Chapter 3

“The Man, the Myth, the Legend, the Idiot”




If one had to describe Axel Hotaru, one would insist that the feat is impossible.

If one was implored to pick one word, just one, that would sum up the man’s entire personality and appearance, the reply would be “Surely, you jest.”

Or something along those lines.

Naturally, this would only be the case if you asked Axel’s acquaintances. His close friends, on the other hand, always had a perfect answer for a question like that.

“Cocky.” Demyx would snort and giggle, hanging over his dear friend Zexion, as usual.

“Bothersome.” Zexion would then add on, scowling and trying not too look too pleased about the energetic blonde flopped over his shoulders.

Larxene, of course, would have the last word on the matter. She knew Axel the longest, after all. Completely disregarding the “one word” rule, which, knowing the spunky blonde, wasn’t anything surprising, she’d proceed to quote song lyrics and head bang. Her answer?

“Hip like bad-ass!”

It goes without question, of course, that Axel was indeed cocky, bothersome, and hip like bad-ass, and he really could not have agreed more with his friends. Those characteristics had become quite undisputable over the years. Few challenged Axel to prove his worth anymore. The college student could have safely added self-assured to his list as well.

But sometimes, a non-believer comes along. This particular specimen was not only doubtful, but drunk as well.

Marluxia hardly even realized at the time that a bleary, half-baked accusation would launch a chain of bizarre occurrences that would lead to our present situation.

In fact, we’re still not quite sure if he’s realized it.


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Axel sighed, watching Demyx chase Larxene around the spacious living room. The male blonde was squealing angrily and spluttering out protests, while the shorter girl was cackling as loud as humanly possible. Perhaps it was Saturday night, which was a perfect time to get wasted, and maybe it did allow the group of friends to get together at least once a week in the chaos that was their life schedules, but things were getting out of hand tonight.

Larxene had stolen Demyx’s gay porn magazine.

This unfortunate event was purely his fault, however. As it was Demyx’s night to host their ritual get-together, he had made the slip-up of leaving the group to their own devices for a brief moment. Mistake number one. Mistake number two was giving Larxene alcohol so early in the night. She was already running rampant.

“Give it back! That’s not for you!”

Larxene belted out another shriek of amusement. “If it’s not for me, why’d you leave it lying out in the open like that?”

She had a good point. The space between two couch cushions was hardly the appropriate area for storing away risqué magazines like that. Axel, Marluxia, a new addition to their ritual Saturday nights, and Zexion, who was intently watching his boyfriend tromp about the living room, let this go on for a few more minutes before the red-head had enough. Standing, he nabbed the magazine out of Larxene’s hand as she sprinted by, putting a halt to the whole chase.

Panting and pouting, Demyx waved an arm feebly at Axel. “Hand it here.”

Quirking a bemused eyebrow at him, Axel flicked open the glossy paged journal and, unwittingly, took a peek in. His eyebrow continued to rise in fascination as he turned the page, but for the most part, he remained unfazed.

“Huh,” he finally said, “Didn’t know that was humanly possible with two guys and a dildo.”

With a short laugh and a grin, he tossed it back to the blonde, who, after an intense amount of flushing, hurried back to his room to hide it properly. Larxene plopped back into her armchair, snickering and pouring herself more beer as Demyx returned.

The quiet evening went on then as usual. More beer was brought out amidst Marluxia’s and Larxene’s cheers. Zexion remained quiet as usual, keeping a tight hold on his drunkenly giggling partner, and Axel lounged, smoking and laughing at every joke. A DVD that they were half-watching, half completely ignoring completed the background noise and atmosphere. This was how it always was. Drinking, movies, and just general conversation. The group couldn’t have asked for more. This was their only night to indulge in life and relax. Hectic agendas and classes took up everything else.

At midnight, Axel put in a new DVD before returning to his single bottle of the night. This absence of drinking was noticed by the group.

Marluxia nodded his head at the red-head, eyes already glassy. “What’s with the, ah, not drinking-ness tonight, Ax?” He spurted out, fumbling with the words, already on his fifth beer.

With a shrug, Axel took a sip of his drink, but didn’t appear to relish it. While his index and thumb fingers gripped the neck of the bottle, the other three softly tapped at the glass “I’ve got work tomorrow. I’d rather not be crawling into Xaldin’s shop with a hangover.”

“Ah ha, he’d slaughter you!” Larxene laughed, downing the rest of her alcohol in one gulp.

The tough man with his fearsome dreadlocks wasn’t exactly forgiving enough to allow one of his workers walk into his store only half-coherent. Axel and Larxene worked together in the guns and knives store, and had been witnesses of such an event. An ill-fated coworker had stumbled in one morning with a bottle actually still present in his hand.

The pair hadn’t even realized that Xaldin was capable of physically punting people until that day.

