Author's Note: Hey guys; I apologise for the prolonged absence. It's been a tough few weeks. Here's something new for you; I'm taking a little break from my other work. This is a little more light-hearted than my other work and it's not finished yet. I just want to say hi and thanks to FlyWithDamagedWings for being amazing and listening to me complain. Oh and thanks to my epic friend Tiggy; who is my all time favourite Youtuber!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this except Noah the Notorious! Yay for Noah!

"Is it broken?" After inspection not a single scratch had formed on the device. "NOOOOO! Why won't you die goddammit?" Axel hated all phones especially his own. All thanks to one blonde haired nuisance. "How can you be so blind Roxy?"

The blonde had been Axel's best friend for as long as he could remember. They'd been inseparable all their lives. Well, all of Roxas': Axel was two when Roxas was born and looking back on the memories of little Axel smothering the blond baby made the now nineteen year old Axel chuckle. Roxas was the son of a friend of Axel's parents so they had spent lots of time together right from the get go. Plus they lived only two doors away from each other. It was if they were destined to be best buds; that was never enough for me though.

Axel had fallen head over heels with his friend at the age of fifthteen. At first he thought it was just a crush and that it would pass – it didn't. He kept falling further and further for the boy. This is why the current situation caused anger to pour from every smidgen of Axel's being…

'Calling; someone is calling.' Argh who calls at one am? Axel dipped his hand into the fish bowl on his bedside table and retrieved his phone. How the device worked after a severe dunking no one will ever know. "Whoever this is had better be offering to give me a million munny or else I swear I'll…"

"Hey Axe." It was Roxas. Why is he calling me at such an unworldly hour? Axel sat up in bed and swept the sleep from his eyes.

"Wassup Roxy?" Not that I don't already know.

"I just – I just had to talk to someone." Oh great here we go. Axel switched the phone into his left hand, pressing the damp phone to his ear. He shook the water from his now vacant hand so he could bite his nails; a habit he never seemed able to escape. His nails were shoddier than his homework!

"Go ahead." I am never going to get any sleep with this guy. Not that I mind really; I just wish I could stop all of this. It would only take three little words from me; but he doesn't want to hear them.

"Hayner called me yesterday. He-he said he'd take me back, if I promised never to do that again." What! That son-of-a-moogle; how dare he! You did nothing wrong Roxy; apart from take him back. He's the one who went sleazing around again. Roxy can't you see? Roxas sounded too excited for someone who had been dumped then 'taken back' by the same sleaze bag a grand total of eight times! If I get my hands on that jerk! Axel may have been fuming internally but he showed none of this to Roxas. Axel stayed stoic - unable to express the emotions either of them wanted. Axel wanted to show: anger, hatred for the great sleaze and complete adoration for his friend. Roxas on the other hand, had expected: encouragement, happiness for him and not exactly joy but at least for his friend to sound a bit more pumped than he currently did. It seemed it didn't matter to Roxas though as he was still nearly climbing the walls.

"That's great Roxy." I hate encouraging you but it's what you want to hear. Why are you taking him back again? He just uses you; he's still shanking up with Seifer behind your back. Axel bit his tongue trying to prevent himself from shouting at his friend for his stupidity.

"It's gonna work this time Axe. He says he really cares about me; isn't that great?" Axel bit his tongue a little too harshly and drew blood. He winced and began to nurse the throbbing muscle. Who's the one who really cares about you? Who's the one who's sat and helped you through the tears and heartbreak? Eventually he sighed before reciting what he knew from experience was what Roxas was waiting to hear.

"Yeah Roxy that's really great to hear; I'm sure it'll work out this time." Please just end this already. Axel rolled over and buried his head in the pillow. The feathers pricked at his face; he scratched his nose before starting to pluck loose feathers from the pillow. He soon had a small pile forming near him.

"Thanks for being a great friend to me Axel; it means a lot to know I've got you there. I know you'll always tell me what's right." Axel somehow ended up inhaling a feather and so started choking. Axel wasn't listening to Roxas asking if he was okay. I have to tell him to ditch the punk. He wants me to tell him what's right so it's my obligation to do so. Then again the last time I spoke against Hayner Roxas wouldn't speak to me for days...actually until Hayner dumped him again. Axel finally managed to extract the feather; cringe then throw it away. He sat up so he did not repeat the downright painful experience. Right I'm going to tell him.

"Hey Roxas, can I say something? Just listen to me; don't say anything." He took a deep breath, crossed his legs so he was comfortable and began his well-intended rant. "Roxas Michael Strife, you are potentially the stupidest person I have ever met: that guy has done nothing but hurt you. He goes around canoodling with other guys; sleeping with any piece of ass he can get; preventing you from going out and seeing your friends; forbidding you from living your life basically. But despite ALL this, you continue to crawl back to him time after time. You do nothing apart from what he wants only for him to puke it back in your face! You deserve so much more than him yet you seem fixated on hurting yourself. What I'm trying to say is grow a pair and ditch him!" Axel hadn't meant to seem rude in fact he didn't want to hurt Roxas at all but he seemed to get lost in his frustration and the words just spouted out. He didn't want to take back his words since they were true but he still felt bad; Roxas had wanted a friend but instead he'd got an earful of things he didn't want to hear.

"Do you think I don't know all of this? I do, Axel. I know I'm an idiot and that he exploits me. Do you think I don't see him making out with all those other guys? For your information, I do. And yes, I hurt; a lot." Axel lay back down as relief washed over him; he's not mad at me. He was afraid his friend would have hated him for what he had said.

"So then, why do you keep taking him back?" Axel furrowed his brows as he pondered the motive driving the blond. He turned his head so that he was staring at his fish; Noah. The pale fish always intrigued Axel; a goldfish that was barely yellow let alone gold. He was an aberration like Axel. He loved Noah; he was his second favourite blond.

Axel's number one blond seemed to have formulated an answer. He sighed before speaking:

"Isn't it obvious? I love him Axe, I go through all this hurt, all of this pain and frustration because it means nothing compared to the joy it feels when I'm with him. I'd do anything for him, can you understand that?" Axel was hollow; everything about him was dead. It wasn't as if it was a shock to him that Roxas loved Hayner. But hearing him say those words cut the last strings of hope that Axel's heart clung to.

"I can, more than you'll ever know." He'd never know how Axel felt. Axel never had a chance; he would never be Roxas' knight in shining armour. Axel was condemned to a broken heart that would only be worsened by Roxas endlessly calling him up about Hayner like he had been for the last year. He had lost his best friend to Hayner; now he had no chance of being able to love Roxas. His affections doomed to be unrequited.

"What do you mean by that?" Axel felt sick; he felt empty; he felt dead. I have to get off the phone before I lose it. His eyes began to burn with the threat of tears. He ignored Roxas; he would never answer his question. It would hurt both of them too much now.

"I have to go now; Reno's telling me to shut up and go to sleep. Bye." Axel's brother had not even made a peep but Axel didn't have time to think of a better excuse. He slammed the phone shut before lobbing it in a random direction just so he didn't have to see it. He cocooned himself in the blankets and buried his face in the pillow. Noah gurgled his rendition of comfort; swimming up to the glass, propping his fin up on a rock – the action taught to him by Axel – it was a high five. He hated seeing his red-headed owner sad, being a fish had its perks but not being able to comfort his friend was not one of them.

Axel didn't cry; under no circumstances did he cry.

That night he sobbed himself to sleep with the nightmare of all of the things that could have been; what had been robbed from him.