Gives You Hell
By: Tomi Sama
Chapter 3: "From Purgatory to Hell"
Pairings: Dominate: AkuReno, LeonxCloud, RikuxSora, Zemyx.
Others: Mentions of past (and current one-sided) AkuRoku, also a wee bit of one-sided RufusxReno, because I couldn't help myself.
Warnings: Yaoi. Which means boy on boy. There's a LOT of Roxas hatred. Language, Drug Use, you know, that stuff. Probably more angst this chapter, a little bit, anyway.
Word Count:10,486 excluding disclaimers and stuff.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all. I don't own Kingdom Hearts, or the multiple Final Fantasy characters I mention. I also don't own the songs mentioned in the song.
Author's Note: This may SEEM like filler, especially the beginning. It has a purpose, though. I wanted to show how the band was getting used to Reno, and how work was for him. I assure you that it has a point in the future. Trust me? Please? ALSO: I'm sorry it's been almost a year. Most of this was done last year, but the final touches and editing were finished this summer. College keeps me wicked busy, though. If you keep reviewing, I'll try not to abandon it for another year =P
Reno had always loved work. A natural born trouble maker, an instigator of fights; something about the thrill of the hunt always made him base his life around work and the people he spent his day with. Even on the boring days, which happened a lot more often than their exciting counterparts, Reno would be happy knowing that soon enough, him and Rude would be attacking, kidnapping or causing other sorts of mayhem (Reno's favorite form of mayhem was blowing shit up, call him a pyromaniac, but something about a person's belongings being destroyed in an inferno really drove home the message the Turks wanted to make).
Now that he and Axel were friends, work meant nothing to him. He lived for five PM. He would jump into his car and drive home knowing that something more than video games and beer were waiting for him. Though often, video games and beer were what the two redheads often spent their time doing together. At first, the night Reno came down to congratulate his neighbor's performance; it seemed kind of awkward for both of them.
It was awkward for Axel because he had been compared to the other man since he was a teenager; the other man was a constant reminder of how he had been failing at life: Reno was a Turk, he was a Savior and Axel was wasting his life with music. It was awkward for Reno because for the past four years, this man had been his favorite songwriter; without Axel's music, he might not have been totally able to deal with the numerous bad relationships he found himself in: knowing that someone else out there was having the same bad luck made the blows more bearable.
They were in awe of each other at first. By five-thirty Monday afternoon, the awe had been replaced with a mutual feeling that they'd been friends in a past life. After a week, even the band seemed more than happy to have Reno around. Zexion eventually forgave Axel for attempting to molest Demyx. And as Riku put it, eating dinner the band ordered from the local pizzeria, a rabid baboon would be a better person to have around than Roxas.
Today, the work day seemed extra unbearable, knowing that Axel was with Sora going over band stuff until eight tonight.
Tomorrow he was going to be gone until six to straighten out crap at the record label before they could start recording.
Wednesday he had therapy until seven.
But tomorrow morning Reno was going to over to the neighbor's before work, apparently Zexion made breakfast for whoever was up before his nine am class. Axel had to get up that morning to finish stuff up with the record label for their new album and…
"Reno."
The redhead looked up from his computer screen. He'd been shifting through documents of sightings of Sephiroth for the past two days. Sure, the guy was a renegade SOLDIER, bent on using the world's Lifestream to destroy said world, but was he really worth all that manpower?
"Yeah, boss?"
Rufus ran a hand through his blond hair. He seemed uncomfortable with the nickname, even though the redhead had been calling him that since day one. Even when Rufus' father was the president of ShinRa, he called the son "boss." The guy was cute enough; flattery and flirtatiousness was only bound to help Reno get a promotion, as well as pass the day a little quicker. But the Sephiroth shit had Rufus really freaking out, and Reno knew he hadn't been there for his boss.
"Any luck? On Sephiroth, I mean." The president leaned against the redhead's desk, casually, crossing one of his ankles over the other, folding his arms in front of his chest. "The Jenova boy, the one in the band, did he know where Sephiroth is?"
Reno shook his head. The silver-haired man had been dying to talk about his older brother, he told Reno that Sephiroth sent him a few letters a year, but his other brothers didn't know about it. He even confided in the redhead that Cloud was his half-brother. Apparently, it was only a secret from Axel and Demyx.
"No. His mom took Sephiroth away from his brothers when he joined SOLDIER, they know less 'bout him than we do."
Rufus made an annoyed grumble, as if it were Reno's fault Sephiroth was missing in the first place. The redhead leaned back in his chair, putting his hands under his head, sighing quietly. As long as the president stayed around, Reno was killing time slightly faster. He was aware that Rufus was watching him, but he shut his eyes to the onslaught. Looking was free, touching would cost the president. Reno smirked at the idea, as ridiculous as it was.
"Where's your tie?"
Reno opened an eye, grinning. "I never wear a tie."
"We have a dress code for a reason, Reno." The president stood back up, brushing the front of his white suit off as if speaking with the redhead made him dirty. Reno would be offended if he didn't know, for a fact, that the president thought Reno was good-looking. Last Christmas the blond had too many drinks and spilled the beans to Rude, not knowing Reno was standing behind him. "Make sure you've got your tie, tomorrow."
As Rufus started walking off, Reno stood up, grinning although the blond couldn't see. "C'mon, sir! You know I look good without a tie."
Reno heard the other man chuckle, waving his hand dismissively. "Everyone looks better in a tie."
The redhead sat back down, deciding not to inform his boss that he wasn't wearing a tie either. Reno looked at the clock in the corner of his monitor. He gave a mental fist-pump when he saw Rufus had killed almost ten minutes! Only three hours until he got to go home!
Although Reno was on friendly terms with the other members of Got it Memorized? none of them really seemed to enjoy his company outside of the idea that he was Axel's new friend. When he pulled into his driveway, he was surprised to see Demyx sitting on his stoop.
"Hey." The redhead stated, standing before the blond. Demyx stood up, he had an acoustic guitar in each hand and a grin plastered on his face that meant whatever he was doing, it was against someone's wishes. Probably Axel's. Reno had to give it to the blond, if someone told him not to do something; it only drove him to do it at any cost.
"Hey Reno." Demyx extended one of the acoustics. Reno took the instrument, unlocking his front door and letting the blond come inside. As if he owned the place, Demyx went into the living room, making himself comfortable. The redhead was about to ask him what he wanted, when he started strumming a song Reno never thought he would hear.
