◆38◆ It's been Eight Bitter Years Since I've Been Seeing Your Face Ba Ba Ba, Ba Ba Baaaa
"God Hayner, if you lean any farther off that rail, you'll fall in!" Ollette pulled Hayner away from the boat railing by the back of his collar. He grumbled in response.
"It's not like it's any more dangerous than the clock tower…" He crossed his arms and Pence walked over munching on a corndog. "Ew… Dude, how can you eat stuff like that?"
"You're missing out on a ton you know."
"How? It's just a breaded hot dog."
"It's not just a breaded hot dog. It's like… like a god food! It's so tasty, more tasty than normal food." Pence licked his lips.
"Okay Pence, that's the last time I let you eat one of those." Ollette snatched the corndog from his grasp and threw it in the trash. Pence sighed and sat on the deck of the ship.
"Well guys, fun's over."
"Huh?" Ollette turned back to Hayner and Pence looked up from his position.
"I see land." Ollette slapped him.
They all crowded around the railing of the large ship and watched as they crawled into Destiny Island's main harbor. How green the island looked from out of the water was astonishing to them. Compared to their concrete jungle, this place was like something they'd seen on LOST. Since they had traveled to the islands before on a plane, they hadn't really seen the awesome view. The only time they had actually seen the water was from the plane window and when Cloud had taken them to visit the beach during their and Roxas' falling out…
Ollette tried to block the memory from her mind but it seemed to come flooding back at her whenever she thought of him.
As they pulled into the dock, Hayner couldn't spot any faces he knew in the small crowd that had gathered to greet the passengers from the mainland. He couldn't figure out if that made him feel comforted or not. In some way he missed Roxas- that he had figured out just the day before when he was digging through his closet for a suit that Ollette was forcing him into. He had found a picture of him and Roxas, standing on the Struggle stage the summer before, Roxas holding the championship belt and slinging one arm around Hayner's neck and Hayner with a black eye looking rather pathetic but smiling nonetheless. That had been one of the best days of his life and even though he hadn't won anything from the tournament and had actually been beaten by his best friend, he'd always remember it as one of the best days. No matter what happened, he'd always remember that. That's why he had taken the picture out of the closet and sat it on his dresser in plain view.
The ship bumped into the dock and shook Hayner out of his reverie. Ollette and Pence started to walk to the gangplank and Vincent stayed behind with Hayner. He always did seem to pop out of nowhere. Vincent looked down at him with his luggage slung over his shoulder.
"Well, are you going to go peacefully or am I going to have to carry you off?" He smirked. From how menacing Hayner had appeared during the incident –which seemed so long ago now- he really wasn't sure how much the kid wanted to be here.
"Leave me be, I can walk." Hayner grabbed the handle of his wheeled luggage and pushed past the black-haired man. He stopped outside the boat terminal with Pence and Ollette and Vincent came soon after him.
"Is Roxas supposed to be here or are we supposed to figure this out on our own?" Pence pondered out loud.
"I was pretty sure he said he'd be here or that he'd send somebody who knew who we were…" Ollette looked around the paved area surrounding the beach. Nope, no Strifes.
"Uh, there's Roxas…" Vincent trailed off while looking over his little brother's friends' heads. He was much taller thus was able to see farther. Laws of life.
Ollette turned to the direction he was looking and saw Roxas standing there a long ways away from them on the walkway. The blond was wearing a black sleeveless turtleneck that looked more like it belonged on Cloud rather than Roxas with khaki cargo shorts that went a little past his knees. He was looking up, at a tree with his hands on his hips. From their view, Ollette thought she could see his lips moving like he was talking but couldn't be sure. Seeing as none of her male companions were moving, she started to walk down the path, brown curls bouncing as she went, the boys following close behind her. As she got closer to the scene, she could faintly tell that Roxas was, in fact, talking to the tree.
"-and I am so not going up there to get you." Roxas started to tap his foot on the grey brick path, still talking to the top of the tree.
Something in said tree moved.
"Just jump already! If you break your neck, I'll cut down the tree," Ok… not a tree hugger. "Ok? I still don't know why you had to choose now of all times to try climbing trees…" Roxas crossed his arms. Who was he talking to? Then, out of nowhere, a pair of legs popped out from the tree. After them slowly came a torso covered in dark green fabric and then the redheaded person finally dropped fully to the ground. If her memory served correctly, this was Axel.