The pink-haired man snickered at their words, hiccupping just slightly. Unlike Axel, his family made enough money through his father’s firm to avoid any unpleasantries like a job. He waved off the explanation with a flick of his finger. “You usually always get wasted on these nights, don’t you?”

Again, the smoker twitched his shoulders in response, an easy grin twisting the ends of his mouth upward. “Dunno. I usually ask off for Sundays, but the Boss wouldn’t go for it this week.” He suddenly laughed, leaning forward to shove his cigarette in an ashtray set on the table. “Maybe I should be getting more responsible.”

Demyx giggled shrilly in response and Marluxia nearly choked on his beer. Wiping his mouth impatiently, he put on his best disbelieving face. “You? As if, man. Your whole life’s been irresponsible, what makes you think you can start now?”

Axel lapsed into silence, smiling at nothing in particular. His strangely somber mood had Zexion and Marluxia exchanging raised eyebrows, but Marluxia’s was more of a frustrated persuasion. The well-off teen knew Axel the least amount of time, but even he realized that something was off with the red-head.

Clearing his throat, Zexion leaned forward slightly, a light frown wrinkling his forehead. “Have you got something on your mind, Axel? You seem troubled.”

When Axel didn’t immediately answer, the psychology major’s opened his mouth to repeat himself, but was unexpectedly interrupted.

“Oo, look, that’s so badass!” Larxene, who hadn’t been paying any attention to Axel, suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the television, where an overblown car chase was playing. Shrugging, the rest of the group allowed the subject to change, letting Axel alone to smoke and think. He, as Zexion had deduced, probably just had a lot on his mind.

Still, the night wore on. By the end of the second movie, Demyx had recovered himself just enough to regain some of his senses, while Larxene and Marluxia had drunk just enough to lose some of them. Zexion remained adamant in not touching any alcohol.

Axel was just considering heading home, glancing at the nearest clock that read 2:15 am, when his friends decided to drag him back into a group activity.

Flicking off the TV, the only female of the group grinned crookedly and sat herself on the arm of the nearest couch, which happened to be the one Axel was sitting on. “Axy! Tell us a story! Tell us about the time you planned our senior prank back in high school!”

Axel grinned, looking up at the eager, albeit drunk blonde. “C’mon, Larx, everyone’s heard that story.”

“Marly hasn’t!”

Slumped in his seat, Marluxia registered his name being said through the alcohol buzz. “Huh? What?”

“Axel’s senior prank idea.” Demyx chimed in, sitting curled up in an armchair. “It was amazing, Axel, I still don’t know how you did it...”

Axel kept his lips quirked in a small smirk, leaning forward. Despite his hesitation, he really did love telling the story. “It took a great amount of finesse. I don’t think any of you would have been able to pull it off. Considering the amount of spray paint we had and the chickens-”

The story would have gone on in greater detail at that point, if not for Marluxia’s slightly drunken and flustered spluttering. The pink-haired man rolled his eyes dramatically as he interrupted.

“Bullshit, man. You’re so fucking arrogant. Do you seriously think you can get away with anything?

“I don’t see why not.” replied Axel calmly, eyeing Marluxia out of the corner of his sharp eyes with an amused look. Releasing his grip on his half-empty beer bottle, he sat back in the armchair to light himself another cigarette.

“Come on, man! You can’t do everything.”

Axel paused, plucking his cigarette from his lips to grin. “Wanna bet?”

Despite the bright blush on his cheeks from the boozing and the way his hands were shaking, Marluxia returned the grin, sitting up straighter in his chair. “Hell yeah. A bet. To prove if you’re really all that cocky and almighty as everyone says you are.”

Demyx sat up as well, excited and laughing. “Are you serious? What would you even have Axel do, Mar?”

“And what would be on the line?” Zexion added, eyebrow raised.

Waving off the couple impatiently, Marluxia kept his eyes directly on Axel. “I’m getting to that.”

Frowning slightly at the confident look in Axel’s eyes, he blinked furiously, determined not to be intimidated. Taking a quick second to think things through, he finally cleared his throat. “First, you have to get over to the Seven-Eleven and convince the night-shift worker there to let you get stuff for free.”

Larxene giggled shrilly. “Like stealing without stealing? C’mon, who’d go for that?”

The pink-haired man would never tell anyone that he had attempted such a feat just the other day, only to fail miserably and get booted out by the fierce convenience store worker. And if he couldn’t get away with it, then he was certain that Axel couldn’t, either. Ignoring the side-line challenge, Marluxia continued, eyes narrowed in on Axel’s bright green ones. The red-head sat silent, arms crossed over his chest and cigarette hanging from his lips.

“Second thing...” He paused for dramatic effect before continuing. “The next person you see, you have to make a move on them.”

The group, which had been silent at this point, burst into laughter. Snickering hard, Demyx shook his head, sympathizing. “That’s horrible. The next person could be some old guy....”

