Chapter Thirteen
Over the next few days life went on… normally. Roxas didn't have any nightmares and a few times he was thrown into the water. As usual. He noticed he was getting along better with Demyx the more he got to know him. Demyx loved music and wanted to be a music producer. Roxas also connected with Zexion. Zexion was a lover of books and Roxas loved to read as well. The slate haired man let Roxas borrow some of his books that he brought along with him.
Sora and Riku didn't fight, but Roxas and Axel argued a little bit. The fight wasn't much, but it ended up with Axel sleeping on the sofa that night. Demyx thought it was rather hilarious and didn't even understand why they fought.
"We always act like this," Roxas smiled, an easy response. Their fight was soon forgotten because the big day had come. It was finally the Fourth of July and that day was going to be all about fun. Well, the morning didn't start off that way at least…
"Damn it Riku! Just give me some clothes to wash! I'm running down there now! I thought I told you to do it yesterday. I'm supposed to be making breakfast right now! This is throwing off my whole schedule!" Sora yelled in the hallway. He was screaming so loud at Riku, that it woke the house. The little brunette stood in the hall, holding a basket with clothes in it and his foot tapping wildly. A sleepy silver haired boy strolled casually out of their room, a pile of clothes in his hands. Sora pouted at him and sighed. Riku dumped the clothes into the bucket, waved to him and walked back in the bedroom.
Roxas peeked out of the door, rubbing his eyes with his hand. Axel was right behind him, eyes not fully open. Demyx and Zexion were starting to come out of their bedroom too. Sora just looked at them and sighed.
"Great, now they're awake! Riku, you really are a damn pest! You should've done this yesterday when I asked you!" Sora growled.
"Just shut up will you? It's nine in the damn morning. I just want to sleep. Maybe if you didn't distract me all day and then keep me up all night trying to talk, then my chores would be done and I wouldn't be so freaking tired!" Riku shouted back from the bed. Sora grumbled at him which just made Riku angry. He groaned and threw Sora's pillow out of the room.
"Guys, what's with all the yelling? Seriously, are you fighting over laundry?" Roxas yawned. Sora pivoted on the heels of his feet and glared at Roxas.
"Riku is a lazy ass who doesn't do his share of the work. Now I have to make breakfast late!" Sora snarled.
"Stop being a super sexy distraction then!" Riku said.
"Oh no! Don't you dare try and change the subject. You're the one in the wrong. Whatever, all of you go back to sleep. Breakfast will be done late," Sora said, stomping down the stairs. Roxas and Axel sighed and Demyx and Zexion just looked at each other and slinked back into their room. Doors were shut and more than likely, people went back to sleep.
Riku rested in the middle of the bed and just stared at the ceiling. He sighed and put his hands on his face. Sora was really mad about Riku not doing the laundry. But it was all his fault anyway! Every time Riku tried to gather up clothes to bring down, Sora would go over and wrap his arms around his waist and ignited a cute little make out session on the bed until Riku forgot what he was doing.
"Now he's pissed and probably will stay that way the whole day. Just fucking great," Riku mumbled in his hands. He dropped his hands and closed his eyes, wanting to go back asleep. Sunlight poured into the window, making the room too bright or him to fall back asleep. All he could do was just relax with his eyes shut. Not nearly the same as actually sleeping… but close enough.
O~o~O
Roxas lay there with his arms crossed over his chest and Axel lay on his side, head propped on his elbow and he stared at Roxas intently. The blonde peeked at him and then turned away again. Axel pursed his lips and tried to make his eyes wide, a cute puppy dog face.
"No! It's too muggy in here! Snuggle with yourself," Roxas said, not even looking at Axel. He knew he'd give into the pout.
"But Princess, we're up anyway! C'mon, I just want to hold you," Axel said sweetly. Roxas shook his head and the redhead sighed. He didn't stop staring at Roxas with his big, emerald eyes. Roxas looked into them for only a second and caved.
"Alright! Just for a little while! But at least turn the fan up! It's so hot in here," Roxas sighed.
Axel smiled quickly, but it faded as he said, "The fan's up as high as it can go. We'd have to build a whole new button or something!"
