Title: A Second Chance

Author: BornXThroughXSleep

Summary:It all started with a picture; a picture started everything. When he met him he thought everything was going to turn out so well. However it's been 2 years now and no answer. Dare he hope for a second chance?

Hello everyone! It certainly been a while hasn't it? Well I'm back :'D

So! On to the story.. I had this little sucker in my head for about a few months. This plot bunny just wouldn't leave! So I sat down this lovely Spring Break and actually tried to finish it. However it's incomplete. I wanted to make it a one-shot but ughhhh. This is the longest I've ever written! I'm trying to challenge myself now but yeah it was too much. Anyway this is going to be short probably only about 3 or so chapters.. depends. I have everything planned out.

OH AND BY THE WAY. Anyone know were I can get a copy of Microsoft word? I'm getting impatient.. It got deleted off of my computer and I can't find my serial number and I can't open it anymore except for like.. five more times :I

Anyway enough of my talking.. off to the story!

~(\xUx/)~

I remember the first day I got my camera. I took pictures of little things at first like my window, my dog, and flowers. Then I started taking pictures of landscapes and buildings. Eventually I started taking pictures of people. Starting with my mother, I would take pictures when she would clean around the house, nap, and watched TV. Friends came next. I took pictures at school, secretly in class, when they came over. People at the park though, soon became my obsession.

They never looked at you and never paid attention but I loved the way my camera captured little details and emotions. If someone's body sagged they had a bad day. If they had a dreamy glint in their eye, they would be thinking about something or someone they loved. If their eyes were teary, it meant they were sad. I liked noticing the small details of life. I was thirteen then. I was young and felt like I could do anything. I'm eighteen now and I still hold the same camera in my hands. I still feel the same way.

My beloved "Blaze" came through after all the hard times and close calls, when a lady slammed it out of my grasp, When the strap broke and it flew out of my hands, when I dropped it after being scared by a friend ...well you get the idea. My parents thought I should be more serious about what I wanted to do when I told them I wanted to be a photographer. They think I won't make a decent living taking pictures. I want to prove them wrong. It's a different form of art, anyone can stand out they just have to make things... special.

I heard the familiar zoom and looked through the clear lens to the boy I had been taking pictures of the past hour. He was here alone. It was way past noon, almost five but still quite sunny.

I didn't want to seem like a stalker so I took a few pictures of the trees and animal life next to him occasionally. All my attention was on him though. From the corner of my eyes and through the lens I looked at him curiously. Looked at the way he fidgets and looks around, the twitching on the side of his lips-he means to smile- and the way he runs his shaky hands through his hair. I wondered; why would someone like him be alone? He looked about sixteen, surely he had friends to go out and be with?

He seemed like the adventurous time, he probably goes out all the time, that's probably why he looks so anxious and out of place sitting alone. I snap a few more pictures of his profile and slowly take it away from my eyes. I looked through the pictures and let out a content smile. All the pictures came out great. As a final test, I looked through the lens once more and my breath hitched.

It was an accidental shot. My finger had just slipped and the shutter released. The picture was of the blonde boy sitting on the bench. His eyes were half lidded as he looked up to the bright sunny gold sky. His right hand covered his eyes, the smallest hint of a lopsided grin on his lips, barely exposing pearly white teeth. He looked absolutely breathtaking.

I fidgeted in putting Blaze inside her bag and slung it quickly over my shoulder. I looked over to the younger boy and gulped. This was... odd. I knew that I didn't take in interest in girls because girls were annoying and slobbish and rude and I had already dated a few guys but... this was different. I wanted to meet this perfect person; this stranger that seemed miles away from me when really he was just a few steps. My stomach tightened and I felt my head pound. This was... Love at first sight right? I mean okay not really love but an infatuation with him. Should I go up and talk to him? I wonder how his voice sounds. It probably sounds nice. But what would we even talk about? 'Oh I was just taking pictures of you the past hour'? I don't exactly think that would be the best way to start a conversation. I started bouncing a bit on my feet blowing an impatient sigh out of my lungs and looked around my surroundings. What could I do to start a conversation? Balloons? Nahh.. Too old. Squirrels? Pathetic. Ice-cream? huh.. that could work. But the question still loomed; how to start the conversation.

Be a man! I just sucked it up and walked over rather stiff but, still walked over.

"Uh… Hi" My voice cracked. I coughed into my hand and bit my lip. Shit. The stranger was sitting down, back against me, reading something on his phone. At the sound of my voice his head bounced up and looked me straight in the eyes. A look of masked confusion was clear in them.

"Yes? Can I help you?" He asked neutrally. I mean of course! A random guy at a public park comes up and starts talking to you would creep me out too. His voice though... very childish but somewhat mature, It created a nice lightly husky voice. It was perfect.

"I was wondering if it was okay if I took some pictures of you..." The boy blushed and his mouth quickly shot open as if to say something,"... for my school survey! People that visit the park often!"

I rubbed my hand on my neck letting out an awkward laugh.

"Oh" He whispered, "I guess its okay... As long as you don't have my name and whatnot" He laughed. I laughed quietly with him.

"Well... Can I know your name?" I asked some-what hopefully. He eyed me carefully and then a small smile escaped him showing those perfect teeth once more. My heart was fluttering loudly in my ears.

"Maybe..," He thought for a second, "If you buy me some ice-cream!"

I grinned;" Sure," The younger teen got up and stretched with a yawn. Saying his butt was sore from sitting there for so long. He walked in a brisk pace towards the ice-cream cart. He was fast but I could easily match his pace with my long legs.