“Ah, but if Axel is all that amazing, this shouldn’t even faze him.” Marluxia sneered.

Axel shrugged, taking in the challenge with only a small uplift of the corner of his lips. Blowing out a puff of smoke, he chuckled. “You certainly know how to set the bar high, Marly. Is that it?”

Perturbed at how Axel didn’t seem to be impressed with his challenge, Marluxia decided to add a little twist to his bet. “No, I’ve got a third thing.” He took a deep breath. “Whoever you make a move on, you’ve gotta get them to ask you out on a date.”

Axel couldn’t hold back his amusement now. He grabbed his cigarette from his mouth so that he could chortle freely. “And I’m assuming that this is regardless of gender, right? Guy or girl?”

“Shouldn’t matter to you, now, should it?” snapped Marluxia, resolutely taking another deep swig of beer.

“Looks like you have a challenge on your hands.” Zexion smirked from the other couch.

“Wait, wait.” Larxene interrupted, waving her hands as she slid down to sit cross-legged on the floor. “What are the odds here? This is a bet, isn’t it?”

“Ah, right.” Marluxia hurriedly wiped his mouth. “If you lose, then I-”

“Then you get the pride and honor of knowing that I’m not as amazing as I say I am.” Axel abruptly stood, stretching his limbs. “And I’ll throw in a twenty for kicks. But if I win, then-”

Marluxia filled it in for Axel. “Then I won’t ever challenge you again. Hell, I’ll even make sure that everyone else keeps their mouths shut, too. And twenty bucks.”

“I accept, then. Twenty dollars and my pride are on the line, it seems.” Axel ground his second cigarette into the ash tray before meeting his friends’ gazes. With a nonchalant smile, he ran a hand through his hair. “Might as well get started now. I feel that my charming skills are at their peak today.”

“Yeah, I bet if you just distracted them enough, you could get a way with it!” Demyx suggested eagerly.

“Anything in particular?”

Marluxia spoke up first. “Get me some new lighters, I’m all out.”

“Hmm.” Larxene tapped her finger against her chin. “I have a date tomorrow. Could you pick up some condoms?”

“TWINKIES! Axel, get me Twinkies!”

Raising an eyebrow, Axel counted off the items on his fingers. “Alright. Lighters for Marly, condoms for Larxene. For Demyx, I’m getting...” He paused, shaking his head. “... Twinkies. You want anything, Zexion?”

“I’m fine.” The mysterious dark-haired boy suddenly smirked. “I just want to watch this all play out. I don’t think any good’s going to come of this.”

“No.” The red-head agreed, moving out of the room to grab his coat. “Probably not. But a challenge is a challenge, and you know that I totally can’t resist. Don’t  wish me luck, I’ve got enough as it is!”

And with a short bark of laughter and a wave, Axel was gone.

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Surely, Axel could have found time to go back and explain this entire story from start to finish at that that precise moment when he walked into the living room to face a furious blonde who was looked about ready to kill him. “Um... about that...”

Roxas took a step forward, mouth curled into a snarl. He immediately began assuming the worst. Axel had lied to him. Had been using him. Had just been a stuck-up asshole this whole time. “Is there something you want to explain to me, Axel?”

Reaching up to distractedly scratch at the back of his head and ruffle the hair there, Axel sighed. It seemed that the jig was up. “Look, I was going to tell you at one point. I thought that if I told you now, you’d just freak and leave.”

“I’m not freaking,” Roxas growled, “but I am leaving.”

“No, wait, hold on!” Axel, alarmed at this, jumped forward to snatch at Roxas’s arm, holding him there. “How the hell are you going to even get home?”

Glaring at the offending hand wrapping around his elbow, the blonde frowned. He almost seemed to bristle at the touch, because not only did Axel have a firm grip around the light sunburn he had, but because it sent sparks racing underneath his skin. Growing even more irritated at his body’s reaction, Roxas tugged again, trying to jerk his arm back. “I’ll walk.”

“Look, Roxas, just hear me out.” Clutching at straws now on how to get the stubborn Roxas to stay, Axel continued to curl his fingers tighter around the warm, tanned arm until he reached out and grabbed Roxas’s opposite hand, which had been in the process of trying to drag off his clutching fingers. Squeezing the struggling digits gently, Axel sighed. “Would you just hear me out?”

Caught now, Roxas was burning up, both in anger and in blush form. Furious at the damned butterflies that were smacking up against the wall of his stomach, the lifeguard tried to pull out of Axel’s grip, glaring at him. As he looked up, he noticed for the first time the small tattoos etched onto the red-head’s cheeks. The red dashes, in turn, made Axel’s vivid green eyes stand out. Roxas’ mind really did have the worst timing of picking up on the little details.

He ground his teeth together. “There’s nothing to listen out, just let me get out of here, Axel. I don’t want to have anything to do with this anymore.”

