Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. At all.

Warning: Shounen-ai, homosexual relationships, etc, etc.

Author's Note: Well… It's all smooth sailing from here, folks.

Edit: Holy shit. Where does the time go? I have about 1500 words written for this and it's already been 11 days since I last updated. I think this is how I get behind. I always think I've updated way sooner than I really have.

Edit 2: There is a LOT going on in this chapter because I didn't want to leave anything out. Because of quite a few readers requesting Axel's brother/parents, I did put them in a small scene in this chapter. Also, time is sped up in this chapter for two reasons: 1) For plot purposes, of course, and 2) Because I am of the mindset that when things are good and everyone is happy, time seems to go 400 times faster.

ALSO THIS IS MUCHO IMPORTANTE SO PLEASE LOOK RIGHT HERE PLEASE:
There's a POLL on my profile. It asks the question, "Which A/R story would you like to see next?" so please, please, please put in your vote. Only four of you, as of Oct. 1, 2011, 3:43 PM, have voted. And right now Money Shot is winning.

Summary: Axel thinks Aesop taught decent lessons in his fables, but the redhead is willing to bet he could do better. What good are fables that teach things like "attempt not impossibilities" or "little friends may prove great friends" anyway? Times are different from when Aesop lived and Axel thinks it's time for a new set of fables. All of which will be authored by himself, of course, because he's an expert on love, life, and what truly matters.
That, and Roxas Badcock promised to marry him if he gets his book published.

Axel's Fables
•••

•••

By: Freekiwi

XIV – They Wave Goodbye to the Past

They were bidding the past adieu. In mid-July, when it came to renewing their lease, there had been quite a few arguments as to whether or not Axel and Riku should continue to live in the duplex. It was no longer a matter of bad blood or awkward, sexual tension, but a matter of what would be good for their respective relationships with each other.

And maybe Axel had been pressing that Riku and Sora should move out. Because it would be nice to have a little privacy and, not that he'd ever admit it, he was still a little jealous of Riku's previous relationship with Roxas. They didn't talk much about it anymore, but Axel knew it wouldn't have mattered if they talked or not. He would always be jealous that Riku got to Roxas first.

In the end they had settled to just renew the lease as normal. Sora had pointed out that they had just gotten over all the drama and introducing new roommates into the duplex might introduce new problems.

And everyone really needed a break from all the heartache.

Summer had faded so quickly Axel barely noticed it had passed by. He and Roxas had spent their days lazing about the duplex, eating mass quantities of sea salt ice cream, and talking about everything and nothing all at once. There was hesitation in what they talked about because it was clear they were both afraid of digging up dirt they didn't want to know.

Axel had decided some secrets were best left buried.

"New year resolutions?" Roxas asked as he flopped down on Axel's bed and put his arms behind his head.

"For the school year?" the redhead questioned. He closed the lid of his laptop and turned in his desk chair to face the blond. "I don't know. Actually go to class, maybe?"

The blond sat up slightly and raised his brows. "Not just school. For anything."

Axel thought this over for a moment. He leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the top of his desk. "I don't know," he replied. "What are you resolutions?"

"Probably try and be less of a dick."

The redhead snorted and rolled his eyes, earning a slap on the leg from his boyfriend.

"I think hitting counts as a dick move," Axel pointed out.

"Be less of a dick to everyone but you."

The taller of the two laughed and then stood up from his chair. He stretched his arms above his head and then flopped on his bed, lying partially on top of Roxas who complained about the heaviness of Axel's body briefly before just giving up and relaxing underneath him.

Silence engulfed the room and the redhead reached out and began to run his fingers through Roxas' blond hair. His pretty blue eyes fell closed and he let out the smallest of content sighs. Being like this with his boyfriend was quite lovely and why Roxas had put it off so long, he really couldn't tell you now. He was different now.

They were all different now.

"Hey."

"Hm?" Axel grunted in response.

"I know you're still…. Hung up about Riku being my first and –"

He suddenly sat up slightly and blurted, "I'm not hung up!"

Roxas gave him a look and Axel made a face and mumbled, "Okay so maybe I'm hung up."

"And I just wanted you to know," he continued as if the other hadn't interrupted him. "That you are my first boyfriend."

He rolled this over in his mind. This was very true. Aside from his rendezvous with Riku, Roxas had never had a formal boyfriend. Axel supposed he had Riku to thank for that. What had conspired between them had kept Roxas at bay from all other relationships.

"Holy shit." Axel smiled. "That's the silver lining!"

The blond stared. "What?"

"The silver lining!" He rolled off the blond and hopped off the bed. "Because of what happened between you and Riku, you never were with anyone else!"

Roxas sat up and his eyebrows came together. "So?"

Axel grabbed his boyfriend's shoulders and stared deeply into his blue eyes. "So that means that if you and Riku had never been anything, maybe you would've been someone else's boyfriend! And then I never would have had a chance with you!"

Roxas didn't point out Axel never actually had a chance with the blond to begin with, but he figured that would be a dick-ish thing to do. And because he was trying to be less of a dick, he just enjoyed the other's happiness at his sudden realization.

"See? I knew every situation had a silver lining somewhere. But it's like I Spy, you know? Sometimes it's easy to spot the silver lining and other times you really have to concentrate to find it."

Roxas smiled half-heartedly and began to ponder what the silver lining in his mother's death was.

••••••••••••••

He began to find the silver lining in every negative situation that had occurred in the past year. For whatever reason, it made Axel happier to know that everything happened for a good reason. He didn't like to believe that things happened just because or that his life was just a long, drawn-out story that only had random happenstances to push the plot forward. He liked to think that it was all leading up to something good.

When he confided this to Roxas, the blond didn't agree or disagree and he was, again, left to ponder what his mother's death had led – or was leading – up to. If she was still alive, would he still be manipulated by her? If she was still breathing, would he still fall prey to her advice or would he have been smart enough to learn to be burned only once? And it had occurred to Roxas that maybe her death wasn't leading up to anything for him, but it had led up to something for Sora.

He had been so muddled by her death and so unable to get over it that he had never had time to think about fate's intangible reasoning. And Axel, always mistakenly philosophical, was carefully (and accidentally) leading Roxas to a tarn of thoughtful reasoning and casually obliging him to drink.

It was the silver lining that eventually caused Axel to go to Demyx and Zexion's house. He had barely spoken to Demyx since his fables had been destroyed because he was unsure of how to handle the situation. He didn't say it, but Axel missed his fables. He didn't miss the stories or the morals or the notebook itself. He missed what it had symbolized. He missed what it had meant for him and Roxas. And he was heartbroken that it had all been washed away.

He knocked twice on their door and smiled at the look of pleasant surprise that crossed Demyx's features when he answered.