When we finally reached the tiny little cart driven by an elderly lady who looked like she was about to break and her eyes drooped so much they looked like she was asleep. She turned towards us and smiled showing her gaped smile, missing more than just a few teeth. They were hardly any left.

"Why hello there, young lads!" She had a southern accent Axel noticed.

"Hi Ma'am," The blonde boy waved happily, "What flavors do you have?"

"All kinds, even really unusual ones like strawberry-pickled-jam!" She stood a little straighter obviously showing her pride.

I quirked a brow; would anyone by that?

"Oh that's nice!" I voiced and looked over to the teen. He was biting his lip.

"Do you happen to have... sea-salt?" He showed a sheepish grin.

"Why o'course I do! It's not that unusual lad," She reached inside to take out a baby blue Popsicle looking much like one that was bubble gum flavored. She handed it to the blonde stranger and he smiled and thanked her.

"And for you?"

"Ah... The same please," I responded. It sounded awful but… it couldn't hurt to try it right? She looked inside for a minute before pulling another identical Popsicle out.

"You're in'luck! That's the last one!" She smiled up at me. I gave her another grin and thanked her. Watching the blonde boy from the corner of my eyes I could see him walking away. I quickly took out a five dollar bill and handed it to the lady.

"Oh no, it's fine" She refused.

"I would feel terrible lady, just take it!" I practically threw it into her hands and jogged towards the retreating boy.

"So that was your big plan?" He flinched and looked straight into my eyes, "Make me pay for your ice-cream and leave?"

"No!"He bluffed, "I was going to get my money from my car to repay you," Those words were mumbled out of his lips, those pink puffed lips.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Tell you what; you won't have to pay me back a thing if you can tell me your name,"

"Why so eager? This is just for your school survey right?" He retorted. I snorted.

"But of course! That's why I need your name so I know the names of people that visit this park the most often," I grinned.

"I've never heard a school survey that had to ask for that," He had a point.

"It's for... Psychology," I shook my head to try and hide my grin, "We study how names cause people to do different things. Names affect people you know," (*)

The young squirt huffed and continued walking away.

"Aww come one, you want me to have an incomplete survey?" I walked around him and stopped once I managed to stare him in the eye. He quickly maneuvered his way through my outstretched arms and licked happily at his ice-cream. It reminded me of the slowly melting one in my hand. I took a panic lick at it and stopped. The flavor was familiar yet not; Classical Vanilla ice-cream with a hint of sea-salt. It should have repulsed me but the exotic mix of the bitter and sweet was actually pretty good.

"This is actually pretty good blondie," I continued biting away at the frozen treat and looked over to see the younger pout.

"Stop calling me nicknames," His voice was venom.

"I will if you give me your name," I retorted.

"Nope"

"Come on!"

"No."

"Really?"

"Nu-uh"

"Fine then, I'll just leave!" I spun on my heel and slowly sauntered off. When did talking to him become so easy? Only a few minutes ago I was tongue tied! I sneaked a glance at the confused younger boy. He looked so innocent, so pure with that dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Wha-wait!" He reached out towards me; I felt it behind my head. I smiled, and turned around turning my grin to a hard mask of indifference. He eyed me once more before opening his mouth to speak once more.

"My name…" He whispered.

"Yes?" Was he really going to tell me? He cast his eyes downward, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. He looked back up and gave me a lopsided grin like the one in the picture. My heart stopped and I couldn't help but smile back.

"My name is… Ventus,"

"Well Ven… I'm Axel,"

~(\xUx/)~

"I'm sorry Axel... I have work to go to, I have to cancel today too," Ven's voice was laced with guilt.

"It's okay, I was going to cancel too, I have a photography commission I have to work on anyway," Axel tried to keep the disappointment from his voice.

"Really?" His voice perked up slightly.

"Yeah, don't worry your little head about it," Axel let out a forced laugh, "next week fine?"

Silence answered him. Axel panicked for a second before he heard the crystal clear laugh through the line.

"Of course! See ya then Axel," the line went dead.

Axel's entire being seemed to deflate as he slowly fell back on his bed, stretching his arms wide, and the phone falling out of his hand. This wasn't the first time Ven had canceled and frankly he had expected it. There was only a flicker of hope in him left, and with Ven' last words, was gone, extinguished, put out, over. Things with Ven had been growing distant. Well, there entire relationship was distant but Axel wouldn't accept that. Since the day they met, Ven always seemed to put a space between them.

But why? The question seemed to float endlessly through Axel's head. It swam and swam, constantly pushed to the back of his mind. He didn't want to face the answer. Axel wasn't stupid he knew why, and he felt like such an idiot for holding on to false hopes. Ven doesn't love me, he never did. It was as simple as that. He shot up abruptly into a sitting position and stared at the wall. It was full of pictures. All of which Axel had taken. All of them were special to him in some way but one stood out.

It held Ven smiling up happily into the clouds. It was a pathetic conclusion but Axel knew Ven never smiled at him like that, never actually showed genuine emotion towards him.

"My name…" He whispered.

It all started at that one moment. The moment I had looked at him, the moment I had spoken to him, the moment I had taken the picture.

It had all started with a picture.

It had all started with that stupid picture.

So tell me guys, what did you think? What should I improve on? Should I continue?

And don't worry your little heads over the fact that Axel is hitting on Ven. It's all part of the plan ;)

Remember: Reviews are motivational! Please? Can I get at least one? :)