Axel banged on the white marble doorframe to Roxas' room. He had been standing there for nearly 10 minutes and still nothing. "Hey, Roxas, dinner!"

Demyx passed by, "You still there? Maybe the little bugger doesn't want food."

Axel swished around, "Hey, the kid gotta eat and it's my job to make sure he does!" He turned back around violently and banged on the door this time. It swung open to reveal an empty room. He stood back and scratched his head before slowly stepping inside and pushing the door in further with a gloved finger.

Observing the empty room, motion caught the corner of his eye. Axel whipped around, grabbing the doorframe and leaned out into the hallway.

In one direction- empty. In the other-

"Hey, Axel. Dinner time. Whatcha doing?" Roxas tapped one of Axel's spikes as he spoke. Axel stared at Roxas looking down at him from the other side.

"Where were you, kid?" He let go of the doorframe and followed Roxas away.

"Roaming."

"Bad idea, kid."

"Hey, I'm 15-"

"Yeah, you're a kid. That's why I'm looking after you."

"You haven't been doing a good job."

"I've been busy."

"Sleeping."

After dinner, Axel lay on one of the castle's battlements, limbs dangling over either side. In the starlit darkness he saw Roxas approach and sit at his feet, turning to face outwards.

"Aren't you supposed to watch me?"

"Do what? Be boring?" Maybe if he gave him a chance he might not be so bad.

"I'm only boring because there's nothing to do."

"Or no one," Axel sighed.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, kid."

Roxas jumped back to the stone and stepped to Axel's head, looking down at him. "I'm not a fucking kid, Axel."

Alex propped himself up on his elbows and looked at the blonde. Roxas' eyes flared at Axel.

"Yeah, you are. Know why? Because you haven't been around long enough to know what a shitty life you'll have. Once you know, you won't be a kid."

"It doesn't have to be bad..."

Something in his voice made Axel sit up and turn towards Roxas. He gripped the stone beneath him. "Really? Tell me how to make it better."

"You could be a bit nicer and stop ordering me around. I'm not your servant you know."

"Yeah, that might be better for you, what about me?"

"You can stop being so brooding."

"Well that's a little tougher."

"You could-"

Why was this kid blushing? What was he thinking of?

"You want a girlfriend, Roxy?"

Roxas sneering for a moment. "Not a girlfriend, no."

He wants a boyfriend?

"Look, I'm tired. I'm going to bed." Roxas began to turn around when Axel spoke again.

"What do you want?"

Roxas turned back and came to stand before Axel between his legs. He leaned in and brushed his lips against Axel's and whispered, "You. Got it memorized?" before swiftly turning away without a second glance.

-----

Axel paced the hallway twice before Demyx stopped him from the back with a hand to his shoulder. "Newbie your fuck buddy now?"

Axel pulled away and swung around at the grinning blonde. "How'd you know? I mean NO! NO!"

Demyx raised an eyebrow as Axel wrapped up his hands in his crimson spikes. "No! Look, the kid hasn't come out since dinner, I want to know what he's up to. I'm supposed to look after him, remember?"

Demyx cocked his head and folded his arms.

"Go play your damn violin or whatever the fuck it is, Demyx."

Exasperated, Demyx strode away, calling back, "Good luck!"

"Fuck you!"

"Luck about what? Who are you fucking?" came another voice.

"Shit!" Axel snapped his head back to notice that the door had opened and Roxas was looking up at him. Why did he always do this? Come out of nowhere... Axel poked a finger at Roxas' chest and pushed him backwards. "Not you, buddy." Axel pressed him back until he could shut the door then crossed his arms and watched as Roxas sat in a chair against the wall.

"What are you doing here, Axel?"

"Hey, do I need an excuse? You're like my best friend."

Roxas smirked in disbelief.

"Well you are..."

Roxas gazed over at him before tugging up his legs in his arms. Axel approached him and reached out to his friend. "Hey, look, uh-" he pulled at one of his spikes.

Roxas noticed his difficulty getting out words and stood, stepping towards him.

Axel waved his hands wildly. "Look, we can't- you, uh- look just stop, ok? I'm not for the whole, ya know- sorry, kid."

"It's ok."

"Oh-ok then-well, uh, I'll see ya later, Roxas."

Axel swiftly strode from the room, deciding to find Demyx to get his mind off things.

He found the Melodious Nocturne atop the castle in a courtyard plucking at his sitar. Axel stood behind him until Demyx acknowledged his arrival by stopping his playing. "Newbie not satisfy you?"

"We didn't."

"You sound disappointed."

"You sound like you wanted me to fuck him."

"Because if you did, then I would know."

"Know what?"

"That I wasn't an option."

"What? Geez, what is it with you? First Xaldin puts me in a cage, Luxord wins me in a bet, Larxene- I still have scars from her... I didn't choose to be handled like that! And while I was flattered by the attention, I fear what you may have me do. And Roxas? That little kid is probably plotting something for me. So I don't wanna be handled anymore. Got it memorized, Demyx?" Axel spouted fire from his fingertips and watched as they swirled around. He shot off the little flames in a fireball before he collapsed on the ground, elbows on knees. He stretched out spread-eagle and shut his eyes. When he opened them again, Demyx was standing over him.

"What do you want?" Axel whined.

"Nothing," replied Demyx. He knelt at Axel's head and fingered his hair before bending down and plating a soft kiss on his lips.

"Ah, screw it." Axel tossed over and forward, throwing Demyx down and having his way this time on the cold marble in the middle of an everlasting night.

-----

"Don't you want your coat, Axel?" Demyx threw it at his bare backside.

"Hey, I am damn proud of my body."

"Proud? You're skinner than one of Xaldin's lances."

Axel reached down and donned his coat, zipping it up fully before passing Demyx leaning on his sitar.

"You should go apologize to Roxas, Axel."

"Don't you dare tell him!"

"You really do care."

"'Course I do. He's like a brother."

Demyx scrunched up his face.

"Ah, shit, Demyx, not- ah, I'll see you later."

Demyx watched Axel depart before settling down. He plucked one note and gave up, staring up at the night.

-----

Axel approached Roxas from behind on a staircase. Roxas stopped and turned around. Alex halted- "Hey... Roxas... how you doin'?"

Roxas' eyes were glazed a bit from too much thinking. "I'm- I want to leave, Axel. But no one will let me even if I ask."

"Of course they won't- why do you want to go?" This is not what he wanted.

Roxas shrugged. "I don't like it here."

"No way, Roxas. Stay. You gotta. At least talk to me about it, huh? I'll do anything to make you stay, Roxas." He really did care about him. He just needed to find that out first. He knew he might've hurt Demyx, but what did he care? They didn't have hearts, right?

"Anything?"

He sighed, "Roxas."

"You said." Roxas smirked and began up the steps again. Axel caught him and flung him around when they were eye-level. He pressed himself, body and lips, to the younger boy, holding his arms tight.

Roxas returned the kiss and Axel loosened his grip to let Roxas run his hands through the other's spikes. Eventually Roxas broke away and stroked Axel's green diamond tattoos with his thumbs. "You're my only incentive right now to stay."

Axel grasped one of Roxas' wrists and pulled him to his room. He really would do anything to make him stay. He'd even let Roxas strip him first and slam him to the bed and dominate. At least this time it was willingly. I would miss this kid if he left. I wouldn't want him to go. What would I do? He wanted the newbie to savor him so it would be impossible to think of anything else.