"Hey!" the blond said cheerily. He hugged Axel briefly and then invited him inside. It wasn't in Demyx's nature to hold grudges. He also had an incredibly exaggerated sense of time and things that had happened only three months ago seemed like decades to him. It was all water under the bridge and being upset seemed like such a waste of time.

"How's your summer been?" Demyx asked. "Zexion! Axel's here!"

The audible groan that left the schemer's lips as he walked down the steps caused Axel to roll his eyes and shake his head. They would never be friends. At best, they'd be some guys that knew each other. At worst, they'd be hostile enemies.

"I got you a card," Axel offered. He handed it to Zexion who hesitantly took it and flipped it over, examining both sides of the envelope.

"This isn't filled with anthrax, is it?"

The redhead shrugged. "Guess you won't know until you open it."

Zexion passed him a cold look and didn't bother looking at Demyx who was just grinning from ear to ear. He was always happy about something, be it a butterfly on the window sill, a sunny day, or the chance to see and greet people he once knew regardless of what went down between them.

The short boy hesitantly opened the envelope and pulled the card out. He made a face, opened it up, and then read aloud, "'Roses are red, violets are blue, sorry that I, tried to kill you.' How… thoughtful."

"Aww," Demyx cooed. "Isn't that sweet?"

"…Yea," Zexion's eyes narrowed and he placed the card back in the envelope. He would never admit it, but he liked the card. Only because it was reminiscent of Demyx, of course.

"So… you guys are dating now, right?" Axel asked.

Demyx nodded eagerly. "Couple months now."

"Three months, nine days, seven hours," Zexion thought to himself. He was hopelessly in love with the tall blond.

"What about you and Roxas?" the musician inquired.

"Yea. We patched things together, you know?" Axel smiled somewhat sheepishly and wouldn't admit that he, like Zexion, could count down to the very hour the time he and Roxas had been together so far.

"Even without the fables?"

The question left an awkward sort of silence in the foyer. Zexion looked pointedly at the ground and Axel just sort of looked at everything except for the two people in front of him. It was like mentioning a love one that had passed. It was like mentioning a break-up that had only just happened. It was like pulling the scab off a wound that was in desperate need of sutures.

"Yea," Axel mumbled. "Even without the fables."

The awkward silence still stayed and Demyx didn't seem to notice it. Zexion flipped the card over in his hands and then he mumbled an uncomfortable, "Thanks for the card."

The redhead looked at the schemer, an eyebrow raised. "Sorry?" he teased.

Zexion's eyes narrowed. "I said thanks. You know… for the card or… whatever." He shrugged and felt his heart practically melt when Demyx grinned and pressed a sloppy, wet kiss to his cheek. Slowly, the introverted bookworm was becoming less of a bastard. Not by choice, of course. It was just hard to be so rude and off-putting when Demyx was at his side practically begging him not to be.

"And… I'm sorry about… your fables," he grumbled. "You know it was an accident."

Axel smiled slightly. "Yea, I know… And besides, it's really Demyx's fault."

The blond looked mildly surprised and then offended. "I didn't run on to the bridge with them!"

"Well, you did kind of make them fall into the lake…" Zexion pointed out.

"I'm kind of with Zex on this one," the redhead teased. They passed each other a little smile and Demyx, clueless up until this point, blurted something like, "Oh, I see what you're doing" and was content to take the fabricated blame.

••••••••••••••

"I can't believe summer vacation is almost over," Riku said as he and Axel watched the sunset from the roof of the duplex.

"At least it's been peaceful," the redhead offered. His visit to Demyx and Zexion's house had put him at peace. The schemer's apology had caught him off guard, but it had been nice to hear and Axel was surprised at how cathartic the whole visit had been. Originally he had just gone over to clear his own slate, but apparently Zexion had wanted to do the same.

And it had been good.

"Yea, I guess…" Riku muttered. "Kind of miss the drama though, you know?"

Axel thought this over for a moment and then he broke into a large smile. "Yea, I know what you mean, Cheeseburger. It kept things interesting."

"Yea…"

A gentle breeze blew and Axel put his arms behind his head and laid back on the rooftop, a small sigh escaping his lips as his hair blew into his face. "You could tell Sora we fucked. That's bound to start something."

Riku snorted and rolled his eyes. "No thanks. I don't want any more drama between me and Sora. We've had enough of that for a lifetime."

"You guys had sex?" Sora, who had climbed the ladder up the roof, gave both of them a look. "And what was that like? And before I get upset, was this after we had broken up?"

Axel smirked. "Well…"

Riku elbowed him hard in the side. "Yes, it was after we broke up." He glared at his best friend and then scooted over slightly so Sora could sit between him and Axel. The brunet obliged him and sank into his embrace when Riku slung an arm over his shoulders and yanked him impossibly close. "You don't care?" he asked curiously.

Sora shrugged. "I can be mad if you want."

Riku made a face. "I think I'll be okay."

Silence fell between the trio and then Axel sat up and looked at Riku. "He asked how it was. Aren't you going to tell him?"

"Spare me," Sora said quickly. "I don't want to know."

Axel snickered and lied back down. Another breeze blew over them and the redhead couldn't remember ever feeling this content in his life. He let his vibrant, green eyes close and he soaked up the remaining sunlight of the summer day. He wasn't looking forward to classes. He wasn't looking forward to the cold weather. He wasn't looking forward to another year of the same old thing. But he was excited for the prospects of his future with Roxas.

"You know what I just realized?" the redhead mumbled from his seemingly half-conscious state.

Both Sora and Riku glanced over at him and Riku grunted, "Hm?"

"Riku has slept with everyone in this house."

The brunet licked his tongue over his teeth and made a face. "Thanks, Axel, for putting it like that. You always know just what to say."

The tall man reached out and sloppily patted Sora's head and face. "I been told I got a way with words," he replied smoothly.

Riku, however, was giving the other a dirty look and trying to remember why, exactly, they were even friends to begin with. He squeezed Sora close to him and whispered something that Axel didn't hear, but he assumed it was something disparaging about him.

And he was all right with that. He operated on a love-hate level with everyone he was close to. It wasn't positive or negative or anything. It just was.

"Hey…"

Axel didn't need to sit up or open his eyes to know it was Roxas who had just spoken or to know he had just climbed up the ladder. The blond took a seat next to him, nowhere near as cozy and cuddly as Sora and Riku, and was content to just reach for Axel's hand and lace their fingers together. It was a seemingly simple gesture, but it was a gesture that meant everything to the redhead. Roxas could now say he loved Axel just as easily as he could say he hated him. It was the simple gestures, the act of lacing their fingers together, that told Axel Roxas meant it when he said he loved him.

"You know Kairi and Naminé will be back with Dad tomorrow," the blond mentioned off-handedly.

Sora nodded. "And that means we've only got a few days left before the new semester."

There was a collective sigh amongst them and as they breathed out the old air and breathed in the new, Roxas couldn't help but notice the symbolism. They were waving goodbye to the past. They were putting things behind them and they were moving on.