The red-head groaned in frustration. “Look, you’re overreacting and-”

“Just get your damn hands off of me-!”

The two, now intensely occupied with the argument, failed to hear shuffling footsteps in the doorway behind Axel. The soft laugh and cough also didn’t reach their ears. But the eavesdropper finally made his presence known.

“Is this really a time for a lover’s spat? Axel, I thought you knew better.”

Axel and Roxas immediately snapped their mouths clothes, turning in place, Axel still clutching at the now limp blonde, to face the intruder. Or, in this case, intruders.

“Reno... didn’t mean to wake you.” Axel relaxed instantly as soon as he saw who it was. Roxas, however, remained on his guard.

What seemed like a taller, older version of Axel was leaning against the doorway, yawning and raking a hand through his long, deep red spikes. At the same time, a drowsy looking man with cropped blonde hair was leaning on him, one arm thrown over his shoulders. The two both had the appearance that they had just awoken. Which, judging from the way Reno’s pants were unzipped and strange blonde’s shirt was on backwards, was completely true.

Stifling a second yawn, the one named Reno inclined his head towards Roxas, looking for all the world like wearing a man over his shoulder was perfectly normal and even fashionable. “Who’s the cutie?”

“The name’s Roxas.”

Reno raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “And how old are you?”

Bristling at the all-too common age question, Roxas scowled. “I’m eighteen, going on nineteen, for your information.”

“Three years your junior, Axel?” Reno looked back at Axel. “I’m surprised he’s legal.”

Axel laughed at this, ignoring the death glares Roxas was sending him. “You’ve done worse, Reno, cut me some slack.”

Unexpectedly, the shoulder accessory suddenly snorted, blinking briefly at his surroundings before spotting something familiar: Reno. Flinging his free arm around the man supporting him, he sighed and instantly latched his lips onto the red-head’s, regardless of the company or anything in particular.

Roxas couldn’t help but stare, somewhat strangely fascinated by the way the two displayed their passion in such a fierce manner.

However, much to Roxas’s unsurprise, Axel didn’t bat an eyelash at their behavior.

Instead, Axel sighed as the two in the doorway went into a fierce saliva-exchanging contest. Motioning at the pair, he rolled his eyes. “Roxas, meet my older brother, Reno. And...” He paused, brow furrowing slightly in thought, until it cleared again. “And Rufus... his boss, actually.”

“Lovely.” Roxas muttered, voice carrying a sardonic bite to it as he eyed the over-eager couple. What the hell is wrong with this family...?

“Reno, is Dad home yet?”

Pulling away from Rufus reluctantly, Reno pursed his lips as the blonde groaned and leaned against him again. “Ah, no. Said he’d be home by 6:00, though, if you’re wondering.”

The living room fell silent for loss of words from Axel, Reno, and Roxas alike. Rufus occasionally made soft moans into Reno’s chest, but otherwise, the awkwardness was left to spawn in the living room. As Roxas decided to speak out and maybe even distract Axel enough to get his hands back, which were growing hot in the man’s grip, another unknown person stumbled into view from the other side of the doorway. She happened to be blonde as well. She also happened to be wearing a men’s dress shirt and only panties.

Brushing the bleach blond locks that looked rather mussed out of her eyes, she looked around at the growing group. “What’s... going on?”

“Elena?” With a raise of his eyebrows the only indication that he was surprised, Axel stared at the girl before dragging his eyes back to Reno. “You slept with my ex-girlfriend?”

“Eh, exes.” Reno waved it off with a lazy grin, completely unperturbed. “You can have her back, if you want.”

Rufus grunted, lifting his head to finally make eye contact with someone other than his lover. “Yeah. She’s not that good, anyway.”

Roxas just managed to catch a glimpse of the blonde’s bloodshot eyes, most likely a result of drinking. He was hung-over. Sadly, that was all Roxas managed to take in before Elena gave off a shriek and smacked Rufus.

“What did you say?”

A full blown argument started up, mostly between Rufus trying in vain to protect himself while Elena kept up a nonstop barrage of screaming and swatting her hands down on every part of the helpless man that she could.

Roxas watched in fascination as Reno simply let them go at it. That’s when his hands, still captive, were abruptly tugged to the side, then backwards. Axel was pulling him back out towards the door. Pulling one hand free, he frowned as he saw that Axel remained stubborn in at least keeping a hold on him.

“C’mon, let’s go before my old man gets home...” Axel muttered, keeping a firm grip on the blonde.

As soon as there was a door between the squabbling blondes back in the house and the sounds were muffled, Axel appeared to let off some tension and released Roxas. “Let’s get to your house, then.”

Roxas’s eyes narrowed in distrust, looking from the red-head. Instead of answering immediately, he looked about the neighborhood, then back at the house. It was a peaceful neighborhood, mostly with simply brick houses, some with two stories. It was quiet, unlike deeper in the town where he worked. There seemed to be something familiar about the place.

