Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Love:: Misunderstanding
By : hachi-miitsu
Category: Kingdom Hearts > AU - Alternate Universe
Views: 1821 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: SEE FULL DISCLAIMER PLEASE
Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
So…my diet currently consists of eggflour soup, cough syrup, phlegm, and uh…grapefruit juice. Lots and lots of grapefruit juice.
Anyways, all ye bitches be jelly. Be very jelly. Be GRAPE jelly because peripheralnoise made me shmile and cry and hiccup and happy-feel. ^^ I guess I can dedicate this chapter to you my dear. I still feel like total crap but even so, this is for yew~ earlier than it should've been too o.o Thanks for your praise, and the adorable shyness~

Chapter Eleven: Strays and Blazers
Roxas ran a weary hand over his face as he eyed the apartment block, his home now. It rose like an obelisk in the sea of cold shadows; an ominous, mocking reminder that in this world it was every man for himself. His jacket rustled as he rolled a shoulder and fisted his hands in his pockets. The clunk of the stairs under his feet sounded dull, muted. His weary body weighed a ton, each step costing him great effort.
Working at the service station was probably the easiest and best paying job he could get at his age, just short of trolling down ye olde lane of love hotels. Though it was the most opportune, it didn't stop the job from being tough. Making runs to put gas in the cars. Washing the cars. Restocking shelves. Ringing up merchandise. Dealing with customers. Dealing with Yuffie. Dealing with Yuffie. Dealing with Yuffie.
"Freakin' dork! If I told ya once, I told ya a thousand times! Its Squall!"
"Leon."
"Squall."
"Dammit little girl, stop butchering my name!"
"Squally olly oxinfreeeee—whoops…sorry Roxas…"
The blonde winced at the sticky syrup still clinging to his hair, now as a sugary frost. Yeah, his job sounded easy alright. If you were good at that crap. It was getting colder too. Darker. His skin burned, it throbbed. The coming winter was a time for death, skeletal trees, a disturbing absence of color…white.
Roxas stopped short at the slash of crimson that was splattered on the wall by his door. He blinked once. Twice. That wasn't…blood...was it? He took a careful step closer then stifled a sigh.
The redhead squatted on his haunches, hunching his shoulders against the cold as he rubbed his fingers. He looked up at the sound of someone approaching, shifting on the frigid stoop.
Axel wasn't smiling as he expected. His face was drawn with worry, exhaustion, and a flicker of cool relief as he held Roxas's gaze. The boy's breath caught at the smugness that acted as a mask for the grim joker in front of him.
The blonde scowled and Axel felt peace bloom in his chest at the welcome sight of that familiarity. Roxas was like an oasis in the desert. Even in this bitter weather he was warm and healthy. Roxas would be safe now.
His expression was searching as he watched a shudder chase through the smaller boy's body before he stepped forward and slid his key into the lock with a metallic crunch.
He didn't reach out a cautious hand like someone trying to feed a wild animal. He didn't treat him any different than what was…normal for them. Roxas, for all his emotional instability was blessedly stable in his habits.
"Back so soon", Roxas muttered, jolting Axel from his thoughts. He breezed past the crouching boy and didn't look back to see if the redhead had followed.
"I told you I wouldn't be gone long." The door slammed behind them both.
"You didn't tell me though. That's the problem."
Axel rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry."
When Roxas chose to unwrap his scarf, toe off his shoes, and hang up his jacket instead of responding, Axel enveloped the smaller boy in a hug. "Sorry", he whispered against golden spikes.
Flaxen brows pulled into a scowl as he stiffened. "For what?"
"For disappearing like I did."
"Get off me."
"Roxas—"
"You're a big boy. I don't need your excuses." Roxas's scowl darkened when the arms around him retracted. Axel rummaged in his pocket then made a small noise as he extracted two pieces of ripped paper. He held them out, expectant.
"Stop treating me like a woman."
"Stop acting like one then. Here."
"I said I don't need—"
"This", Axel offered the crumpled note up like a sacrifice, "is not an excuse. It's one of many that you've been getting. Please, take it."
Suspicious, blue eyes glared up at the taller male before Roxas took the two pieces and smoothed them on the wall. A second later he gasped and the torn paper fluttered to the ground. He swiveled and cerulean darkened to navy as he glared at the few bruises, the cut visible on Axel's lip. The world shuttered before slamming into place with much the same sound as his apartment door.