Roxas groaned, but scooted next to Axel anyway. Happy with that, Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas' waist and pulled the blonde against him. Roxas brought his arms up to his chest and looked up at his boyfriend. The redhead leaned down and kissed Roxas' forehead.
"I love you Princess, oh, I mean Roxas," Axel cooed. Roxas didn't even bother saying anything.
O~o~O
Demyx sat on his bed, twirling his phone in his hand. Zexion was lying in his own bed, reading a rather thick book. Demyx watched him and smiled. He always saw his best friend reading. Books were Zexion's one love.
"So today should be a good day. The sky's not as cloudy as it has been the past couple days. Look, even the sun's out a bit!" Demyx smiled, pointing out the window.
"Oh, isn't that fascinating," Zexion said, uninterested. "By what just happened a few moments ago is just a lovely way to start the day. A wonderful sign."
Demyx pursed his lips to the side and looked around their bedroom. Separating their two beds was a small night table with a lamp and a clock radio on it. There was a dresser pressed against the wall and a small television was on top of it. By the dresser was a door that led to the closet. The room was nothing Demyx was used to, having grown in up in a rich lifestyle. His room was always huge and decked out with whatever his heart wanted.
Whatever his heart wanted? More like what his parents wanted. Demyx didn't have much of a say in decorating, but he didn't care. It made his parents happy. Zexion wasn't all that rich so his room was quite similar to the one they were using. Only bigger.
"I wonder if my parents miss me. I mean, I've been away for song long with college and being with you and Axel. It's been a while since I've seen them," Demyx said randomly.
"Then how about we go visit them when we're gone from here. I bet Axel will want to see them too," Zexion yawned.
"That's a great idea Zexi! Oh man, I wonder what they'd say if they saw me sleeping in such a plain room!" Demyx laughed. Zexion snorted and didn't respond. Demyx bit his lip and sighed. He remembered Zexion didn't like it when Demyx talked about how he grew up with anything he wanted just given to him.
Demyx's father owned two small hotels that still brought in a great deal of money. His mother owned a lovely restaurant. Zexion's parents were teachers. Two completely different lifestyles, but when Demyx met Zexion in their first year of college, after Demyx refused to go to a much fancier one like what his parents wanted, he knew they were going to be best friends forever.
"So, they're a bunch of cool guys. I already liked Riku, but Roxas and Sora are pretty awesome too!" Demyx said, trying to get Zexion to pay less attention to the book and more attention to him. Zexion sighed and closed his book. He looked at Demyx and set it on the nightstand. Zexion swung his short legs over the side of the bed and stared Demyx down.
"I know what you're trying to do Dem. It worked. I'll talk!" Zexion grinned softly. Demyx nearly clapped his hands and cheered. It usually never worked!
"Good! You know Zexi, you should talk more. You have a nice voice!" Demyx laughed.
Zexion rolled his visible eye and ran a hand through his mass of hair before he said, "Back to your original thing, yes. They are nice people. Roxas is a good man of literature as well. He has a keen eye for great books. Takes good care of them too from what I saw these past few days."
"I'm glad you and Roxas get along well. Sora and I are so much alike! We like so many of the same things!" Demyx giggled. Zexion laughed briefly with him and Demyx's heart raced. He looked at Zexion and it thrummed even faster.
Why does my heart always do that when Zexion and I are like this? Demyx asked himself. Every time he got Zexion to pay attention to him and talk, Demyx's heart went off like humming bird's wings. When Zexion laughed, blushed, or whatever, it felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest. Well, I kind of like this feeling. If only Zexion were more like this…
O~o~O
Soft lips were lightly pressed to his and Riku's eyes flashed open. Too soon, those lips were gone and Riku smiled to see two brilliant eyes of ocean blue and so many brown spikes.
"Well hello there handsome. Not mad at me anymore?" Riku chuckled, wrapping his arms around the small boy's waist. Sora squeezed his thin legs in between Riku's and laid on top of him.
"While I was down there I thought it over. It was rather stupid of me to just start yelling like that. It was kind of my fault. I was pulling you away every time you tried to do your work, but I couldn't help myself! You're just too darn gorgeous!" Sora smiled.