Upon closer inspection, Roxas realized that he had been here before. Sora lived in this neighborhood, as well. Which meant that they were on the complete opposite side of Hollow Bastion, away from his house. There was no way in hell that he could walk back home now. It appeared that he’d have to stick with Axel.

Making an irritated sound under his breath, Roxas followed Axel down the little pathway to the driveway where the red-head’s sleek motorcycle was waiting.

Roxas couldn’t help the impressed look that he felt coming on. “You’ve got a really nice bike.”

Axel patted the black and red street bike fondly, chuckling. “Ninja’s my pride and joy. I bought her myself, actually. I’m still working on her, though, something got into her engine, poor thing.”

“I’m not even going to question you referring to the motorcycle as a she when its name is Ninja.” Roxas snorted, moving forward to stand beside Axel.

“Well, it really is a Ninja. Pure Kawasaki.” He pointed out the brand name emblazed on the side of the shiny plastic. “The Ninja ZX-6R.”

Axel slid into the seat, tossing Roxas his helmet as he did so. After a tense moment of protesting on Roxas’s part about sitting behind the red-head and having to wrap his arms around Axel’s waist, the two finally were ready to go. Wheeling onto a main road, Roxas watched the world blur and felt the wind begin to snatch at his clothes as the bike gained speed. He kept his teeth gritted together to try and ignore how Axel’s was still unnaturally warm, even through the light shirt he had thrown on.

Eventually, though, Axel broke the silence. Turning his head the slightest to get a better look at Roxas, he yelled over the wind. “So mind telling me where you live?”

Roxas spoke up to rattle off the instructions, then fell silent again. That is, until curiosity got the best of him. “So are you as worse as your brother or what?”

Axel laughed, stopping on a red light. “No, I don’t think I am. Reno’s just a little... wilder than I am.”

“Which is why he’s having threesomes all over the place?”

“Let’s just say...” A sly smirk grew on Axel’s lips as he revved the engine slightly, watching the traffic light. “Let’s just say that Reno and I really like blondes.”

Roxas immediately thought Elena and Rufus’s hair, about to shrug it off when it struck home that his own hair was straw-yellow. Flushing slightly, he punched Axel’s side slightly just as the light turned green.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Just keep driving.” Roxas replied smugly, returning his arm to where it had been wrapping around the motorcyclist’s hip. The rest of the journey was finished off in silence.


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Axel stood awkwardly in the living room of the roomy, two-story house as Roxas stormed past him to disappear farther into the house. “Make yourself at home, I guess.” Roxas called as he hurried upstairs to his room.

“Even though you’re not going to be staying here long enough to get comfortable...” he muttered under his breath, shucking his lifeguard outfit quickly. He hissed as the cheap red trunks slid down his slightly sun burnt legs, but it didn’t stop him as he went to seek out a pair of pants to put on.

Meanwhile, Axel took the liberty of settling down on the black couch in the center of the living room. His eyes roamed over the multiple book shelves littered with literature and little interesting knick-knacks alike, the wide-screen TV, the bright bay windows that were letting in the light of the soon-to-be setting sun. The house was warm and welcoming, even if the air was air-conditioned. Not one to fidget or twiddle thumbs, Axel simply lounged, waiting patiently for Roxas to return while staring at the carpet.

He then noticed that another pair of eyes was watching him intently from the far arm of the sofa. Big, round, yellow eyes.

“Kitty...” Axel breathed out, watching the cat. The feline, meanwhile, sat completely still, twitching it’s partially rounded black ears that matched the assorted black splotches on its white coat. It merely flicked its tail at him, staring unblinkingly.

Without any sound at all, the cat leapt perfectly into Axel’s lap. Flashing him one brief stare, it curled up on his legs, just over his groin, purring all the while. Confused, the red-head looked down at the intruding feline, wondering if he should push it off, when Roxas returned.

“Mickey, leave him alone...”

The red-head turned his head just in time to see Roxas jog down the last set of stairs, holding his shirt in one hand. Taking in the way the pair of sweatpants the blonde had thrown on were hanging quite low on the boy’s hips, Axel could see a sliver of very pale skin just by the waistband of the pants, right before it melded sharply into a tanned stomach. It took a bit of willpower for Axel not to lick his lips. The boy had tan lines. He could only imagine how enticingly white and smooth Roxas’s inner thighs would be, starkly contrasting with the rest of his sun-kissed body.

Walking out to the couch, Roxas snatched the cat from Axel’s lap, sighing as he deposited his pet onto the floor. He looked over at Axel, simultaneously tugging on his shirt. “That’s Mickey. Don’t mind him; he’s just way too friendly for his own good.”

“It’s fine.” Axel shrugged, suddenly grinning. “He probably just likes me. Natural charm, you know.”