And Roxas couldn't remember the last time he had felt this content.

Silence engulfed them as the sun set in the distance. It was slowly getting darker and the sky faded from orange and red and pink to multiple hues of blue. Sora and Riku climbed down from the rooftop once the sun sunk beneath the horizon line and when they ventured inside, they turned on the dim lights on the balcony so Roxas and Axel would be able to see when they decided to come down.

Once he heard the door to the balcony close, Axel sat up and began pressing little kisses to the blonde's neck, earning a broad smile and a playful push from his boyfriend.

"Just because Riku and Sora walked away doesn't mean we aren't still in public."

Axel rolled his jade eyes and grabbed Roxas, yanking the other into his lap a bit awkwardly and pressing their lips together. There were a few seconds of protest, but then they faded and Axel felt goose bumps line his skin as Roxas tangled his fingers in the other's long, red locks of hair. He felt his core melt when their tongues touched. Every kiss and every touch and every gesture would always leave him feeling like he had just been briefly electrocuted.

He wasn't sure if electrocuted was the right word, but it was the only word that really fit.

"Can I ask you a question?" Roxas asked when they broke their kiss.

Axel thought this over for a moment and then nodded. "I'll use protection and lube." He leaned down to kiss the blond again, but Roxas protested, pushing the other away and shaking his head. His smile was denying his annoyance, but he was beginning to discover it was difficult not to smile around Axel.

"What's your last name?"

The sudden pink in Axel's cheeks surprised Roxas and the blonde's small smile grew into a mischievous grin. "I think that's a conversation for another time."

The shorter boy raised his brows. "Is it worse than Badcock?"

The redhead snickered and shook his head. "Zombie, nothing is worse than Badcock."

And Roxas didn't protest when Axel leaned down to continue their kissing.

••••••••••••••

No one was happy about the start of school except for Kairi and Naminé who always seemed rejuvenated even though they spent every single summer traveling with their father. School hadn't lifted anyone's spirits and by the time October rolled around, Roxas and Axel felt buried under their mass amounts of work. Axel and Riku were seniors and would be graduating at the end of May. Sora and Roxas, however, were juniors and neither had really cemented any plans for the future.

"Axel?" Riku frowned and shook the other awake. "Axel, dude, wake up."

The redhead jerked awake, wiped the drool from his mouth, and blinked a few times. "Cheeseburger?"

"You were sleeping at your desk, man. Maybe you and Roxas should stop these, uh… late night "study" sessions." He smiled at his own witty remark and threw himself down on his best friend's bed.

Axel rolled his eyes, peeled the piece of notebook paper off his cheek, and shook his head. "We've never done it."

Riku laughed, but then stopped abruptly when he saw the look on the other's face. "What?"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders and began to sort through some papers on his desk. The clock on the wall said it was almost four in the afternoon which meant he had been sleeping for two hours. A little sigh left his lips and annoyance pricked at his nerves when he saw Riku was still staring at him.

"What?" he asked uncomfortably.

"I just can't believe you and Roxas…"

Axel grumbled something like, "We're waiting."

"If you're waiting for an invitation, you aren't going to get one," Riku assured.

His jade eyes narrowed, clearly unappreciative of the remark about Riku and Roxas' past indiscretion. "No. I mean…" He sighed. "Roxas wants to, but I don't. I'm waiting."

He continued to stare.

"What?" Axel pretended to shuffle some papers, most of which were blank. "I just… I just don't want to rush things, you know? We… We been together less than six months."

"Sorry," Riku said. "I'm just surprised. You usually don't even date people. You just sleep with them. And now you're… waiting."

Axel shrugged. "He's important to me. And the last time he had sex with someone, it was with this huge asshole who totally took him for a ride both literally and metaphorically speak –"

"Okay, okay," Riku growled. He stood up from the bed and ran his hand through his hair. "I get your point. Sorry I slept with him and fucked him up."

"Noted," Axel said somewhat pointedly. This was an incredibly touchy subject and he hated that it sometimes was brought up, either by mistake or on purpose. "I'm planning something, anyway."

"A romantic evening?" Riku asked sardonically.

"No, Cheeseburger. It's better than that. And don't be gay. A romantic evening? We're not women."

"How can you be sure Roxas isn't? It isn't like you've been down there to chec –" He ducked the notebook that came flying at him and excused himself from the room with a broad smirk. Riku still liked to rile Axel sometimes.

••••••••••••••

By the time Thanksgiving break rolled around, everyone was more than grateful for the time off. Because the tension in the duplex had died down and because everyone was, more or less, on friendly terms, the group of four had decided to host their own Thanksgiving celebration in the duplex. Kairi and Naminé, though invited, had opted to spend time with their father and their extended family.

"Their loss," Roxas pointed out as he watched Riku prepare most of the food for their celebration. He was the only one that could really cook. Axel could do a bit of elementary cooking (making cereal, boiling water, etc), but Riku was a bit more advanced. Sora didn't mind helping him prepare which left Axel and Roxas to setting the table and decorating.

They felt this was a terrible waste of time, though, and instead sat back, sipping champagne and watching as their feast was prepared. Sora and Riku were a little less tolerant of their antics because they had been up since five, prepping the turkey and trying to make the day memorable.

"We should've just invited Dad here for Thanksgiving," Sora grumbled as he mashed up some potatoes in a pot.

"No way," Roxas growled. He, unlike his siblings, was having a harder time giving their father forgiveness. It wasn't that he was mad, exactly, he just felt… betrayed. Their father had had the chance to protect not only him, but Sora as well, and he hadn't. Instead he just stood by while Mrs. Badcock wreaked havoc upon their lives.

Maybe one day they'd have an intervention about it. Roxas wouldn't put it past his siblings.

Axel put a hand on the blonde's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He opened his mouth to say something to the other, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. The redhead set his glass down on the kitchen table and made his way into the foyer, opening up the front door and trying to contain his shock and horror when he saw his parents and brother standing at the door.

"Hi, Sweetie!" His adoptive mother threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. She was a tall woman, only shorter than her son by an inch or two. His father, however, was only around five foot seven. He was of average height, but the size of his wife and Axel dwarfed him greatly. Both of them had the strangest color of hair (Axel felt weird saying it was pink, but he supposed it was no weirder than his exceptionally red hair).

"We thought we'd surprise you!" she explained once she released him from her death-grip of a hug. "We didn't see you at all last year!"

Axel made a face. "Yea, that was… tragic…"

His father embraced him and his family let themselves inside. Axel and his brother, always at ends with each other, passed a curt nod.

"Marluxia," he grumbled.

"Axel," he grumbled back.

"Axel?" Roxas called from the kitchen. "Who's he –" He had walked out in to the foyer and he immediately eyed Axel's mother up and down. She was tall with a head of pink hair. How could he not give her a double take?

