A/N:Heya peeps! Sorry for the long time in updating, but here's an extra long(er than usual) chapter to cheer you up!
Writing this chapter really made me feel like I was back in the TLE groove. I felt like I tapped back into some of that magic I had earlier in the story, like, Throw Caution To the Wind earlier. So yeah, feeling pretty good about this one. Also, one of my favorite characters makes an appearance this chapter, and I'm super psyched, because she hasn't been in TLE for a bit now, since the Reno Arc started. I honestly love writing Yuffie's character, and I had fun writing this chapter too! I'm pretty sure y'all are gonna hate me by the end of it, but just know that I do everything for good reason!
I'd like to thank all my readers, viewers, and reviewers for their continued support. It has truly made me feel special to know that I inspire people, and I'd like you all to know that you inspire me too, honestly. Thank you all for everything, and sorry if I don't respond to some reviews or such, I try to get to as many as I can, but know I read and appreciate every single one! (Hint: If you really want to hear from me, PM. I always respond to PM's.)
Disclaimer:I do not own nor have rights to Kingdom Hearts or any of the music used in this fanfiction.
Previously on TLE...
Axel has found out that Reno is Roxas' new employee and Roxas has found out that Reno is Axel's half-brother! They go out to eat, but it does not end well. After Reno storms out from the sibling fight, Roxas goes home with Axel to hear about his past. He's feeling type-dejected because his dad left him when he was younger to be a family with this other woman who was pregnant with our favorite country talking baby Reno. Roxas stayed the Friday night at Axel's and they fell asleep in each other's arms...
Axel's POV
His snores have turned into low moans, and it's getting me even hotter. He was still peacefully asleep next to me. Well, as peaceful as he was going to get, cause I'm up, in both senses of the word.
"Axel…" he groans. My god, he's moaning my name in his sleep. I tried not to touch him compromisingly while he slept, but he's making it really fucking hard.
In both senses of the word.
"Roxy," I whisper into his ear, giving it a little nibble. This should be okay, right?
"Axel, baby…" he sighs.
And the gloves are off.
I flip him onto me, hoping to wake him, but no such luck. I softly bounce him up and down. Trying to rouse him from his sleep, but also rousing a certain other member.
On one of the bounces, our groins end up sliding together. We both end up groaning, and finally, Roxy's eyes open up.
"Axel…" he says staring down at me a little confused.
"Morning love," I coo, kissing his forehead, nose, then mouth.
"Stop that."
"What?" I ask sad.
"My…morning breath. I need to brush my teeth," he mumbles cutely.
I chuckle and nuzzle into his neck. "Babe, I don't care about your breath." I give his neck a good lick, making him shudder.
"I-I do," he stutters, trying not to let it affect him, but he knows he can't resist me. Probably why he was trying to stop me, but I was already too far gone.
"I mean, if you really want me to stop," I say, tossing him lightly off of me so we weren't making any contact. Roxas shivers and quickly hops back on top of me. Success!
"It's cold you idiot!" His arms are wrapped securely around my warm naked chest. We kept the AC on during the summer because the heat was unbearable. I guess Roxas wasn't used to the constant cool temperature.
"I can think of a way to warm you up," I suggest, even waggling my eyebrows for effect. Roxas rolls his eyes, but what else could I do? It was getting very difficult for me to resist a cute little Roxy, laying on top of me in just my t-shirt, almost as hard as I was, just raring to go.
"Can you, now?" he asks suggestively. Roxy is finally here to play folks.
Taking the chance he hasso graciously presented me, I am about to kiss him again, before I remember that he doesn't want me to, even though I don't care. So I instead attack his neck again, and take pleasure in his stifled moans. He's trying so hard to keep his voice down cause he probably thinks my mom is home. Honestly, I'm not sure if she is myself, so it's probably for the best. But I wanted to hear him loud and clear, at least once, so I grab him by the waist, and grind him down onto me slow and hard.
"Aaaammmmmh-!" He started to scream but quickly bit into my shoulder to keep it from coming out.
"My sexy Roxy, let me hear you," I half-whisper, half-groan as we continue to dry-hump each other.
"No, ah, you're mom, mm, might be here, ah, oh my god Axel," he groaned in a low voice that turned me on so fucking much.
"Roxas." My movements started getting desperate. I wanted him so bad. Roxas yelps in surprise as I roughly flip us over.
"Keep it down you idiot, your mom might hear!" he whispers.
"I have my AC on. She won't hear any low noises, like the bed creaking. But this," I say before biting his neck, causing him to squeal shortly before covering his mouth, "she might hear. If she's even conscious. Which I doubt."