“I’m sure. Now... Explain.” Roxas said tersely, shoving himself down into a chair and glaring at Axel. The blonde had calmed himself down enough to hear the explanation. His face was expressionless as he leaned back and crossed his arms. He watched as Axel met his stare, then looked away again. The smoking man wasn’t so full of himself as he was back at the 7-11, or the pool. The idea of explaining his actions seemed to have shaken him, but at the least the awkward feelings they had acquired from Reno’s intrusion had passed. The air was still as the blonde waited, but a bit comfortable as well.

“You don’t need to tell me the whole story.” Roxas spoke again. “The short version will be just fine.”

“Nah, I might as well tell you everything.”

The red-head launched into the story, leaving out most of the pointless minor details. He watched Roxas’s mouth turned farther and farther downwards and his forehead grew more wrinkles. He wasn’t pleased.

“... so then, instead of going to the nearest Seven-Eleven on the corner, I went over to yours. I had seen you there before.” Axel let out a slow breath. The light from the windows had become brighter. The sun was setting.

“But the guy on the phone, Marluxia, he said that Larxene called him and told him about the bet...”

“Ah, yeah... turns out that the next day, the guy had been so drunk that he had forgotten most of the night. We had to remind him.” Axel laughed slightly, but immediately stopped at Roxas’s straight face.

“And the reason you totaled the Slurpee machine?”

“I wanted a Slurpee?” blinked Axel, then smiled slightly. “Plus, it served as a distraction. You haven’t mentioned yet that I didn’t get away with the first part of the bet like I said I would.”

Roxas nodded, pulled his legs up to sit cross-legged in the chair. “That was my next question.”

“Let’s just say I left out a few details to my friends...”

This surprised blonde. “You lied to them?”

“No, I just didn’t tell them everything. But they know who you are. That’s why they called you Bet-Boy.”

“So now...” Roxas thought back to the explanation, eyebrows knitting together. “Now you have to get me to ask you out on a date?”

The red-head nodded, trying to conceal the look of relief from Roxas not murdering him on the spot after his story. “That’s the idea, yeah. I don’t want to pressure you or anything, Roxas, but I was kinda hoping you would.”

“And if I don’t? Y’know, you never even bothered asking me my preferences here. For all you knew, I could’ve had a girlfriend.”

“Do you?”

“No, but that’s not the point.” scowled Roxas, eyes narrowing.

Axel blew out a sigh. “Thank god for that.” Grinning, he leaned his chin on his propped up arm, watching for the blonde’s reaction.

“Vaginas are overrated, anyway.”

The blonde choked slightly, scrambling to conceal the betraying chuckle that had been brought on by Axel’s comment. Hiding his amusement, he dragged the tips of his lips down again. “You think of that yourself?”

“You ever hear anyone else say that? It’s almost like my motto, actually.” shot back Axel, snickering. As soon as his manly giggles died down, he returned to waiting for Roxas to continue his questioning.

Roxas, sobered now, didn’t say anything for brief length of time. Halfway through the story, Mickey had returned and cuddled up to his owner, but now, the blonde tossed the cat back to the floor. “You said there was a reason for you coming down to Seven-Eleven. Is that what you were talking about?”

He was careful to keep his voice low, but the undertone of anger wasn’t hard to miss. Axel ran some fingers through his hair, wondering on how to word this better. How could one put that he had been watching the blonde for week before the incident, wondering how to snatch him up with an actual agenda in mind, rather than just an urge to get into his pants?

Prior to the bet, Axel had found that Roxas’ particular 7-11 was right across from a cheap gas station that the red-head visited every week. It was during one of his late-night rides through Hollow Bastion when he was filling up Ninja’s tanks that he spotted the convenience store and, more importantly, the teen that was working the night shift and, at that particular moment, was attempting in vain to hang up a new advertisement over the door.

Axel’s eyes traced over the cute butt and the way the back of the kid’s hair resembled something akin to a cheese-grater. He was cute. And by the way the blonde was spewing curses and looking absolutely disgruntled, he had a bite to him, as well.

Or, at least, Axel hoped he had a certain... bite to him. The red-head could read people easily, and the worker didn’t look like someone who would immediately fall for a random motorcyclist who happened to be of the same gender. Not everyone was gay or bi in this world, unfortunately.

So he had let the blonde be. Until the bet, that is. Axel had sprung on the chance to go and introduce himself to the 7-11 worker, as well as test him out. So far, the homophobe red card had not been drawn, even now. Which was a very good sign.

Tapping an index finger to his lips, Axel said, “That the reason I came was for the bet? No. There was a better reason for that”

“Oh?” Roxas didn’t look amused. In fact, he looked somewhat resigned to what had happened now. His spunk had ebbed. And here he had been hoping on maybe even befriending the red-head. Maybe even... but no. Not anymore. Roxas was resolute. As soon as Axel completely explained himself, he would be booted out of the house and made to swear to never get close to Roxas again. Roxas didn’t need any more butterflies in his stomach or searing kisses or absolutely amazing hand jobs. No. Definitely not.