"Who's this?" she asked excitedly, grinning at Axel.

"Um…" He reached up and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "My boyfriend, Roxas. And Roxas…" He beckoned his boyfriend over and after a moment of hesitation, the blond obeyed. "This is my mom, my dad, and my brother, Marluxia."

The way he said the name just dripped with disdain. Roxas recalled that, at some point, Axel had told him his brother hated his guts.

"Hi," he responded nervously.

"Isn't he just darling?" Axel's mother swooned. Roxas shook hands with Axel's father and when it came time to shake Marluxia's hand, he wasn't sure if the other boy would. But the pink haired man took Roxas' hand and offered it a solid shake.

"I hate to be formal, so instead of calling me Mrs. Fagg, you may –"

Roxas' eyes suddenly became wide and he interrupted her. "Fagg?" he asked, totally floored. "Fagg is your last name?" He grinned wildly at Axel who looked absolutely humiliated by the denunciation of his last name. He placed a hand over his face and tried to mumble something witty, but Roxas wouldn't have it.

"Fagg," he repeated. "Your last name is Fagg. That's way worse than Badcock!"

Axel's mother and father exchanged a look. Marluxia rolled his eyes and meandered into the kitchen, clearly disinterested in the conversation regarding their last name. He really had the odds against him. He was straight, yet his hair was pink, he was relatively short for a man, and his last name was Fagg. Finding a girlfriend had never been so difficult.

"Sorry," Roxas stated apologetically when he caught the look on Axel's parents' faces. "I just… Never mind. What may I call you?"

Axel would have to brainwash Roxas later. He'd never hear the end of this.

••••••••••••••

After all the formalities had taken place and they sat down to eat, Roxas could easily say he liked Axel's family. They were loud, they were witty, and they had no trouble fitting in at the duplex at all. Marluxia was quiet, much different from his parents, but Roxas got the feeling he had been forced to this Thanksgiving celebration. He looked to be younger than Axel, maybe only twenty or so and he didn't seem to appreciate being forced to attend family functions with his parents considering he was technically an adult.

"Sorry to just drop in on all of you," Axel's mother said as she spooned mashed potatoes on her plate. "To be honest, I figured Axel wouldn't be doing anything today and I thought we'd maybe go out to dinner."

Roxas snorted. "The only reason Axel is doing something is because of us."

Riku raised his brows. "Us? By that you must mean Sora and me."

The blond rolled his eyes. "I helped! I opened and drank most of the champagne. You're welcome."

Riku tried to suppress his small smile. Roxas acted more like the old Roxas he used to know and it was endearing. It was nice to see him change back to the person he used to be and it was nice to see him finally happy. Riku figured it was safe to say that even when they had been together, Roxas hadn't been completely happy.

Not like this, anyway.

"I'm glad you could come," Axel said as he passed Sora the stuffing. "I mean, I was horrified when I saw you standing at the door, but this isn't so bad."

Axel's mother gave her son's cheek a pinch. "Axel, darling, you're so charming. Now if only Marluxia could be a bit more like you, hm?"

It suddenly clicked in Roxas' brain. Axel's brother probably hated him because of the constant comparing that went on. He and Sora exchanged a look across the table and they both knew how it felt to be compared. They kept their thoughts to themselves, however, but Roxas couldn't help but pass little looks of sympathy to Marluxia every time Axel's mother carelessly evaluated them.

Well, one day she'd learn. Hopefully before she died. And maybe one day Axel could put Marluxia through some kind of life-changing talk.

But who knew? Fate was one fucked-up mistress.

Once dinner and dessert had been consumed, Axel's parents helped clean up the kitchen before leaving the duplex. Though they had been thoroughly pestered by every member of the duplex to stay for the night, they insisted they had to get home. Marluxia was rather grateful for the exit.

Axel wasn't exactly sad to see them go, but only because he wanted a bit of alone time with Roxas. A warm meal, a full belly, and three more days off from school were a perfect combination in his mind. By the time he had seen his parents off and climbed the steps up to his room, his boyfriend was already lying in his bed, underneath the covers.

"Your family is nice," Roxas mumbled when Axel lied down next to him. The redhead threw his arm over the other's waist and pulled him close.

"They're obnoxious."

The blond smirked. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Axel smiled and nuzzled the other. "If only they weren't my adoptive parents, huh?"

Roxas always forgot the other was adopted.

He nestled into the other's warmth. He doubted there could ever be a moment as perfect as this. They fit so perfectly together. They were two pieces of the same puzzle. They were molded from the same piece of clay. Roxas could safely say that he would never feel this strongly about a person ever again.

This feeling was too real, too demanding, and too difficult to describe for him to ever possibly feel this way about someone other than Axel.

And he had a feeling Axel would very well agree.

••••••••••••••

November turned quickly in to December and before they knew it, exams were over and they were off from school for the holidays. Roxas and Axel agreed that the holidays were their favorite time of the year (though Axel was partial to warm weather, he absolutely loved Christmas because he loved consumerism) and they were looking forward to the time they would be spending together. What made this even better was Riku surprised some sort of, what Axel termed, "gay ass trip," on Sora and they would be gone for the duration of break.

Needless to say, Roxas' excitement about their alone time together quickly died when Axel spent all the days leading up to Christmas Eve locked in his room or not at the duplex at all. They were wasting the precious moments they had together. Time that could be spent attempting to sort out their sexual relationship was being sacrificed for something else and Roxas was annoyed by this.

And he only became further annoyed when Axel refused to tell him what he was doing or what in the world was going on.

"I promise it's worth it," he had said to Roxas over coffee one morning. "Just trust me."

"You aren't fucking my brother, are you?" he had asked, jokingly, in response.

Axel smirked despite the uncomfortable feeling that arose in his chest when he thought about Riku and Roxas together. "You always ruin surprises," he had teased.

The blond meandered around the duplex by himself. The place was completely empty, save for himself, and he thought about attempting to make cookies like Riku and Sora had last year. But he couldn't (he didn't) cook or bake and so he was left to rummage through the kitchen cabinets, his stomach protesting at the lack of food because Sora usually did the grocery shopping and Sora wasn't around.

"I'm going to starve in my own house," Roxas grumbled dramatically. He had been in a rather bad mood for the past few days because Axel seemed to enjoy being gone. He had contemplated maybe calling or texting Riku to ask him if he knew what the redhead was doing, but if it was some sort of Christmas surprise, he didn't want to ruin it.

Well, he did. But he was trying to be less of a dick, so he wouldn't.

He managed to find a package of instant cocoa in the cabinet and he turned it over in his hands to see if it had an expiration date. Cocoa didn't go bad though, did it? And if it did, would it really hurt him? He frowned and, because he was hungry, thought about maybe just eating the powder and saving himself the trouble of boiling up some water.

