Anything But the Ordinary Ch.8

     Bacon and Roxas.  Those two smells were the first things to register in Axel’s mind as slowly, he emerged from unconsciousness.  How did he know what Roxas smelled like?  No, he hadn’t gone around memorizing what all his friends smelled like or anything.  Axel had just been friends with Roxas long enough that he could recognize this distinct aroma.  Sort of a "cinnamon with a hint of hairspray" smell.  After opening his eyes, it became clear to the redhead why exactly it was he was smelling Roxas in the first place.  The events of the night before came rushing back to him and he stretched groggily across the couch.  Determined to seek out the other scent permeating throughout the living space, Axel clambered from his makeshift bed and wandered out into the kitchen.
     “Morning Rox," he announced.
     The blonde, who was currently hovering over the stove, pushing some eggs around a pan, turned to greet his guest.  “Hey, morning Ax.  Hungry?”
     Axel took a seat at the dining table.  “Sure, but I didn’t know you cook.”
     Roxas chuckled.  “I make breakfast all the time.  No big deal.”
     “Huh.  Guess you learn something new everyday.”
     “Yup.”  The shorter boy placed a few platters in the center of the table.  One filled with bacon and sausage, another with pancakes and the last with scrambled eggs.  “Help yourself.”
     “Thanks,” he said as he began to fill up the plate that had been set for him.  “Hey, Rox.  I wanna apologize about last night.”
    “Psh.”  Roxas took a seat across from his friend.  “I’m the one who needs to apologize.  I didn’t think before I spoke and I’m sorry.  But I’m fine, if you’re fine.”
     Axel thought then nodded slowly.  “Yeah, it’s cool.”
     “Good.  So, you got any plans today?”
     Axel swallowed his mouthful of food before speaking.  “Uh, yeah.  Dem asked me to drive him to practice.  Oh crap!  That reminds me.  I have to get someone to fix my car.”  Axel stood to make a move for the phone.
     “Already done.”
     “What?”  The redhead looked back at his friend.
     “I called a mechanic this morning.  He came out and fixed your car already.  I paid him too, so don’t worry about it.”
     Axel sat back down.  “You didn’t have to do that.”
     “I know.  But I did.”
     “Well, how much was it?  I’ll pay you back.”
     “I said don’t worry about it.  It wasn’t that much.”
     “You sure?” Axel questioned.
     “Yeah, don’t worry.  Really.”  Roxas continued to eat his breakfast.
     “Well, thanks.  I’ll have to return the favor someday.”
     “If you do, that’s cool, but if don‘t, no biggie.”
     The two finished up eating and Axel got dressed; Roxas having dried his friend’s rain soaked clothes the night before.  “Hey, I’ll talk to you later Rox.”
     “Kay, see ya Axel.”  Roxas waved from the front door as the redhead pulled out of the driveway.

     Roxas stepped back inside, pulling the door shut.  With a deep sigh, he headed back into the kitchen and began cleaning up.  He hated lying.  Especially to his best friend.  He thought that when he had come out to everyone, that his days of having to pretend were over, but apparently not.

     Axel opened the front door to his apartment and stepped inside just in time to see Demyx sucking face with some boy.  “Ok, remind me again Demyx, why it is that you have a perfectly good bedroom, yet you insist on having your make out sessions right here in the living room?”
     Demyx grinned.  “Hi Axel.  Nice to see you too.”
     The blue haired boy straddling Demyx’s lap smirked, “Be nice Dem.  He probably just feels left out.  Would you like to join us?” he offered cheerily.
     Axel sighed.  “Yeah, thanks um…”
     “Zexion.”
     “Right.  Thanks Zexion, but no thanks.  I don’t swing that way.”
     Zexion pouted.  “Too bad.  You’re a real hottie.”
     Axel rolled his eyes.  “Thanks.  Anyway, you ready yet Dem?”
     Demyx furrowed his brow.  “For what?”
     “Oh, I don’t know.  ‘Please can you drive me to my band practice on Wednesday?’ ring any bells?”
     “Ooooh!  Right.  It got cancelled.  I was gonna tell you last night, but you never came home.  Where the heck were you last night anyway?”
     “Oh, I spent the night at Roxas’s.”
     Demyx’s eyes went wide and Zexion giggled.  “I thought you said you didn’t swing that way,” the blue haired boy teased.
     “Wha-no!  No, I don’t.  My car broke down a few blocks from his house, so I walked over and he let me spend the night since it was already so late.”  The two boys on the couch continued to cast him doubting glances.  “I slept on the couch.  Sheesh.”
     “Wasn’t it raining last night?  So you slept in your wet clothes on his leather couch?”
     “No, he let me borrow some pajama bottoms.”
     The two on the couch snickered some more.
     “You guys are really mature, you know that?  Anyway, if you don’t need my car, I’ve got other stuff to do.”
     “Hey, wait.  Why don’t we go grab something to eat?”
     “Nah, I already ate at Roxas’s.”
     Demyx’s face suddenly went very serious and he moved Zexion off of his lap.  Leaping over the back of the couch, he caught Axel by the shoulders.  “Wait a minute.  Wait.  A.  Minute.  You ate at Roxas’s?”
     Axel looked at his friend as though he were some sort of giant space insect come to devour his brain.  “Yeah, so?”
     “Roxas?”
     “Yes.”
     “Short kid.  Blonde spiky hair.  Doesn’t even know that there is an eight AM.”
     Axel sighed.  “What’s your point?”
     “My point is Roxas never gets up early.  Ever.  To wake up early just so he can spend the morning with you.  That’s monumental.”
     “Or maybe he was just trying to apologize for the way he acted the night before by making me breakfast.  Huh?”
     Demyx went wide eyed again.  “Wait.  He made you breakfast?  As in, he cooked?”
     “Yes.  Geez, what is your problem?  He said he cooks everyday.”
     “Oh, sure he does, if everyday means only when he’s dating someone he really likes.”
     “What?”
     “Axel, the only time Roxas ever, ever cooks for someone is when he’s serious about them.”
     “And how would you know that?”
     Demyx scoffed.  “Axel, who do you confide in most of the time?”
     “You.”
     “And you think you’re the only one who comes to me for advice?”
     Axel sighed, “Well, so what?  He just.  The night before he came onto me pretty strong and freaked me out.  He probably was just apologizing for acting that way.”
     “Yeah maybe.  Or maybe, he wasn’t done coming onto you.”
     “Look, this whole Roxas thing.  It’s got me kind of confused, ok?  All I know is he told me everything is fine, so that’s what I’m gonna believe.”
     Demyx shook his head.  “Alright, do what you want.  I’m just saying.”  He turned his attention back to the boy on the couch, who at the moment was inspecting his purple painted nails.  “Come on Zexy, I’m starving.”
     Zexion hopped up from his seat and followed Demyx to the front door.  “I didn’t know you’re in a band.”  Small chit chat between the two faded away as they walked off down the sidewalk.
     Axel stumbled into his room and flopped down on his bed, now a bit too exhausted for his errands.  So what if Roxas still likes him?  That’s to be expected.  Just because you get rejected by someone, doesn’t mean you instantly stop liking them.  It takes time to see them as just a friend and nothing more.  But after what Demyx had just said, Axel couldn’t help but wonder, if Roxas was really attempting to get over Axel like he said, then why had he made that breakfast?  Something he never does, according to Demyx.  Was it just a type of apology or was Roxas still clinging to some hope that Axel might change his mind?  And most confusing of all, if Axel only saw Roxas as a friend, why wasn’t he more upset at the prospect of the breakfast being an attempt at trying to win him over?  Why on Earth was he actually kind of happy about it?