“Well, I...” Axel’s eyes traveled over to the windows, attracted by a light pattering that he had just heard. It had started raining. “... ah, shit, my bike!”

“Your...?” Roxas blinked, but Axel was already up and out the door, scurrying to his poor Ninja outside.

Desperately trying to cover up his motor bike, Axel fell to his knees, shoving his hand deep into his ride, scrabbling with something. As Roxas wandered out into the increasing rain storm, thunder rumbled above them. Noting in the back of his head that thunderstorms hadn’t been in the forecast, the lifeguard walked over to Axel, who was moaning.

“Shi-it... if I had known that it would be raining, I wouldn’t have taken Ninja out.”

Despite himself, Roxas felt concern well up in his chest. “Why? What’s wrong?”

Sitting down on the driveway, Axel shook his head. “Ninja’s under repairs still. She can still run and everything, but I can’t get her wet. The top of the engines are wide open, they shouldn’t be getting water in them at all. I’ll have to take her into the shop tomorrow.” He muttered, pressing a hand to his temple.

Roxas, unsure of what to say, kept silent as it began pouring. It thundered again as Axel dragged himself back to his feet. Whirling on the shorter teen, he motioned bleakly at the weather. “Look, can I just spend the night? I can’t get back home on a broken motorbike.”

This time, lightning split the sky and rain droplets were hammering down over their heads. Displeased, Roxas shrugged and stalked back into the house with a simple “Yeah, you might as well.”

The house was now dark. Roxas lit lamps as he moved through the house. Axel followed, shutting the front door cautiously, unsure if Roxas would be in the mood to return to his pressing questions. It appeared, however, that the sudden storm had distracted him.

“Come up with me, you’ll need to get some clothes.” Roxas muttered instead, walking away.

Axel walked after him, noting how silent the house was. “Is anyone home right now?”

“The house is empty for now, my parents are gone until next week, they’re on a business trip.” Roxas didn’t turn his head to look back.

As the pair moved up the carpeted flight of stairs, Axel couldn’t resist a grin. The situation was too perfect. Spending the night, apparently alone, in Roxas’s house? Yes please.

“Are we going to be sharing a bed?”

Roxas turned at the top of the stairs, heading right down the hall. “Like hell we are. You’re sleeping downstairs on the couch, Mr. Uninvited Guest.”

Shot down but stubborn, Axel rushed forward just as Roxas paused the door at the end of the hall. He hadn’t lit any lights, so it was just barely lit. Not giving him time to turn the handle, Axel pounced, sneaking his arms around the warm body and cornering him.

“If I’m an uninvited guest, does that mean I’m unwelcome?” murmured Axel softly, eyes almost seeming to glow in the darkness as he pressed himself to the blonde. Roxas stiffened, arms pinned to his sides as he looked up at the man who had invaded his personal space. Attempting to keep his cool, he dragged one hand out to grasp the door handle again.

“Very much so. Now get off.”

Growing sneakier, Axel moved to lean against the door. “C’mon, Roxas, I know you’re not that mean...”

“Hmph.” Roxas’s only proper response was turning the knob so that Axel tumbled through the doorway, releasing Roxas in surprise as he flopped to the floor.

Casually stepping over the flummoxed Axel, Roxas padded softly into his room, flipping the light switch as he went. Axel was just getting up when the blonde went riffling through his drawer, tugging out a pair of larger flannel pants and a shirt.

He didn’t give time to Axel to pull a move again, examine his room, or even take a breath. In one swift move, Axel had clothes slammed into his hands and was shoved back out into the hallway, facing Roxas who was holding the door now.

“Not even a goodnight kiss?” He blinked, unused to being rejected so. This blonde really knew how to turn a guy down.

Roxas sniffed, gripping the edge of the door hard as he tried to ignore the way he could still feel some remnants of Axel’s heat on his body. “Bathroom’s down on the opposite side of the hall. There are blankets and a pillow in the trunk behind the couch. Good night.”

Axel found himself suddenly facing a very solid door that was inches away from his nose. It was going to be a long night.


------------------------------------


A few hours later, thunderstorm raging obscenely outside, and Axel was 100% convinced that it was going to be a very, very long night. He couldn’t sleep. And it wasn’t that the clothes. They smelled clean and of Roxas at the same time, which was a very pleasant combination. Nor was it the couch or blankets. They were both comfortable and soft. Even the storm wasn’t bothering him, Axel prided himself in sleeping through worse things.

Alas, it wasn’t any of the above. It was Roxas, and he didn’t even know it.

Swirling and prodding thoughts of the cold blonde were keeping Axel awake. He couldn’t put his finger on why, but it was bothersome. The fact that the lifeguard/Seven-Eleven worker could be so firm in rejected him wasn’t surprising, but it seemed that Roxas didn’t even want to return to what they had had back in the pool office or the convenience store.