His stomach made an unpleasant noise. Roxas removed his phone from his pocket and found Axel's number, calling it for the third or fourth time to see if maybe his boyfriend would pick-up. Maybe he'd want to grab dinner. It was Christmas Eve and all, but maybe there was some Chinese take-out place still open or something.

His phone went to voicemail and the blond swore as he hung up. Obviously he was going to need to go to the store. Obviously he was going to have to do things for himself. Obviously he was not at all happy about this because he could still be a real baby sometimes.

Roxas sighed and slipped his phone in his pocket. He tossed the package of cocoa on the countertop and walked into the foyer where he put his sneakers on. As he reached for his winter coat, the front door opened (letting in a burst of cold air and snow) and Axel ambled inside, looking much too happy for someone who seemed to be braving the arctic with nothing but a coat, some pants, and a drawstring backpack.

"Oh, gee, how nice of you to show up. Was beginning to think I'd be spending Christmas all alone, you know. Thought maybe I was –"

Axel shut him up with a kiss.

"Come with me."

"What?" Roxas stared. "No, come on. I'm about to starve to death."

The redhead unceremoniously lifted the blonde's shirt. "Uh, nope. You look okay to me, so… Come on."

Roxas gave the other a look, but then he sighed and slipped his jacket on his arms. He grabbed his mittens out of his pockets and began to put them on, only to be suddenly distracted by a blindfold that was placed over his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Roxas protested as he decided whether or not he should struggle. "What's going on?"

"I got you a pony for Christmas. Oh darn, the surprise is ruined, but keep the blindfold on anyway and follow me." Axel opened the front door and walked out into the snow. When Roxas didn't follow, he frowned and looked at the other. "Are you coming?"

"… I'm blindfolded. What do you want me to do? Sense where you are by how your aura feels?"

He really liked it when Roxas was sassy. "Yea, Zombie. What did you think? I was gonna hold your hand and lead you somewhere? That'd be totally gay." He walked up to the front door and grasped the other's hand, placing a kiss on his cheek as they walked out the door and into the snow.

••••••••••••••

Wherever they were going, Roxas couldn't even give a good guess. They had gotten in the blonde's truck and Roxas, who always drove his car and never let anyone else touch it, grumpily let Axel have his way and let him drive. He certainly couldn't have driven with a blindfold on and every time he reached toward his face, Axel would yell, "No, not yet!" and slap his hands away. And Roxas would say and mumble something disparaging and Axel soaked up every single moment of it.

"Where's this pony?" the blond asked after a while. "Because I feel like we're driving somewhere far away."

Axel shrugged. "Maybe. Tell me if you see a pony anywhere, okay?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Blindfolded, remember?"

"Oh, right, of course. Just feel the aura of the pony then, okay?"

Axel grinned and Roxas suppressed his smile.

••••••••••••••

Axel was holding his hand and leading him somewhere. They were walking through the snow, the cold wind pinking their cheeks even though their walk was a short one. When they stepped into the building, Roxas stomach growled hungrily because he smelled food. Specifically, he smelled breakfast food and there was a bit of hesitation before he reached up to remove the blindfold.

"Can I?" he asked as he tugged at it.

"Yea," the redhead responded.

Roxas removed the blindfold and let his eyes adjust to the sudden light. He looked around the diner, at the one waitress, the one line cook, and all the empty booths and then he looked out the window and gave Axel a look.

"The diner? You drove us to the diner?"

Axel nodded proudly. "Don't you remember? This is where we went the first time we hung out. And then we went here again and it ended in showering together."

"You know, if you want to shower with me, all you have to do is ask…" Roxas pointed out.

Axel waved his hand dismissively. "Don't make me give up the chase or I might not like you anymore."

Roxas knew it wasn't true, but the words still caused his heart to skip a beat.

••••••••••••••

They sat down, ordered coffee, and then looked over their menus. Given that it was their third time at the diner, Roxas already knew what he wanted and only skimmed the menu to make sure nothing had changed. They sat opposite each other in the booth, what was usual for this particular place, and Roxas raised his brows questioningly at the redhead.

"Well?"

"What?" Axel asked as he looked over his menu, taking no notice to his boyfriend's staring.

"Every time we've come here, you've asked me personal questions. I'm waiting for your first question."

The redhead seemed amused. "You know what I've learned?"

"What's that?"

"Some secrets are better left buried. Personal questions and I are not really friends anymore and I'm pretty damn content being ignorant." Axel set his menu down and though he was smiling, he was completely serious. Some shit he didn't need, nor did he want, to know. He liked the Roxas he had now and all that mattered was the present.

Not the past.

The waitress came by with their coffee and took their food order. Roxas liked the feeling of familiarity and he relaxed in the booth. Something was still going on with Axel. The redhead didn't blindfold him to take him out here for no reason. There would be a part two, Roxas was sure, but he just didn't know what it would pertain to.

"You know… For someone so nosy, you sure are secretive about yourself," the blond pointed out. He began to dump cream and sugar into his coffee, all the while casting glances at his boyfriend.

"I'm not secretive, Roxy, I'm just painfully boring."

He laughed and took a sip from his mug. "That isn't true."

"Really?" Axel inquired. He drank his coffee black. "Tell me what's interesting about me. And… It can't be looks."

"That's easy. You're…" Roxas paused. "Well, I mean…" He frowned. "You… " He trailed off and sheepishly sipped his mug of coffee. "You're not boring," he stated firmly.

"Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?" he asked playfully.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You're not boring. You're nosy, see? That's interesting! And you're persistent!"

"None of that is interesting," Axel said. "Interesting is like… Being a quadruplet."

The blond didn't find that fact about himself very remarkable at all. Then again, he supposed that what was interesting and what wasn't was all about perspective. There were plenty of fascinating facts about Axel, Roxas concluded, but the redhead wouldn't count them. Being talented or being particularly funny or clever were all interesting traits about his boyfriend, but…

"You don't think you're interesting at all?" Roxas asked.

Axel shrugged. "I wrote a book."

He raised his brows. "But it got destroyed."

He shrugged again. "I wrote another."

Roxas stared and was briefly speechless. "No you didn't," he said hesitantly. "… Did you?"

A huge grin threatened to split Axel's features in two. He reached into his drawstring bag and pulled out a published novel. He looked at it, a content sigh leaving him, before passing it over to Roxas who greedily took it and began giving it a thorough examination.

"Holy shit," he mumbled, clearly shocked. "This is a real book."

"I know," Axel said excitedly.

"With… With like a cover and shit!"

"I know!"

They were smiling so widely at each other that their waitress was nervous about bringing them their food. Had she known anything about them, she would've maybe congratulated them or been excited too. But all she saw were two strange boys sitting in a diner grinning like madmen on Christmas Eve. She would need a smoke after this.