Walk Through Hell, his favorite Got it Memorized? song, ever. Hands down. No contest.
He didn't finish the song, and he hadn't sung when he should have. Instead, he patted Reno's couch, inviting the redhead to join him. Mesmerized, Reno sat down.
"It took me all week, but I finally got Axel to tell me what your favorite song was." Demyx took the guitar from Reno's hands, putting it on his lap, instead, as it should be played. "Have you ever played the guitar before?"
Unable to speak, knowing what Demyx was doing, he shook his head.
The blond just smiled, taking Reno's left hand to place on the proper chord. "I'm not a very good teacher, but I'll try." With his right hand, he extended a pick. The redhead took it and strummed the chord. "Oh, and don't tell Axel. He'd kill me if he knew I taught you."
Reno gave him a doubtful look.
"No lie. He would chase me down the street, drag me back to his house, chain me in the basement and starve me for weeks and weeks while he cut once inch squares out of my flesh and fed them to me. I would get a nasty infection, but he'd get me antibiotics just to keep me alive to kill me later. He'd end up strangling me." As if for emphasis, Demyx's hands reached up, strangling an invisible man in between the two men, violently, growling angrily as he did so. "Axel's not above murder."
The redhead laughed. "You're exaggerating."
"Maybe a little bit." Demyx put his hands back on his guitar, playing the intro to the song once more. "Just a little."
"Why would he kill you?"
"It's his sacred song. It's like, the one song he didn't write about Roxas. It's the one song Roxas doesn't know exists." He showed him the next chord; Reno clumsily mimicked the movement with his hand. He attempted before Demyx extended his hand again, moving the redhead's fingers to the correct position. "He swore he'd only ever play it for the person who made him feel like he had a heart again."
Reno strummed; thrilled by the sound of music he created. "Then why are you showing me?"
"It feels like the right thing to do." Demyx showed him the next chord, and this time, Reno got it right on his first try.
Breakfast had been amazing.
Reno showed up promptly at seven, ringing the doorbell although the band had been telling him for a week to just walk in. It seemed to be too much of an invasion of privacy; Reno couldn't bear the thought of walking into someone's house uninvited. It reminded him too much of work, where he often broke into and entered people's homes without their consent.
Through the screen door, he saw Demyx clumsily walking down the stairs. He pushed the screen door open for Reno, shooting him an annoyed look with the corners of his mouth slightly raised for a second; it was an exhausted attempt at a smile. Reno smiled back.
He followed the blond into the kitchen, where Cloud and Leon were already sitting at the table. Leon was dressed; he had class in an hour, and was sipping coffee, reading the paper. Cloud was wearing pajama pants with his head down on the table, hand around a coffee mug; Reno wasn't sure if the man was asleep or not.
"Where's Riku?" Reno asked quietly, so as not to disturb Cloud.
Leon shrugged. "Home. It's Axel's house, not the band's. We only stayed because Zexion was cooking breakfast, but we usually stay at my house." He gestured to Cloud and himself with his coffee. "Demyx's little sister took over his room after he left for our first tour so he's usually here or at Zexion's house. Riku's brothers kept his room the same, and Yazoo cooks great breakfast at eleven-thirty, so the lazy-ass can sleep in." It was the most Reno had ever heard Leon speak.
Demyx walked up to Zexion, who was busily walking about the kitchen, finishing the meal. The blond forcibly turned the shorter man around, pecking his lips briefly before mumbling his good morning. Zexion seemed stressed, but the anxiety melted from his face when he saw the blond yawn, putting his forehead on his boyfriend's shoulder as if he couldn't hold himself up.
"You should do your homework before the night before it's due, Demyx." He scolded playfully. "Go sit in the booth, tea will be done in a second."
Demyx nodded, slowly making his way to the corner-booth that the band ate at. He slid in next to Cloud, leaving room for Reno to sit down. The redhead did sit. Almost the second he did, Demyx laid his head on Cloud's shoulder, the older blond jumping for a second, before crossing his arms, using them as a pillow. Both blonds' breathing deepened as they fell asleep on each other, like kittens.
Leon even snorted into his coffee at the ridiculous (and adorable) behavior.
Seconds later Axel came bursting into the room, dressed and active, though looking slightly anxious. "Tea done?" He asked, picking around Zexion to grab chopsticks. He went over to the pan on the stove, stirring it once before picking something out with the chopsticks, eating it quickly before Zexion smacked him in the chest.
"Go sit down! You'll get your food with everyone else."
"Do I look good, Zexy?" He asked, grinning, spinning around give the blue-haired man a good look at his outfit. "Good enough to seduce the spawns of Satan who are my record company and the handsome…"
Zexion coughed, grinning before stopping the singer, aware of where he was going with the sentence. "Why don't you ask Reno if he wants tea or coffee?"
Turning around quickly, Axel grinned at other redhead, who waved at him. "… Reno!" He seemed surprised the redhead was there already, but played his almost-slip cooly enough. He grabbed the other man's arm, dragging him from the booth. It was too early to protest as the taller redhead quickly slid into the booth, taking Reno's seat next to his cousin, patting the spot to his left. Reno sat down next to the singer. "Would you like tea or coffee?"
The Turk had been raised on coffee. He wasn't quite as addicted to it as Leon (who was refilling his mug, for the fourth time that morning), but he enjoyed his coffee in the morning.
"I'll have what you're having."
"Then you're having tea. Don't worry, you won't regret it. I didn't like tea at all before my throat started hurting all the time on our first tour… when I was like, nineteen or so… and Zexion started making the Oolong stuff."
As if on cue, Zexion placed a small cup in front of each of the redheads. "Smell it first, it clears your nasal passages. Then sip, hold it in your mouth, swish it around a bit, then swallow." He placed a cup in front of Demyx, hitting his boyfriend on the head with the rolled-up paper Leon had abandoned.
Demyx jumped, awakened, and started drinking his tea without a complaint. The movement woke up Cloud, who sat up and started drinking his coffee as if he had never been asleep in the first place.
At first, Reno didn't really like it. By the time a bowl and a pair of chopsticks were placed in front of him, he had to admit the tea had cleared up his chest and he felt like he was really breathing for the first time in his life.
The other boys drank some of the broth from the bowl before picking the chunks of stuff with the chopsticks. Reno had never had soup for breakfast.
"What is it?"
"Miso soup." Zexion had pulled a chair up to the other side of the booth, sitting with his feet under him, back on his heels. His head was level with Axel's with the extra few inches under him.