"You see? I had to g—"
Roxas drew back his hand and slapped Axel as hard as he could. The sharp crack of palm on flesh echoed through the small entryway for a moment. Axel blinked, head forcibly turned to the side. He couldn't move for a solid minute, the shock was so great. Nausea from Vincent's pistol whipping exploded in his gut again, things blurring and focusing in tandem. Axel shook his head, mouth working helplessly.
"This", Roxas screeched. "Why didn't you tell me about this!? I was so worried, I…you left and I told myself that I'd be fine…I tried not to get mad. I tried Axel." Shaking fingers came up to graze against the welt he'd just left, skittered down, groped tender flesh as a grimace puckered his features. He looked like he was about to cry. The taller boy stilled under Roxas's fingers that explored the expanse of his injuries. "Have you slept? Eaten? Just look at you…idiot…" The boy's voice trembled as he clutched the icy fabric of Axel's shirt. "Where were you", he hissed. "Where were you that I couldn't follow…?"
The taller boy drew Roxas into the fold of his arms with a brittle smile, even as his body swayed. He didn't point out that Roxas was in fact acting like a woman. Now wasn't the time for jokes. "Shh…sh… I can't promise I won't disappear again", the boy tensed and tried to push away, his panic tempered by frustration as Axel kept him in place, "but I'll always come back to you."
Roxas closed his eyes and breathed Axel in with a satisfied shudder. His arms came up to pull the taller boy closer. Cinnamon. Smoke. The taint of cold and blood that made his teeth ache, his stomach clench. "Axel…"
"Hm?"
Don't. Don't say it.
"I know I'm being selfish asking this…"
Don't fucking say it. What if he says no? Don't ruin this.
Tie him down.
"—but…"
Axel laced their fingers together and brought them up to puff heat onto the smaller digits. "Tell me…"
Don't!
"M-move in with me?"
Just as he'd known, just as he'd feared, Axel bristled. Roxas swallowed as the taller boy let his hand go and stepped back.
"I can't."
Roxas pressed his lips into a thin line. "Why not?"
"I don't want to use you like that."
"Axel, you won't be…and I won't hold you back." An incredulous laugh forced its way out of his throat that was suddenly too tight for comfort. "I…wait. This wasn't supposed to come out like…" He puffed his cheeks out and fisted a hand in his hair before trying again, brows drawn together. "I know you have a life but you have a safe place to return to, here", his voice lowered to a scant murmur. "…with me."
"Rox, I can't."
"So what am I to you then?" Now his voice was ugly, jarring. His eyes flashed like icy blades. "Some toy that you can just randomly put away when you get tired of me?"
"No…"
"Then why won't you—"
The taller boy squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around his middle. "Stop Rox. Please, just calm down okay? You don't need this kind of stress right now."
"You're right. I don't. What I need is… you, Axel. I've thought about this and—" His hand drifted forward of its own accord. "I don't want to be without you."
Axel pushed him away.
"You have no idea what you're asking."
"Please, just stay. I know you'll disappear again. Okay. You're free. And I can't promise that things won't be broken but..." Roxas was nothing if not persistent, his hand fisted Axel's jacket lapel. "Stay with me."
"I'm done talking about this." Even as he said it the taller boy shrugged off the leather where some of his precious body heat still lingered. Roxas was cornering him. Out of all the people he'd known, Axel hoped Roxas would be the one to understand. The one to not shove him in a cage, to not guilt him. To not say… but then, Roxas wasn't some complacent girl. He wasn't just some casual fling.
He was a boy with his own pride too. With enough pride and strength to say he needed help, that he needed someone. Axel knew he was being unfair but…but…
"Why not! Come on, you spend a lot of time with me anyways don't you?"
"That's different."
"How?"
"Because it just is", Axel snapped. Slitted green riveted to a spot over Roxas's head. He couldn't look at him, he couldn't meet those baby blues because he knew the wounded, abandoned expression that lurked there by heart. Physical maladies may have been healing on the smaller boy but lacerated emotions were far more painful. And it was all because of him. "I'm sorry."
Roxas's face twisted as a helpless shout built in his chest. Before he could think better of it, before he could stop the words from coming, they rang out as hurtful and clear as a gunshot in the snow. "It's not like you can go home!"
A hand.