"Holy shit…" Roxas swore again as he turned the book over. The title, Axel's Fables, was written in a gold colored font and the cover picture, he noted, was something Naminé had drawn. He had seen it in Axel's room once. "This… This is Nami's art, right?"

Axel nodded eagerly. "She drew it for Axel's Fables."

A little smile crossed his lips and his fingers ghosted over it. His sister was such a good artist and Roxas was happy, genuinely happy, that his boyfriend had offered her art some exposure by using it for the cover of his book.

"So… Did you… Did you rewrite all the fables?"

The redhead shrugged. "Guess you'll have to read it and see."

Their waitress walked over and dropped their food off at their table without much of a word. Axel, who could always eat regardless if he was hungry or not, began to pour syrup over his pancakes. Roxas, however, was still eyeing the book, hesitant to open it for a myriad of reasons.

"That's why I've been locked in my room, Roxy. I been working on the book." Technically, he had been working on the book since before the fables had been destroyed. However, unlike the fables, Axel had been writing this book on napkins and scrap paper and they had been spared from Zexion's wrath and Demyx's clumsiness.

The blond smiled gently and then he stood up from his side of the booth and walked to Axel's side, taking a seat next to him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. Tentatively, Roxas opened the book and practically melted when he saw that his boyfriend had scrawled, "Merry Christmas. I love you, Roxas, and I only wrote this because of you," in red marker.

"This is my copy?"

"Yea. It's the first copy, so… Don't ever lose it."

They looked at each other, deep, blue eyes meeting vibrant green ones, and they both knew that Roxas was a sentimental bastard and didn't like to let objects go. The anthology of Aesop's Fables was a testament to this. Maybe it was a good bit worn, but that book had obviously been through quite a lot before it ever reached Axel's hands.

And, of course, Axel always abused objects and Aesop's Fables had been no different.

Roxas turned the page and his eyes ghosted the table of contents:

The Origin of his Fables

Enter Demyx: His Music Speaks

He Takes One Step Forward and Eight Steps Back…

"I'm impressed. Fourteen whole chapters," Roxas teased.

Axel grinned. "And it's not like the Da Vinci Code where the chapters are like two and a half pages, so… I know that's impressive too," he teased back.

The blond, still ignoring his food, turned the page and he blushed slightly when he saw the dedication in the book. Before he could begin to read it, Axel leaned down and pressed a sticky, syrupy kiss to his cheek.

"That's the letter," he purred. "The letter I wrote to you before I moved away, the letter that got hidden from you…"

His eyes went a little wide and he immediately began to read the words on the page. He had asked Sora for the letter and then he had asked Kairi. He had even asked Naminé and Riku, but no one knew where it had been placed. Axel had said it was in Aesop's Fables, but when the redhead had left, so had the book and Roxas had been too nervous to demand Axel give the letter back to him.

Dear Roxy,

I'm moving away. I should probably tell you this in person, but I'm afraid. At first I thought I was afraid because I thought maybe you'd cry. Then I thought I was afraid because maybe I would cry. Then I realized that I'm afraid because I know you'll be angry at me for leaving. To be honest, I already feel guilty about having to go. And it would be easier if you cried, threw yourself on me, and begged me not to leave than it would be to see your face molded in disappointment and to hear you say, "I don't care." But, you know, I know you care and you should know I care about you too. We made a pinkie promise that we'd always be friends. You're pretty much stuck with me for life because no matter what you do or where you go or what happens, our pinkie promise means we're bound to see each other again someday. And of course we'll make the Bing-Bing, probably get married, have a family… Live out a distorted version of the American Dream. But you should stay in touch, Roxy, because then it'll be easier to make you a suitable wife. ;)
I'll miss you a lot. I'll think about you a lot. I might even stalk you a little so don't be too shocked if you get the feeling you're being watched. I can't wait to see you and I can't wait to have more adventures. I know I should tell you this in person, but… I know there's a distinct possibility I'll cry. See what you do to me? Every day with you and my metaphorical vagina becomes larger and larger and soon it'll be like Stargate. I'll miss you, Roxy, and I hope we can still be friends.

Love,
Axel

Roxas reread the letter a good five or six times before he looked up at the other with wide eyes. The expression on his face was difficult to read. He looked… unhappy, but Axel didn't think it was disappointment. He looked… He looked sad, regretful, maybe, and the taller of the two snaked an arm around the blonde's waist and pulled him a little closer.

"Don't get all sentimental on me. I should've said all that to your face before I left." He paused. "Minus the part about the vagina."

Roxas nuzzled close to the other and breathed his scent deeply. Matches that had just been blown out, the candles on a birthday cake that were no longer lit…

"Axel…"

"Hm?" He took a sip from his coffee mug.

"I'm sorry I ignored you. I'm sorry I –"

"Eh. Water under the bridge, Zombie. Besides, you never got the letter."

Roxas frowned. "It isn't water under the bridge. It… It's –"

"Hey," Axel interrupted. "Let's, uh… Let's promise to take a break from lamenting on the past." He stuck his pinkie out to Roxas and the blond hesitated before giving his boyfriend his own pinkie and making the promise.

"Pinkie promise."

••••••••••••••

All the way home, Roxas read the book. He devoured every single word hungrily and when they arrived back at the duplex, he took a seat at the bottom of the stairs and continued to read. While Axel normally would've had qualms about this, he was happy to see the other so absorbed and he was content to let the blond do whatever he wanted.

At some point, probably around midnight or so, Axel casually asked the other if he was going to come upstairs to sleep. Roxas paused in his reading and said something like, "Yea, I'll be up soon," but Axel had fallen asleep before the other ever entered the bedroom. Again, he didn't mind this because he was happy his boyfriend appeared to be enjoying his book.

He was happy. Bet or no bet, Axel had achieved two very important things: He had successfully won Roxas' stone-cold heart and he had successfully published a book.

It had been a pretty decent year.

"Axel… Axel, wake up."

The redhead stirred slightly, but he didn't move.

"Axel," Roxas said as he gave the other a little shake. "Axel."

"Mm… What is it? Did you catch Santa coming down the chimney?" he asked groggily.

"I finished it."

It took him a moment to process the words and once he did, he immediately sat up in bed. Roxas was standing at the side of the bed, the book wrapped tightly in his arms. He looked torn, somehow, and Axel frowned at his appearance.

"You look…"

"It says we get married. The end of your book says we get married."

The redhead smiled gently. "Well, a deal's a deal…" he teased.

Roxas looked much more serious, causing Axel to clear his throat a bit awkwardly.

"Look, Roxy, it's a mostly non-fiction book. Getting married on a bet –"

"Let's do it."

Axel raised his eyebrows, his expression one of shock. "What?"

"A deal's a deal," Roxas reiterated. A smile came across his features and he squeezed the book tightly. "I owe you my hand in marriage."