"See Rox? I can climb trees!" The redhead ruffled Roxas' hair and smirked.
"Laugh while you can."
"Are you going to start and say things like that again? Where you don't even get what you're saying? That's uh, really weird when you do."
"I plan not to."
"Well good 'cause it creeps me out, you get this look when you say stuff like that as if you're possessed or something. It's kind of scary!" Axel brushed off his pants and Roxas looked out to the ocean. "When did you say they were coming? I'm starved."
"I told you to eat before we left but noooo we couldn't even try a poptart because it was pink!"
"Sorry I'm pink-a-phobic."
"Yeah, yeah. Tell it to Dr.Phil."
"What time?"
"Um" Roxas grabbed Axel's wrist and looked at his red watch. He'd just bought it recently. "They should get here any second if they're not already here…" Roxas started walking backwards toward the dock.
Axel looked at where Roxas was walking (his boyfriend had this bad habit of walking backwards when he was thinking really hard kind of like Sora) like always and the faces registered instantly. "Wait Roxas-" Axel was cut off.
"O sorry, I didn't mean to-Ollette!" Roxas had run into her, almost knocking her over but he had managed to grab her hand before she could fall very far. He smiled and then noticed Hayner, Pence and Vincent standing close behind. The blond pulled Ollete up, released her and greeted the others. Axel walked up to stand next to him, a little awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. He knew Ollette and Vincent knew he and Roxas were together but what about the other two? Did they just know Roxas was gay?
"Hey guys! Sorry I couldn't meet you over there, dumbass had to get himself in a tree." Roxas talked behind his hand but Axel still heard it and crossed his arms over his chest, throwing his nose in the air. Ollette giggled and Hayner couldn't help but roll his eyes. The Valentine brothers smiled. Ollette stepped up to Roxas and hugged him. He hugged her back.
"Missed you, Roxas." She smiled when they pulled apart but Roxas was really unsure if she meant it. No matter how much she sounded sincere, she had gone through a lot because of him.
"I missed you too."
"Roxas, is he your boyfriend?" Hayner stepped up from his position behind Ollette and stood next to her.
"Blunt as usual." Roxas rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he's my boyfriend. People have a tendency to call him Axel." Roxas eyed his friend. Did he care? Was this just some way to clarify whom he could direct his anger?
"…" Hayner just looked Axel up and down while the redhead stood there looking back at him with curiosity.
"Hey, Mr. Army. I don't mind that you stare." Hayner blinked up at the redhead. "That is, if you like…" Axel stuck his hands on his hips.
"WHAT? No!" Hayner spluttered and jumped back. Axel just smirked and lowered his arms to his sides. Roxas slapped him lightly.
"No scaring my friends."
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Axel kept the smirk on his thin lips.
"Okay, well now that we all remember each other, I have an important question to make…" Vincent piped up. He personally wasn't a talkative guy and he was finding that it ran in the family because Pence wasn't very talkative either. Actually, he was even quieter than Vincent himself at sometimes.
"Shoot." Roxas replied.
"When's the funeral…" He trailed off, expecting the question to be quite harmful.
"…Tomorrow." Roxas looked away at the ocean with a faraway look. No matter how many times he told himself that he didn't do it, the thought still nagged in the back of his mind every time he thought of her.
It might be because of James though. He had pounded it into him so many times that it was like it was implanted now.
"…" Axel looked down at him, his smirk fading. The day when he had said that oh-so-philosophical speech to his boyfriend, he could tell that he had listened to him and had really believed him when Axel had said that he wasn't responsible in any way for Tifa's death. But then, when James suddenly appeared and punched the thought into him via stomach, the subject instantly became more hazardous territory than ever before.
Ollette looked at Roxas. He had changed so much since they had dated. The depressed face finally registering, she changed the topic.
"So, where's the best beach? Gotta keep up the tan after all." She smiled brightly and Roxas snapped out of his own world.
"Let's go drop your bags off at my place and then we can go." He and Axel led them to the rusty red truck and threw their luggage into the back.