"Tofu?" Demyx asked, holding up a chunk of something. Zexion nodded.
Reno ate enough Chinese take out to know how to basically use chopsticks, but he wasn't nearly as graceful as the rest of them. Zexion must have been using the instruments since birth and Axel was looking through the paper while eating, not thinking about it at all.
He managed about half way before his hands started aching from the awkward position and things kept dropping back into the bowl. Reno tried to play it cool, as if he wasn't struggling, but a light chuckle from Axel told the redhead he'd been caught.
"I…" Reno started but Axel shook his head.
"You're holding them wrong." Leaning over, he took the older redhead's hand in his own, adjusting the sticks to where they should be resting. Reno tried, but he ended up dropping the bottom chopstick out of his hand. This time Zexion laughed.
As if Axel were the only one allowed to laugh at the other redhead's idiocy, Axel shot Zexion a look, grabbing Reno by the hips and pulling him closer. The older redhead was about to protest, when Axel adjusting the chopsticks in Reno's hand again, before putting his left elbow on the top of the booth, pushing their bodies together as he put his right hand over the other man's, holding them in place. Really, Axel was working the chopsticks, Reno was just a passenger.
"Like this."
Regardless, the next bite of soup came easy. Well, as easy as it could be with the singer's chest lightly pressed against his bicep, radiating heat as if he was a furnace.
Satisfied with his teaching skills, Axel let the man finish his meal in peace to practice using the utensils himself, but didn't push him away. Their shoulders touched for the rest of breakfast.
At eight fifteen, everyone was getting ready to leave. Standing at the door, Reno tried to tie his tie around his neck. He was kind of afraid what Rufus might do, if he didn't wear it. But he hadn't used it in so long he couldn't remember how to tie it. (Rude tied it for him at the last luncheon they went to).
Slinging a black and red checkered backpack over his shoulders, Axel stood in front of him, watching as the man unsuccessfully tried to tie the stupid garment. Demyx ran past, yelling for shotgun. Leon followed a few seconds later, mumbling "Who is fucking stupid enough to challenge you at shotgun in your fucking boyfriend's car?"
Cloud marched up the stairs, patting Axel's head as a means of goodbye. He put his finger to his lips: don't tell Leon I'm going back to bed.
When the car drove off, and the redheads were alone in the foyer, Reno gave up. Shrugging, feeling slightly awkward under Axel's intense gaze, he mumbled, "Rufus can kiss my ass."
Axel just laughed, setting the Amp down (apparently, he hated energy drinks his entire life, but when he started being medicated for bipolar disorder, he was walking around in a drug-induced zombie state, energy drinks were the only thing that kept him awake) on the windowsill; he reached out for the material around Reno's neck.
Reno didn't trust Axel with his life, a rockstar wouldn't really make a better bodyguard than a Turk, but he knew the taller redhead would do nothing to hurt him. Either way, he flinched when unfamiliar hands came too close to his neck with something that could strangle him: an occupational hazard.
And Axel was way closer than he needed to be. The shorter redhead took a step back, only to feel his back against the wall. Axel took a step closer, their hips were nearly touching. Was it just him, or did Axel's emerald eyes look like they were trying to decide whether or not to attack his throat and drain him of blood?
If only Reno knew that he was half-right.
Axel's hands expertly tied the garment, years worth of sermons at Temple made him become a pro at looking dressed up when he couldn't care less about it. Actually, he unknowingly agreed with Rufus, he thought most people looked better in ties. He murmured the instructions, trying to keep his mind on the task at hand, and not the urge to yank the man by the tie and force their lips together. That, of course, was why he liked ties so much.
That, and it could be used to tie someone up, once it was used to pull someone in.
Shaking his head, he forced the desirable thought away. He was really enjoying the friendship he was building, and who knew what the friendship would turn into over time, but Axel swore to himself he'd take it slow. After he met Roxas, they started dating after like, five days of knowing each other. Look where that ended him.
(True, he'd already known Reno for more than a week, but the point remained valid).
Axel eased the knot closer to Reno's throat, resting it comfortably against his chest, not too tight, still giving a casual look to the formal outfit. Axel stepped back to admire his handy-work. Reno let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.
"How's it look?" The slightly shorter man asked. "Enough to keep my boss off my case?"
Axel crossed his arms, then put a finger to his chin, as if he were thinking. He leaned forward slightly, becoming eye-level with the other man. "You wanted to keep your boss off your case? Shit, son, with that awesome tie-job he's not going to be able to stay off of you."
Reno laughed, leaving the house with Axel behind him. "Don't say that. My boss thinks I'm hot, already." He walked to his car, opening the door but looking at Axel, knowing the singer always had to have the last word in.
"Your boss has good taste, then." The artist winked, opening his own car door. "You kind of look like me, and I'm damn hot." He said kind of with the same emphasis an older brother use when they describe how their identical twin hind of look like them.
Reno laughed again, rolling his eyes as he got in his car. Axel did the same, waving as he drove off. Maybe the work day wouldn't suck so bad, since he already had such a great start to the day.
It was another long and boring day, but whenever he typed anything, Reno felt his fingers ignite with the pain of pushing his fingers against the metal strings the night before.
He had completely forgotten the tie, the object usually hung heavily across his throat, like a noose, ready to choke the life from him. Axel's expert hands made the garment recognizable, and when Rufus paid him a visit, the President seemed stunned the other man had followed orders, for once.
Rufus had that same glint in his eyes, after he first saw the tie grace the other man's neck, as Axel had that morning. Concentration, slight confusion, but appreciation. Reno didn't know it, but the President, as with Axel before him, was exerting a great deal of willpower to not yank the man by the garment, pulling him into a kiss.
The blond man's lips said "You're right, Reno. You look better without a tie." But his mind said, "If you wear that tie any longer I don't think I can control myself." Grinning, Reno pulled the tie loose of his neck, tossing it on the table. With his eyes on his boss, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt, surprised with the annoyed sound which escaped Rufus' lips as he turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets. The president locked himself in his office the rest of the day.
It made the day bearable, knowing Demyx would be at his house again to show him more of the song.
This time, however, Demyx was nowhere to be seen. At least he only had an hour to kill by himself.
After exiting his car, Reno felt the weight of the world drift onto his shoulders. True, he was home, but with no Demyx, who was supposed to keep him company until Axel returned home from his parent's house?
"Hey Reno… Ouch! Yaz, not so hard!"
