Stand By You [character event]

[upbeatprincess]

Who: Rikku [upbeatprincess] and Roxas [oathtooblivion].
Where: Roxas' house.
When: Tuesday 9th October, about six-thirty.
Notes: From here.
True to her word, Rikku hastily clicked off her web browser before shutting the entire computer system down, only picking her bag and a coat before dashing down the stairs and out the front door, with only a brief 'I'm going out!' to her

Comments

[oathtooblivion]

The usual noise of the house had been replaced by a terse silence which none of the three residents seemed to want to break, and it was quickly becoming irritatingly unbearable, so when Roxas heard the door he quickly went to answer it. He'd be willing to even talk to annoying door-to-door salesmen than endure that silence any longer.

When he saw it was Rikku he blinked in surprise and quickly rearranged his expression into a smile. Moving aside from the doorway to indicate for her to come in, he said, "Hi, Rikku. You... got here fast."

[upbeatprincess]

Rikku sighed a huge sigh of relief - one so loud it was obviously clear - before she stepped through the threshold. Reasoning seemed to stay out on the street, as no sooner than she was inside she had flung her arms around his shoulders in an embrace. "Of course I did. Like I said - I was worried."

[oathtooblivion]

Roxas' smile turned into a grin, and he reluctantly wormed his way out of her hug enough to close the door behind her. He hadn't seen Rikku properly in a while, so meeting her again was, apparently, having an instant effect, and one he was grateful for. But then his face fell again as he remembered why she was here in the first place. "Oh... sorry. Didn't realise I'd worry you so much."

[upbeatprincess]

Sighing, take two, though this time a smile crept onto her face. "Silly. Of course I'd worry about my friends," she said, nodding twice. Well, she hadn't properly talked to him in a while, so coming over killed two birds with one stone, really. "And since you fill that slot, Roxas, then I'm gonna worry about you."

[oathtooblivion]

"Well, I don't want you to get involved, or--" He shot a paranoid glance over one shoulder as if expecting to see Axel or Sakura at the top of the stairs, listening in on their conversation. When he saw there was nobody there, he turned back to Rikku.

"--You know what I mean. You probably figured already, but me and Axel had another argument," he finished, the last statement said in such an offhanded way as if he didn't really care. They argued so much that it was nothing new, even if this argument was more serious than the ones before.

[upbeatprincess]

"Ah." The smile faded from Rikku's face, and she offered Roxas a curious smile, looking at him carefully. She ignored his first remark - she'd stated countless times that she wasn't just going to stand on the sidelines and just watch - and settled for concidering his second one, instead. "Bigger than before?"

[oathtooblivion]

Roxas stuffed his hands into his pockets out of a force of habit and nodded. "Yeah. Normally I'd forgive him and move on by now, but this time he's taken things too far," He paused, scowling at the floor as if he could see Axel's face on it. "I don't even think he realises what he's done wrong, and if he does, he's not sorry. And then Sakura got upset because we were arguing..."

[upbeatprincess]

The frown was persistant on her face, and Rikku let it stay. She thought the house seemed, and felt a little.. different than it usually did - the cheery air that was occasionally there on her visits was completely and utterly eliminated. "He's an idiot," she muttered under her breath, silently cursing Axel with all the names under the sun. "Something drastic, yeah? And then argues for his righteousness? Geeze..." she looked at him sympathetically, before adding in a small voice, "What did he do?"

[oathtooblivion]

Roxas' insides squirmed uncomfortably, and he was unable to meet her gaze, still staring at the floor. He didn't want to tell her, most of all because it would goad her even further into becoming involved in the argument, but it was easier to talk to with her because... they'd done the same thing, back what felt like a very long time ago. Except Roxas had actually wanted that one.

His mind was made up. He took a breath, then looked directly at her and said, "He kissed me."

[upbeatprincess]

Rikku's eyes met Roxas' as he looked over at her - and as he spoke, the world seemed to... just stop after his words. "What?" she said quietly, before repeating again, "...what..."

It wasn't like she should be drastically surprised. She'd know Axel had some liking of Roxas, and she knew she would be of no match if he decided to chase him - so why had her fist clenched as she thought, biting her lip in anger. He dared to do something like that? Though she couldn't think that way, she'd done the same thing... sort of...

Time seemed to start again as she spoke. "... Oh. I see."

[oathtooblivion]

Roxas seemed to know her thoughts, even though she had said so little, because he said in a hollow voice, "I... got mad. So mad that I--" He cut himself off, looking something akin to embarrassed or perhaps even ashamed. Still, it felt good to confide in someone, so he resumed: "I punched him. He deserved it! Even if Axel thinks that way about me, it doesn't mean it works both ways."

I hated the way he looked at me, too. So proud of himself, even after I'd cracked him one in the jaw," Roxas shook his head. "I can't stand him sometimes. He pretends to act like my friend, but the only person he ever really cares about is himself."

[upbeatprincess]

There was a slint glint in Rikku's eyes when Roxas said he'd 'hit Axel' - perhaps it was the very thing her mind was contemplating to do right now. "Good," she said quietly, before she forced herself to be louder. "You're right. What he did... urgh," she shook her head in frustration, attempting to clear her thoughts. "He's an odd cookie - not even a cookie - but you know what I mean. I don't think he grasped this concept of 'love' at all," she slowed, her eyes narrowing. "You're not a posession, Roxas."

[oathtooblivion]

Roxas managed a wry smile at the cookie comment, but otherwise his expression remained as it was. "I know. Before when I've been annoyed with him, he's told me so many times, 'I won't do it again, I'll change', and I forgave him. And now he's gone and proved he's just a liar and didn't mean a word of it."

Roxas sighed and leaned back against the wall, casting his eyes up to the ceiling wearily. "I can't stand it here. Even Sakura won't talk to me any more."

[upbeatprincess]

"I'd say he needs time, but it sounds like he's already had a lot of it," Rikku mused, frowning. She followed Roxas' gaze upwards - she'd never met Sakura, but that point aside - it seemed like he needed some time away from here. Even standing in the hallway was making her feel the negative energy draping over the house.

"I think.. you need to get out of here for a while," she said quietly.

[oathtooblivion]

"Me too," Roxas replied, running a hand through his unruly hair. "I've been thinking about it the past few days, just up and going without a word. Don't care where or for how long, I just want to go." Rikku's words were making him consider it even more. He'd probably return to find half the house burnt down or something equally stupid Axel would manage, but right now that was the least of his concerns.

[upbeatprincess]

Something, a spark, seemed to flicker inside Rikku's mind, as she thought - and then stuck her hand in Roxas' direction as an offering. ".... come with me," she said quietly. "You can stay over at my place. I'll talk Brother and Pop round. You can stay as long as you want to, and if you want to come back I'll come back with you," she slowed, before repeating, "... come with me."