A/N: A little while ago my sister asked why I had never written anything particularly long about Axel and Roxas since I had managed semi-long fics for Zexion and Demyx, and for Sky and Bridge. My response: I had a mental wall when it came to writing any akuroku past two pages long. I resolved to break down that damn wall no matter what. I regret that decision now, because I have no idea how long this will be or when any of the upcoming chapters will get written, so please bear with me. Dedicated to A Spot of Bother, since it's her fault I started this thing.

Chapter One

Roxas' eyes narrowed as another peal of laughter erupted from the circle of self-important bastards. At two o'clock in the morning, Roxas was not ready to deal with this type of shit. As far as he could tell, two main people caused the laughter. Some blonde kid with a mullet who seemed to be content to hang all over a blue-haired man of slighter height, and the other was some type of freaky Goth kid with flame-red hair. Heh – flaming. Roxas quietly chuckled at his own joke. God he really needed sleep. But he had promised Sora that he'd go out clubbing with his friend Kairi, making sure that unwanted attention didn't come her way again. Roxas scowled into his drink. Just because his scowl sent people running for their lives… Still, he shouldn't have agreed; he could already tell that he wouldn't be attending class tomorrow…um, today.

"Sorry, but I'm here with someone." Kairi's voice cut clear through the surrounding noise, and in one graceful motion Roxas was at her side. The petite brunette sent him an apologetic smile; Roxas was only called as a last resort for those morons who just didn't get the hint. Turning his gaze to the unwanted visitor, Roxas could see the man visibly shrink under his condescending gaze. Backing away with a stuttered apology, the man all but fled from Roxas' presence. "Thanks," she whispered. "I'm done, but would you mind seeing me into a cab?" Roxas nodded; glad to finally be relieved of his duty.

Walking outside, Roxas hailed a cab, letting Kairi settle comfortably before shutting the door behind her. Turning to walk home, Roxas spared a quick glower at the noisy group that spilled out from the bar before heading down an alley, silently wishing them all a painful death.

"Do you always go around pretending to be someone's boyfriend, or just hers? No, wait…you're a male escort, right?" Roxas whirled in surprise, eyes narrowing at the sight of the red-haired man who seemed content to lean against the wall smoking a cigarette. Roxas glared as the other man regarded him with interest.

"Considering the fact that I don't even know who you are, I don't see how what I do is any of your business," he hissed, turning to walk away.

"But I know you, Roxas." The blonde froze, turning to face the redhead. The man smirked, flicking his now finished cigarette into a puddle.

"How?" Roxas asked, carefully keeping a safe distance from the stranger. The man grinned at his instinctive fear-based response.

"I've been watching you," he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Why?" Roxas backed away, trying to keep his breathing steady. The man shrugged, pushing himself off the wall.

"You're an enigma – a walking contradiction. Take tonight, for example. You sacrificed your time just so that girl could have a good time, never mind the fact that you didn't want to do it. You hate crowds, yet you can constantly be found in the most crowded spots. All you want is to be left alone, yet you let your friends drag you everywhere. You insult just about everyone you come across with quick sarcasm and an even quicker tongue. You amuse me," he continued, matching Roxas' steps backwards with his own steps forward. Roxas looked at him incredulously.

"I amuse you? You're fucking stalking me, you psycho! How do you even know all that?" The man let out a laugh, shaking his head with a grin as he pinned Roxas into a corner.

"I've been watching you a long time, Roxas. Longer than you'll ever guess. I know more about you than you know about yourself. Just think of this as a game," he whispered. "I assure you, despite all evidence otherwise, I'm perfectly sane. I know everything about you; I'm giving you a chance to learn about me." He shoved himself away from Roxas, stepping back to look at the slighter boy.

"You –" he gasped, breathing in large breaths of air. The man matched his gaze as confusion and indecision flitted across the blonde's face. Roxas' chest heaved as he labored to breath but the other made no move, waiting his answer. "A game?" Roxas questioned at last. "And you're saying it'll explain everything? Who you are, why you know me, everything?" The man grinned.

"Admit it, Roxas. There are times when you feel you don't belong here, like you're forgetting something important. You feel that there's this huge part of you missing. You know it's not there, but you can never quite remember what it's supposed to be." Roxas' eyes widened as he realized that what he said was right.

"Alright, fine." Roxas said. "I'll play your game."

"Good," the other stated, turning to leave. "By the way," he called back. "The name's Axel. Don't forget it." And tossing something to Roxas, he disappeared.

Catching the thrown item, Roxas stared at the flower in his hand. His brain screamed at him to throw it away; he didn't need to be accepting gifts from insane stalkers. He glowered at the rose in his hand; he wasn't some schoolgirl, yet he felt oddly flattered by the attention. Sighing, Roxas gave one more glare at the rose before heading home, rose in hand.

Watching from the shadows, Axel grinned. The game was set in motion and Axel fully intended to win.

"So you've got a creepy old stalker?" Kairi asked. She had called to make sure Roxas had gotten home all right and he had let slip what had happened in the alleyway. He sighed into the phone.

"Kairi, he's not creepy…he's a little off balance, but not creepy. And he's our age. Look, he says he knows me, and he was right about how I feel. And…I don't know. I feel like I know him somehow. Besides, it's just a game, Kairi."

"Until he kills you." Kairi snapped. Roxas' temper flared.

"Look, Kairi," he snapped. "Who's been taking care of who, here? Considering the fact that I fight off all of your unwanted attention, I think I can handle my own. We talked for half-an-hour in the alleyway and I'm still alive, so I'd thank-you to let me make my own goddamn decisions." Slamming down the phone, Roxas made sure to block both Kairi's home and cell numbers. It took a lot to make Roxas lose his cool façade, but Kairi had latched on and wiggled underneath his skin. Besides, he didn't need a baby-sitter, or someone to mother him. He knew how to take care of himself.

He was well aware that he and Axel hadn't met in the most conventional way possible, and yes, Axel wasn't one of the most normal people he'd ever met, but reflecting back on the meeting, Axel never tried to touch him and had made no threatening remarks or movements…

Wait a minute – why was he even trying to defend Axel? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Roxas tossed his jacket over the back of the chair and made his way into his bedroom. A good sleep would clear everything up.

"It's just some stupid guy trying to freak you out," he muttered to himself, ignoring the rose he had set on the table in a vase. Somewhat reassured by his muttered declaration, Roxas climbed into bed and fell asleep.

Waking early the next morning, Roxas gasped at the rose that had been placed on his chest. Grabbing it as he sat up, he read the scrawled note that had been tied to the stem – The Name of the Game is Catch and Keep. Slightly unnerved that Axel could get into his apartment so easily, Roxas still couldn't keep a slight smirk off his face as he wondered which one of them was going to get caught.

Reviews please