With a look over at his neighbor's front porch, his breath almost caught in his chest. Sure, he'd gotten used to looking at Riku, but looking at his older brother Yazoo really was like looking at Sephiroth. Reno quickly crossed the yard, standing on the sidewalk before the steps. Yazoo was sitting on the top step, fingers working their way expertly in his younger brother's hair. Riku was seated two seats down, leaning his back against his brother as his chin angled straight up, aquamarine eyes looking down over his cheeks to peer at Reno.
"Hey, Yazoo, that's Axel's new neighbor Reno." Yazoo let up on his hair and Riku looked down as his brother braded the loose strands at the base of his skull. "This is my third oldest brother, Yazoo." As if an afterthought, he added. "I'm five out of six." That meant, Reno added to himself, that Cloud was in between as number four.
Reno watched as the elder Jenova put a small rubber band at the bottom of the braids. He looked up at the redhead for two seconds before he started the next strand at Riku's forehead, pulling his brother back into an awkward position.
Yazoo didn't look up as he stated, "He's a Turk."
And Reno thought he was a good judge of character.
"Don't worry, Yaz. He's the best Turk I've ever met. Him and Vincent. They wouldn't hurt nobody."
This time Yazoo looked at Reno, taking in his appearance, possibly trying to intimidate him. Reno knew Sephiroth enough to know that he was a beautiful specimen. He thought Riku had taken his brother's obvious good-looks. But Yazoo took the natural beauty to an entirely different level.
Yazoo tilted Riku's chin back, peering in his eyes upside-down. Riku looked confused for a second, before he blinked, grinning wildly. Apparently satisfied, he let his brother's chin go, only to continue playing in his hair. It was like they were telepathic or something.
"Hey, Reno. Demyx wanted me to let you know that he was sorry but had classes late today or something." He winced when Yazoo pulled his hair too hard, Reno heard the older man hum his apology. "What the f-heck are you and Demyx hanging out for?"
Reno almost laughed aloud. Of all of the bandmembers, Riku had the worst mouth. It was funny that his older brother, who couldn't be more than three years older than him, got the man to clean his mouth up.
"Just hanging out. Played a bit of Guitar Hero. Both of us were basically waiting for Axel to get home."
Riku tried to nod, but ended up pulling his own hair. Bringing a hand to his head, he felt the lines of braids, seeing how much was left to do. "I'll babysit you if you want. I have to go jogging, doctor's orders. I've got maybe fifteen minutes left until he finishes putting my hair into cornrows, but if you want, you can come. Axel usually does, but he's gone."
Honestly, Reno would do anything to get out of hanging out in his house alone until seven. He agreed and left to change. Fifteen minutes later, Yazoo and Riku were facing each other on the sidewalk, next to the elder man's motorcycle. Leaning over, Yazoo put his forehead to Riku's, murmuring something quietly to his younger brother. Riku responded just as quietly, and their embrace ended. The older boy leaned forward, kissing his brother's forehead quickly before getting onto his bike, putting on a helmet, and riding off.
The younger Jenova boy looked over at Reno, unashamed that he saw their ritual, before grinning and walking over to meet him. Riku's hair was cornrowed back, with a bandana over his forehead. A blue one.
"You look good like that." Reno said, only to realize it sounded like he was making a pass at Riku. Luckily, the silver-haired man didn't take it that way and responded simply.
"I know."
They started jogging.
Riku was skinny as hell, but he was weak as hell too. Apparently he wasn't ashamed of only being able to run a block or two before slowing down to a walk. After a mile, they ran to the park around the corner and Riku nearly collapsed on a park bench. Reno went to the nearest convenient store and bought the younger man a Gatorade.
Once he got his breath back, the two of them sat on the bench, Reno taking in his surroundings, Riku in a daze of memories and endorphin.
"We used to come here all the time in high school, me and Axel. We'd come here during lunch and we'd share a cigarette. Sometimes if I was really bad we'd smoke pot to try and dull it, but it never really worked." He chuckled. "I think I've puked my stomach out here more times than I actually ate here."
Reno looked over at Riku, the man had the drink on his forehead and through his shirt the redhead could still see his heart pounding wildly. "Were you sick a lot?"
"Junkie. Withdrawal. Heroin."
"In high school?"
Riku nodded. "I was like, sixteen when I started. Maybe younger."
"Why?"
The silver-haired man shrugged. "Why not? My fucking brothers were weird and I never fit in with them. They only cared about finding Mother and our two missing Brothers. My mom left with Sephiroth, the oldest, so he could join fucking SOLDIER. No offence, but I kind of hate ShinRa for destroying my life."
Reno assured him no offence was taken, considering he was sure the man didn't remember half the horrible shit ShinRa really did do to him. He wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't been injected with heroin for the first time by the company, just to see how the drug might affect the Almighty Sephiroth. Had Reno been five or ten years older, he might have been the Turk to inject the drummer, the thought made him want to vomit.
"My guts are all over this field." He grinned, proud. "I haven't thrown up in two months."
"How long have you been clean?"
"Clean of what? Pot?" He checked his watch. "Eighteen hours. Heroin, though? Five months. Almost died. Sora found me. He always was pretty good at keeping me clean, through bribery. Sometimes sex isn't better than drugs. We had to stop a tour though, cancel a few shows. I mean, it wasn't really a big deal; we've had to cancel more shows for Axel than I can count on my hands 'cause the fucker chooses not to take his pills sometimes. What about you, you ever been on anything?"
Of course, Riku knew the answer to the question. The first time Axel had been mistaken for Reno was when he was buying pot at Vincent's dealer. He just wanted to see how honest the other man was.
Reno nodded. "I smoked pot in high school. They do drug tests at work, though, so I haven't done anything in a while."
Riku nodded back. "You're a good guy."
Reno sighed. If he was a good guy, why did he feel like shit, then?
Wednesday meant therapy. Reno threw a tennis ball up in the air, leaning back to catch it. Repeat. Axel would only be gone until seven. He only had to kill two hours alone in his house, provided Demyx didn't come to teach him more of the song or Riku needed another jogging partner.
This searching for Sephiroth's ghost was killing him. The man was nowhere to be seen, and let's be honest, he was the best SOLDIER that ShinRa had ever seen. He wouldn't be found until he wanted to be found, if he wanted that at all.
Glancing around at the other desks surrounding his, in a similar style to a police station, he saw Elena was on the phone with someone, chattering happily, obviously not a work-related call. Cissnei was playing something on her PSP, the device hidden slightly under her desk. Rude was sleeping, or he was pretending to sleep to surprise his next attacker, but Reno would bet he was actually sleeping.
Rufus was pulling a Michael Scott, hiding away in his office, looking out from the blinds every few minutes to make sure everyone looked like they were doing something, while coming out so often to make a joke, you know, to raise the Turks' spirits.
Suddenly liking the idea, he wondered if this was The Office, who would he be? Clearly he thought he was Jim, he was clearly the most intelligent member of the Turks, as well as the best looking and funniest. But would his natural comic relief talents put him more into a Dwight category?
Nothing against Dwight, but Reno was no fucking Dwight. Dwight shared the most with… Tseng. Tseng was the next in line, under Rufus, and he was constantly playing "whatever you say boss." As if to prove he was right, Tseng was the only one doing something productive. He was currently walking from the printer back to his desk with an arm full of papers. And what would Jim do to Dwight at a day like this in The Office?
Catching the ball again, he gave a quick adjustment to the trajectory and let it fly again.
"Tseng! Watch out!" Reno cried, jumping up from his chair.
Tseng was a great catch, and might have been a dog a past life. There was something about a ball that the man couldn't let go. Unable to control himself (and it's not like Reno chucked the ball at his superior, he simply tossed it in the air, it wouldn't even hit him if he stood still), Tseng moved the papers unsteadily into his left hand, catching the tennis ball easily with his right. With a small smile, he tossed the ball back. However, the sudden switch in position made the papers lose against gravity, all of them crashing to the floor in a violent way previously unseen by the light-weight paper.
Balance had never been Tseng's strong suit.
Reno got less pleasure out of the prank than one would think, way less than Jim ever seemed to enjoy Dwight's suffering, and the redhead set the tennis ball on his desk, making his way over to help the black-haired man pick up the papers. Regardless, it won him brownie points with the second in command and killed ten minutes.
It was far too quiet at his neighbor's house. The doors and windows on the first floor were shut and locked, and Reno would have figured nobody was there, except for a menacing flutter of a curtain on the top floor. He would have thought there was a burglar, except for the brown hair and fluffy jacket he caught a glimpse of.
It was just Leon.
Reno went into his house, removing his clothes on his way to his bedroom, changing as soon as he got in there.
"Ouch! Fuck!"
The redhead ran to his office window, looking out into his neighbor's back yard. Cloud had been on the stage, setting up the sound system up; Reno thought he might be getting ready to start training with the four kendo swords he saw abandoned on the ground. Now, however, Cloud was clenching his chest, doubled over in pain for a moment before standing up, facing the house angrily and removing his hand. At first, Reno thought Cloud had been shot in the heart.
Looking at the house, a gun resting on the windowsill some forty yards away, Reno saw that it was Leon, with a paint gun. The redhead was impressed; it was an impressive shot.
Reno wondered if the blond was more upset over the stinging pain of being shot, or the fact that his white t-shirt had a red paint stain on it.
"What the fuck, Leon?" but Cloud was smiling. Or he was, until Leon shot him again, in the same place. The welt would sting soon enough.
The blond ran this time, covering his head with his arms (knowing his boyfriend wouldn't intentionally shoot him there, but knowing with all his movement, Leon might miss the target of his torso), to Axel's back door. In a fist fight, Cloud could take his boyfriend. In fact, although both were good fighters, Cloud statistically won out every time there wasn't a gun involved. Leon was clearly a better shot.
Reaching for the door, the blond whimpered pathetically, seeing the back door was locked. Leon seriously wanted to play. That meant the front door would be locked. Glancing up, still covering his head, he looked for another option. Reno met his eyes, waving his arms, telling the blond to come over.
Cloud ran to Reno's back door, Leon got another two shots to his boyfriend's side before the redhead opened up, ushering the bassist inside. Once safe, the blond ripped off his shirt, surveying his body for damages and plotting the brunet's demise.
Reno tried not to look and tried harder not to say anything. Against his will, he let out an appreciative "whoa!"
Almost confused, the blond looked up, seeing the redhead's eyes scanning his naked torso, and not just the welts that were forming from his dumbass boyfriend. Cloud attempted to make himself smaller; he walked over to the sink, hiding his front from view as he tried washing the paint from his white shirt, giving Reno a good look at the tattoos of the Angel and Demon wings on his shoulder blades.
"You always wear baggy clothes, and the way you drink, I figured you'd have… fat on your body, somewhere." Reno stated.
Cloud looked down, as if having the body of a Greek God was something to be ashamed of. "That's half of the reason why I drank so much back then." Back then? Reno thought. Cloud could out drink Reno two to one (if not more), which was saying something. All of the Turks could hold their alcohol. "Fucking Jenova cells." The blond rung out his t-shirt, examining it for stains.
"I used to be scrawny, you know. I mean, I was on the kendo team, so I wasn't that scrawny. But I hate being this big, without working at it. Alcohol makes you fat, numbs the pain. It doesn't work. Apparently Riku found the magic drug to ruin a perfect Jenova body, but like fucking hell I'm going to get addicted to heroin to spite my DNA."
Reno cleared his throat, taking a sip out of his bottle of water. "What's the other half of the reason you drank so much?"
Cloud looked over his shoulder at the redhead. He hated the Turks, he was the coldest one toward Reno of the group, remembering what they did to him. He started scrubbing his shirt again, looking away. Apparently he trusted Reno.
"Fucking nightmares. As soon as they injected me with the Jenova cells I started having nightmares of Sephiroth. Riku always talks about how great his oldest brother is, but the guy's brought me nothing but trouble my whole life. I only slept when I passed out from too much to drink, until I met Leon, anyway."
He rung out his shirt a second time, studying the cloth once more. He didn't see any red or faded pink left on the white shirt, and he turned to face the Turk, slinging the wet t-shirt over his shoulder and crossing his arms, keeping some of his torso from view.
"Kind of funny we ended up together. I had nightmares, he was an insomniac. Who knew sex cured all things, huh? Since that first night, as long as we share a bed, I don't dream and he actually sleeps."
Reno laughed. You don't stay with someone, faithfully, for five years because sex keeps the demons away. He thought it was cute that Cloud would downplay the love he had for the man who shot him moments ago to mere fuck buddies, when the brief glint in his eyes at the mention of the other man proved otherwise.
