Summary: Falling for your best friend isn't exactly a walk in the park, and Roxas learns that the hard way.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of it's characters and all that jazz. Veronica on the other hand belongs to me.

A little information: Roxas and company are 17, Axel, Riku and Vero are about 19.

/Edit: Lay-out's being a little b*tch, doesn't do what I want (a few small dashes to show where a part ends and a new one begins). So long lines'll have to do!

Chapter I

"You'll have to confess it to him someday."

"It's not that easy, Xion."

"It can't be that hard, can it? 'I think I love you', how hard can that be."

"It doesn't work like that." He pulled his knees closer to his chest. It had been a few weeks now since he'd realized he was falling for his best friend.

"Then how does it work, Roxas? Definitely not by sitting in your room, or avoiding him."

"I'm not avoiding him."

"It looks like it. You look for excuses not to see him too often and you act distant when you're around him." Xion was sitting backwards on his office chair. She was chosen by the rest of their friends to give him this intervention, because she was the best when it came to talking and listening. But she seemed to be the worst choice to talk about love, being the only one of them that hadn't been in love.

"I'm not acting distant around him." He'd confessed his feelings to his other friends from the beginning, hoping that it would've given him some peace of mind. But it hadn't.

"Then how does it work according to you," she returned to an earlier question.

"It won't work," he sighed, not looking away from the wall in front of him, "if I tell him I'll lose him. That's how it goes. No fairytale endings here, Xion."

"Why do you say that? Axel would understand, wouldn't he? And how can you know that for sure," she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, "if you don't ask or tell him?"

"He'll hate me."

She straightened her back. Sitting like this may look relaxed, it wasn't exactly comfortable. "How can you even think that? As far as I know he's not homophobic," she pointed her right index finger at him, "and he likes you."

"Not like that."

"You don't know that."

Roxas' gaze let go off the wall and turned to Xion. He didn't really have a reply ready for that. She was right, he didn't know that. Not for sure. It was what he feared but he wished otherwise, though he didn't dare hope it.

"Naminé and Kairi thought it would be a good idea," she continued, "if you would go to Axel's place to invite him for tonight, since he's not answering their calls."

"Why me?" He hadn't been at Axel's student residence yet, but ever since the strange feelings started he did avoid being alone with him, just to make sure he didn't notice them.

"Why not, it's a great idea if you ask me. You haven't seen him in a while and this way he'll think the invitation is your idea. Which is a good way to start off."

"Start off?" That sounded like something he wasn't going to like.

"Yeah, so you can tell him tonight at the pub," she said, a bit nervous. It was obvious that the other girls had come up with the idea and told her what to say.

"I'm not telling him," he snapped. He felt tricked. They knew he wanted to go to the pub tonight, to see Riku again after they hadn't seen him for about half a year. They knew he wanted to see Axel again, too. They knew he'd go to his place, if they asked him.

"Okay. I get it. But can't you at least go and ask him to come, too? I bet he'd love to see Riku as well," she stood up and walked towards the door, "and you."

He heard her go down the stairs, say goodbye to his parents and close the front door. His friends cared about him, he knew that. They didn't want to see him like this. They wanted to help. But he wasn't sure if he wanted them to, if they could.

Three knocks on the door, like he always did. He hated himself for actually doing what the girls had asked, though he also wanted to be here so desperately. He pinched his hands while shifting his weight from his one foot to the other. What's taking him so long? Maybe he's not home? Nervously hechecked the number on the door again. Naminé said 8, right?

When he heard the door unlock on the inside his heart jumped. His breath got stuck in his throat when the door opened a little and green eyes appeared in the opening. Those aren't Axel's eyes. Unlike Axel's clear, green eyes, these had a little golden brown mixed in around the pupils. Not Axel's eyes.

"Yes?"

Only now he noticed her whole face. A pretty, young face. With a few locks of straight, white hair hanging in front of it. Entangled hair.

"Er... I – I was looking for Axel. I must have the wrong room. Sorry."

"Oh, no, you've got the right room." She hesitated a little. "You look a bit young to be one of Axel's classmates, though."

"I'm his... friend," he said, not being sure if he should still say 'best friend'.

The girl looked at him a little longer, before opening the door completely and smiling, "now I recognize you, you must be Roxas!" She gestured that he could come in.

He looked at the T-shirt she was wearing. When he noticed that she wasn't wearing anything but a pair of panties and that T-shirt, he quickly looked back at her face again, knowing that he was probably blushing. Then he realized that it was actually Axel's. Why's she wearing his T-shirt?

"Axel, your friend Roxas' here!"