"You're very confident," he speculates.
"What I am is very aroused. And where I want to be at this moment is inside you," I say huskily. Roxas blushes six shades of red before pulling on his bangs. I move his hand away and brush his bangs all the way back so I can stare into those endless pools of beauty. "You are so bewitching," I sigh happily. If possible he blushes even more, but I'm holding his arms by the wrist above his head so he can't cover his face.
He turns his head to the side to try and avoid my stare, but it's impossible for me to possibly even think about looking away from this beauty. "You're…you're the one who's bewitching…" he nearly whispers, but I hear. Oh boy do I hear. I always just assume he thinks I'm attractive, seeing as how he agreed and is continuing to go out with me, but I've never heard him complement my looks. I could see why he was always blushing whenever I called him gorgeous and such. But instead of the heat going to my face, it was going to other places.
"You ready for me Roxy?" I say, pushing his legs open.
Unable to speak, he nods with his dazzling lust-filled eyes.
…
So apparently my mom was home.
And she is making pancakes.
Roxas has already washed up and gone downstairs and has refused to let me join him until I'm showered and clothed. It's not like my mom heard us, so it's not like she'd know what we were up to. But I've learned that when Roxas tells me to do something, it's just better to do it, so I hop my skinny ass into the shower.
I'm halfway down the stairs when Roxas calls "you better be clothed" from the kitchen, and I turn back around. I can hear my mom giggling and them talking about something I couldn't make out. I loved how my mom and Roxas got along. It made being open about our relationship so much easier. I wish we could be as open with his parents, but it is what it is. Maybe they'll be cool about it one day.
While I'm getting dressed in my room, I hear my phone vibrate. I've got my shirt halfway over my head so I blindly grab for it off my bed. It feels weird in my hand, foreign. Pulling my shirt down, I realize it's because this isn't my phone. It's Roxas'.
And he just got a text from Reno.
I never. Never thought or planned to turn into one of those crazy jealous boyfriends, looking through my significant other's messages and such. I trust Roxas. Completely.
Yet my hands won't stop from clicking on the new messages.
Reno: What you up to today boss?
A normal enough message that has me mildly upset anyway.
Before I can stop and think about what a horribly bad idea this is, I'm already scrolling through their past messages. Most of them are work related, but some of them…some of them are making me feel feelings I didn't feel like feeling at eleven in the morning.
Reno: U don't act like sum1 who's in their 2nd yr of hs
Roxas: Do you mean that as in I act like an old man or a toddler?
Reno: …I dont think I wanna answer that
Roxas: Wise choice rookie
Reno: Like how we dont talk bout the taboo?
Roxas: EXACLTY like how we don't talk about the taboo. See? You're learning! Now you just need to learn how to spell.
Reno: Y u always gotta grill me? Srly…
Roxas: …serisouly, if we're going to text, you have to start spelling shit out, text talk annoys the fuck out of me.
What "taboo" thing were they talking about? Why have I never heard Roxas mention it? Ugh!
And it only gets worse.
Roxas: Rookie!
Reno: Y u always callin me rookie, boss?
Reno: Why you always calling me rookie
Roxas: Very good!
Reno: I was wondering why you didnt answer. Are you really that hung up on text talk?
Roxas: Yes. And I'm not the only one who thinks so
Reno: Oh yeah? Who else?
Roxas: Axel agrees with me!
Roxas: …sorry, that was insensitive of me. You see, sometimes I act before I think. Then garbage falls out of my mouth.
Reno: Lol, its fine, ya hear?
Reno: …it's ok to say lol, isn't it?
Roxas: Lmao, yeah XD
Reno: You hate text talk, but you send emoticons? ? ?
Roxas: ;)
Reno: :P
And as if it were possible. It. Got. Worse.
Reno: Why are you going out with that dick Axel?
Roxas: Axel is not a dick, why we are going out is none of your concern, and I'd appreciate if you stopped bad-mouthing him.
Roxas: I understand you guys have that whole "family feud" thing going, but it's got nothing to do with me, and I'd appreciate not being involved in your petty fights.
Reno: It's not my fault he hates me.
The bastard kicked me under the table when we were at Panera. Why wouldn't I hate him?
Roxas: He doesn't hate you. I just think he's trying to find a way around NOT hating you
Reno: So what you're saying is it's his fault, which it is. I didn't start any of this shit. All I wanted was to get along, but all hopes flew out the window on that department ages ago
Roxas: Rookie, I've talked to Axel, and he said he doesn't hate you. It's just hard for him to accept that his dad left him, basically for you.