The sound of a horrified hand clapping over his offending mouth as if that one action could take back the words he didn't mean. "I…I'm sorry." And he was too. But some pains run too deep to ever be healed by something as simple as words, no matter how sincere they are. "A-xel…no. Please, I'm sorry. I didn't…wait. Wait, don't go—"
Axel stepped back out of reach—
A phoenix, brushing feathers ablaze against blistered skin. Never touch what this creature holds sacred. Never cradle this fire.
—away from Roxas's groping hand and the smaller boy was powerless to stop him. He dropped to his knees, blue sheathing itself in darkness as the slam of the door reverberated through his whole body for a second time. It was a blow against his bones and in the emptiness of his heart. It was a horrible, horrible sound of finality that faded into nothing more than injured silence.
A weight made his arm sink and when he glanced down, his fingers were clenched in the soft leather of the jacket Axel had left behind.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
The redhead chewed his thumb and wrapped his arms tighter around his middle as he shivered. He was in an alcove somewhere downtown, perched amongst the trash bags and dumpsters with his prize draped over his violet-hued shoulders. A blazer. He'd dumpster dived and found nothing but a thin, holy fucking blazer for all his trouble.
Axel tucked his chin against his chest, muttering frosty curses under his breath between clenched teeth.
You always get scared and run boy. Fucking coward.
Green eyes rolled. "Shut it old man."
When yet another bag of rubbish dropped from above, Axel wobbled to his feet and tucked his hands into his armpits.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
"Ahn…Cid, d-don…ah, not so hard. Slow do-wn."
"You don't want that", the older man crooned, drilling into the body wrapped around him. "Come on, tell me what you really wa—"
"Graaaaah!"
Cid cursed and rolled to his feet as Vincent yanked the sheet over himself. "Who—?"
The blonde grumbled and scratched his scalp. "Stay here. I'll fucking handle this." He recognized that sound. It was one he himself had made before. It was pain. It was confusion. It was someone who needed help.
Vincent reached for Quicksilver, resting innocently on the nightstand. He cocked it with a jerking movement. "You sure?"
Cid leaned down in between shimmying some sweats on and pecked the younger man on the cheek. "Mm. But I have a different gun that'll need your attention when I come back." He nipped at Vincent's creamy chin. "Stay right fuckin' there for me. This shouldn't take a few minutes."
Twin crimson rolled in exasperation even as a smirk quirked his lips. "I'll start without you."
Cid bit his lip and dragged his calloused palm down the sculpted expanse of Vincent's chest, dewy from the strain of their play. "Five minutes."
"Three."
The older man hustled out the bedroom as Vincent settled back into the sheets with a sigh.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
"Shit!"
"Axel…"
"Fuck!"
"Axel."
"God dammi—"
"Axel."
The redhead startled and paused his furious pacing to glance up at Cid.
"Are you…", Cid cleared his throat, quizzical brow raised and mouth turned down at the corners. "Are you wearing a… blazer?"
The teen snorted. "Long story." He curled his fingers around the repulsive thing and resumed his previous motion.
The older man reclined in the doorjamb, looking every bit as peeved as Axel felt while he followed the teen with his glacial gaze and internally bemoaned the waste of youth on the young. There was no cigarette in his mouth. With a few quick motions Axel fished in his pocket and chucked the crushed pack in Cid's direction, astounded when it came flying right back to hit him in the head.
"Didn't you want one?"
Cid shook his head, trying to keep a stranglehold on the last bit of his patience. The kid was filthy; he looked like he'd frozen off a nut and a half. He was wearing a blazer. What's more…"I had something in my mouth a moment ago and I intend to get back to it. Soon. Now what's your fuckin' problem?"
Axel blushed at the elder's rumpled appearance that escaped his notice before; the mussed hair, glassy eyes, angry red welts littering his body in strategic patches.
"Oh…I'll go."
He turned to do just that when a strong arm snaked around his elbow and tugged him to a stop. "Woah. Woah kid, calm down. You don't have to go, I was just—"
The redhead shrugged off his hold. "It's cool. Go back to whoever you were...doing." He shuddered. "Sorry for interrupting."
"Dammit boy, now wait a min—"
But he was already out the door. The retired pilot stared stupidly at the entryway a moment before hissing out a breath. He dragged himself over to the counter to shake a stick out of his own pack.
"Fuckin'…", his curse piddled off into a mutter as he placed the cig between his lips. The blonde groaned as his cock pulsed in protest against the confines of his sweats. A palm came down to brace the unbearable pressure. "Yeah, yeah I know. But I can't just—"
It throbbed again, insistent, just as Vincent's husky moans sounded through the wall. "I'm getting too old for this shit."
