A/N: Hey all. My muses have been going off the wall lately, so I've decided to indulge them for the time being. This is part one of a two-shot. I'm going to be writing part two (probably) tomorrow. It was inspired by a song called "Say Goodbye" by Skillet.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own any characters mentioned in the story, as they are property of Square Enix; nor do I own the song that inspired this story. Except on my iPod. That's it, I swear!

"Roxas, what is this?" I ask, pulling an official-looking letter out of the mail stack. "It's from Radiant Gardens University. Is there something I should know?"

Roxas looks at me, a sad smile on his face. He gets up off the couch and saunters over to me, pulling the letter from my hands. Opening the letter, his hands shake. I watch him silently, seeing his expression lighten dramatically.

"I've… I've been accepted to RGU! Axel, I've been accepted to the best school around! Can you believe it?" He looks at my face, noticing my sullen expression.

"Axel? What's wrong?" the blonde ponders.

"Rox, you know what's wrong. I don't want to move all the way out there. It's too far away from home," I explain, again. We've had this conversation many times now. Roxas and I have been dating for two and a half years, almost three. He's told me that RGU is his dream school, and if he got accepted, he'd go.

"But Ax, this is a dream come true for me. I don't want to go without you… Please, won't you even consider living out there with me?"

"I… I just can't, Roxy. I love you, I do, but I can't just pull up out of here like that. I finally got a stable job and income, so what's it gonna look like if I just up and quit four months after being hired? You know this is the longest any place has been able to stand me, so I can't leave…" I trailed off.

"Why can't you attend with me? You know? Tell your employers that you're going back to school for a degree," he pleads with me. I'd tried going to college the fall after I graduated from high school; the start of Roxy's senior year. It didn't last very long. After about a month, I withdrew from my classes and dropped out. Since then, I've been hopping along from one job to another, only staying there for a few weeks. The place I'm at now, Cid's, has been the only place to keep me on longer than that.

"I just don't have the passion for school you do. You know my track record isn't the greatest."

"Axel, just because you gave up on it last time doesn't mean anything. I'll be there with you now. I can help you. Besides, you'd get a better paying job if you had a degree. It wouldn't hurt you to try going again. Please, Ax, I'm begging you," he says, frustrated.

"And how do I go about paying for this exactly? I'm not exactly made of money, here. It's not like I can get a loan. And I know from last time that I won't qualify for any grants, or scholarships. Hell, I could barely pay for my books at the community college here, and they were used! I just can't do it, Roxas…" I know I'm making excuses, but I can't do anything about my situation.

My credit, thanks to my brother Reno, is ruined, hence why I wouldn't be able to get a loan. And I only make about eight hundred munny a month. Tuition for a school like RGU is astronomical, around forty thousand munny a year. The only way Roxas is able to go is because of his parents and because of all the scholarships he received. I, on the other hand, am not so lucky.

"I'll talk to my parents, to see if maybe they can help you," he suggests.

"No! Look, Roxy, as much as I appreciate it, your parents wouldn't do jack shit for me, and we both know it. I'm not exactly welcomed with open arms. They might be okay with you liking guys, but they're not the fondest of what we have. They've never liked me, even when we were younger. Something about me being a bad influence, or whatever. I'm not gonna go crying to them because I can't afford something like RGU. And that's that." I end the conversation.

I step outside, for a breath of fresh air, and to cool off a little bit. Roxas and I have been arguing about the whole school thing a lot lately. It's definitely starting to come between us, and it scares me. I mean, we should have been able to figure something out by now, and gotten over this. He's my whole life, my other half, my soul mate… And I don't want to lose him because of some stupid college. But deep down, I know, I'll have to let him go… I can't make him stay here because of me. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I did that?

I sigh, knowing he'll be upset when I go back inside. I hang my head and go back inside. As soon as the door closes behind me, I hear faint sniffling coming from my bedroom. Oh boy… I didn't think I'd upset him that much.