Reno: So he holds a grudge against my existence?
Roxas: …you're not making this easy.
Reno: Because I know I'm right, and I know you agree with me
Roxas: I do agree with you, but wounds like this need time to heal. Just let his fur settle, and pet him another day
Reno: And get scratched again? I don't think so.
Roxas: GIVE. IT. TIME.
Reno: You're not the boss of me! :P
Roxas: Yes I am mother fucker!
Reno: …shit, forgot about that…
Roxas: ROFL, you are adorable!
He was flirting.
Reno: You're the one who's adorable…
Roxas: What was that?
Reno: I said you're adorable
Roxas: Couldn't quite catch that? :)
Reno: I'M NOT SAYING IT AGAIN
Roxas: THEN YOU ADMIT DEFEAT
Reno: NEVER!
He was flirting. With my fucking step-brother. Right under my nose. But why? Roxas isn't the type to cheat. I mean, this couldn't even be considered cheating. He was just texting. It wasn't that big of deal.
Then why did I feel like I just unearthed his dirty little secret?
…
I've felt like throwing up all week. Roxas was living a blissfully unaware life from the truth that I had gone through his phone. It was such an invasion of privacy, and I felt like the scum of the earth, and couldn't believe that I had done it at all.
But what was making me sicker was what I'd found.
I was sweating bullets when we went back upstairs that day to hangout and he grabbed his phone. Before I even finished reading through all of the one's from Reno, I went into his settings and changed the message back to unread. He chuckled and texted for a bit before tossing his phone back onto my bed.
"Do you wanna do anything today?" he asked.
I didn't have anything planned, and I was already in the super wrong for violating his privacy, but I sure as hell wasn't about to let him hang out with fucking Reno. "Yeah, let's stay in and watch movies and cuddle," I said, pulling him towards me. Roxas giggled and snuggled into my chest.
"Someone's needy today," he purred, but it didn't have its usual effect. Instead, it made me upset.
But I pushed down on my bubbling feelings, and tried to get the fuck over it. We chose (well, Roxas chose, I wasn't really paying attention) some slayer chick flick (how those two combinations are possible, don't ask me) and watched the movie while snuggling under a blanket on the carpet. I tried not to grow impatient as Roxas kept checking his texts and giggling throughout the whole movie. That was us time, not text my fucking step-brother and indiscreetly flirt with him and send winky faces time.
When we were almost to the end, Roxas' phone went off again, and I was about to throw a little fit before he sat up. "Hey, Cloud says he needs me. I gotta go."
"But, we're almost done with the movie," I whined, and yeah, it sounded pathetic to me too.
"I know hun, but it's urgent." He gave me an apologetic pout that I couldn't refuse.
"Fine, fine. Let me get my keys." We both got up and started getting ready to go.
"Axel, Roxas, are you two going out?" I heard my mom ask. I turned to see her at the door. She was dressed as well.
"Yeah, I'm dropping him off at the…?" I looked to him for confirmation.
"Bus stop is fine," he answered.
"I can drive you to Cloud's if you need me to," I offered.
"I'm not meeting him at the house," he replied.
Okay, it was getting complicated.
"Roxas sweetie, I'm going grocery shopping anyway, I can just drop you off," my mom offered, and I swear Roxas' face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Really, that would be great!"
I tried to protest that I would just do it, but then my mom said it didn't make sense for both of us to waste gas money, and when I offered just to ride along to help, that I never liked nor went grocery shopping with her. Willingly anyway, at least. She won, like always, and I was trapped at home with my thoughts, which was not good at all.
"Where did you drop him off?" I asked mom as soon as she got back.
"Don't help me with the bags or anything," she complained, so I carried all the damn bags into the kitchen as quickly as I could and asked her again. "At the strip mall."
"Why?"
"That's where he asked if I could?" she answered, bewildered by my question.
"Did you see if he was meeting anyone there, and who it was?"
Mom paused in her actions of putting the food away, which by all intents and purposes, I should have been assisting, but I had bigger fish to fry.
"Axel, sweetie, are you okay?" she asked cautiously.
"Peachy. Did you see anyone there with him?" I answered and questioned again.
"No, I don't think. After he got out I drove away, so I didn't really even see him walk into any store."
Oh god, what if he wasn't going to the strip mall at all? There's a bus stop right there, he could have easily hopped on and traveled to another place, and met with Re-!
I slap myself on the face. Hard. I mean, this wasn't like me. If Roxas wasn't the type of person to cheat, then I was not the type of person to suspect that he wasn't telling me the truth.