Cid cast a wistful glance at the door once more then limped back to his bedroom with a few choice oaths stinging his lips.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
Blunt nails scrubbed back and forth against his scalp as Axel grit his teeth against the fresh wave of shivers. He was, much to his chagrin, now parked on a swing in the middle of the sleepy neighborhood. The only company to name was a stray cat and the quietly buzzing streetlights above. His knuckles whitened as he clenched the icy chains and rested his cheek on one side. The bronze key, chipped with time and abundant use, bit into his palm as he fiddled with it.
It was only a piece of stupid metal. Only a piece of stupid metal that had saved his sorry hide more times than he could count. But not now. No, not now. The key was starting to warm from his constant chafing, his constant—
That's right. He couldn't rely on Cid anymore because the old man had finally found someone. He was happy now. It wouldn't be right intrude on that. He knew the ex-pilot would never protest, would even insist on him staying close but that wasn't an option. Not when he had a chance at peace, not when that peace tamed even the Gallian Beast in his bed.
As tough as he may have been, as wizened and kind, it didn't stop the heartbreak when one of the kids he looked after fell too deep, drowned by darkness. It didn't stop him from aching like he was the parent who couldn't save the children he'd claimed as his own.
That was just who Cid was. Who he'd always been. And now that he didn't have to endure it alone…
Axel bit his lips to try and coax life back into them. He was running on fumes here. Hadn't had to do it for a while but things were starting to look like he'd need to go rent his ass out to the highest bidder again. The teen shuddered as a bitter scowl carved deep in his brow. Okay. Yeah.
It wouldn't be that bad. First he'd stop by the house and check on his father, then—
"Katoku."
He jumped as Cid's voice barked his name. Glancing over his shoulder, Axel was very proud of himself for not spluttering. Or wetting himself. Or a depressing mixture of the two. Cid's shoulders were hunched, clad in nothing but a light jacket, the same sweat pants and…flip-flops.
"What are you—"
"Boy, you have till the count of three to get your ass over here."
"Cid, stop you don't—"
"One.
"Come on. I'll be fine." Axel scrambled to his feet and stumbled before crashing against the icy pavement. The sound of the swing's chains dimly resembled the tinkle of a child laughing at his expense.
"Two."
The redhead forced himself up and backpedaled, holding up his scraped hands. Cid's expression promised blood. "Go back inside old man. I can—"
"You can what, exactly?"
Axel gulped as he realized exactly what, or rather who, he'd just backed himself against. He glanced up and squawked, jumping away from the furious, trembling—shivering?—raven-tressed man.
"Three. Sick him babe."
A vicious smile curled Vincent's lips as he took a menacing step forward.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
"Fuckin' really? You didn't have to hit me that hard."
Vincent grunted around his beer and tossed another into Axel's waiting hands. Grateful fingers curled around the warm can as Axel placed it to his abused cheek, neck, shoulder; still damp from the bath. He glared at the older man and didn't notice Cid pad out of the bathroom, bare-chested and donning a small towel around his neck. Golden fuzz on his arms sparkled from the steamy dew still clinging to his skin.
"If you'd fuckin' stop and listen a moment…" The ex-pilot eyed him with a fresh wave of irritation as he came to stand behind the chair Vincent was reclining in. A hand cupped his lover's nape while the younger man leaned into the touch. Both eyed Axel like he was some petulant toddler with a runny nose.
Axel sniffed for good measure.
The three males bristled at one another before Cid rolled his shoulders and pulled the towel from around his neck. "If I come out here tomorrow morning and find you gone, there is not a Roxas, a Yuffie, or a Vincent that will stop me from finding you and tanning your ass raw—"
"Isn't that his purpose now?" Vincent glared as Axel pointed at him.
"Do you fuckin' understand me?"
Axel fidgeted and looked down. "But—"
"No buts", both older males snarled.
The redhead huffed but took a surly sip from his beer then set it down on the coffee table. He tugged the blankets of his makeshift couch bed up to his chin and blinked up at them demurely. "Mom? Dad? Read me a stoooory."
What he expected (another macabre mauling) and what actually happened were two totally different things. Even Cid was more than a little shocked when Vincent came to sit on the edge and smoothed a hand over the blanket where Axel's stomach would be.
Crimson orbs narrowed. "Go to sleep shithead", he murmured.