Walking to the doorway, I call, "Roxas? Babe?" I see, in the faint light provided by the setting sun, he's lying on my bed. He sniffles and sits up. I walk over to him and sit down, wrapping my arms around his lithe frame. He tucks his head into the crook of my neck, returning the hug. I nuzzle my face into his blonde hair, planting a kiss on his head. He relaxes a little bit, after several minutes, and I pull away to look at him.

His eyes are red and there are slight trails on his face from the tears. I hate seeing him like this. Moreover, I hate myself for making him cry. And that's what I seem to be making him do lately. My heart clenches at what I'm about to do.

"God, Roxy, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry… But I've been thinking lately about our situation. And… I think we should end it. All we seem to be doing is arguing because of this whole school thing. And I can't do a long-distance relationship. I'd miss you too, too much. I just want you to know that I'm saying this because I love you, with every fiber of my being," my voice breaks on the last word, betraying what I was trying to hide.

Fresh tears come to his beautiful, ocean-blue eyes as he says, "Ax… Please, don't do this. Don't be irrational. We can make it work. I can come and visit during breaks and holidays, or I can fly you out so you can come see me there, and we can make this work! Just, please… I love you too much to let you go."

"But Rox, don't you see? It's because I love you that I'm letting you go like this. I'm too weak to do long-distance…" I wipe a tear from his cheek with my thumb. His hand joins mine on his face, and I can see his heart breaking in his eyes. He knows I'm too stubborn to give in to him, so he just lets the tears flow, not fighting them anymore. I pull him into my lap and embrace him once more, whispering apologies in his ear. God, this hurts so bad… Why can't I just make him happy again? He at least deserves that.

We sit like this for a long while, not really wanting to move and end the moment. But of course, I can't even have that much, because my phone decides to start vibrating against my leg, alerting me to a phone call, and scaring the hell outta me.

"Shit. I'm sorry Rox, I've gotta take this call… It's probably work calling me in." He shifts a little on my lap, allowing me to get to my pocket. I look at the screen briefly, when I pull the phone out, and note that it is, indeed, work. I curse under my breath before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Axel, we need you to come in for the night shift tonight, okay? Saïx called in sick."

Damn it.

"Yea, I'll be there. What time?"

"Eight to six. I know it's a long shift, but Seifer doesn't come in until six tomorrow morning and no one else is available."

I look at my alarm clock, seeing that it's currently 7:24. I don't have a whole lot longer with Roxy.

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Thanks, kiddo! You're a lifesaver."

"No problem, Cid. Later."

I hang up and sigh deeply. I don't want to let Roxas go. I nuzzle my face into his hair again, smelling the vanilla scented shampoo I bought for him. I wrap my arms tighter around him; wishing time would just stop so this moment wouldn't end.

"…Axel?" Roxas squeaks out.

"Yea, babe?"

"You're gonna have to loosen up a little bit. I can't breathe." He coughs for emphasis.

"Oh, right… Sorry," I say, letting my arms loosen just a little. "I just, I don't want this to be happening, is all. But I'm not gonna make you forego your dream school because of me. It wouldn't be right, or fair to you," I reiterate my point from earlier.

He sighs heavily, "I guess I see what you mean… I just wish you'd try it my way first."

"I know, Roxy. I know."

"Can you do something for me though, Ax?" he whispers.

"Anything. What is it?" I wonder aloud.

"Kiss me? One last time?" Upon saying this, he pulls his head from its resting spot on my shoulder and looks me in the eye.

I don't have to be asked twice. In a second, my lips are on his, melding together perfectly. His lips part slightly, and I take the opportunity to delve my tongue into his mouth, tasting him; he always tastes like sea salt ice cream. His arms wander around my neck, and I can feel him grasping the hair at the nape. His tongue meets mine in a dance of passion. But he always lets me dominate. I explore his mouth, mapping it out in my mind, even though I've done this so many times before. He returns the favor by doing the same to me, and I start grazing my teeth along his muscle. Then I hear the most glorious sound of Roxas moaning into my mouth, and his fingers tangle themselves further into my locks. Too soon for my liking, we have to break apart for air.