"You're forgiven then. I'm also sorry for snapping at you," said Riku. Sora looked up at him with a cute little smile.
"Kiss and make up?"
Riku just laughed and pulled him up to his face. Sora pecked him on the nose, but Riku wanted it all. He crushed Sora's face to his and there started a much better morning.
O~o~O
Roxas was back to his old shirt thing when Zexion and Demyx showed up. He slept in an oversized shirt with his boxers again instead of shirtless when he was comfortable. The only one who was complaining was Axel. When Roxas first when to bed with the shirt on, Axel nearly ripped it off of him. Roxas flipped out on him when he tried, so they redhead gave up, but wasn't happy about it.
On that strange Fourth of July morning, Roxas and Axel were downstairs while Sora and Riku started with breakfast in the kitchen. Zexion and Demyx wanted to stay upstairs until breakfast which didn't bother anyone. They did it every morning.
"So Princess, they're not down here. How about you strip of that awful thing? It's too hot to wear a shirt anyway," Axel said, gesturing to his shirtless self. Roxas rolled his eyes and thumped his head.
"Easy you pig. You got to have fun for a little while. You might like to run around in just your boxers, but I like clothes," Roxas said, pointing to his shorts and shirt outfit. Roxas was sitting next to Axel on the sofa, watching some movie Axel randomly popped in. They didn't have cable in the house, but Axel didn't care. He had such a big collection of all kinds of movies.
"Alright, I'll stop messing with you. Hey, I'm not the only one. Riku does it too and sometimes Sora does!" Axel pointed out.
"Sora's wearing pretty much the same outfit as me. Riku is wearing a shirt for your information. He just doesn't have shorts on as well. Just boxers. Put on a shirt and you and Riku can be twins!" said Roxas.
"Axel and I… twins? That's hysterical Rox. I look nothing like your ginger boyfriend," Riku snorted as he walked into the living room. He plopped down on the chair and put his feet on the coffee table.
"Yeah, Riku's not as hot as me. He's… average," Axel said cockily.
"Oh? So you're checking me out? I know I'm so gorgeous. I bet you want to dump Roxas over there and try for me. Good luck! Sora's the only man I see!" Riku smiled. Roxas frowned and took a pillow just to whip it at Riku's face. He didn't have much of an arm or good aim for that matter. It landed right on Riku's feet and the silver haired boy laughed.
"That's why you were on the track team my friend," Riku teased. Roxas grumbled and ignored the boy after that.
"Riku, be nice to my brother or I'll kick your ass," Sora called out from the kitchen.
"Sorry babe, but Axel technically started it first. Axel's finally falling in love with me and dumping Rox and blonde boy over there got jealous and threw a pillow at me. Pretty badly I might add," Riku replied.
"You wish I was in love with you freak. Roxas is the only man I'll ever be in love with," Axel laughed. Roxas looked down at the ground and Riku took notice of that. He tried not to let it show in his face. His best friend was hurting over that again.
Riku cleared his throat and tried to think of a way to change the subject, "So Axel, will there be fireworks tonight?"
Axel's head perked up and a sloppy grin spread on his face. He said, "Hell yeah! How can you have a Fourth of July without fireworks? We're going in town for them."
"Nice, it's going to be a great freaking day!" Riku smiled, leaning back and looking at the ceiling.
O~o~O
Sora had breakfast finished by twelve. He got a little distracted by Riku when he got back upstairs. The brunette didn't even start cooking until eleven! So breakfast was turning more into a form of brunch. Demyx and Zexion came down when the food was done and everyone ate in the dining room. After breakfast, everyone left to go get ready for the little picnic-party thing for the day.
There were six of them and only one shower. All Hell pretty much broke loose. Roxas was the first to snag bathroom time, but it meant he had to be the quickest. At least he had all the hot water which was better than the last person to get in. That unlucky fellow ended up being Axel all because of a certain sexy blonde boy that chose to annoy the hell out of Axel.
