Disclaimer: Trust me, I don’t own it. If I did, Sora and Riku would have a drive form. It’d be called “Merged at the hips.”

Warning: Swearing

Notes: I’m almost positive it’s OOC. But hey, I had fun and I think people might get a kick out of this and it does show Sora and Roxas’ living situation, sort of.

---

“Hey Axel!” Roxas opened the front door to his house with an uncharacteristically huge grin on his face. Despite the smile, Axel felt something sink in the bottom of his stomach. “My brother’s here, want to say hi?” And by “want to” Axel knew Roxas actually meant, “Come in or the occupants of the Strife-Leonhart household will tear out your entrails…and I’ll help.”

“Sounds cool,” Axel agreed, stepping into the house.

Assembled on the couch before him was Roxas’ older brother, Cloud; Cloud’s partner, Leon; Leon’s little brother, Sora; and Sora’s boyfriend, Riku. Axel glanced at Roxas, who took his place on the couch, delicately arranging himself next to Cloud with a smile on his face. Leon and Cloud turned identically warning looks onto the redhead as Axel sat down in a chair opposite the assembled jury, trying to smile. Not that it mattered; Axel was pretty sure Leon and Cloud could smell fear.

Oh God…Leon was polishing an antique gunblade.

“I think you missed a spot,” Sora leaned over Riku’s lap to point out the least menacing part of the blade. Leon nodded gratefully to his brother and lovingly brought the polishing cloth over the blade, equally distributing the shine. The brothers exchanged a grin before Sora leaned back in his spot next to Riku, who exchanged wicked grins with Sora.

Everyone said Sora was so nice, Axel thought mutinously. Nice enough to help Axel into an early grave. Of course, it made sense that Sora was on Roxas’ side; the two were like brothers, despite having no blood relation. They just lived together because Leon and Cloud did.

“So,” Cloud said, oddly cheerful. “How are you Axel?”

Terrified, Mr. Strife, terrified as fuck “All right,” Axel replied pleasantly. “How are you guys?” Oh, God, Sora, Riku, anyone. He’d thought they were his friends, but Riku looked like he was about to burst with barely concealed laughter.

If Axel survived tonight, he’d be looking into getting new friends.

“Well,” Roxas rose from his seat, receiving an affectionate hair tousle from Cloud on the way up. “I think we’ve all said hi. You ready to go Axel?” Axel nodded quickly, jumping up to follow Roxas.

As the door slammed behind them, Roxas collapsed into a fit of laughter, bent over and struggling for air. Axel stared at Roxas, comprehension slowly dawning over him.

“You little bastard!” Axel groaned, yanking Roxas toward his car. “You planned that!”

Roxas grabbed the car door for support, managing to nod his head as he sucked in a lungful of air to compose himself. Axel wanted to shake him by his scrawny shoulders. “Your brother scared the shit outta me!” Roxas just kept laughing. “Leon had a sword!”

That sent Roxas into a round of fresh laughter. “A sword? You’re kidding right?” Roxas pulled the car door open, collapsing in. “Leon’s gunblade is an antique from a hundred years ago! That thing couldn’t cut warm butter!”

“I think I liked you better when you didn’t smile at anyone,” Axel muttered, getting into the driver’s side.

Roxas’ laughter quieted and he leaned over and gave Axel a small smile, eyes meeting Axel’s.

“I…” Axel began. “I change my mind.”

Roxas’ smile widened a little as he leaned back against the passenger seat.

---

Sora’s face was nearly pressed against the window as Axel’s car left the driveway, Riku not far off. “You guys scared the ever-living shit out of him,” Riku commented.

Cloud chuckled, leaning against Leon, “Didn’t you almost cry when we decided you ought to say hello to us?”

“I plead the fifth,” Riku replied gracefully. The flicker of pain in his eyes betrayed that, yes, Cloud and Leon actually had almost brought Riku to tears.