He's panting, and his cheeks are flushed. I rest my forehead lightly against his, cherishing every second I have left with him. Our breath mixes in the slight space between us, and he closes his eyes. I can tell he wants to continue, and it's taking a lot of restraint on my part not to indulge him, or myself. I can't exactly mark him as mine anymore, given the circumstance.

When my breathing has slowed down some, I break the silence, "Roxy?"

"Hmm?" He keeps his eyes closed.

"I want you to know I'll always love you. Always."

"You too, Axel. No one can ever replace you in my heart," he replies. It's at this moment I notice the time again, and remember work. It's 7:45. I should probably leave if I want to get there on time.

"Damn it… I'm sorry Rox, but I've gotta leave," I tell him, my voice dripping with disappointment.

"It alright… I've gotta tell my parents about RGU anyways. Be safe on your way to work," he all but mumbles.

"Always am."

With our shoes already on, we leave the apartment, and I make sure to lock it behind me.

"Well, I guess this is goodb-"

"Don't say anything tonight, if you're gonna say goodbye. It's never goodbye. Commit it to memory," I say, interrupting him. I hope that didn't come out as harsh as it sounded.

He stalks away, headed to his parents' house. Before he even gets to the corner of the block, I can tell he's crying again. My heart clenches painfully. Dejectedly, I begin my short walk to work, not looking forward to the ten hours ahead of me. I take a shortcut through the local park, and I remember the first kiss Roxas and I shared on the junglegyms to my left. That was the day I asked him if he would be my boyfriend.

I feel tears stinging my eyes, but I fight them back. If there's one thing I don't need people to see, it's me crying.

I cross the street once I'm through the park, and the convenience store, known simply as Cid's, is in front of me. This is going to be the longest night of my life.

Cid greets me as I walk through the door and clock in.

"Thanks again for this, Axel. You don't know how glad I am to have you here," my employer states. "You're doing me a huge favor."

"No problem, Cid," I respond. I plaster a fake smile on my face, thankful he doesn't know me well enough to see the difference.

He leaves shortly thereafter, his truck almost backfiring.

Knowing that he won't watch the security tapes, and that I won't have any customers (we never do at night), I finally let my walls down. The heartache brings the tears back, and I don't fight them this time. My knees give out slowly, and I sink to the floor behind the counter. The pain of the reality overwhelms me, and I'm sobbing before I know it.

The last time I felt pain like this, I was fourteen, and I'd just learned that my mom had committed suicide because my dad was a jerkoff and left her. It fell on Reno to take care of me, which wasn't easy when I started cutting myself. I still carry a lot of scars on my arms, but I stopped when I became friends with Roxas. He gave me hope in the darkest time of my life, and I couldn't ever thank him enough.

After a good hour has passed, my eyes dry themselves out, and I head to the bathroom to clean myself up. I look like shit right now… And it's totally obvious to anyone who looks long enough. My eyes are bloodshot, my nose is running, and my gray shirt has obvious tear stains on it. I splash a bit of cold water on my face, hoping it'll help.

Once I'm finished trying to better my appearance so that random strangers (if they come in) won't be able to tell I'm dying of a broken heart, I head back out to the counter. It's this moment that my best friend, Demyx, walks in. Of all fucking nights.

"Axel, oh my God, you look like hell! What happened?"

A/N: Well... That was... Not as easy to write as I thought it would be. Please note that I do not condone self-harm in any way. Just because I use it in my stories doesn't mean that I condone it. Now that that's said, did you guys catch the lyric I slipped in?

Anyways, I would like to thank RabiesIsContagious for helping me with ideas and generally being awesome while I wrote this. And if you guys haven't, you should go read her story Since Then. -lolshamelessadvertising- OTL

Thanks for reading, and I hope you're looking forward to part two! Please, leave a review, let me know what you like or don't like about this story. But please be nice about it. Love you guys! I'll update as soon as I can!