"What a damn tease!" Axel snarled as he left the bedroom to go in the shower last. Roxas was laughing as he tried to fix up his spikes a bit. He decided to just thrown on his swim trunks and a plain tee shirt for the day. Sooner or later he knew he was going to be thrown in. Seems like Axel's favorite way to pester Roxas.
"Knock, knock! We're heading outside already. Coming? It'll just take Axel an hour to shower and get ready anyway," Riku said, standing in the doorway. He had a green beach towel thrown over his shoulder and he only wore his black swim trunks.
"Uh sure, let me just grab my phone. My mom might call us today if Cloud gets pulled into work like he usually does," Roxas said, careful not to say dad. Cloud didn't seem like much of a father anymore to Roxas. Riku nodded with a smile and started for the stairs where Sora waited for him.
Roxas crawled over the bed to grab his phone that was charging on the nightstand. He yanked it off the cord and looked at his phone carefully. No missed phone calls, texts or anything. Roxas sighed and held it in his hands. He missed his mom and the rest of his family so much.
What was he going to do when the summer was over? College was out of the question. He had no way to afford anything for him or his brother. His father clearly didn't want them home. Axel didn't even know the truth as to why they were even there in the first place. Where were Roxas and Sora going to go after the summer and they were expected to go home? Roxas and Sora could rent an apartment together and get jobs to try and pay rent. Maybe he could ask to move in with Axel, but he really couldn't stand Axel's parents.
What the hell is going to happen to us? Roxas thought sadly. He pushed it to the back of his mind and tried to focus on having fun. There weren't so many nightmares anymore. He hasn't had one since the night he slept on the kitchen floor with Riku. So that was some good news that should surely brighten his day.
"Roxas! Are you coming or not?" some yelled up from the stairs. Roxas couldn't hear enough to find out who.
"Sorry! I'm coming!" Roxas said, flying off the bed. He nearly slipped as he tried running out the door, but caught himself. As he passed the bathroom door, he could hear Axel's loud singing voice over the sound of the water and he laughed to himself. Roxas ran down the stairs to see that everyone was already outside.
"Towel! Damn! I forgot a towel! Oh well, I'm outside anyway. I don't need it," Roxas said, pausing at the front door. He really didn't feel like going all the way back up the stairs.
Sora was already running for the water. His towel was just thrown to the ground and Riku mumbled to himself as he picked it up to set it on the picnic table. Roxas smiled and skipped down the porch steps and into the sunlight. There was a very small breeze that balanced nicely with the heat from the sun.
"Roxas the water is great! Come in already," Sora yelled. Riku set his own towel down and ran to join Sora who was backstroking around. Roxas set his phone down on the table, ran after them and splashed around in the shallower water until it got deep enough.
"Aye! Roxas, why are you swimming with your shirt on?" Demyx called. Roxas' cheeks got hot and he didn't answer, but Riku and Sora were just tinkling with laughter. Roxas growled and splashed at them.
"Princess is scared of his body. He has no self confidence," Riku answered for Roxas.
"I do too have confidence! Well, not a lot of it, but there's some!" Roxas said, looking down into the water.
"Kid, you're smoking hot. Take it off already," Demyx said casually. Roxas jumped in surprise at how easy Demyx said that. Blushing, Roxas just stood there with his arms to his side. He refused to take the shirt off.
"Riku, keep laughing and I swear I'm going to kick your ass," Roxas threatened at the giggling boy.
"Oh Princess, I'm so scared!" Riku said sarcastically, clutching his chest and faking being frightened. Roxas grumbled to himself and swam off farther by himself. Sora looked at his brother and then at the still laughing Riku. Sighing, he swam after his brother. Riku just watched Sora swim away and he frowned.
"Roxas, we've already talked about this. You're my brother. You look a lot like me. I'm hotter than hell. That makes you pretty darn good looking too. Why are you so shy about yourself? Honestly my brother, you are definitely not ugly!" Sora said, swimming up to a floating Roxas.
"It's just… I've always been like this. Even before I met with Riku and I've pretty much known Riku for most of my life," Roxas sighed. Sora paused to think about what to say next, but he really didn't have anything else to say.
"Do you really think Axel will want to date you if you're ugly?" Sora said, hoping it would work. It didn't.