0o0o0o
"Ah, finally." Hayner jumped out of the truck bed and into the golden sand. Because the spring weather was still a bit chilly at night (but rather warm in the day), the tourists stayed away for the most part (at least on this beach). Now he spotted about fifteen people if not less up and down the long stretch of beach that Roxas had brought them to.
Ollette and Pence climbed out after him, as did Vincent. Pence instantly spotted a beach cart that was selling ice cream and although he tried to hide it, clutched the money in his hand tighter. He loved food and even though he could be obsessive about it at times, he wasn't obese. Just a couple extra pounds plus a bunch of baggy clothes seemed to instantly get himself made fun of.
Vincent eyed the beach anxiously. When they had dropped their bags off at Roxas', the blond had called Cloud on his cell to tell him their guests had made it all right and that they'd be down at the beach. Vincent missed Cloud. He always missed Cloud. He wanted to see Cloud and kept thinking if he looked hard enough, he might just find him there on the beach. That would be great.
The boys pulled off their shirts and Ollette did similar. She wore a modest orange two-piece while the boys all had trunks with mostly different colors. The brunette girl spread out a beach towel and laid out on it, badly wanting a tan. What was the point for a girl like her to go to the beach and not tan? Roxas sat down in the sand far from the water and Ollette while Axel took the Valentine's to introduce them to Mario (and to warn them about his pepperoni pizza probably) who was selling his pizza and ice cream and popcorn on the beach. Hayner (almost) cautiously sauntered up to his blond friend and plopped into the sand next to him. Roxas turned to face him.
"I'm glad you came, Hayner." Roxas smiled warmly.
"I didn't do it for you 'ya know…" His tone was harsh and he turned away from Roxas. He didn't see it when Roxas looked away, hurt scrawled all over his face.
"Right, sorry." He tried to sound unaffected but maybe it wasn't working too well considering Hayner looked at him and saw his sadness. He immediately tried to think of something, anything to say.
"Sorry, Roxas." Said blond blinked but didn't look at his friend. "I mean, all I've been is mean to you ever since you turned queer on us. But you're still the same guy if you see past that… I just, I guess I just wish it was like old times when it was just the three of us, the musketeers, all straight."
"You know how hard it was to accept the fact that I'm gay? Do you think I planned it like this?" Roxas almost spat when he turned to Hayner. "I had always pictured me growing up, marrying Ollette and screwing her so many times that we ended up having twelve kids! That's how I pictured my future! That's how I had it planned! You were going to be the best man at our wedding! But then everything changed on this island and now all I can see is Axel! He's my future and that's how I see it now. I love him, Hayner! You've got to accept that sooner or later because if you don't, how will you ever stand to look at me?" Roxas finished his rant, finding his toes had dug such a deep hole in the sand that he could feel the cold water coming up from below.
"…" Hayner stared at him. Roxas almost never got so messed up about something like he was now. He usually just got pissy enough to swear his head off under his breath or emo-glare at his source of anger.
"You really like him huh?" Hayner almost smiled when Roxas' face eased up a bit and he looked back at him.
"Yeah, I do." Roxas smiled, probably remembering something about Axel, Hayner thought.
"Have you fucked?"
Roxas shoved him.
"No, seriously. Have you?"
"… Why do you want to know?"
"O my god! You have?" Hayner widened his eyes.
"Shh, the world doesn't have to know!" Roxas slapped a hand over Hayner's mouth just to be knocked away.
"I didn't know you loved him that much! Did you ever fuck Ollette?"
"Yes, I love him lots and no, I never had sex with anybody else."
"Dude…" Hayner studied his friend. He decided that Roxas could stand up for himself with words finally (something he must've learned on the island) and that he might have actually found true love. Ha, true love. Who the hell thought up that BS?
"I meant it Hayner, I'm glad you came." Roxas stood and was about to walk away towards Ollette (considering Axel and the Valentine's were still talking by the food stands) but was knocked back to the ground at Hayner's feet by a lime green Frisbee. Hayner blinked. Roxas sat up, rubbing the back of his head and looked around.
"Who threw that, Hayner?"
"Uh, I think that guy who's running over here." Roxas looked to where he was pointing and covered his eyes.