The room they were in contained a couch and a TV, a table with some chairs and a small kitchen. A few seconds after she'd called him, Axel appeared through one of the two doors on the opposite side of the room, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

"Hey, Rox, long time no see!"

The girl passed by him with an elegant walk and opened the other door. "I think I'll better go get dressed now."

"hm. Shame."

"Shut up, stupid," she laughed, pecking Axel on his cheek before disappearing to the other room, which was most likely the bathroom.

Roxas just watched them, unable to move. As he watched Axel walk towards the small kitchen and open the refrigerator he finally started to realize why the girl was wearing Axel's T-shirt.

"Want something to drink?" Axel raised an eyebrow as he waited for a response. "Are you alright?"

"No. I – I mean, no, thanks, I don't need anything. I'm fine."

"You look a bit pale, Rox," he said, sounding a bit worried. He grabbed a bottle of water and walked back to the couch, on which he dropped himself. "Are you going the stand in front of the door all day or are you going to sit down and tell me why you're stopping by at this early hour," he smiled, "not that I mind, though."

"Right, er," he hesitantly sat down on the couch next to Axel, making sure that there was enough room in between them, "Riku's passing by this weekend, and the girls thought it would be fun to go to the pub all together tonight, so they want you to come, too. They tried to call you, but you didn't answer, so they sent me." Nice job Roxas, so much for Xion's plan thanks to your rattling.

"Well, we were kinda... busy. And that's the only reason you're here? 'Cause you're sent? That hurts, Rox," he pretended to be heartbroken, but his acting skills weren't something to write home about, "but I'll be there tonight, no problem."

"O - Ok, good." He wasn't sure what to say now. Xion was right about avoiding him, perhaps, but he didn't feel like he had much of a choice. Friends talk about the things that are on their minds, and lately all that was on his mind was Axel. You're going to have to say something, or it's just going to get awkward. Be honest. According to Naminé that's always the best option.

"It's gonna be good to see Riku again, too. How long's it been, five months? Six?"

He heard the shower being turned off in the bathroom. Say something. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend." Right, very smart.

Luckily, Axel didn't seem to notice the underlying venom. He just tried to laugh the remark away a little. "Her name's Veronica. We've only been together for a few days. And since you don't seem to call me that much anymore, I don't have much opportunities to tell you who I'm dating."

Roxas felt like he could just bite his tongue off, he wasn't going to able to say something useful anyway. Axel was making it rather clear that he'd noticed Roxas avoiding him and didn't like it. He just didn't know why. Or so Roxas hoped.

"You know," Axel sighed, "that if something's botherin' you, you can always come to me. That's what friends are for, right?" He sounded genuinely worried. His look was genuinely worried. Green eyes looking straight at him.

I want to tell you. "I'm fine, really." But I can't

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I think – I think I'm just a little tired. That's all." Lamest excuse ever, Roxas.

For a long moment it looked like Axel wasn't going to buy it. Then he nodded briefly. "Maybe you should go get some rest then, or you'll be a total wreck tonight."

Did he buy it? "Maybe I should, yeah," he said, rather quietly, and followed Axel as he stood up to let him out. Desperately he tried not to look at Axel's torso, yet he tried to catch a glimpse of it anyway. As long as no one noticed it, it was harmless.

Axel opened the door, but before Roxas got the chance to leave he put his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Just call me if you want to talk, 'kay? About anything."

The hand on his shoulder hurt. Not Axel's grasp, but his words. Not anything. "Sure, thanks, Axel."

On the bus ride back home, Roxas stared at his phone. Or rather, Axel's picture in his phone. He'd wanted to make that picture his background for a while now, but he was afraid someone would ask about it when seeing it. Afraid that Axel might see it and wonder.

He went back to the menu and opened a new message. Calling him was not an option, he knew he'd be unable to say much. The recipient wasn't hard to find in his contact list as his name started with an A. He hesitated a few seconds, to think, before he started typing the message itself.

A few different attempts to put his feelings down didn't turn out the way he wanted. They either sounded weird or were way too long. That left only one possibility.

I love you

He shook his head and quickly removed the message again, as he felt the first tear leave the corner of his eye. He'd cried over this before. But because he was afraid. Afraid that Axel wouldn't feel the same way. Now he was sure. Axel didn't feel the same way. Axel was straight. Axel was taken. Axel was gorgeous and perfect in any and every way.

He gave in and rested his head against the cold glass while tears made his cheeks shimmer.

I hope you liked the first chapter!

If there are any mistakes, please let me know. After being forced - I mean politely asked - to join this site and post my story here, I still have to figure things out a bit.

So, I guess this is where I get on my knees and beg for reviews and such? Would be really kind!

Next chapter's up when my friends find something to blackmail me with! :) (Next week or so.)