Unless he wasn't.
"Axel are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine, why?"
"Honey, you just slapped yourself," she pointed out.
I touched my stinging cheek. "That I did, mother. That I did."
She muttered something along the lines of "strange child" and continued packing the fridge. I turned to go back upstairs, still not helping my mother unload the groceries.
I really hated myself.
And I hate myself even more right now because it's Thursday. And TLE is putting on a performance downtown at a teen club called Royals that I promised I'd go to. There was a tacky little glowing sign of a crown above the store's name that I was waiting under. Demyx and I were supposed to go in together, but I've been waiting out here for him since 15 minutes ago, so I decide to go on without him. I rub the key inside my shorts pocket, remembering the feeling of entering the secret underground room in the school. Once inside, my nerves begin to calm. Being surrounded by the familiar atmosphere of eager waiting fans was making me feel at home once again. I could swear I hear someone calling me, but maybe it was just my imagina-
"Axel!"
Demyx is pushing and elbowing people in the face to get to me. Once he reaches my side, he pants. "Dude, sorry for leaving you hanging, I meant to text you earlier to say I was heading in first."
"It's fine." I didn't really care at this point.
"I have a good reason for doing so."
"I already said it's fine-"
"Guess who I ran into the other day, who happened to run into a certain little blonde-"
"Who?"
"The Twighlight Bookie!"
"Hayner?" I question incredulously. "Didn't he say he was going away to nerd camp or something?"
"That's what I thought! But then he-"
"Wait, you said he ran into Roxas?"
"Yeah, he-"
"Where, when?"
"I'm trying to tell you, if you'd shut up for two seconds! It was Saturday, at the-"
"We'd like to thank Royals for housing us tonight," a voice that I'd recognize in even the darkest of rooms says. And the crowd cheers, but not as deafly as I'm used to. Not everyone here went to our school, and even if they did, not everyone knew about TLE and X.
"I am Xero," Roxas says suggestively into the microphone on the stand, making the crowd scream.
"Omega," Riku nearly whispers in a deep voice, and played one hard note on his bass, driving this crowd nuts.
"Pandora!" Sora cheered and played a high-pitched super-fast rift on his guitar. These guys sure knew how to cater to a crowd. I guess it was why they were so popular.
"Crisis, the female legend!" Yuffie proceeded to jam out on her drums for at least a minute until crashing the cymbals abruptly.
"And we are True Light's Eclipse!"
Sora started them off, jumping right into it, and everyone else crashed in. The crowd immediately recognized the song and started going crazy, jumping and hollering and singing along.
Let me know that I've done wrong
When I've known this all along
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you
Pre-chorus:
Tell me all that you've thrown away
Find out games you don't wanna play
You are the only one that needs to know
Chorus:
I'll keep you my dirty little secret
(Dirty little secret)
Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret
(Just another regret, hope that you can keep it)
My dirty little secret
Who has to know?
The club was literally going bananas over this. I mean, for good reason. TLE was one of the greatest cover bands I've ever heard. And Roxas was looking fine as all hell tonight, in white cargo capris, one leg pulled up higher than the other, and a smooth dark grey sleeveless sweater that had loops that went around the biceps of his arms. To top it off he had on scuffed combat boots with the tongue and sides pulled down so you could see the plaid black-and-white pattern inside. He was inhumanely stunning.
When we live such fragile lives
It's the best way we survive
I go around a time or two
Just to waste my time with you
Pre-chorus
Chorus
The way she feels inside (inside)
Those thoughts I can't deny (deny)
These sleeping thoughts won't lie (won't lie)
And all I've tried to hide
It's eating me apart
Trace this life out
Roxas belted out the bridge, his voice no doubt reverberating through everyone's hearts and minds.
Chorus
Who has to know?
Before the last note could fade out, the crowd hollered and bellowed with excitement. TLE was spreading its wings and soaring. All my troubling thoughts and nasty feelings flew away. I didn't just love TLE because of its smoking hottie of a leader, but also the music they produced was amazing and magical. And everyone here already knew, or they sure as hell know now.
They go on to play a few more songs (apparently tonight was a Fall Out Boy night), my favorite being My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark. The crowd jumped and gyrated in time with the music, and the club actually turned into a cool place and not just a teeny-bopper hormone filled jungle.
The band came out to join the rest of the club once the regular music began to blast out of the speakers again. I saw Riku and immediately bounded over to him.
"Hey Riiiiii-Omega! You seen Roxas-Xero? Shit." I was really bad at this stage-name thing.