"You think Axel is only in love with me for looks? That's an awful thing Sora!" Roxas gasped.
Great job Sora buddy. You probably made everything worse, Sora scolded himself. He inhaled deeply and really thought about something to fix that.
"That's not true. I didn't mean what I said. I'm sure if you were not attractive at all Axel would fall in love with you because you have a wonderful personality," Sora said, proud of himself for replying better.
"Sora, just go with Riku. This isn't helping. Thanks for trying." Damn, so close.
The brunette sighed and swam as fast as he could to his boyfriend who was sitting on the grass just by the edge of water. He was resting on his hands, head up and trying to catch the breeze. Sora laughed and tried to be quiet to sneak up on him. Slyly, he wrapped his hands around Riku's ankle and then...
"What are you-ah! Sora!" Riku screamed as Sora yanked him back into the water. Sora was all giggles as Riku came back up, face all red.
"I love you Rikki Kins!" Sora laughed, wrapping his arms around Riku's neck. Riku said something like that back and put his hands on Sora's hips. Sora leaned up and kissed his cheek lightly.
"You're too cute for me to be mad at you," Riku smiled at his boyfriend.
"I know! Wish I could say the same," Sora teased. Riku gasped and fell back into the water, taking Sora with him. They were both cracking up as they stood back up. There was a ringing coming from a phone by Demyx.
"Roxas, your phone's going off!" Demyx shouted. Sora and Roxas both froze up for a moment. Roxas was swimming right back to land as fast as his little arms and legs could take him.
"It's got to be Mom. There's no one else that could be calling Roxas. He doesn't have friends," Sora said, getting back on land. Roxas let that one slide and ran for the picnic table. Demyx was just casually sitting with Zexion in their swimsuits, not ready to go in just yet.
"Why so excited? It's just your mom," Demyx said, confused. Oh no.
"It's like the first holiday we aren't with her or our… dad. Can we miss our mom or is that bad?" Roxas sort of lied. He didn't say exactly why they were so excited, but he didn't really lie. Roxas grabbed Riku's towel and dried his hands and ear. The ringing stopped, but Roxas was sure he could call her right back. He snatched up his cell phone and quickly redialed her. It only rang a couple times.
"Roxy? Is that you? Oh baby I miss you guys! Your father stepped out to run something to the office! Is Sora with you? Tell my sunshine momma says hi!" rushed a lovely voice. Roxas' entire face lit up at the sound of her voice.
"We miss you too mom. Sora's right next to me. He says hi too. Riku's getting out of the water now and Axel's taking a shower or something. Oh! Axel's friends are here with us too! They're really nice guys, you'd love them mom," Roxas said. Sora was bouncing up and down, waiting for his turn to talk to their mom.
"As long as they treat you guys right! So, now my two babies are both adults. You two grew up so fast! You're making feel so old. I'm sure your daddy is proud of you… even if he would argue against it right now," Aerith replied sweetly.
"Aw stop mom. You're not old! In fact, you're so young you could be our sister!" Roxas said. He always said something like that whenever his mother said she was old. It made her feel better.
"That's the right thing to say, love! So how is your Fourth of July going so far? When your dad gets home, he's supposed to be taking me to that carnival we all used to go to."
Roxas froze up for a moment and thought about that that. For as long as Roxas could remember, their whole family would go to the town carnival on the Fourth of July for fun. His dad would make sure he got off from work that day just so they could spend the whole day together. Then when it got dark, they'd all lie on a big blanket in the grass and watch fireworks light up the night sky. But once the boys got older, they stopped doing it. Right around when Roxas turned sixteen, they stopped. Roxas wanted to hang out with Riku more on that day then with his own family, so then his father began working on the Fourth of July. It was weird that Roxas wouldn't be seeing his own mother at all.
"I miss when we did that. It was so much fun with all of us being together as a family. I miss our family," Roxas said, his voice starting to break. He couldn't start crying. Not in front of anyone. The only person he could ever cry in front of was Riku. Riku… understood him.
"Baby, we still are a family. I'll set your father straight by the end of the summer. Then everything can go back to normal. We're all going to be happy together again," said their mom. Roxas was going to lose it then. He knew Cloud wouldn't change his mind. It was just who he was, so very stubborn. Just like Roxas. Oh god, Roxas was about to cry and he knew it.