"Uh, Roxy, you don't –"

"I want to."

There was a momentary pause between them and then Axel jumped up from the bed and tackled the other roughly to the ground. The book landed somewhere on the floor and Roxas didn't have time to complain about their collision with the ground because Axel was busy attacking his neck with hot kisses and rough nips.

"What… What are you –" Roxas blushed deeply when a roaming hand began fondling his nether region.

"We have to do it."

"We have to?" he asked skeptically as Axel continued his assault.

He paused briefly to look at the other. "I published a book and you want to get married. The only appropriate way to celebrate is to do the Bing-Bing."

Roxas wasn't going to argue with that. He had been wanting Axel like this for a while, probably since before they started dating (though he had had a hard time admitting it), and he was enthused at the idea that they were suddenly going to consummate their relationship. It had been way too long since he had had sex with anyone.

And Axel…

Well, Axel was finally going to be having sex with someone he actually loved.

They were waving goodbye to the past and they were moving on.

••••••••••••••

It was all smooth sailing.

Axel's book sold decently well, but, for him, the book had already served its purpose. Riku and Sora, upon returning from their vacation, announced that once Sora was graduated, they were going to move out of the state. Riku was going to open up a bakeshop in New York and Sora, still uncertain of his own future, was just happy to go with the flow. Plus, he had never really liked their state. It sort of held some pretty unpleasant memories.

Naminé, thanks to Axel's book, was offered a position illustrating children's books for a publishing company in California. And Kairi had decided that her father, who was getting on in his years, needed someone to help him with his business. Once she graduated, she was planning on going back home and serving her purpose as the heir to the throne, so to speak.

As for Roxas…

He and Axel married on December 31st, 2011. It was an impromptu wedding that took place in the park where Zexion had destroyed Axel's fables. It was snowing and it was cold, but Axel and Roxas couldn't have cared less. They read their vows, they exchanged rings, and then they exchanged the most meaningful kiss they would ever experience.

After it was all said and done, Axel pressed his lips to Roxas' ear and mumbled, "And they lived happily ever after."

And they did.

A/N: THE END!

I hope you all enjoyed it. I know it was rushed at the first half of the story, but then it slowed down some toward the end. I decided to NOT post a lemon scene because this story, while full of dramatic heartbreak, was more or less a romantic comedy. I felt the sex scene was a wee bit out of place. Maybe I'll post a one-shot, at some point, with what happened between them, but who knows?

So… There it is. The first chapter story I've ever finished and I must say it feels pretty good, but also a little sad. I was thinking about doing a semi-rewrite with my own set of original characters since I have the plotline laid out. It would give me a chance to fix some of the plot holes, change a few things I didn't like about this, and attempt to market it outside the world of fanfiction.

Or not. Who knows? This took me so fucking long to write.

So, this is pretty important: Thank you so much for all the support and love. Thank you for favoriting, reviewing, alerting, and offering your general analysis and opinion of the story. Thank you for giving me the courage to continue this even though I would sometimes look back over and go, "FUCK. This story needs help." Thank you to EVERYONE who followed this story from chapter one to fourteen and thank you to everyone who spread this story around. Thank you for sticking with the story (and me) even though this contained a shit load of heartache and a shit ton of words. Thank you, thank you, thank you – without the readers, fanfiction is pretty damn boring (and a wee bit useless). You guys have been really super-duper fantastic and I appreciate all of you deeply for sticking with this.

And, of course, thank you Aindel S. Druida who edits her ass off for my terribly long stories. She is a fantastic beta, friend, and super hilarious. She's also very honest and blunt which is nice because I hate indirect, wishy-washy shit. So… You know, give her profile a gander and if you need a beta, ask her! She's pretty damn spectacular.

Okay, well… A new A/R story should be out soon. Remember to vote at the poll, folks, because whatever gets the most votes is what will be written next. Thanks again for everything and I hope all of you walk away with something from this. It's been a long fucking journey and I'm a little glad it's over. Thanks again, you guys, for all the cool shit you do.

Thanks for sticking with me:

Dearlybelovedangel: Sora did get majorly fucked over throughout this whole story. But that's how life is sometimes. Good people get fucked over by others and then they go back and hope it all can work out. That's just how it happens. And yea, Roxas was very whiny. But I think it makes him much more realistic. He did what his mother said, but regardless of that, he still did what he did. It does weigh on his conscious and that's why he acts the way he does. Riku definitely deserved to be hit and the happy ending was more for Axel than Roxas.

IchiakiI: Yea, I try and give readers a rough run-down of what happened last time so they aren't like, "Wait, what?" when reading (it breaks up the story's flow). My initials are decent, I suppose. I had a friend whose initials were PMS (he was a boy and it was very funny). As for my fiasco with the flash drive, I've learned to start saving files on my computer, too. I just hate having to copy and paste. Oh! And I did pick up another job. Huzzah!

NarutoAddicted95: Thanks. I hope this was everything you wanted it to be.

Mikinori: But it's good you didn't find it earlier! Because then you would've been like everyone else: waiting for an update and then having to go back and reread the last chapter to remember what happened. Glad you liked it!

FlamingIceWolfGirl: Thanks. I do try really hard to make everything flow well and tie everything up in the end. I hope this last chapter closed the story in a satisfactory way.

Twisted-Virus: That last chapter was probably the most fun to write. I really liked playing with all the characters and having all the different scenes going on. It's considerably harder to write when there's a significant lack of action. I'm really glad you liked this so much. I hope it all wrapped up well!

t.y.u.i.t.y.u.i.: I wanted to know why you only wrote FAN on every review. So I stalked your profile and I think you're pretty cool.

Bbb136: I love Leon/Cloud… I have a couple of one-shot ideas for them, but I just don't have time to manage all my stories. I meant to put out a story for 8/13 and 8/7. None of that happened (unsurprisingly). Thanks! I always feel like my writing isn't that different from everyone else's writing, but I don't know. I'm not very good at judging myself because I'm either too nice or too critical. And thanks, haha. I'll keep that in mind.

ShinigamiWanabe: I do know what you mean. Writing these chapters has been difficult because of all the heartache going on. I'm actually glad it's over, I think. Thanks so much for reading it through. I hope the end turned out well.

Miyuki-ice-fox: I kind of suck ass at writing Sephiroth so I just don't. I know the character Ansem a little better (not really) and he sort of looks like Riku. They've got the same hair, anyway, and a freakish eye color, so… You know… Yes, the fables fell, but Axel made up for it! I wouldn't let the story end like that. Everyone gets (got) a happy ending.

Mysstik Quill: Hahahaha. That's quite intense, but I completely understand. I knew readers were going to be perturbed by the fables being destroyed. But Zexion and Demyx had a roll in this story all along and I think they filled their role well.