When Axel frowned harder he gave an uncharacteristic chuckle then got up again to hook a finger in Cid's pants and lead him out of the living room.
The teen's voice gave them pause as he muttered, "You realize I'm only a little younger than you right?" By his tone it could've been an insult or a compliment.
A pause. Then, "Oh? Because you sure aren't acting like it."
"Are you guys sure about this?"
Vincent shrugged and glanced up at Cid who wrapped an arm around the slighter male's waist. "Someone's got to take care of you. And hey, it won't stop us from fuckin'." They watched Axel a moment longer—satisfied smirks curving respective lips—then headed towards their bedroom.
The teen watched them go, a strange feeling welling up inside him. It might have been the thought of Cid having sex or the first warm bed he was about to sleep in in days.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
"If I catch you in any more funny business…"
"Lay off. We weren't the ones who started it. This time"
The sound of cuffs clicking open echoed in the small cell. Xigbar rubbed his wrists, irritable as he stood from the hard bench and walked toward the opening.
"Stay out of trouble son."
"Oh, we will. Give flower boy my regards." The scarred boy smiled.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
"I think you're being overdramatic."
"I think you've been chilling in Cid's bed too long."
Vincent shrugged but didn't deign to disagree as he fiddled with Quicksilver's chain.
It was early morning, too early for Cid to be out of bed yet but both younger males were already bright-eyed and bushy tailed, from night phantoms or raging insomnia, it was anyone's guess. Axel was garbed in fresh clothes, courtesy of Vincent since they were almost the same size. He had hot food in his stomach, and everything was just fucking hunky dory.
"So he asked you to live with him. What's the big deal?"
Not.
The taller of the two propped his feet up on the coffee table and set his gun aside so he could fold his fingers and rest them on his stomach as he regarded Axel. "I'd think you'd jump on that kind of chance."
"You thought wrong then."
"Such a brat", Vincent drawled.
Axel snorted as he crossed his arms. His lips worked even as ginger brows inclined more with every passing second. "I don't need to explain myself to you."
"You're right. The one it sounds like needs the explanation is the one you up and left."
The younger male's eyes flashed as his jaw locked. "At least he's safe now." His foot began a staccato tap on the carpet.
"Oh is he?"
"His biggest threat is behind bars. You were there remember?"
The other male ignored the sudden tension radiating from his cornered prey and pressed on. "Threats aren't always from our enemies."
"What the hell are you trying to say Vin? I really hate to tell you this, but you suck serious ass when you try to act the sage."
"Better a sage than a fool". Pale fingers flexed. "You can't take care of someone in such a half-assed manner, you know. You've given him a lot, or so you say, but sometimes actions like that can confuse rather than comfort."
"So I have to lay myself bare? I can't do that. Have you told Cid how many people you've—"
"Boy, don't test me", he hissed. Vincent's scowl darkened. "And stop that damn tapping. Why must I keep telling you to listen? I didn't say you have to spill all the beans. I'm just trying to tell you that now that all this stuff is starting to resolve itself, he's getting curious. He has time to think about you. You've shared your body, he knows about your dad, but that doesn't mean he knows you; what makes you tick, why you're doing what you're doing."
Axel rearranged his expression, carefully impassive. "I can keep going like I am."
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should."
The redhead looked away.
"Think on it a while. In the meantime, rest."
"I've rested enough", Axel tried to protest.
Vincent held up his palm. "This isn't open for discussion young man."
Axel sniffed. "Yes mother."
Vincent gifted the delinquent with an indulgent smile. "Good boy."
The older man got up and stretched with a healthy yawn. "Now then, I have food to make."
Axel gaped. "Gallian Beast in an apron…never thought I'd see the day."
Seconds later Quicksilver was pressed against his temple. Vincent thumbed the safety and twin crimson glinted with sudden bloodlust. "I haven't sunk that low yet."
A husky chuckle escaped as Axel pushed the muzzle to the side with an elegant brow arched. "Yet? Oh man…this is priceless: one of the most vicious men in Japan in 'naked apron'. How the mighty have fallen." Axel made a show of swooning, almost finding himself on the receiving end of another pistol whipping.
But Vincent, being Vincent, found the where-with-all to step back and point Quicksilver at the ceiling. He eyed the youngster before turning to step into the kitchen. "Help me peel potatoes shithead."
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
Roxas tensed as a clatter sounded down the hall. He poked his head out of the bedroom and bit his lip as his face puckered into a frown. The lack of work was really getting to him. He should already be back in school. Axel still hadn't come back—
A scuffle of movement.