"I'm going to give the phone to Sora now. He's just bouncing with excitement. We'll talk soon. I love you mom, forever and always. I miss you," Roxas said, his voice cracking up at the end. He held out his phone and Sora took it right away, already chatting with their mom. Sora bounced off towards the house and Roxas looked down at the ground. Demyx and Zexion exchanged glances and Riku looked at Roxas, expecting what was coming.
"You're coming with me," Riku said, grabbing Roxas' wrist. The two of them ran off towards the two cars, away from the house and the two confused boys. They ducked in between the two cars and sat on the ground. Riku placed an arm around Roxas' shoulders and the blonde rested his wet head on Riku's shoulder.
"I knew you were going to cry. I also know how much you hate crying in front of everyone. That's why I took you away. Go ahead and cry Roxas. I'm right here with you and I promise I won't leave you alone," Riku whispered to Roxas. Hearing that, the tears began pouring from his face. Riku squeezed Roxas tightly and let him weep.
"She said she was going to change Cloud's mind. She's going to try and get him to love us again. Riku, I know it won't work. Cloud and I are like the same. We don't change our minds once it's set on something. I keep getting this false hope that once the summer is over, Cloud will realize his mistake and take me and Sora back. But I know that it's never going to happen. He hates us. He wants us dead," Roxas cried. Riku flinched at the thought of the two people he loved most, dead. It was like that nightmare all over again.
"I know that deep down Cloud still loves you guys. Like come on, who wouldn't? You are his only sons and he lived with you and helped you grow up. He loved you both so dearly and just one little thing shouldn't change his heart. Right now, his brain his just so confused over the whole situation that it's blocking what his heart is trying to tell him Cloud's heart is telling his brain that he loves his two sons very deeply and would never want them dead," Riku said, trying to calm Roxas. Roxas couldn't accept what Riku said. It didn't sound right. Instead, he didn't reply and just wept silently then. Riku held onto him as he cried, keeping his promise.
"Roxas? Where are you? Come on, you're helping me grill up hotdogs tonight!" Axel yelled from the house. Roxas' head snapped up and he began wiping his eyes. Riku let him go and stood up, brushing the dirt off of him.
"Are my eyes super red? I don't want Axel to see that I cried. It would be hard to explain. Demyx and Zexion probably already blabbed, but I'll need time to come up with a lie," Roxas sniffled. Riku looked into his blue eyes, much like the ones Roxas' brother had, the ones Riku loved so dearly. When he looked at Roxas all he saw was Sora and that wasn't right. He shook his head, trying to clear the image and really looked at Roxas.
"You're fine. Blame it on dirt if he notices it. Look Roxas, I don't know how much longer you're going to be able to keep up with the lie," Riku said, starting to walk back. Roxas followed behind closely.
"It's a secret I'm taking to the grave. A pinky swear for myself," Roxas whispered. Riku's eyes widened, but he let it go. He kept walking until he felt Roxas' arms lock around him from behind, but it was only for a second.
"What was that for?" Riku asked.
"It's because you knew something was wrong and you tried to make me feel better. It's my thank you to you," Roxas said simply. Riku nodded and they ran to go join the rest of the group. Axel was already trying to start up the grill and Sora was still blabbing to his mom from the porch. The brunette waved to them with a smile and Riku returned the smile and wave. Demyx and Zexion looked at them both and then talked to themselves.
"There you two are! Hey Riku, go grab the burgers and dogs will you? Rox, come here with me," Axel said. He actually had a simple grey tank top on with his swim trunks, but that was because he was working with the grill. Riku saluted and ran off to the house. Roxas quietly stood next to Axel and watched him prepare the grill.
"Don't take too long Axel. We're starving!" Demyx said, patting his growling stomach.
"Shut up will you? Go jump in a lake," Axel said, pointing to the water. Demyx just flipped him off and continued his hushed conversation with Zexion.
