SlippingSanity : Hey all! This story is going to replace 'Where the heck is my frikkin' stereotype?'. I just could not get that story to go the way I wanted it to. I hope that you are not disappointed in me. If you are, let me know and I'll try (that being the keyword) to get that working if you all really, really want it. Once more, I apologize for my total suckage. I hope that you all do enjoy this story. I'm trying out something new and am already working on the second chapter so hopefully that will be up before I leave town...again...sighs...

Disclaimer : I do not own. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square enix and to those who contributed to its creation...

Chapter One: The new job

"-time to wake up out there! This is your favorite station turning out all of your favorite tracks! Now, let's get into some—"

A large hand slammed down on the gray plastic alarm attempting to put the thing on snooze. Just five more minutes he promised himself with a groan, his long fingers running annoyed tracks over the square device as he blindly tried for the snooze button. He released a displeased groan and flipped onto his back when the music increased in volume instead of taking a ten minute quiet break. Green eyes heavy from sleep looked without seeing the cream colored ceiling of his apartment bedroom, his arms straight at his sides on top of his dark colored cover. So. He was up. And the time was?

He slowly turned toward his night stand to check and nearly fell out of his bed at the numbers being displayed in neon yellow light. He sat up in bed and pulled the alarm clock as close to him as the cord would allow and blinked once…twice…yawned and blinked once more because there was no way the time was right.

What was his alarm doing going off at five in the morning?

"Wha—?" He paused before he could adequately express his displeasure and disbelief as his memory answered every question he had about the time set for the alarm. Frowning, he dropped the alarm clock back on the wooden desk before throwing himself angrily back in his bed. That was right. He had recently gotten a job at a delivery service and had already been through as much orientation as they could give. Instead of riding with someone else, today was his first day delivering packages on his own. It was fantastic, awesome really.

Throwing his pillow at the ceiling and stomping toward the bathroom, he decided that it really, really sucked waking up this early.

The water ran freely from the faucet and down the drain and he grimaced. It always took a few seconds longer than he had patience for the hot water to actually turn hot. Plucking his plastic toothbrush from its holder, he decided that cold water wouldn't impede on his tooth brushing and wet the bristles before squeezing on some toothpaste and brushing. He stared at himself as he brushed his teeth, running a hand through his messy red hair and debating whether or not it was professional to style his hair into his traditional spikes.

"Might as well go the extra mile," he spat into the sink and carried on with the rest of his workday preparation.

XoXoXoXo

"You aren't sleepy, are you Axel? I don't want any grumpiness going on as you make the deliveries!"

Axel shook his head at the brunette haired woman standing outside in front of him with a teasing smile on her lips. "Sleepy?" He laughed. "I don't think that's possible in this weather in these clothes," he waved at the still gray and blue sky and cool whether, then toward his uniform.

A dark green short sleeve button up shirt with a single pocket over the left breast was tucked into a pair of navy shorts that had creases and were folded once at the bottom with a thick black belt that carried a slightly small electronic sign pad and pen, pepper spray, and other miscellaneous items he may or may not have a need for. He wore black combat boots that were a little more clunky and stylish than the job standard and green socks that peaked at least three inches above the boot. On top of his head he wore a black hat with the company logo on this middle of it, his hair having been combed and put into a low braided ponytail that stopped a little past the bottom of his shoulder blades.

If he wanted to be honest with himself, he felt totally out of character and awkward in his uniform, but at least they allowed him to wear his red and yellow wrist band and keep on some of his silver rings, though he had to use makeup to cover up the black upside down triangles on his face below his eyes. That sucked, but at least he had a job.

The two made their way in into the plain white and cream painted building, and instantly the silence of the early morning city life and the sound of the occasional chirping bird was a thing of the past. Packages and other items of various sizes and shapes made their way down loud and rattling rolling tracks. The many people on the lines were talking loudly and laughing or complaining even louder than the next, and footsteps on the smooth floor and metal walkways above echoed about. Florescent lighting from high and hanging light fixtures glittered on all the metal, the sunlight from the many large windows surrounding the space not quite enough to do work by. The multiple beeping of different trucks making their way back into the loading area and the roar of a truck leaving sounded even from the other areas they were located.

Axel shook his head, not minding too much. "So, what do you want me to do?" He stretched his arms above his head and yawned as he followed the woman closer to a line of people checking stickers on a rack of clothing.

Just as the brunette began to speak, she was interrupted by another woman.

"You mean what do I want you to do," the newest person spoke, her hands on her shaped hips as she smirked at Axel with pink lips and bright teeth, a mischievousness lurking in her green eyes. Her build was slim, her blonde hair cut short with two bangs not unlike bug antenna sticking up and back. She wore casual clothing of a tight white short sleeved baby tee with bright green sleeves and blue and yellow stripes on the chest, and a loose pair of khaki cargos held up by an orange belt and casual tennis shoes. She also wore a sweat band on her right wrist and on the left she wore a gold bracelet with an inscription Axel could not make out under the light reflection on the thing and a ring on her finger.