"Last I saw, he was with Pandora. If you see him, tell him I'll be at the 'bar'." Riku walked around me, and I continued to maneuver through the heaps of excited teens. I saw Sora's head bobbing in the middle of a circle of people. After saying "excuse me" over and over I finally made it to the center.
"Pandora," I call.
"Axel!" He skips to me and gives me a quick hug. "Did you like the show?"
"Yeah, it was good. Your brother here?" I ask impatiently. I'm being rude I know.
But Sora either doesn't care or doesn't notice because he just points in a direction. "Last I saw, he was with Crisis, over there somewhere."
"Thanks." Before I walk away, I have the mind to turn back around and congratulate him on the great show.
Once again I set out and try to find my blond lover, who is determined to stay MIA. Those bad feelings from earlier are coming back slowly, and I don't appreciate the anxiety I don't need right now. Eventually, I hear some people laughing loudly, and head towards that, since it was away from the horde of people and honestly, I needed the breather.
Leaning up against the wall, I saw Yuffie, being cool, as per usual. I try to wait for her to finish whatever conversation she was having, but I was in too much of a rush. "Crisis!"
Yuffie glances at me, but then double-takes when she realizes who it is. "Lynch, my man! The Fire-crotch has returned!"
I stare at Yuffie for a moment. "Are you drunk?"
"High on life, my friend. High on life. There's something about post-concert that always has me giddier than a ten year old mid sugar rush-"
"Have you seen Xero?" I interrupt. She glares at me until I realize why.
"Sorry," I apologize a minute later, for being rude and abrupt.
"Why you gotta be so rude, Lynch?" she asks.
"I said sorry."
"Don't you know I'm human too?"
"What?" I say.
"Why you gotta be so rude," she repeats again, but singing it this time. The people in our group join in and yell 'I'm gonna marry her anyway' off-key, and they all continue to chant away the lines of the song.
"Yuffie!" I yell. "Have you seen him or not?"
"Jeez Louise, who the flubber has your panties in a bunch? Anyway, last I saw him-"
"Last Riku saw him he was with Sora, and last Sora saw, he was with you, so where the hell has he gone now?!"
"Last I saw him, he was with you, mister fucking impatient," she gritts through her teeth. "So you tell me."
"I haven't seen him since he was on stage."
"Well, he was bobbing out of here with some tall as fuck red-head, so I assumed he was ducking out to smack face with you."
At my bewildered expression she mutters 'apparently not' and takes a swig from a water someone just handed her.
"What did the red-head look like?" I ask.
"Like you? I thought it was you. They were pretty far, so it coulda just been the lights or whatever."
"Any other physical descriptions besides his hair and height?" I plead.
"Nope, they were too far away from me," she replies.
I sigh, completely frustrated. "Thanks, I guess" I mutter.
"Your fucking welcome you ungrateful son of a bitch. Now get outta my face before I feel like punching your teeth in." Yuffie glares something fierce at me. I turn and push my way out of the group who was staring on the whole time. I hear Yuffie say until I get out of earshot, "Fucker just ruined my night. I was all happy and shit, and he had to come over here and bring all his angst with him to burst my bubble. Just tryin to help him, he's getting pissy with me for no god damn reason. Fuck him! Shit. Somebody bring me another water!"
Before I go and punch someone's teeth in from being in this crowd too long, I shove my way outside to get some air. And maybe I'll run into Roxas while I'm out here as well, if luck would be on my side for one god damn minute.
My hand instinctively goes into my pocket to grab my lighter and stuff, when I remember I don't have my cigarettes anymore. I could easily go across the street and buy a pack, but…I promised Roxas I'd quit and I did. Just because I reeeeeeally wanted a smoke now, didn't mean I was about to break that promise to him. Not that I haven't already broken enough of our promises, like, to trust each other.
What a big traitor I turned out to be.
I contemplate calling Demyx, see if he 'last saw Roxas' somewhere, but he's probably still inside, and wouldn't be able to hear me.
And that's when I saw.
I finally found Roxas.
And the red-head Yuffie saw him with.
I know, trust me I know, this is a terrible place to leave off, but believe, I had to. Please bear with me, and know I am literally working on the next chapter as this is being posted, and it should be done relatively soon. Like, give me a few days. I would never leave you hanging this bad. I want to make sure there is at least a day from when you read this, to when you read the next chap, so the more people I see have read this chapter, the sooner the next one will go up. Stay with me folks, and look forward to more!
Loves and stuff~
Chriss-Meister