How the hell was he going to get him to ask him out on a date?

Axel frowned up at the ceiling. This bet is not supposed to be this hard. In fact, Roxas isn’t even supposed to be this resistant. I should’ve picked someone else... seriously.

His eyes began fluttering down and the incessant spattering of rain against the windows fell back to a soft background noise. Rolling over, Axel burrowed into the pillow and relaxed again, allowing his mind to drift off into slumber.

Drift... drift... drift...

Only to have a certain cat yowl and leap on his head. Yelping in shock, Axel shot straight up to drag Mickey and hold him out at arm’s length. The cat continued to struggle and flail its tail erratically, hissing and mewling loudly.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? Man-cat troubles or something?” Axel raised an eyebrow, standing with a mind to deposit the cat on Roxas’s head instead. It was his pet, after all.

The trip back upstairs was a painful one. The house was dark and unfamiliar, but finally, after two sorely injured toes, Axel made it back to Roxas’s room. He didn’t bother knocking, but crept in instead.

Here, the windows provided at least a little illumination. Axel could see a lump on the bed at the far end of the door, the foot of it facing the door. Lightning flashes and Axel could see a glimpse of blonde hair, too. Tip-toeing forward, holding the occasionally hissing cat under his arm, Axel made it to the edge of the bed.

The boy was sleeping on his side, facing Axel. His bangs fell over his eyes and his arms were curled up by his chest as he slumbered. Resisting the urge to coo at the cuteness, Axel instead poked Roxas.

“Oi, Roxas, your cat is acting weird.” Roxas didn’t respond, so Axel repeated the action, whispering loudly.

“Roxas. Your cat is acting like it’s on crack, what the hell do I do with it?”

Roxas groaned, eyes barely opening as he looked dazedly in the direction of the voice. “Wh-what..?”

“Cat. Annoying. What the fuck?” Axel grumbled, keeping the words short so the half-asleep teen could understand.

With a soft moan, Roxas tried to sit up. “It’s not mine...”

Axel looked down at the pet. It was most assuredly Mickey, who had now calmed down and hung lump in his grip. “It’s not ... yours?”

Suddenly groaning in annoyance, Roxas rolled over. “Just put him in the drawer, I’ll get him later. He needed ironing, anyway...”

This particular statement had Axel half-snickering, half shaking his head in wonder. The boy was awake enough to produce coherent sentences, but still so asleep that the sentences didn’t make sense.

“Right. I’ll just leave him here, then, shall I?” Depositing Mickey onto the edge of the bed, Axel, despite his instincts to go up and cuddle with the blonde, set back towards the door. “Get back to sleep, then.”

As Axel was closing the door, he could hear Roxas muttering something along the lines of, “No, I don’t need any orange juice...”

-------------------------------


Strangely enough, Axel immediately fell asleep on the couch after that. The next morning and a grouchy looking Roxas found the red-head lying on his stomach, face buried in a pillow, sleeping soundly.

“Axel, wake up.” Roxas said, scratching at his bed-head as he stared down at his guest. “Axel. Wake up. Axel!”

The last yell got Axel going. Flinching at the sound of his name, he grunted into the pillow. Good. Now Roxas had his attention.

“Get up, it’s already almost noon.”

The red-head slowly stretched out all of his limbs, stiffening them. At first, it resembled a sort of Superman position, until Axel groaned in relief. As he rolled over, yawning and rubbing at one eye, he said, “Nothing like a good stretch. Ah, good morning, sunshine.”

The slight frown and the way one of his eyes was twitching completely Roxas’s “sunshine” appearance. He waited impatiently as Axel rubbed his face awake and sat up before putting his plan, which he had spent the past hour going over, into action.

Roxas took a deep breath, stopped, then moved forward to sit down on the edge of the couch. “Come to Otakon with me.”

The sentence at first didn’t sink in. It was too early for foreign words. Axel blinked. “Come to where with you?”

“Otakon.” Roxas repeated, folding his hands in his lap as he kept his tone casual. “It’s an anime convention and I want you to come with me.”

Axel paused, mulling this over, then, satisfied, let a wide grin stretch his mouth as he, sat up to lace his arms around Roxas’s waist. It was definitely not too early to understand that the words “come with me” were of a positive sort. Pulling the way blonde close, he purred into his ear. “Is that a date?”

Trying once again to remain unfazed, Roxas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, if you want to count three whole days down in Baltimore a date, sure.”

Axel’s grip fell slack. His sleepy mind fell short. “...three whole.... where?!”

“Oh yeah.” Roxas unexpectedly snickered, pulling away easily and walking out of the room towards the kitchen. “You’re definitely coming with me.”

It was time for payback, and it would most certainly be a lot worse than Slurpee in his hair.