I know exactly what they're talking about. They better not tell Axel, Roxas thought, glaring at them without them noticing. Suddenly, he was thinking that they weren't nice people at all. More like little things that were going to screw up his lie. Those things needed to be dealt with soon and Roxas knew just when.
O~o~O
The day went on and Axel only lost three hotdogs and one hamburger to the grill. Sora brought out chips and soda and everyone ate at the picnic table, but they really had to cram together. The couples next to each other and Demyx and Zexion across from each other. After a little while after dinner, all because Sora insisted they'd get stomachaches if they swam right after eating, everyone ran into the lake. Well, Roxas was actually picked up and thrown by Riku and Axel into the water. It was starting to become some sort of tradition. They all had a blast just messing around in the water.
When the sun had set and it was finally night time, everyone got out and went inside for dry clothes and to grab a bunch of blankets. Roxas decided he really didn't want to be eaten alive by mosquitoes and it was breezy enough that he'd be comfortable in jeans and a light jacket. Axel just had on a simple shirt with a pair of shorts. Roxas warned him about bug bites, but Axel didn't care. With everyone dressed and ready, the race to get into the cars was on.
Axel said he had to drive his car which meant Demyx and Zexion had to take Demyx's car. Sora and Riku rode with Axel and Roxas. Axel said that the town not too far from the lake always had a festival where they set off fireworks for everyone to see. He wanted to get there relatively early so they could get the best spots in the park. It was a ten to twenty minute drive into and out of town, depending on the traffic. Axel told Demyx to follow him exactly because they had to go to the heart of the town to get to the park which added driving time. With everyone all set, the drive began.
"So, the whole town's going to be there? You got to this festival thing a lot?" Roxas asked, looking out the window.
"Well sure! My parents and I went whenever we spent the summer here. The fireworks looked amazing then and we've only missed like two years at the most. Hopefully they got even better!" Axel exclaimed. In the backseat, Sora was all snuggled up on Riku and the smallest twinge of jealousy went through him. But what was he jealous of? Was it because he wasn't able to ride with Axel like that? Or worse, maybe he wanted to be where his brother was. No! That's a silly thought! Roxas just wished that Axel chose not to drive so that they could do that.
I'm not jealous of my brother. He's with Riku now. The past is over. No, wait. Roxas, you're supposed to forget the past. For Sora's sake and for Axel's. If they knew what happened it could, Roxas thought, but he couldn't finish the thought. He wanted the memory of middle school gone from his memory. Done forever.
O~o~O
"You've got to be kidding me! People are already starting to pack the place up! Alright, let's hope we can find parking spots close to each other," Axel sighed. Roxas looked around and saw families just start filling the park. Families. Did Roxas still have a family? He had Sora and Riku was pretty much like a brother. He knew his mother still loved him. That's his family, right?
"Here we go! We'll take this one and Dem can take the one just two spots down," Axel said, already starting to park. Demyx waited in his silver car patiently behind them and Roxas looked out the back window, watching them.
Once Axel was parked, they all piled out of the car, grabbing the blankets they brought with them. Axel locked up the car and ran to meet with Roxas and them by the trunk. A blue blanket hung on Roxas' arm and Axel dove in to grab Roxas' hand. He laced their fingers together and led them towards Demyx's car. Zexion had the blanket in his arms and they ran to meet with him.
"We're following you Mister I-Come-Here-Every-Year-So-Now-I'm-Your-Tour-Guide," Demyx smiled.
"Was that really necessary? Oh look! Right on the hill. That's a perfect spot! C'mon, let's go before some other group takes it," Axel said, starting to run, Roxas in tow. Everyone else ran to catch up with him and they claimed the spot before anyone else could.
Axel took the blanket from Roxas and spread it out on the ground. Riku took Sora's and set it out, but Demyx let Zexion get it set up. Axel motioned for Roxas to lay down first and the blonde smiled at him. Riku and Sora plopped down and Sora was already cuddling with Riku. Demyx and Zexion lay on the blanket awkwardly, as far apart as they could get.
"Could be starting any minute. Let's hope it's a good show!" Axel said, taking Roxas' hand in his. Roxas scooted closer to Axel and stared up at the starry night sky. The moon shone brightly and beautifully. Back at the house, it must look absolutely gorgeous reflected on the water.
