AkuRoku - Homecoming chapter 3

Roxas pulled up to the building with Riku and Sora and looked up at it with sickly nostalgia making his stomach turn, he'd only been in here once before but that time had not been a good day. "Hey, you ok?" Sora questioned the blond  as they walked into the entrance and he gave a silent nod though he wasn't really convincing anyone with that.

Roxas hadn't really seen the apartment when he'd been here last and he could tell it was Riku's, the redhead didn't seem to have left any mark of even being here though and that made Roxas' stomach turn over again. What had happened with Axel? "Funny, isn't it?" Riku said as he looked around the room he spent everyday in. "We were supposed to have so many memories together here." He admitted with a sad sigh and Roxas could tell this conversation they were about to have would not be a good one.

He was scared.

"Why don't you sit down Rox and I'll let Cloud know you'll be home late," Sora said as he too entered the room, trying to break the tense mood though he knew it wouldn't really make a difference.

The blond nodded, "thanks Sora."

The brunet smiled before leaving and heading towards what Roxas guessed was the kitchen. It was silent for a minute, Roxas and Riku both just staring, neither boy wanting to start this conversation. "I guess… I better start talking," the silverette finally spoke up and Roxas swallowed nervously, he could already feel his heart sinking into his stomach. "When you left, Roxas, it took its toll on all of us," Riku started, "we all know it wasn't your fault but just having you taken away like that… no one expected it, least of all Axel." The name still sent a sharp pain through the blonde's heart and guilt swept over him again like it did every time he thought about it. "Once you left and we came back up here Axel was already in his room and no matter how hard Sora and I tried we couldn't get him out. We didn't see him for a week and neither of us knew if he was eating or not." The information just made Roxas' guilt increase, he'd wished Axel hadn't taken it so hard, though he had been much the same. He'd have to tell his story once Riku was finished.

"After that he wouldn't talk, didn't leave the house, he was a zombie. It got especially bad about three and a half months after you'd gone where he relapsed again and regressed back into what he was like the first week. But-" Riku stopped, pursing his lips from going further though Roxas wasn't sure why. What happened after that?

"Axel finally left the house one day," the blond turned his attention to Sora who entered the room and sat beside his boyfriend, taking his hand.

******

"Axel?" Riku called, knocking on his friend's bedroom door, it had been three days since he'd seen the boy eat and he was of course concerned, Axel was so depressed he might really hurt himself if he at least didn't eat anything.

"Axel I'm making some food do you want something?" The silverette knocked again after receiving no answer the first time and becoming even more concerned when there was no answer the second time. Riku finally opened the door, peering in to find… nothing.

There was no sign of his friend. Axel was gone.

Riku immediately flipped open his phone, dialling the redhead's number as he wandered around the flat but the phone rang off without an answer and the silverette panicked. Where was he? He dialled again, the same thing happening and the dreaded voice from voicemail the only thing to answer his call "Axel, call me please, where are you?" He ended the call then flicking through his phonebook and calling Sora. He needed the brunet to help now.

"Hey."

"Sora, have you seen Axel?" Riku asked the boy hurriedly.

"No," was Sora's confused answer before his tone turned worried. "Riku, what's happened?"

"I don't know, he's just… gone, Sora. I don't know when or how but he left. Call Demyx, Marluxia and Leon, even Larxene If you have to, we have to find out if anyone's seen him." the brunet agreed before hanging up to do just that, Riku also calling Zexion, Cloud, Reno and Yuna but each call came back with nothing.

"He'll be ok Riku, he has to be," Sora told the boy once he arrived at the apartment. Reno had told the silverette that he'd have a look around and bring him back if he found anything and to there surprise, at around midnight, there was a knock and both boys scurried from the couch to answer the door, a relieved sigh leaving their mouths as Reno stood there, Axel's arm around his neck and the younger redhead's head down.

"I don't know how he got it but he's been drinking," Reno said as he carried his brother inside and to his bedroom, taking off his shoes and leaving Axel to sleep it off. "What happened? I thought he was getting better."

"So did we but something's gone wrong," Riku admitted. He just didn't understand it.

"Make sure you give him hell in the morning for me," the other redhead said before leaving again and returning home.

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Axel stumbled into the kitchen in the morning covering his eyes with his hand in sheer pain. He'd drank far more than he should have last night. "Axel," said redhead sighed at the sound of Riku's voice, this wasn't something he wanted to be dealing with right now. "What the hell happened? You up and left we were worried about you."

"Yeah, uh… sorry about that," Axel spoke and it came as a shock to the silverette, he hadn't heard Axel talk in weeks. "It won't happen again, don't worry about me I'm fine," the redhead continued and Riku gave him a disbelieving look. He doubted that.

"Just don't scare us like that, we're all here to help you Axel, we-"

"I said I'm fine ok!" Axel bellowed, cupping his head once he'd finished and letting silence settle between both of them. "I'm going back to bed," the redhead finally said before walking away and back to his room.

********

"He started drinking a lot until about two months ago but he still doesn't come home, we don't see him for days and he won't tell us where he goes or anything," Sora finished and sighed sadly.

The silence that followed was filled with so much for Roxas. What… was going on? Where was Axel going? Was he alright? Why was he doing all of this? "I don't… understand," the blond finally spoke. "He was supposed to-" he was supposed to be ok, he told Roxas everything was ok.

"Roxas?" Riku said, snapping the blond out of his stupor and he focused on his friends.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "it was my fault, I didn't think he would be like this." the blond could feel the lump in his throat choking him.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked and Roxas knew. It was his turn to tell the story.