The Moon's Berserk: Yea, that's the problems with endings. This chapter probably seems SUPER quick, but, well… When things are good, time seems to move 100x faster. And Demyx's behavior is very human, I think. People never fucking know what they want and they try to act on what they think they want. It never ends well. And soon is… erm… well… Soon. I'm not really sure. I want to get it out fairly soon, but I'm starting a second job and I'm sure I can (or want) to commit myself to two stories, two jobs, and school. But we'll see. Hopefully the new story will be out before Thanksgiving (or maybe slightly after).

Optimistic Dreamer: Noooo. Not perfect or brilliant. I just stumbled upon this writing shit and am apparently good at it. To be honest, until I published this story, I figured I was a pretty average writer. Let's be honest, though, I'm not Steinbeck or Hemmingway. I'm glad you like this story so much and I'm glad you think so highly of me. It makes me feel a little giddy when people stroke my ego.

PumpkinLenses: Haha. Yea, maybe my A/N was a little over the top, but I didn't want readers to be disappointed about what they thought was the ending. But yea, this is DEFINITELY the end of the story. You can tell by the handy, "and they lived happily ever after."

RainbowNinjaD: Of course they were going to end up together! It would be so poopy if they didn't! The real question was whether or not they would get married (and if Axel could publish a book). But I always write them together. It's too weird to write them apart.

Sana-chan9: Not at all. My sister says that all the time. I figured that was something she made up. And yes! Zexion is a total prick. But, you know, this is mirroring real life (sort of). People act like total assholes and do shit for love even though it makes everything 10000000 times worse. Life is one big fuck. And I do love Eli and Clare. I don't keep up with the show well enough to know what's going on now, but I know they broke up and that does make me sad. They were so cute together. How's your relationship? Thriving, I bet.

Miggery: Whoa! Thank you so much. I'm not that talented. I just… I dunno. I have good days and bad days. And I think maybe I need to hunt around fanfiction more because I honestly do feel like how I write isn't so different from everyone else. Sorry to make you cry and rage and cycle quickly through any other emotions. That seems rather dangerous for your health. I hope this last chapter was up to par and fulfilled your expectations.

Iced Perfection: Hahahaha. I saw this at first and I was like, "AWSDDTRGHDNHT" and then I saw the "kidding" and I was like, "… good." Yea, I like to write suspense sometimes. I had that scene planned out in my heads since the day this story started. I'm glad it all actually got to work out that way. And I'm sorry to say that there was no lemon scene. This story just… didn't seem to fit right with it. But, you know, I'm sure I'll post some smut between them soon. I do enjoy the smut.

BooIsBaffled: Haha, thanks. That's a serious compliment considering that Axel/Roxas is a super-duper-mega popular pairing for people to write about. And nooo, Nami's photo wasn't in the notebook (which was good). As for Demyx, yea. He was ticked. I can see him being upset. But you'd really have to push it with him. Like prod him in the rib cage until his lungs cave in or something. He's happy and smiley a lot, but he's still human. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!

Sunny side of cookies: Nah. I think people are often aroused by occasional caveman-ish behavior. I had a protective boyfriend once and it was hot until he crossed the 'protective' line and wandered into the 'crazy' territory. Axel would kick some ass for Roxas, provided Roxas didn't deserve whatever happened to him. And yea, Tidus does whine too much. It drives me up the fucking wall.

: Yea, I'm with you. If I had spent the better part of a year writing a shitload of different fables, I'd have to knock some skulls together if they were destroyed. Axel was pretty tame, I think, but only because I just can't see him flipping out for too long. That, and Demyx put him down before he ever really got up. I'm glad you still like this story. I know sometimes these things fall apart at the end, but goddamn, I tried to keep it together.

Mochiusagi: I took your advice. I agree with you. It would have been weird to slap a lemon in the middle of the story. It's pretty mild and sweet and just placing a huge smut scene would have been so… odd. So out of place. But I know some people will be disappointed. However, there's plenty of smut in the fanfiction sea and I'm sure, eventually, I'll let something out in to the water.

I made Nutella: Whoa. Thank you so much! I'm not gonna lie, a lot of fanfiction is total shit. I'm really pleased my stories appeared to you before you decided to tell fanfiction to fuck off for good. It's not all bad! You just have to dig real deep to find the gold.

StarzXAndXMoon: Review as infrequent or frequent as you see fit. What matters to me is that you take the time out, at least once, to say what you don't like or don't like. And you're right. There ARE some OOCness parts, but I've learned to kind of corral the characters a bit so they're less OOC.
The idea for the story came from Aesop. I really wanted to try writing a chapter story for ffnet and I couldn't think of a good idea. So I was dicking around on the internet, started reading about Aesop, and I got this idea. It was a LOT different in the rough draft, but, whatever. Shit changes and that's life. Thanks for taking time to review and thanks for sticking with this!

Jeglikerkuken: If all people were like that, life would be pretty mundane and boring. No one wants to be honest with anyone and everyone wants to be indirect motherfuckers. But, you're right. If everyone just popped a squat and took out the time to speak to each other, all this shit would be solved instantly. And I wouldn't be able to squeeze out 10k worth of words for 14 chapters. So… hooray for dramatic bullshit? Or something like that.

Iodelco: Die? Hahaha, fuck no! This is real life, not Days of Our Lives or whatever shit. I wouldn't be killing anyone off unless it's a one-shot (in which case, let the death toll rise). I didn't even know fics like that existed (it seems trite). To be honest, I actually DO write Sora and Riku exactly the way you described them. I want so badly to write a R/S story, but I'm so stuck for ideas because it's hard for me to write them NOT together (without making Riku look like a total dick). I think I'll stick to Zexion/Demyx and Axel/Roxas. And thanks for the web gummy bear. It was delicious.

Asuragetsfalconpunched: Oh man, 11? I'm corrupting you. You shouldn't know what docking is. I knew all sorts of horrible shit at 11, but I'm Russian and being/knowing/doing/using horrible things is just part of who we are. Don't tell your parents about me. God forbid they know where you learned 'docking.' On the upside of this, you're obviously a really smart 11 year old. I don't know any middle school aged kids who read anything at all much less comprehend what they do read. Also, I'm a guy.

Alstarryn: That's good. I was worried that chapter seemed… too tidy-tidy at the end. I still think this extra chapter was needed to tie up the loose ends, but I'm glad it could've ended there and someone would've walked away happy.
Yea, it was. But Ansem isn't the kind of guy to fist fight with his son in public. And he never physically abused Riku, so… You know, he's all about the emotional mindfuck (which he is an expert at).
Right! That's what I was going for. A sort of, "Out with the old, in with the new." As his fables are destroyed, everyone is getting closure. They're putting the past behind them and moving forward. I'm so glad the symbolism got through here. This makes me happy. I hope this wrapped up in a positive way and I'm so glad you stuck with this until the end.

And that's all he wrote. Thanks for everything.