I finally got my computer back, which means I am actually listening to music regularly again. I already know what I am going to write next actually. And I want to write something inspired by What Sarah Said by Death Cab For Cutie, but every time I sit down and look at the lyrics, I feel like I don't truly understand what the song is about. Hopefully I'll figure it out because I really want to do something on that. Anyways, this one actually was taking a rather different path, but halfway through I decided that I've done too many where Axel relies on Roxas, so I decided to turn it around and had to start over. It didn't end up quite like I was planning, but really, when does it ever? Sometimes your fingers just know better than your brain I guess. Or the characters know better...
Something I Need by One Republic
This week was hell.
Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it sure seemed like it.
Every time he got a step closer, something dragged him back two steps. He had just got a raise, and sure 50 cents and hour more doesn't sound impressive, but it sure would make a different at the end of the week. But of course, of course, when he gets a raise the car just had to break down. That was another $75 out of the dream home savings.
Roxas sighed setting down the last bill. With the stupid car breaking down, despite his new pay raise they were still going to barely afford groceries this week, and the savings account was looking horribly empty. Thin, but strong arms wrapped around his shoulders, a chain resting on his shoulder. "I only want to hear happy and content sighs out of you." Axel said in his ear, placing a soft kiss on his temple. Roxas reached up a hand to run through long, red hair.
"I know, it's just-" Roxas sighed again, causing Axel to place another kiss, this time on his cheek. "Every time something good happens and I think we might be a step closer to buy that house, something bad happens and we fall farther back."
Axel turned Roxas in his seat so that he was looking him in the eye. "We're doing fine, Roxas. We have someplace to live and food to eat, and we have each other." Axel smiled softly. "And in a few months you will be graduating and get to quit that sucky job and start working at the hospital. And you will be the cutest nurse they have."
"I'm not cute." Roxas mumbled.
"You are adorable." Axel stressed. "And all the little old ladies will just be atwitter at your adorableness, the young ladies cooing over you, and the men jealous at the attention you attract." Axel grinned, kissing the blonds pink cheeks.
"And are you going to be one of those men?" Roxas asked quietly.
"Nah, because cute is great and all, but no one else gets to see sexy Roxas. And sorry, but in my opinion, sexy Roxas is better than cute Roxas." Axel said, picking Roxas up so his arms went around his shoulders, his legs around his waist.
"You think I'm sexy?" Roxas asked looking up at Axel through thick, blond lashes, his fingers running through red hair at the back of Axel's neck.
"I think you are everything." Axel answered quietly, as if volume might affect the answer.
Roxas smiled softly, leaning in to kiss Axel slowly. "I think you're even more." He replied, even softer than Axel had spoken.
Okay, that's it. That's the final straw. He couldn't take it anymore. He was pissed.
Professor Vexen had gone waaaay past polite shoulder and back touching. That was way too much hand on his ass this time. Sorry creep, but that is Axel only zone. Riku nearly had to physically restrain Roxas from punching the man right in the middle of the classroom, and he had to go with him back to his apartment to make sure he didn't take a turn and go to the man's office and possibly maim him. Because being kicked out of school right before getting his nursing degree was the last think Roxas needed, and he later thanked Riku.
Axel was cheery as he came through the door, as his office had gone out for lunch, his boss's treat, and he was able to bring home enough leftovers for both of them to have a pretty nice dinner. For free. Heck yeah. But his mood dropped when he saw Roxas seated on their couch, his back straight, barely on the couch at all, his arms folded tightly in front of him, and his face clearly saying he was fuming on the inside.
"What's up, Rox?" Axel asked carefully, trying to not get all of Roxas's wrath turned on him.
"That bastard touched me and Riku wouldn't let me hit him." Roxas growled.
"Touched you?"
"He totally grabbed my ass, and in the middle of class!"
Now Axel was mad because no one, no one, touches Roxas when Roxas does not want to be touched. And they especially do not touch what Roxas had determined as Axel only areas. "I'm going down there tomorrow and talking to someone. He can't touch you like that. It's against school policy and sexual harassment."
"He's just lucky Riku is in that class." Roxas growled.
"What do you mean there's nothing you can do?"
"I mean, Professor Vexen has tenure and is a very important professor here, and you have no solid proof. There is nothing that can be done."
"He inappropriately touched my boyfriend." Axel growled, leaning over the desk. "We have witnesses."
"People can lie, sir, you need better proof is you plan to do anything to professor Vexen." The woman behind the desk sighed, unaffected by Axel's intimidating form looming over her desk.