"The name's Larxene," she shook Axel's hand roughly in introduction, "and I am in charge. I'm taking over for my old man and mom while they're out of town." She crossed her arms over her chest, her back straight. "So you're the new hire I've been told about? You certainly don't look like much."

Axel scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry I don't look like any of the many burly men I'm sure you have around here," he replied sarcastically and heard her exclamation of outrage at his eye roll. "Besides, you certainly don't look like much yourself, honey," He pointed her way with one hand, the other sliding into his pockets and he frowned deeper. Even the inside of the pockets felt stiff and new.

"Breeding bitch hips," Larxene tossed Axel's way casually as she raised her head to look down her nose at him.

Huh. Axel didn't think that his figure was visible in the uniform, least of all his uniquely shapely hips. "Flea bite breasts," Axel casually replied with a shrug, any thought that his reply might get him immediately fired had not crossed his mind. That is, until no one replied to his comment for a full minute. Oh well, he shrugged mentally. It was fun while it lasted, and they would definitely remember him for what he did to get fir—

Larxene stared at him silently for a while before she burst out laughing. Her hands flew in the air before she wrapped them around her stomach and bent forward. "You…" she continued to laugh and compose herself, "No reservations, huh?" Her smirk was almost feral. "You are definitely going to be my favorite here." She held her hand out to him, and he could not help but to notice that her pink polished manicured nails were filed to what looked awfully close to a sharpened point. "Welcome aboard 'Bottle/Bolt' delivery services…"

Axel took her offered hand, ignoring the way her nails bit on his skin and tapped the side of his head with the hand not in hers. "The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

XoXoXoXo

The afternoon sun beat down almost relentlessly on him and the lack of air conditioner in the delivery truck was in no way of any help. The only thing that was good was that he could legally drive down plenty of none busy side streets with his truck doors open (they were sliding doors that moved inside of the truck as opposed to the normal outside-the-minivan sliding doors) but with the heat on the wind, the open doors seemed like more of a hindrance than luxury.

He normally didn't mind the heat, but the constant lifting and loading/unloading of various size packages were starting to grate on his nerves. Already, he had man panicking asking his opinion on whether or not he should give the ordered delivery to his girlfriend, and some woman breaking down on him because she had received her wedding dress and did not know how to react. It was weird and a little time consuming, but in his own unique style he had convinced the man that 'yes, he should give her the gift because he would not have gotten it for her if he did not think he was ready to give it'. The woman with the wedding approaching had been slightly more difficult, but she had given him a large tip (fifty munny!) to carry the package into her basement until one of her best friends came along to hold the dress for her until she was ready.

When he left their residences, they had both thanked him with his name on their lips.

Axel gave a small smile at nothing in particular as he pulled up to his next delivery stop. He leaned casually on the steering wheel, avoiding the horn, and picked the chart of addresses up from the sun heated dashboard. The highlighted address on his chart almost made him frown outright, his smile becoming a straight line.

"Let's see if you can do more than talk a big deal," Larxene held out a wooden clipboard with a stack papers of the names and address he had to make his delivers to.

Axel took the clipboard easily and began flipping through the papers, frowning when one address stood out against the others. It was highlighted pink, the name was unavailable, and the house was slightly out of the company's line of delivery. "What's with this highlighted place?"

The workers in the background suddenly became quiet which was alarming, but not so much as the woman sitting behind a large desk with her feet crossed at the ankles on top of it. Larxene's smirk covered the bottom of her face, her bright teeth suddenly appeared to have grown sharp and deadly. If he wanted to be honest, it looked like Larxene could take a bite out of him. "Call it…Initiation. No, call hazing! That sounds sooo much better!" she crackled.

The silence of the workers behind him became even more evident.

"So…my test is to make this delivery?" Axel was skeptical. If this was hazing, it was far too simple.

"Yep," she shooed him away with a wave of perfectly manicured fingers. "Oh, Axel…" she sang as he made his way out the door, "just letting you know, the last person to make a delivery to their place is in the hospital."

Hands lazily tossed the clipboard aside and a scoff was heard as the wood clacked against the dashboard. He was not easily scared, especially not by some stupid threat or lack thereof from Larxene. It was his job to make the delivery and as he raised the package into his hands and made his way out of his truck, Axel decided that he would do it. He may not have liked the job he was doing and it was honestly not his first choice, but he was doing it and he would do it well.

The surrounding trees rustled their leaves as a wind blew the breeze cooler than any he had felt all day. The slap of his boots against the concrete path was audible in the silence that took place regardless of the cars driving up and down the next block over. The grass was a little overgrown and grew in patches of the cracks of the walkway that led to the white painted stained glass door of the two story blue house, and the red paint that coated the steps seemed unnecessary and chipped. Axel shook his head but made no expression otherwise. It was still way better than his one room apartment.

