saw Roxas.

'What am I going to do with him? No way in hell is he going to let me get up just yet. Oh, might as well sleep on the kitchen floor,' Riku thought. His eyes fluttered and he didn't know what Roxas did next because he was out like a light.

Roxas was shaking crazily as he held onto Riku. He didn't want to move anywhere, in fear he might see the face again. Riku was already asleep so he figured a night on the floor shouldn't be too bad. Roxas bit his lip and curled against Riku and closed his eyes, trying to erase the face from his brain. He just found a new star for his nightmares.

Author's Note:

Last Update's Cookie Winners:

xFallenSpirit13x (That's because you were with me throughout WA XD)

The correct answer was Kairi and Marluxia. FallenSpirit got both! If you said either Marluxia, or Kairi you get half a cookie!

Well FallenSpirit, you won the very last cookie conest! Congrats!

OH! For the movies they were watching, I was kind of basing it off of the move Premontion for the first one and the Grudge for the second one.

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING. THEY ALL BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTFUL OWNERS.

One last thing before I go, Casey Morgan... I'm not sure if you're reading this part, but... I love you and keep smiling. c:

Sorry guys, I really had to include that part XD I love how she's going to read up to this chapter too!

Well, that's everything! Sorry the chapter was so late and long!

Review & Favourite :]