Chapter 1

"A Boy Named Freedom"

Axel was like a caged bird, he longed to spread his wings and explore. However, he was trapped behind these walls known as high school. He had become so bored of the same routine day after day. He no longer cared about his suffering grades or the mindless idiots around him. Each day blurred into the next. It had been this way for quite some time. No, this wasn't depression, this was something different. It was a need for change. And today, was that fateful day. The day of change. The day he met him.

As this small, almost child-like boy walked past the red head, he couldn't help but stare at the unfamiliar face walking through the all-too-familiar hallway. It was like in the movies, where time seemed to slow. As Axel shot a passing glance, he met eyes with the stranger. Axel wasn't a shy person by any means. But for some reason, he couldn't control the burning sensation rising in his bony cheeks. And to his surprise, the stranger reciprocated a similar, yet more subtle action.

After the two passed one another, time began to continue on at its usual pace. Finally reaching his first period class, Axel took his seat and thought about what had just happened. He memorized every detail of the boy in the mere seconds he had gawked at him. He pictured him in his mind; the way his large cerulean eyes gleamed like jewels, as if they were deeper than any sea. He continued to evoke his image and remembered the mess of blond hair that seemed chaotic, but with purpose and style. He visualized the cute childish nose, his rosy cheeks, and the small frame of the boy. He could recall everything about him. Axel knew he had to get to know this little angel.

The redhead continued to daydream about the little blond throughout his classes. Even as the bell rang, he mindlessly stood up and walked to his next class almost like a zombie, never stopping this newfound obsession from controlling his mind. He was entranced by the image his mind produced of the stranger. He couldn't stop thinking about him. Axel knew he had a problem. This boy was contagious, and Axel was lovesick.

Axel knew he was attracted to members of his own gender. But he had only experimented in that area, nothing serious. Nothing like this. He never imagined falling in love with another man. Especially not with just a glance. That was for fantasies, not reality. Fairytales are for the big screen, love at first sight just doesn't happen.

His mind began to clear the fog that was the image of the blond solely out of hunger as he walked to the cafeteria. Walking through the lunch line, gathering his meal, Axel noticed the small boy sitting alone. He quickly punched in his lunch code and rushed to the table the lone boy sat at. Axel made his presence known by giving the boy a small nudge. The boy looked up at the towering redhead who shot him a questioning glance as if to say, "mind if I sit here?" The boy nodded, looking up at Axel with those beautiful blue eyes. As he took his seat next to the boy, he had to restrain himself from staring at the adorable being before him.

Trying to act as normal as possible, Axel asked for the stranger's name. Staring down at the tray of food below him, scraping around the green mess that looked to be spinach, he softly told the man "I'm Roxas." In response, in his usual arrogant tone, the redhead cocked an eyebrow and stated, "I'm Axel, A-x-e-l. Got it memorized?" The small boy turned his head to the man and gave him a little nod. A gentle cheshire cat grin began to creep across Axel's face. This Roxas kid was just too damn cute for words.

Axel decided to take things a step further and asked Roxas if he was doing anything after school. Immediately he regretted this decision. "Am I moving too fast? Will that scare him off?" Axel was never one to question his decisions, he had always had so much confidence. But this Roxas character was setting off butterflies the man never knew existed. The boy shook his head and asked Axel words he was ecstatic to hear, "Do you want to come over?" It was a mix of shock and pure happiness that bubbled up inside Axel. The redhead smiled at the blond and asked to walk him home when the school day ended. Roxas graciously complied.

The rest of the day seemed to creep by slower than ever for Axel. He couldn't wait until 3 O'clock when he was finally released from this cage to walk the angelic Roxas home. Each minute seemed to last hours. Even before he had met Roxas, the school day passed by extremely slow. Now that he had a legitimate reason to want to be out of school, time seemed to move slower than ever. Throughout last period, Axel just stared at the clock, watching the elongated minutes drag on. At long last, the bell rang and the redhead flew through the door, down a flight of stairs, all the while pushing his way through the sea of peers, finally reaching the front of the school.

Not seeing the cute blond anywhere in his proximity, Axel decided to take a seat on the stone bench. The seat below him was cold, chilled by the brisk January air. The man could see his breath with each exhale. Thirty minutes had passed by and the swarm of students had almost completely dissipated. The thought of being stood up was creeping into Axel's mind. Giving one last look around, he cursed under his breath and stood up. He couldn't believe this. Already in a sour mood, Axel turned his back to the cage and began to walk off. Kicking the small pebbles scattered across the pavement, the redhead couldn't help but let Roxas flow through his mind.

Axel was lost in a haze of anger and regret. The world around him was somewhere far off, he was in his own world now. Why had the boy stood him up? Why lead him on? Had Axel done what he feared and scared him off? So many questions flowed through his mind.

Axel finally reached the quaint little house he called home. Pulling out a small gold key, he unlocked the solid wooden door that stood between him and his sanctuary. Pushing open the door, Axel looked around at the empty house. His parents were still away on their vacation. They never seemed to be too concerned for Axel. He had been left by them time after time that it became habitual. He didn't mind it though, he never cared for them. Why bother caring for someone who doesn't bother to reciprocate those feelings?

Walking into the kitchen, the man opened up the fridge exposing its nearly empty contents. Axel walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a can of Speghetti-Os that he had stocked up on. He opened it up, poured the food into a bowl, and set in in the microwave. As the utility heated his meal, Axel tugged the elastic placed on his wrist and pulled it around his rich blood colored spikes. His hair never cooperated well in a ponytail, but at least it was out of his face and away from his food. The microwave sounded and Axel grabbed his food, retiring to his bedroom for the night. Lost in his thoughts once again, he drifted off to sleep in the jeans and tight t shirt he had worn to school.

Suddenly woken by the annoying ringing of the alarm he had previously set, Axel rolled out of bed and moped into the bathroom. He tried to tame his wild hair, but failed and settled with a beanie he had bought but never worn. Throwing on a black hoodie with chains where the strings ought to be, and a fresh pair of jeans, Axel grabbed his bag and headed out the door. It wasn't a long walk to the school, but he was still in a sour mood and not willing to deal with other people. His solution was to put on his earbuds and drown out the world with Tokio Hotel blaring.

Axel continued his walk to school uninterrupted. That was, until a pair of small hands grabbed the back of his bicep. Startled by the sudden touch, the man whipped around pulling out his earbuds still blasting the words to Love and Death. Noticing the familiar face, Axel calmed and lowered the volume of his iPod. He didn't know what to say. He was standing face to face with the boy who had just stood him up. Before he could say anything he would regret, Roxas began to speak. "I'm sorry about yesterday, I should have told you that I wouldn't be able to make it. I had a surprise meeting with the principal. I would have told you but I didn't know how to get ahold of you."

The redhead was in shock. The little blond hadn't stood him up, or at least not intentionally. An immense relief took over him. He hadn't scared him off. He didn't hate Axel. Realizing all this, Axel let out a soft smile and casually threw an arm over the much shorter boy. "I've got a cell phone ya know. I can give you my number if you want." The small blond below Axel tensed at the amount of contact he was receiving from this man who was still practically a stranger.