A chime rang loudly as he pressed the doorbell and waited. No curtains were open, except for the open window on the left on the second floor of the house. There was no call out for him to wait and, after he had rang the bell a second time and leaned in close to the door, there were no hurried footsteps to the door.

Axel rolled his eyes and leaned back. "Hello?" he called out annoyedly with a roll of his eyes. Had Larxene sent him to an abandoned house to get back at him for the one comment? That was childish and stupid but he wouldn't put it past her even though he only knew her for a few hours before he left to make his first alone delivery. She seemed like the sadistic type that would do something petty just to tick someone off. Axel grumbled under his breath, "Stupid bi—"

"Hello?" someone called as the stained glass door opened with an almost ominous creak. A teenage boy stood in the doorway; his clothing rumpled askew and, if Axel had to guess, belonged to someone else. The black shirt he had on fell off one shoulder and stopped halfway down his thighs, and one hand held up shorts that looked like they might have fit if they were properly put on. His feet were bare and his brunet hair was in spikes that flew in every direction. He cleared his throat and caught Axel's attention from his dress state to his eyes. They were a clear blue that stood out large against his slightly tanned skin.

"Yeah, total mess, huh?" He joked lightly as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head.

"Honestly? Yeah," Axel laughed at the smaller male.

"Hey!" He mock pouted, "It's better than that uniform of yours!"

"Touché," Axel held the package out to the other. "…Roxas Strife?" He asked awkwardly reading the name on the electronic signature pad, "That you?"

The other boy froze in the doorway, his eyes slowly looking back into the darkness of the house. "Uh," once again he was scratching the back of his head, about that…

"Sora! What's taking so long?" the brunet flinched as another voice called out from the house. It didn't sound too much different from a teenager's tone so Axel wasn't expecting too much when the speaker did come in the doorway. He had blond hair that was slightly less spiky than the brunet, and it was brushed to the side. The state of dress was the same as the brunet, the white shirt falling from his opposite shoulder and jeans barely on his hips as he looked up at Axel with eyes a color the redhead was hard-pressed to believe.

"Who are you?" the blond glared, his arms crossed over his chest.

He could have answered the question but he remained stunned by the blond. His eyes… "Your eyes…" Axel frowned and leaned down to the blond who looked taken aback by the question.

"What are you talking about?" the brunet, Sora was his name, stood closer to the blond and took his hand. Axel barely noticed the action and the fact that Roxas' skin was paler than Sora's as he leaned in closer.

It was wrong, he knew. It was a massive violation of the boy's personal space to the point that if someone were to look inside from out they would assume Axel was a pedophile leaning in to kiss the smaller boy, but he could not help himself. The eyes were pulling him in and not letting go, winning the brief mental battle Axel had had with himself and all he'd know to be right and polite. A stranger does not lean in this close to another stranger they come across, they do not. So why was he?

The name rolled off of his tongue as easily as if he were saying his own name. "Roxas," Axel whispered, "Your eyes…" he repeated and continued to stare into their depths a breath away from the blond. "…they're gold!"

Large gold irises with a slit stood out boldly against black, staring back at Axel with surprise, anger, and fear. "What?" the holder of such a bizarre phenomenon breathed slowly as he took a step back.

Stinging and burning snapped Axel out of his daze, and he abruptly brought a hand to his cheek. The blond had slapped him! "Hey, what the hell? !"

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you better now? Have your eyes fixed themselves or do you need further help?" one of his hands was in his sagging pants pocket, the other in Sora's hand with fingers laced.

Taking another look, his stomach fell at the sight. Plain blue eyes. They were just like Sora's blue, clear bold against his face, but nonetheless blue.

Axel shook his head, his braid making its way over one of his shoulders. Man, the heat must be affecting him worse than he thought. Gold and black eyes? Really? "'m fine. Sorry about that…" Axel mumbled then held out the package he had to deliver. "I have a package for a Roxas Strife," he repeated, holding out the square package to the blond with a smile on his face. "That's you, right? Sorry about the whole…"

"It's okay," Roxas nodded, taking the package and handing it over to Sora. "I'm just surprised you delivered here," He held his hand palm up to take the signing device.

"Really?" Axel passed him the device and the plastic electronic pen to sign, "Why? I mean, it's a stretch and more than a little out of the way, but you all are in Bottle/Bolt's district."

Roxas froze, the pen stilled as he stared up at Axel. "You don't know?" When Axel shook his head the negative Roxas sighed and shared a look with Sora. The look he gave Axel made the man not want to know but he did not say of do anything to stop Roxas.

"Every time, and I mean every time one of you guys come here to make a delivery something bad happens," Roxas explained and tightened his hold on Sora's hand, "The second one of the three of us signs for a package and you confirm it, something bad will happen to you the moment you leave our property."