"You know Axe, this is kind of romantic. The two of us, lying on the ground looking at fireworks and being so close," Roxas said happily. Axel brought their hands up to his face and kissed Roxas' hand softly.
"I am Mister Romantic after all," Axel said smoothly. Roxas just had to laugh at that.
"No you're not. The first date you took me on was pizza at your place and watching a movie on TV. Not exactly romantic," Roxas said, using his free hand to make an air quote around the word 'date'.
"Hey, during the movie I lit a candle. I also bought you a rose. That's romantic, right?" Axel defended.
"I'll let you have that one to keep you happy Axe," Roxas chuckled. Axel grinned and leaned to kiss Roxas' forehead.
"I love you Princess," Axel smiled. Ouch.
"Yeah, I know you do," Roxas sighed. Riku heard that part.
"Hey guys look! They're starting! There's the first one!" Riku shouted, pointing to the sky. Axel's attention was on the colorful exploding going on in the sky. More were shot up in the sky and the sky was lit up with all kinds of colors. Even some music floated up to them, but it was drowned out by the sound of the fireworks going off.
Roxas was in complete awe by the hugeness and the vivid colors. The fireworks back at his town's festival weren't nearly as big or as colorful. Greens and blues shone brightly. Those were followed by reds and whites. Some of them made sizzling noises as they fell. The huge yellow ones had little things that flew off at the end. A smile never left Roxas' face. He was remembering the good times they had at the festival, but the one great memory he was creating at that moment blocked out the others, overpowering them.
"They're so beautiful! Must've cost them a bunch of money," Roxas gasped as more were set off. Axel squeezed his hand and tried to pull him closer.
"It really is. Heh, it's our first time seeing fireworks together. Actually, it's our first Fourth of July together," Axel noted. Roxas actually noticed that. When he wasn't at the festival with his family, he was at Riku's for the Fourth of July. He loved Riku's nutty family. Axel was out of town for one and the other he was forced to be with his family and his family made it very clear they didn't want Roxas there.
"It'll be a holiday I'll never forget. Let's do this for every Fourth of July together, 'kay?" Roxas said, snuggling close to Axel. Axel placed a finger under Roxas' chin, making the blonde look at him.
"It's a promise," Axel said, pressing his lips to Roxas' in a sweet and passionate kiss. It seems they were making their own fireworks at that moment. They were some fireworks Roxas actually preferred over the pretty ones in the sky.
"You guys are missing out on the show!" Riku teased. Axel's hands were on Roxas' back then, giving him the perfect opportunity to flip off Riku. This only made the silver haired man laugh and hold onto his boyfriend even tighter.
"They're really cute together, huh Rikki Kins?" Sora admired. Riku laughed softly and kissed the top of Sora's spikes.
"Not as cute as us my dear," Riku smiled. Sora thought about that and just had to agree on that. They kissed briefly and continued to cuddle and watch the firework display. Demyx looked over at the two happy couples and then at Zexion and sighed. The slate haired man was too fixated on the sky to even notice.
Will I ever be as happy as them? Well, this moment right now is just perfect. Let's not ruin it, Demyx thought. He nonchalantly moved closer to Zexion and curled his head slightly toward Zexion and smiled. Zexion didn't notice, or if he did he didn't really care then.
So what started out as an awful day… turned out to be the greatest night for everyone.
Author's Note
Happy Fourth of July for all my fellow Americans!
Here it is, the Fourth of July party chapter!
I actually hope it's uploaded on July 4th. Make it a lot easier on me. I couldn't upload it early due to family activities. Oh well.
So, what did you guys think? I've been gone a while. Should I brush up on my skills?
I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK. I LOVE IT. I LIVE OFF IT. Wait. That's creepy.
Anyway, this'll be short. I've got something to do now!
Check out Flaws Make You Perfect if you haven't yet! New chapter soon!
Anyway, that's it! Happy 4th of July! And if you're not from the USA, hope you have a good day! Love you!
I'm done.
Oh wait, disclaimer.
I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I just wish I did.
That's it! Bye!
Review & Favorite. c: