Title: Somebody's Nobody
Series: Kingdom Hearts II
Characters: Axel & Roxas
Pairings: hint of Axel/Roxas
Rating: PG/K+ for language

Author's Notes: I'm taking a little detour from RtD (don't worry, it's still being worked on!) and after playing some KHII, I felt inspired to write a little something in regards to Axel and Roxas. This looks to be a one-shot as is, but if people like it enough, I might continue it.

Please note that I'm not terribly certain exactly how much information Roxas knew of himself in regards to him being a Nobody and all, but I made the guess that he had been told by Xenmas or someone else from the Organization before he lost his memory.

Also note that this IS from KHII, so there ARE spoilers.

Aside from that, I hope you enjoy.

This is my first time writing for these two characters and I hope I didn't mess up too badly with them.

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Somebody's Nobody

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"So your mind's made up?" Axel's voice, though quiet, was strangely loud in the still night air.

Roxas flinched slightly, but hardly paused as he turned his head to look at his best friend. "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know."

Axel gritted his teeth and grimaced. "Dammit, Roxas, you can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side and they'll destroy you, you know!" His tone was pleading and Roxas stopped in his tracks.

"No one would miss me anyway," Roxas grumbled as he spun on his heel, putting his back to his best friend.

At his words, Axel's mouth opened to say something, but the shock of the other boy's answer stopped him from saying anything. Then, when he realized that Roxas truly meant to leave, he found his voice.

"ROXAS!"

Roxas flinched again but ducked his head and pretended to not hear.

"I would miss you!" The words slipped out of Axel's mouth even before he knew what he was saying and when he realized what he said, he blushed, but didn't take his words back.

"I would miss you!"

Axel's voice echoed in the stillness and Roxas whipped around to face him. His chest felt tight and his throat was parched. Damn Axel for making this harder than it already was for him!

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

Roxas sneered and fought the sting of wetness in his eyes. "Oh yeah? Why the hell would you miss a Nobody like me?"

Axel recoiled a bit at Roxas' unexpected fury, but his own anger found fuel at the sense of indignity. Didn't Roxas know what was going to happen if he left the Organization and didn't the blond idiot know that he was his best friend? How dare Roxas assume he didn't care!

His anger burned hotly and he stalked over to Roxas and grabbed a fistful of his Organization robe and yanked him close so that they were nose to nose.

Taken by surprised, Roxas gave a high pitched yelp at being suddenly dragged off his feet.

"I'm your best friend; of course I'd miss you, you stupid idiot!" Axel shouted as he gave Roxas a hard shake that almost rattled the blond boy's teeth. His green eyes were artificially bright under the moonlight as they shone with wetness.

Roxas' eyes widened and the sneer that had been on his lips faded into a troubled frown. "Axel… I…"

"Roxas, you really are stupid sometimes, I swear! You really have no idea –" Axel began, then his throat closed up and he glared. At Roxas' perplexed expression, he snarled and released his grip on his best friend and shoved him away. "Fuck it. Fine. Go your way. See if I care. What the hell do I know about caring anyway?"

Axel whirled around and was about to make a run for it when he was stopped by Roxas' hand on his.

"… I really have no idea… what?" Roxas held fast onto the other's hand, even when Axel tried to jerk away. What was Axel trying to tell him?

"It's nothing. Forget it. Just… go, okay? And hope we never run into each other again." Axel turned his head away to hide the tears that were threatening to fall.

"No, it's not 'nothing' Axel. I know you too well. Please…?" Roxas tugged at Axel's hand.

There was dead silence for a long moment and just when Roxas was thinking that Axel really wasn't going to speak with him again, the redhead slowly turned around to face him. There had been a hell of lot of surprises in store for him lately, but at that moment, the look on Axel's face topped them all. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes again and his image of Axel grew blurry.

"… Axel…!"

Suddenly, he found himself enfolded in Axel's arms.

Safe. Warm. Comforting.

Axel's body pressed up against his felt so soothing and familiar to him that he couldn't help but wrap his arms around him and pull him in closer. As he buried his face against his best friend's shoulder, he felt trembling fingers stroking his hair.

"You're so stupid sometimes, do you know that? Stupid and silly!" Axel ground out in a choked voice as he buried his nose in the blond strands.

"You… you say that a lot, Axel… why?" Roxas's voice was muffled as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"That's because you ARE! You're so clueless and naïve that you have no idea how much someone like me cares about you! I care about you, Roxas! Don't you know that?" Axel's pained voice was scarcely over a whisper and Roxas had to strain to hear him. "You might be a Nobody, Roxas, but you're MY Nobody because you're MY best friend!" He choked at the last words as his grip tightened. "And that makes you a somebody to me, even if I'm a Nobody, too!"

Roxas' eyes flew open at the words and the tears started to fall. He gave a strangled sob before tightening his arms around the other man and fisting his hands in the other's robe. "I don't want to lose you, Axel!"

Wordlessly, Axel pulled Roxas closer to him and held him as tight as he could as he twined his fingers through the blond locks.

As hot tears streaked down his cheeks, he suddenly wondered if it was possible for a Nobody to love a somebody even if the somebody was just another Nobody.

Was it even possible for a Nobody to love at all in the first place?

The answer came quite unexpectedly when Roxas suddenly pulled away to look up at him with shining eyes and a wavery smile. "If I'm somebody to you, then you're somebody to me, too, Axel."

Axel opened his mouth to say something, but was silenced by Roxas' fingers gently pressing against his lips. A flicker of silent and unspoken understanding passed between their eyes and Axel managed a brilliant roguish smile before pulling his best friend against him in a fierce embrace.

What he and Roxas shared was real enough for him. Roxas was his Nobody and he Roxas' Nobody and together… they were somebodies – at least to each other.

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