The teen stopped running when he reached Roxas and bent on all fours to catch his breath. Roxas mentally sweat-dropped.
"Demyx, what are you doing?"
"You know this guy?" Hayner eyed the mohawked kid who had decided to plop down near them.
"Yes and you met him at the Christmas party thing last year."
"Oh…"
"Nobody ever remembers me!" Demyx looked like he was about to cry so Roxas patted his shoulder.
"Were you playing Frisbee alone?" Roxas tried to ignore the fact that the back of his head was pounding.
"No, Zexy was too but he overthrew…" Hayner eyed the teen and his use of names. Another queer?
"Where is he?"
"Erm," Demyx looked around. "I don't know actually… He was right over there so he must've been abducted by aliens…"
"Oh, I bet he was." Hayner rolled his eyes.
"Ohmygawd do you think it was Zim? O no!" Demyx's eyes watered up. "Gir's gunna probe him now!"
"Demyx, calm down." Roxas tossed him his Frisbee and he looked up, brightening instantly. Demyx leapt up and ran to a teen coming out of the water. From what Hayner could see, it was some emo kid with silver-blue-purple-ish hair. What surprised Hayner though was how Demyx practically killed the guy when they collided and Demyx hugged him.
"Roxas, is he gay too?"
"Demyx and Zexion are dating."
"Zexion?"
"The emo kid." Roxas smiled. "Apparently he's not as emo as he looks though." Hayner caught the blush on Roxas' face.
Roxas Strife was remembering when he and Axel had been sitting on the rooftop of the school and then Demyx had burst through the hidden stairwell door, pulling Zexion along with him. There, Demyx had attempted to pin his boyfriend but Zexion and crushed against the chain link fence lining the edge of the rooftop faster. From his view practically on the other side of the roof, Roxas could still see the major groping and hear some very suggestive sounds from the pair.
That kind of scene left an impression.
Zexion, having been dragged over to Roxas and Hayner, eyed the blush on Roxas' cheeks and then eyed Hayner with his uncovered eye. He sighed inwardly. Demyx had this tendency of making first impressions very odd and sometimes awkward for him.
"Zexy! Say hello!" Demyx elbowed his side rather harshly and Zexion coughed as a result.
"Hello."
"Hi…" Hayner raised an eyebrow.
"What do they call you?" How the kid managed to keep such an emotionless face amazed Hayner.
"I'm Hayner. Who are you?"
"Zexion."
"You're a fag right?" Hayner wanted to see if this guy ever changed. Roxas eyed Hayner. As much as his friend said about being alright with him being gay, he sure did make a big deal about it.
"That would be a cigarette. I'm just a guy who happens to like guys." Zexion twitched and out of the corner of his eye, noticed Demyx blushing. He hated the word.
"Cocksucker." Hayner practically spat at him. In all fairness, he just liked being dominant and getting a rise out of people.
"Titlicker." Zexion spat back with the same intensity.
Hayner smirked. This guy was amusing.
Demyx hugged Zexion. "Stop it Zexy! Let's go home now."
"Sure…" Zexion allowed himself to be dragged once again to his car.
"Roxas, you have weird friends."
"That would include you too then you know."
"…" Sanjaya'd.
"Does it look like rain to you?" Roxas gestured up to the sky, which was starting to cloud over. That's another thing with the spring weather in Destiny Islands, it was beautiful one second then it was cloudy and grey the next.
"Kind of…" Hayner personally liked the rain and wouldn't really mind sitting in it but most of the people he knew didn't.
"Okay I want to go home now."
"Let's go then." Hayner stood up after his friend and followed him to Axel and the others. They drove to the Strife house and spent the night there; awkward at times but for the most part, it was like how it used to be in Twilight Town. Axel left when Reno called and said that he had to come over because there was a popcorn emergency.
Vincent on the other hand, felt awkward the whole night. Cloud didn't come back to his house from wherever he was and Roxas managed to weasel out whenever he tried to get information out of him. Something was definitely up.
0o0o0o
hmm, longer than last time, right?
I've been watching many movies lately. Labyrinth, American Psycho, Goonies, Knocked Up, the newest HP, Casshern, Requiem for a Dream… the list keeps going.
I need to get off the couch but my friends are lazy TTTT