The redhead let the topic drop, turning around and motioning for the blond to follow him. "Actually, Cloud, I wasn't offering my house as a haven. You don't seem like the type to just sit back and let anyone, especially Leon, keep you hidden away, praying for mercy." He walked into his game room, opening a cabinet. There were all sorts of weapons in there; real guns, real swords, but the man took out a paintball gun, similar to Leon's.
Cloud grinned, a sight that would send demons running to hell for comfort.
Reno let Cloud use a darker shirt he didn't care got stained and a helmet and sent him on his way. Leon cockily went outside; not knowing the redhead was a fan of the sport. A surprised and uncharacteristic yelp told Reno that the brunet hadn't been expecting it; the redhead saw the impressed grin right before a similar helmet was lowered to mask the scar. A brutal battle lasted almost fifteen minutes. By the end of it, both of them were covered in paint, but didn't seem to care when guns hung limp by the side of their bodies, helmets abandoned at their feet, sharing the first kiss Reno ever had the pleasure of seeing between the two PDA-aphobes.
It was quick, Cloud's fingers gripping Leon's t-shirt at his hip; Leon smearing paint onto the blond's face and hair as he pulled him toward him. When they broke apart from the five-second kiss, the brunet rested his forehead against the blond's, eyes closed, just feeling him there.
Fuck buddies, Reno's ass. What disturbed him most was the empty feeling that stretched from his heart to his stomach, squeezing the organs into a painful knot, and the sickening smile he couldn't keep off his face until they broke apart, Leon running into Axel's house to change, Cloud coming back to give Reno the gun and helmet.
Unashamed this time, Cloud took off the black shirt, exchanging it for his dry white one. Reno set the equipment on the table, he'd take care of it later.
"Hey, have you ever done Kendo before?" Cloud asked, this time leading Reno from the house to meet Leon where the bamboo sticks were. Reno nodded, he had, but only a few times.
A song he didn't recognize came from the speakers on stage when Leon hit play. It was heavier than Got it Memorized? music. Screaming. However, once the singing started, it was a voice he recognized, Shawn Milke. It was Alesana playing.
"What we do is when Shawn sings, we slow down, follow Kendo rules, play fair. When Dennis screams, we attack full force, no rules… well, no intentional hurting."
Leon and Cloud demonstrated, with Cloud taking it easy so he wouldn't intimidate Reno before they started. It turned out to be a beautiful dance, with the slow and vicious parts mashing together to look like a real fight.
By the end of the song, Cloud won and Reno took Leon's place. An hour and a half never went by faster.
Axel looked amused to come around the corner, to find Cloud in a headlock, Kendo sticks abandoned, with the blond clawing at Reno's forearm to let him go. The redhead equally enjoyed watching Reno let up, high-fiving Leon as Cloud rubbed his neck, pouting at the loss, but equally impressed that someone finally beat him.
"I don't think I've seen you guys this sweaty in a while. Reno keeping you on your toes?"
Reno stuck his hands in his pockets, fighting was fun when he was with the other two men, but it somehow made him feel ashamed to have the violence in him when he saw Axel.
"Actually, Cloud won every time we played for an hour. I was only able to best him for the last few times."
Cloud smacked Leon's arm, racing him to the house to be the first one to claim a shower. Reno saw that Leon let Cloud win, after Cloud's humiliating defeat by the redhead's hands, and Reno couldn't help but feel the fist clench over his organs again. He was missing that feeling in his life: that pure love for another soul that you'd do anything for them.
Axel shut off the music, jumping from the stage a few feet from Reno.
"You're stealing my band away." He said, playfully. "Demyx and Riku really like you, and you've even won under the Ice Princes. I'm surprised. I've never found a friend all four of my friends liked so well." The word friend was emphasized the same way a wolf in sheep's clothing told the other sheep he was their friend: just follow me behind the trees and we'll hang out. I won't eat you, I swear.
"They're pretty cool." Reno said. "I'm surprised you haven't wanted to meet my friends, as well. It's really only fair."
Axel shook his head, walking backwards to his house. "I've met them all, mostly. My brother's a Turk, remember. Shower up, Reno. Dinner's in an hour."
The sweaty redhead didn't need to be told twice.
The idea had fascinated him for a while now, as it would anyone who met their no-blood-relation identical twin who happened to live next door. Or at least, that's what Reno would say when he put on the tight black shirt, something he knew Axel would wear, and blow dried his hair upside-down, getting it to stick out like the other man's.
It was still a few inches too long, and his eyes were still blue, but when the redhead put the diamond make-up, in black, on his cheeks instead of the crescent moons over his eyes, he really was surprised how identical they looked.
He wanted to show Axel, but didn't want to freak him out.
Walking to the window, he peered into his neighbor's back yard. Axel and Riku were sitting on the back steps, just hanging out. Every so often, the taller redhead looked at his neighbor's house, in various windows, hoping to get a glimpse of him. He looked three windows to the left of where Reno was spying on him.
It was a peaceful twilight. Silent, except the sound of grasshoppers and a kid skateboarding down the street at the front of their houses. Perfection.
Suddenly, Sora stuck his head out the window, looking confused and anxious. "Axel, get inside the house, now." This made the silver-haired teen stand up, pulling at the now confused and anxious looking Axel's arm. The redhead stood up as well.
"Why?"
"Fucking Roxas is coming."
The way the two bandmates entered the house, holding each other's hands in a slight panic, Reno couldn't be sure if Axel ran into the house, or if Riku had dragged him. The shorter redhead ran to the front of his house, wanting to get a look at the younger boy. The infamous Roxas Strife, heartbreaker and teenybopper, the love and hate of most of Axel's adult life, was coming for a visit. Reno couldn't wait to see if the boy lived up to his expectations as the world's biggest asshole.
(Reno couldn't help but giggle: if Roxas lived up to his name as being a whore, he might have the words biggest asshole).
If you turn it on MTV, Roxas probably had some catchy-as-hell pop-shit playing within the next two hours, so Reno knew what the kid looked like. Or, at least, what his singing persona looked like. But this surprised him. Sora didn't look like he was twenty-one, but he looked at least eighteen. It seemed that Roxas stopped aging at sixteen. He was shorter than his twin, blonder. He had a black beanie on, with half an inch around it in a black-and-white checker pattern. He had on a long sleeved t-shirt, pushed up to his elbows, also black-and-white checkered. Over that he had on a t-shirt-hoody thing, black, with a white skull and crossbones. He had on khakis and Vans.
At best, he looked like a punkass teenager. If only Reno didn't know how deceiving his look really was.