Was that laughter?
The blonde shook his head and gripped his elbow with blunt nails, digging in to ground himself. He was just being paranoid. Too much time off, too much time to think. Roxas padded out of the room with his back pressed to the wall. Despite it being mid-afternoon, the overcast was dark. The air tasted metallic from the coming rain.
"H-hello?"
Crash.
A shiver prickled through his body as fearful blue glanced at his window. He edged towards it and pulled the curtain back a little to peer out. Nothing was down there. Nothing dammit. He didn't see anything. Therefore nothing was there.
Right?
Right.
The inky backdrop swirled, forming snatches of arms, legs, blurry faces. Roxas's eyes hardened as he forced himself to keep looking.
More laughter—wind. It was just the wind. Just wind from the storm that was on it's way.
Roxas pulled the curtains closed and shut his eyes. Just the wind. Just empty darkness. Nothing was there.
Skittering.
Just for good measure Roxas peeked outside one final time. He stared for a while into the murk and kept telling himself that it wasn't staring back even though deep down, he knew it really was.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
The skillet sizzled as the heady aroma of stirfry crowded the small kitchen. The two older males were stationed around the source of the salivating perfection while Axel perched on one of the barstools on the other side, chin cupped in his hand. Currently he wanted to shoot himself with Quicksilver, despite the looming promise of an early dinner.
"They aren't so bad. I think I want one."
A sound between a hum and a growl rumbled deep in Cid's chest as he closed the distance between them and juggled the chopsticks to his other hand.
"You gonna have my babies?" A fond smile crinkled his eyes as Vincent regarded him. A minute passed then the ravenette snorted. Axel squawked as he made to cover the pot of sauce bubbling happily,that might very well have picked up Vincent cooties.
"God no. You have enough adopted brats." His crimson gaze slid over to the redhead as he smirked.
The two males nuzzled then went back to their tasks, Axel left to roll his eyes. "Ew, no mushrooms please. I hate those."
Vincent simpered before tipping a hefty amount of said fungi into the bottom of the wok as Cid gave it a jostle then moved over to the slab of plastic where various veggies remained in a mixed state of half chopped.
Axel was about to bitch at Vincent when an annoying sound cut him off. He scowled down at the cell that buzzed and rattled cheerily across the countertop. The ravenette leaned over and snatched it up as he plucked a piece of celery off the cutting board. Cid swatted his hand and stole a quick kiss before taking the thing from him and glancing at the display.
He flipped it open then placed it in the cradle between his ear and shoulder as he rocked the knife back and forth over his fare again. "What's up kid?"
The knife paused.
"Hey..."
He set the knife down.
"Roxas, are you there?"
Axel's head snapped around. "What?"
Cid shushed him then stepped back and pulled the phone away from his ear a second before trying again. "Roxas? Are you okay?"
With a grim expression he snapped the phone closed. "I gave him my number in case he might need anything."
Vincent frowned. "Butt call?"
The ex-pilot shook his head.
Axel sprinted for the door.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
"Fuck me, fuck me, fuuuuck me", Roxas groaned. His fingers were in the process of losing all feeling as he lugged a trash bag downstairs, no small task since it was about half his size and just as heavy. He'd completely forgotten, the schedule to come pick up the burnable stuff was different from when he'd been living with...
Nope.
He welcomed the throb in his nails, an idle threat that they wanted to pop right off in the cold if he were to release his death grip on the quickly thinning plastic. Just get the trash dumped. No mothers exist here. This was a singular struggle and he would persevere.
The blonde shuddered as he reached the last step and clunked the black lump down to roll his shoulder. A grimace puckered his features as a stray gust froze the sweat beading on his exposed skin. Almost there. Just a few more feet and this could all be a frigid nightmare. Industrious shuffles. Soft grunts. Just a few more feet…
"You really don't learn do you?"
A long-suffering sigh burned his tongue as he sagged. So they were here. He glanced over his shoulder, eyes narrowed, body tense. Roxas should have known by now; the darkness was not an empty place. It never was.
"Never around when you need him huh?"
A move to his left.
A rush of air behind him.
Roxas whipped around, fisting a hand in the flimsy plastic and clutching the cold steel that was ever his companion these days. Not this time. He would not lay down like some—
"Piddle-dick loser."
