A/N: hey everyone! if you can't tell by my username- I really only created an account to read all the interesting stories on here... but I decided to give it a try because I thought it would be an interesting challenge. Creative and a writer I am not... so please don't be too harsh! It's a clichéd story line and really nothing special but I hope you enjoy!

Chapter one: In which Roxas is jealous and has a conversation with Axel

Roxas Strife was a young man with bright blonde hair and startlingly blue eyes. He was well under the average height and most people described him as cute or adorable rather than attractive or sexy. As for his personality… well, when people were being nice they said he was honest and socially awkward. When they weren't… (which was often) they said he was a rude, stubborn, anti-social ass.

He was not afraid to say what was on his mind and he found most people quite dull. He didn't like the way most people would beat around the bush and expect him to be nice and caring of other people's feelings. It took him a considerable amount of effort to be nice, but he put in the effort if only to save him the trouble of dealing with offended persons. He lived in a small apartment across from the Radiant Gardens University campus where he attended college. His twin brother Sora lived next door with his best-friend-turned-boyfriend Riku. They both attended RGU as well and everyone was quite happy. Well… not everyone.

Roxas was glad that his brother's relationship was going so well but he couldn't help the twinge of jealousy every time he saw just how happy they were… which was often… pretty much every time he saw them. If he hadn't known better he would have said they were rubbing it in, but he did know better, so he didn't.

He didn't particularly need a significant other but yes it would have been nice to have someone of his own. He wasn't trying particularly hard to find someone though because it seemed that every time he tried the ones he attracted were not his type. Usually cute, sensitive girls found him the most attractive which was a problem from the very start because even their gender was wrong. Yes, that's right. Roxas was gay. He didn't flaunt it, meaning nothing in his outward appearance showed that he liked men instead of women: he didn't sing songs from musicals or groom his hair to perfection or wear scarves or do any of the other gay stereotypes. Nope, he didn't do any of that but sometimes he almost wished he did because then it would stop girls from coming up to him and expecting him to buy them a drink or ask them out.

There were two particularly stubborn girls who had their eye on him and, as he had yet to obtain a boyfriend since he had started college, they didn't believe him when he told them he was gay. Both Xion and Naminé were determined to make him their boyfriend, which made him only that much more desperate for his own.

Another strike against Roxas was that his gaydar was completely broken, if he had ever had one at all. He had NO idea if a guy was being friendly or flirty and had, on several occasions, read the situation the complete wrong way.

After being slapped by another pist off girl, who was angered that he found men more attractive than herself, for the third time in two weeks, Roxas had had enough. He decided to settle for going to classes, fighting his jealous surges at Riku and Sora's PDA, and avoid Xion and Naminé at all costs. It was during one of his avoidance maneuvers of Xion that he bumped into him.

If Roxas had been paying any attention at all to where he was going, instead of worrying if Xion had seen him, there was no way he would have hit him. He was extremely tall with shocking red hair that flew out in long, jagged spikes. He had been carrying a large stack of books which had tumbled out of his arms the moment Roxas bumped into him. Roxas quickly knelt and began picking up books apologizing for not looking where he was going, not because he was particularly sorry but because he did not want to have to deal with some boring, offended person. When he heard a chuckle, he looked up and was met with the most shocking acidic green eyes he had ever seen. Roxas was momentarily speechless before he realized the man was laughing at him. He raised an eyebrow coolly and asked why on earth was he laughing at him. The man responded with an even louder burst of laughter and said "It's because of your apologies. They didn't sound sincere at all. You should really work on that kid."

Roxas was intrigued. No one had ever noticed when he was being insincere. He thought it was because he was so cute. Since his appearance made it look like he was nice, people thought that he was.

"You could tell?" he asked in a shocked tone.

"Well, yeah. It's like you weren't even trying to hide it," the ginger replied with an amused expression on his face.

"Well, I wasn't particularly sorry," Roxas replied wondering how the weird redhead would respond.

The man just laughed. "I didn't think you were. Out of curiosity how did you manage to bump into me?" the redhead asked standing up, the books once again in his arms.

"What?" Roxas asked confused. He didn't think it would be necessary to explain to someone how one would bump into another. Damn, he had hoped this interesting person wasn't as stupid as most people, but it looked like he was wrong.

"Well, I'm a 6'5" redhead who was carrying 12 textbooks in his arms. How did you not see me? I am pretty noticeable without the books but with them I was like a frickin neon sign."

"Ohhhhh," Roxas replied, relieved he didn't have to try to explain how someone bumps into someone else. "I had other things on my mind."

"What kind of things?" the man asked wondering what was such an important thought that it caused you to miss someone as noticeable as himself.

"Why do you want to know?" Roxas asked once again intrigued by this strange man.

"Because I'm curious," he said and gave a pleading smile, "Indulge me!"

"I was thinking about Xion and hoping she hadn't seen me," Roxas replied amused that the man cared so much.

"Xion? Short, dark haired, pretty faced Xion? Why didn't you want her to see you? I mean she's pretty enough, if you are into the short sensitive type," the man said amused.

"Well I'm not." Roxas all but yelled, angered and annoyed.

"Easy there little fella; there's no need to bite my head off. I was just making an observation!" the guy replied shocked by the vehemence in the blonde's reaction.

"Well she can't seem to take the hint that I'm not into her so now it's kind of a touchy subject," Roxas replied somewhat sheepish at his own outburst.

"Why aren't you into her? She seems really nice and she IS pretty," the man asked curious as to why he didn't like the pretty brunette.

"Her gender is wrong for one thing and she can't take a hint that im not into her," Roxas replied annoyed just at the thought of the stubborn brunette. "Oh shit, there she is now. Dammit, I gotta go!" he said strangely saddened at the thought of ending the conversation.

"Oh," the redhead said looking oddly disappointed, "well… here is my number!" The ginger shifted the books to one arm and scribbled his number onto Roxas's arm. And with an exclamation of "We should hang out!", he began walking away.

"Wait!" Roxas called out after him, "I don't even know your name!"

"The name's Axel," he replied, turning around. And giving a wink he said "Got it memorized?"