Stopping at the steps, Roxas stepped on the edge of his board, making it leap into his outstretched hand. He climbed the steps like he owned the place. He tried the knob, seeing that it was locked, before he started pounding. And pounding.
"Hey, guys. It's me, Roxas."
Nobody was answering.
"Cloud, Sora? Hey, come on! Stop playing around. I just got back and I want to see you guys!"
And pounding.
"I know you guys are fucking in there! I'm not retarded. There's Cloud's bike, there's Riku's bike, there's Zexion's beat up piece of shit. And I know you're fucking in there Axel. Therapy got done half an hour ago. So just save yourselves the trouble and fucking let me in!"
Pop-stars and their mouths.
Threats weren't working, the blond changed his tactic. He pounded once on the door, setting his head against it as if he were trying to make physical contact with the hostages inside.
"Please, Axel. I miss you."
Movement in the upstairs window caught Reno's eye, but Roxas was at the wrong angle to see it. Axel looked confused; he was trying to fight the temptation of Roxas but simply failing. Cloud had an arm around his waist, keeping the redhead's body against his. His other hand was over Axel's mouth, to keep him from screaming out to the blond who tortured him so.
Cloud pulled him away from the window just in time. Roxas rounded the corner, looking at the windows to see if he could get a face to yell at. Each step he took, the blond boy was getting more and more hostile.
Reno's phone rang.
One new text from Demyx:
"Help us! Help Axel! Use Turk powers 2 make Roxas go away."
What Turk powers? You want me to assassinate the kid? Reno thought, catching a glimpse of himself in the window. He looked like Axel.
"Fine!" Roxas ended up screaming, walking backwards toward the stage. "I'm just going to stand out here screaming until you fucking let me talk to him! Whose brother are you fuckers, anyway?"
While the blond's back was to him, Reno grabbed a pair of sunglasses and ran out his front door, cutting around the front of Axel's house, to get to the side door on the other side of the building. It was a screen door, which lead to a sun-porch, leading through to the back of the house. The screen door was open, and Riku was standing there, looking confused.
"Axel…" He looked at the eyes, sapphire instead of emerald. "Whoa, fucking Reno, man. You look just like Axel!"
"You know that jean jacket? It's dark; the one Axel wore to the Welcome Home party that first night?" Confused, Riku nodded. "Go get it. Fast."
The silver-haired man ran off. Reno watched Roxas look for a mic, something that could be used on-stage to piss the occupants in the house off enough to let him inside. After the kendo spar, everything had been picked up for the night. Roxas kicked the empty mic stand, it banged loudly against the stage.
"Here… Reno. Why'd you need the jacket, though?" The silver-haired man extended the jean jacket, which the redhead slipped on.
"I don't have his arm tattoo. I hope to God he doesn't lift my shirt to check for the hip one." Lowering the glasses over his face, he looked back at the drummer.
"He might, dude. The hip one is Roxas' favorite. Be careful."
Reno nodded. "How do I look?"
"Like fucking Axel, man!"
"Good." Reno marched out of the house as if he owned the place.
"Cloud, let him go. He's gotta check this out!" Riku had burst up the stairs twice in the past minute, the first time to force Axel out of his jacket without an explanation, the second time to apparently take control of the situation.
"He's going to yell." Cloud said, squeezing his fingers warningly against Axel's jaw. The singer whimpered in protest and in pain.
Riku had never looked so serious as he grabbed the singer's chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "Yell out to Roxas and I'll cut your tongue out. Got it? I don't need to perform with you for the rest of my life. I'd be equally happy bumming at my brothers' house."
Hurt and afraid, Riku was fucking crazy enough to waste his income on something stupid like that, Axel nodded. Riku nodded to Cloud, and the blond let the singer go. He stood up slowly, so as not to startle the two men with Jenova cells, and walked to the back of the house, looking out the slight crack in the window blinds, so he wouldn't be seen by Roxas.
Wait a second. Who was that with him?
"Reno!"
"Hey, Roxas!" Reno had always been amazed with how similar his and Axel's voice were. When he called out to the blond, as though they were old friends, old lovers, he felt that same playfulness he'd heard Axel use with him a hundred times. It felt like his doppelganger was in his head, like they were sharing a brainwave.
The innocent smile Roxas gave as he jumped from the stage, running to Reno and hugging him around the middle proved that it fooled the blond as well. Reno pried himself away from the boy. He was here to make him go away, not seduce him.
"Whoa! Axel, your hair's like, all longer!" Shit!
"Yeah. For a video. They put extensions in it. So why are you here, aren't you supposed to be on tour, still?" The complete switch, accompanied by the crossing of his arms over his chest and stern, angry look confused Roxas. He shrank away from Reno slightly.
"Answer me. Did you skip out early or something?"
Roxas' eyebrows furrowed, a pout forming slowly on his lips without him aware of it. He reached his hand out, brushing it against the arm of the jean jacket, over where Axel's tattoo would be. If, you know, Reno were really who Roxas thought he was.
"Yeah… I didn't feel good." He moved his hand up Reno's chest, forcing the confusion away to give him a small, innocent smile. A whore's smile. His other hand came to the back of Reno's neck, ready to pull him in at any second. "I missed you too much. I had to see you."
Two could play the seduction game.
Reno put his hands on the blond's slender hips, he leaned forward (unknown to Reno, Axel whimpered), murmuring in Roxas' ear, though still loud enough to be heard by the occupants in Axel's house, hiding behind the curtains. "What does it cost to get with you these days? Are you putting out for money yet, or is emotional torture still the price?"
"Oh shit!" Riku laughed, slapping Cloud's back.
Cloud grinned. "That's the shit you should have been saying to Roxas all along!"
Roxas backed away, stunned. "…Axel?"
"You've seen me, Roxas. I'm well. I'm better than that, actually. I'm fucking awesome!" Reno took a step back, waving his hands the way one would dismiss a dog or a slave. "So run along now, Roxie. Go pretend to have pity for someone else you want to mind-fuck."
Leon even made an appreciative hmm to that one.
"He is my favorite person in the world right now!" Demyx said dramatically.
Still, Axel stared out the window. The band wasn't sure if he was pissed at Reno or thinking he was the Messiah.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Roxas threw up his hands, walking away a few paces, before yet again changing tactics. If Reno were prone to anxiety attacks and needed a constant to keep him from slipping into a manic-depressive daze, being around Roxas for more than ten seconds would make him freak out, too. No wonder Axel's bipolar got so bad at times!
