Thanks for clicking =) so this is the first in a series of drabbles/sonfics, mostly about the friendship between Roxas, Xion and Axel. I fell in love with the trio while i was playing through 358/2 days (probably some major spoilers in this btw, for anyone who hasn't played it yet) and i couldn't resist filling in the gaps on the days on the clock tower that we missed.

WARNING: may be incredible fluffy!

Summary: He never knew how easy it could be to forget the pain.

Fireworks

"It's getting late. Maybe we should head back?"

Hearing his friend's voice, after what felt like hours of silence, Roxas sighed. She was right. The sunset had been and gone, leaving behind a soft ripple of orange across the rapidly darkening sky. A midnight blue by now, that threw the thin shadow of the clock tower over the two figures in black cloaks, sitting on the edge. Roxas could feel the windless chill of the night air seeping into his skin, all the way through his coat. It might have stung, had he been paying any attention to it, but he'd been having trouble focusing his mind on anything lately. For a while now, he had just been watching the steady drip of his melting seat-salt icecream, falling from the curved end like teardrops. He could imagine the soft splash as they hit the ground below him, forming a blue pool at the bottom of the clock tower.

"Roxas-?"

"Not just yet," Roxas cut in, tiredly. He took another gentle bite from his icecream, unable to tear his eyes away from that little blue drip. "You can go if you want."

The shock of black hair shook defiantly. "I can wait," Xion said, her voice soft. "I'd rather not leave you alone."

Roxas couldn't bring himself to feel grateful. "I'm fine, Xion," he muttered. "I'm used to it."

Xion hesitated. "To being alone?" she asked sadly.

Roxas chose not to answer. "Just…go and find Axel," he murmured, clasping both hands over the handle of his rapidly melting icecream. "He said he wanted to talk to you, anyway."

Xion said nothing, but her unfaltering gaze never left her friend. Her blue eyes were narrowed, with the deep crease in the porcelain skin of her forehead. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Friends were meant to be there for one another. They dealt with each others complications - that's what Axel had told them. What ever was happening with Roxas, she only knew that she was meant to help him through it. She was supposed to - she wanted to - make it better.

"Go, Xion," Roxas muttered insistently. He seemed to have lost interest in his icecream, as the last few melting pieces were beginning to slowly slide along the tilted stick, falling the dozens of feet to the path of the station plaza. A moment later, he let it drop completely.

Xion saw the flash of pain in Roxas's eyes as he glanced at her, and suddenly some unnatural instinct clicked inside her. She turned to him and reached out, letting her small hand rest gently over his. Something flickered in Roxas's eyes the moment she touched him - surprise, maybe? - but he didn't move away. "Roxas…please stop trying to be alone," she whispered, the words somehow finding some meaning to her, even if not to him. "I'm your friend because I want to be there for you. I'm not just here for the icecream, I'm here because you're my best friend and I love you. Will you think of that next time, before you tell me to leave?"

Roxas was silent, for a long time, and Xion was beginning to think that he wasn't going to respond at all. A few more soundless minutes passed as she watched him, timed by the darkening of the sky. She could see stars now, lighting the night sky around the glow of a full moon. She could see its silver glow on the fabric of her coat and washed over her pale face. She turned her eyes back to Roxas, to see his downcast face bathed in the same silver light. It was clear, by now, that he wasn't going to speak.

Pained by realisation, Xion lowered her gaze and released a trembling breath. She moved to pull her hand back, the silence of the night capturing the sound of her reluctant movements, only to have her fingers caught in a tight grip. Roxas held her hand tightly, his fingers wrapped securely around hers so he wouldn't lose her touched. It was a little, but it wasn't nearly enough. He breathed in heavily, his eyes fixed straight ahead without any sign of moving. But something in his expression had changed. She could see the sadness, still. The familiar look, that she had unwilling began to associate with him, was still there. But behind the sadness was desperation.

"Don't leave," Roxas said, almost too softly for her to hear. He tried to look at her, just out the corner of his eye, but something stopped him. "Please?"

And Xion might have said something. She had certainly wanted to, but what ever words she had were never given the chance to pass her lips. Because it was at that moment that they heard a sudden, barely audible screech from within the town.

Xion looked up sharply as hundreds of lights exploded out of the sky. Tiny golden rays rained out of the darkness like stars falling from the heavens, and as they fell, they slowly blended back into the black sky that they had somehow come from.

"What is that?" she asked, amazed. As she watched, more lights burst out of the darkness; silver and gold and red. The colours danced in the glazed water of her eyes, shimmering as she stared in awe. "Is it…?"

"Nothing bad," Roxas assured her - and he did sound sure.

Xion relaxed and leant back again, although her eyes remained glue on the flames of light that splayed across the sky, like splashes of paint on a canvas. "It's so beautiful…" she whispered.

Roxas smiled, although he couldn't help but feel that the gesture meant nothing. But if he had no heart, nothing to feel with, then what caused the unbearable tightness in his chest? A feeling he was never without anymore.

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Roxas tightened his hold on Xion's hand. She did the same in return, but her eyes never left the sky. Roxas was glad. Because he could finally bring himself to turn and look at her. She looked scared, but she was clearly too amazed to care. It was all so new to Xion; the sight of something so beautiful and yet so impossible. But he had the feeling he had seen it already. He thought of the boy in red. Had he seen the lights before?

"Roxas, look!" Xion breathed, unknowingly interrupting his thoughts before he could begin to worry - all over again.

"I'm looking," Roxas said quietly, managing a small smile which Xion just about saw. She was suddenly oddly torn, between wonder and worry. But she knew which should win, and which she cared so much more for.

In a rare display of affection, Xion hesitantly lowered her head and rested her cheek on Roxas's shoulder. But if she expected him to flinch away she was pleasantly surprised. Roxas didn't make any move towards her, but at least he didn't move away.

Xion knew she had never felt so safe, as she hid her face in Roxas's black coat. Something about the presence of her best friend made it easy to forget the rest of her pain.

She just didn't know Roxas was feeling the same way.

Please review! Any suggestions for future chapters are welcome - and a big help, cause i might run out of ideas in the long run =S