The boy flinched and loosened his grip on the bag, blinking in recognition. Roxas spun in a slow circle, eyes wide. All movement paused, just…disappeared. Roxas was alone. At least…
"Siefer?"
"Siefer…" the darkness mocked. "What? You thought you could escape me?"
Foreign sneers, forgotten laughter; Roxas's past and present tormentors melded into a single horror at that moment.
Eyes narrowing, he started back the way he'd come, only to be brought to a stop by a clatter in the opposite direction. He twisted on his heel, frowning. Carefully, he extracted the plastic handle and flicked out the blade, a whisper of cold steel glinted.
He took a few cautious steps forward. A blotch flickered in his peripheral as he reached the center of the courtyard, causing him to whip around, jarring steps obscene as they scraped the uneven gravel. Roxas was surrounded. He could hear them now. He could hear them all breathing, he could see the plumes of steam that chugged upwards, could feel their muscles like his own as they coiled and prepared themselves to spring.
"Damn it…" A hair-thin net squeezed around his heart. He hunched his shoulders and stood his ground, head swiveling in slow motion back and forth, every instinct within murmuring unease.
A footstep right behind him.
He jerked around, cursing at the empty air. "This isn't funny!"
"Oh it's very funny twinkler. We haven't seen each other in such a long time. Come on. Haven't you missed me?" A sharp clatter, Roxas whirled, harsh barks of laughter catching in his throat. He turned in the direction of Siefer's voice—
The teen was gone.
For the smallest moment Roxas closed his eyes and focused on nothing but sound. The dark, it blinded the eyes but made the ears sharper.
"Nothing can fully dampen the senses. Concentrate Roxas. Read the smoke behind the mirror."
Concentrate.
Blue snapped open again, two hardened slits of ice and there he was.
Seifer lowered his head, the smirk growing broader, a few strands of blond sliding from the front of the ever-present black beanie to spill over his eyes. He folded his hands behind his back and took a couple of shuffling steps back, the tails of his white trench-coat rustling as the dark reached out with long fingers to curl around his form.
"Why are you here?"
"I was in the area", he sneered. "Made some", he paused. "New friends. But I thought a little catching up might be nice. You seem to have met already anyways."
A gasp near his ear, loud enough to echo, brought Roxas around with a fright. Nobody there. More than one. Concentrate. He went to turn back towards Seifer, but the older blonde was gone again. Roxas let out a slow breath that stuck like tar in his lungs. His heart thudded so hard it made his eyes vibrate. "I'm not afraid of you anymore", he bellowed. "Any of you."
"We'll just have to remedy that now won't we?"
Xigbar.
Scarred, ugly, scary Xigbar. Roxas's eyebrows drew together as twin cobalt darted around the dizzying blurs. His breath came out in frosty puffs, fogging his awareness. Something brushed against him. A low cry escaped his throat. He whirled, stumbling a step, to be caught by the tall blond. The elder's expression was trapped in that hideous, mocking smirk.
"Fuck!" With a snarl, Roxas slashed wildly, shrinking away when a cry of pain gurgled but it wasn't Seifer's. The fingers digging into his shoulders loosened however so he flung himself forward, pulse throbbing in his throat as he hitched in each breath.
"Roxas! You bad, bad boy. That wasn't very nice."
Seifer was in front of him now, shoving him back, sending him sprawling. Tan elbows scraped hard against the ground; warmth, explosions of sticky crimson that steamed as its heat was stolen by the night. The hand holding his knife jarred with numbness and Roxas cried out as his fingers gave a single spasm. The blade was lost, kicked out of sight with a pitiful clatter. "What're you doing down there?" The laughter ceased in a perfect, ringing silence as if it was just some recording.
Roxas scrambled to his feet as the blonde advanced, boots crunching dully against the crumbling asphalt. The shorter boy jerked his wrists across his eyes and blinked, not sure...
But he was.
Seifer was flickering, disappearing for a moment, only to reappear several steps closer. Roxas backed away, tongue swollen from where he'd bitten it, and so he couldn't yelp when he hit a warm, broad chest. Pale fingers snaked around his biceps, gripping hard. A hot breath in his ear, "Don't walk away from us, Roxas."
The Seifer before him vanished as the grip tightened. Pain shaved at his nerve endings, forcing them back to life. Roxas succumbed to a whimper even as he willed his body to struggle. "Get off me."
He was thrust forward, found himself again on the ground, knuckles scraping, one knee tearing.