"Baby, I just missed you. I know you're mad about last time, but…"
"Mad?" Reno itched his head, knowing the answer but playing dumb. "Why would I be mad?"
"I fucking screamed my ex-boyfriend's name when I came, knowing I was with you! I did it just to piss you off. Bucking bronco style!" Roxas was leaning forward at his hips, screaming bloody murder at Reno. The boys watching from the window couldn't believe it. Roxas was nothing if not collected and in control, one-hundred percent of the time.
"Well, Roxas. One, bucking bronco doesn't work when you're bottoming, you total fucktard! How hard would it be, from any position, would it be for me to rip my dick from your greedy ass? You just did it to be an asshole and don't flatter yourself thinking you're smart enough to deceive me. And two, the question remains, why would I be mad if you yelled Hayner's name? I wish you'd keep yelling Hayner's name and go to fucking Hayner's house and bother Hayner."
Roxas's face was angry red. He opened his mouth and shut it a few times, unsure how to handle the new, take-no-shit Axel.
"Are we done here, or should I call the fucking police?" Reno crossed his arms, leaning forward, menacingly.
"This Friday. I want my party, you promised. When I came home from this tour, I get a welcome home party on your stage." Roxas crossed his arms back, narrowing his eyes.
"Did we agree to that before or after we had sex on your birthday?" Reno tapped his chin. "Oh, I know. Why don't you go to MC Hayner's house and have him throw you a welcome home party. Because you're not welcome in my home."
His face was redder, and Reno knew the look. He was sizing him up, trying to determine if he could beat the shit out of him or not.
"Go ahead Roxas. I'd love for you to give me a reason to pound that pretty little face of yours into the ground." His hands switched from across his chest to his hips, he turned his face to the side, inviting the smaller boy to punch him.
Honestly, Roxas would have punched Axel three months ago at his birthday party. This new Axel was crazy. This was either an Axel who quit taking his pills or was so jacked up on them that he became an entirely new person. Instead, the blond just turned away, cutting through the redheads' yards to get out front.
"You're such an asshole!" He called from the street, a safe distance away.
Reno thought of the perfect comeback, the perfect insult to spit back at the younger boy, but decided against it. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Even from this distance, the message was loud and clear to the blond. Frustrated, he threw his skateboard down ahead of him, jumping on and skating off.
Unable to stand his hair down for a minute longer, he gathered the hair at the base of his neck, sliding the band on his wrist into place. He pushed the sunglasses up on his forehead, but still had Axel's eyeliner marks on him. And his jacket. He should probably return that, huh?
But he hadn't stopped to think before, as he watched the redhead burst from the back door, slamming the screen against the railing, how Axel might feel about what he'd said to Roxas. Sure, he made it as obvious as he could that the blond was the spawn of Satan, that he was a lying, cheating whore who was more undeserving of Axel than Reno was (and Reno had always thought the other redhead was beyond his league). But people made bad decisions to get back with their abusive exs all the time.
Time seemed to slow down painfully.
Reno could see that Axel was seeing red. If this were a cartoon, he might be blowing smoke from his nose like a dragon. Suddenly Riku and Cloud burst out the door after him. They were too far away, though, as they ran to hold Axel back. The bandmates apparently feared the same thing Reno was. The redheads would meet before the brothers would get there to save the Turk, as if the Turk needed saving.
He decided he would let Axel hit him, if that's what he wanted to do. Reno deserved it. If not for calling Roxas all those horrible names, then for something else he must have done, or was bound to do, to hurt the band.
The redhead didn't bother to apologize as the singer came within speaking distance. He didn't bother to raise his hands in his defense when Axel was in touching distance. He didn't pull away when the taller redhead gripped him harshly by the back of the neck, forcing their lips together viciously.
Reno blinked. Wait, what?
Axel's eyes were closed, so Reno closed his too. The pressure on his lips, which lightened significantly after the first crushing blow, was all he could focus on. That heat. His hands went on autopilot, wrapping them around the other redhead's waist, pulling their hips together without thinking. There was a soft moan that vibrated his lips, he was sure it was from Axel, but it could have just as well originated from him.
Then Axel's tongue poked at Reno's lips, and the shorter redhead couldn't stay submissive. He pushed his back, past his lips, past Axel's lip, running against the other man's tongue as if it had been made for that purpose.
The whole time, the only words in his mind were: Holy fucking God, I'm kissing fucking Axel Valentine! Lead singer of my favorite band!
Axel's thoughts were similar: Moses, I'm finally kissing Reno! After years of idolizing him, he is finally mine!
They broke apart, hands still digging into the other's flesh, afraid if they let go it would have only been a dream. Both of them had a tinge of fear in their eyes; Reno was afraid of what Axel would say, in response to his cruelty toward Roxas and Axel was afraid of what Reno would say, in response to the kiss they'd just shared.
"About Roxas…" Reno started.
"You're my savior." Axel answered.
Axel started, "And about that kiss…"
Reno answered, "Do it again."
But he didn't wait for Axel to do it again. His hands adjusted, one sliding around Axel's neck, pulling him down their inch or so height difference, to press his lips more gently on the others. The entire kiss seemed slower, less rushed, enjoyable. Unable to help himself, his other hand made its way to the front of Axel's hip, lifting his shirt, slightly, as he ran his fingers over the tattoo he knew was there.
The redheads were too engrossed in their own world to hear the sigh of relief from the half-brothers behind them. Riku put his hands on his knees, grinning as he searched for a better angle to watch the action. Cloud watched as Leon and Demyx approached them, coming out of the house.
"Whoa!" Demyx giggled, when he got close enough. Putting his hand on his chin, he changed his mind. "I mean, finally!"
Cloud grinned, eyes flickering from Leon's eyes, to his lips, to his eyes again. His tongue darted out, to wet his lips before nodding. "Finally."
Finally, indeed.
Songs:
None! (Besides mentioning Walk Through Hell by Say Anything).
Scene from the next Gives You Hell:
"I think you should give him that party."
Axel froze. "What?"
Reno smirked, flashing the same devilish grin Axel had seen right after Demyx pulled him into the pool, as if he had planned it all along. "I think we should let Roxas have his party. Have you guys open for him. Let him run the show."
The emerald-eyed man looked confused. Reno put their chests together, whispering his plan into the singer's ear.
Axel mimicked the look perfectly, almost as perfect as a mirror would.
"Reno, my darling, I love the way you think."
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