"You can't do anything? Not even get him moved to a different class? One with a different professor?"
"It's much too late in the semester to change classes." She shook her head, leaning back in her chair.
"But it's the same class, just someone else teaching it?" Axel asked, getting desperate.
"It can't be done. So sorry, sir." Please, she didn't sound sorry at all.
"Fine." Axel ground out, pushing himself off the desk. "But I will get proof that bastard is touching my boyfriend, and he won't be able to hide behind some shitty tenure."
"Good luck with that, sir."
Axel leaned heavily against the counter, nursing some drink that he was pretty sure had vodka in it that Tifa had set in front of him when he flopped down and sighed at her bar.
Slim arms wrapped around his waist, and the only thing he could see when he turned were blond spikes. Roxas. "Thank you." Roxas mumbled into his back.
"You have nothing to thank me for." Axel sighed. "I couldn't even help." Couldn't even get him into a new class!
"No, you helped so much." Roxas informed him, pulling away to drag Axel and his chair back, leaving him just enough room to climb into Axel's lap, squished between Axel's chest and the bar counter. "Vexen found out you threatened to get proof that he was touching me and he's stopped. He knows what getting caught inappropriately touching a student can do to his job at the university and he clearly doesn't want that. He didn't touch me at all today in class. Just commented on my work and moved on. So thank you for doing that for me." Roxas smiled shyly, leaning forward to hug Axel.
"God that's a relief." Axel hugged Roxas tighter, burying his face in the crook of Roxas's neck and sighing. "I don't want anyone touching you without your permission."
"Yeah well, the only one with permission to touch my ass is you. It's strictly 'Axel only'."
"Hmm." Axel hummed, pulling back to look Roxas in the eye and grinning. "Maybe we should get that tattooed on your ass."
"No way!" Roxas cried, shaking his head. "Besides, that would mean people would have to see my ass in order to know that. I would rather just be around you and let people know that way. Or punch them in the face when they try to touch. That's always fun."
Axel chuckled. "You're right. Your ass is Axel viewing only as well. Plus that would involve an artist touching your ass for several hours in order to do the tattoo." Axel grinned again, leaning forward into Roxas's face. "I'll just have to make sure everyone knows already."
"Just because there are almost no customers, doesn't mean you can scar the few that here. Or contaminate my beautiful bar top." Tifa interrupted just before Axel reached Roxas's lips. "Take the baby making to your own apartment, or at least upstairs."
"Awe, Tif. You would offer us your own bed if our passion could not make it all the way back to our own apartment?" Axel chuckled, still leaning close to Roxas, who was staring at his neck like he was wondering if he should just take a bite or not.
"I have a pull out couch for a reason, Axe." She replied dryly.
"No pull out couches." Roxas said, finally dragging his eyes from Axel's neck. "I always end up with a pole digging into my back."
"Can't be much worse than having one digging into your ass." Tifa mumbled not quite quietly enough, causing Axel to burst out laughing and Roxas to no frown and turn a little red.
Roxas sighed, once again looking over the bills.
One month, just one more month. He reminded himself.
Unfortunately, he had just been laid off at work, which meant until he got his first paycheck from working at the hospital, they were running on whatever Axel could make. And on top of that, not long after he would get his first paycheck for being a nurse, he would also get his first bill for student loans. He groaned, rubbing at his eyes. It was going to be a tough few months until things settled down and they got all the bills in order and he started making regular money at the hospital.
"Roxas, what are you doing? It's almost 1 am." Roxas turned to find Axel leaning heavily against the doorway in only his boxers, squinting against the light of the lamp Roxas was looking over the bills by.
"I was just… looking to see if there was anything we could cut out for a little while. Save some money." Roxas replied.
Axel sighed, trudging over to Roxas and grabbing his hand to pull him up from the chair. "I told you not to worry about all that. I'll take care of it. You just need to focus on school right now. You have final exams soon." Axel said, turning off the light and pulling Roxas down the hall to their bedroom.
"But, Axel-"
"No 'but, Axel's. I'll take care of things, I promise. You don't need to worry about it. We'll be fine." Axel assured him, pulling off Roxas's shirt before pushing him down on the bed to remove his pants and dragging him into the bed to sleep. "Everything will be fine." Axel yawned, snuggling into the pillow and pulling Roxas to him. "I'll always take care of you when you need me."
"I always need you, Axel." Roxas replied, curling up close.
"Then I guess I will always have to be there for you."