Not this time, God dammit.
He was moving again, not bothering to find his feet, crawling as fast as he could, eyes glued on his escape route, the dim bulb that blazed like a beacon over the staircase. Seifer was in his way, hadn't even run, hadn't even jumped, had just decided to exist in Roxas's path. The smaller blonde fell to the side with a grunt, choking on the stars and cigarette-burn holes exploding in his vision. "No…"
"I thought you weren't afraid this time. Didn't your Axel teach you a little something?" He could hear the simper in Xigbar's voice, the ghost of a leather binding creak as it was twisted in strong hands.
"You haven't changed a bit momma's boy." Roxas stiffened. "Oh wait." The older boy tapped a finger against the side of his mouth. "That was quite rude of me, wasn't it? How is your dear mother?"
Seifer stepped over his inert form, a leg on either side of his waist. Tan fingers groped along the jagged asphalt, then…
Hope.
His fingers curled around the knife and drew it into his sleeve as the older blonde reached down to seize a handful of hair and drag the dazed boy's head up from the filth. He gave Roxas a hard shake. Roxas's teeth clacked together so loud he almost couldn't hear Seifer. "I asked you a question!"
"Let me go",Roxas spat. Patience, concentrate. The steel drew a thin dribble of crimson from his forearm as he gave it another subtle squeeze. He was pushed down, the older teen's hands a firm weight on his shoulder-blades, mashing him into the rubble, freezing slime, his own blood.
"Why didn't you just say so?" The legs were gone, the pressure vanished. Seifer stood on the opposite side of the courtyard, leaning against the side of the slatted building with his hands tucked in his pockets. His smile was back in place, the eyes above glittery and dead. "I missed you twinkler. Tell you what, I'll give you a head start."
Roxas's shoulders slumped and he rested for a second in his position. "I won't though." A kick to the side of the head, just as he was struggling to lift his upper body from the floor. Beside him, crouched down on one knee Xigbar loomed, a hand threading through gold spikes, soft at first, then gripping tight, nails slicing into his scalp. He was yanked back to his feet and thrusted forward. Roxas barely found his feet, swaying, dizzy.
"Now?"
"Wait. Never make it obvious."
"But what if—"
"Never make it obvious. Every strike must count because it could be your last."
A whoosh of air so close it ruffled his bangs, quickly dampening with sweat. With a gasp, Roxas jumped around and swung his arm in a wide arc, slashing, missing, shoes scuffing cement as he took two quick steps back and reached the stairs. A voice like water over stones followed him, comforting him.
"I ca-can't hurt you."
"You have to. Harder. Come on, you're fighting for your life here."
"Axel no—"
"Run, run, run as fast as you can", Seifer crooned.
The sound of someone screaming through bubbles, the sound of someone drowning in an abyss. That sound was him.
"I won't kill you but they will."
"They can't…"
"You really think that?"
Without waiting, Roxas shot up the flight and focused everything he had on getting to his door. Funnel them. Funnel them and take them one on one. Just like Axel taught. Axel….
A sob forced its way from his lips, the sound echoing then drowned in the hollow space by the thunk of many footsteps. He stumbled but grit his teeth and pumped his body. More. More. Faster.
The landing came sooner than expected and he overestimated a step, crying out as he tumbled to the ground. Seifer emerged from the shadows at that moment, an uneven smirk in place, eyes watchful and narrow.
Roxas's fist tightened around his knife and he lurched into a crawl into a run. His door, frigid, painful to the touch. Sweet sanctuary.
Seifer smirked and allowed Xigbar and the rest of his new brotherhood to trickle into the hallway. The leader jerked his chin and their resident lock picker stepped forward.
_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_o_
Axel pumped his burning legs to their breaking point as he sprinted down the endless black path, slick with ice. He didn't stop to curse as he scrambled, he didn't pause to wonder if he was too late. The rain tasted thicker than blood as it sprinkled softly from the heavens.
PFFFFFFFFFFFT =-= shat quality yo. Oh well, I guess this is the result from sleeping for about a day and a half straight. Ima go die nao. Peripheralnoise, *sniffle* I failed yew~ Seriously, I know this is not up to standard and I'm so so so sorry Q.Q I'll do better next time e.e Also, please excuse the typos. I'll be sure to fix them later. Grah, I can't see straight Dx
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Love:: Misunderstanding	By : hachi-miitsu Category: Kingdom Hearts > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1821 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Love:: Misunderstanding