"Your magic white rabbit has left its writing on the wall. We follow like Alice and just keep diving down the hole. Diving down the hole!" Roxas screamed hoarsely into the microphone.
Axel ended the song with its final riff, waving energetically to the crowd and throwing his last guitar pick into the crowd. He and Roxas were members of Coveting Corporate, a local band that covered any number of rock songs. They were slowly gaining more popularity; in fact, they were walking off the stage after finishing opening for Egypt Central. They'd been asked by the band themselves to cover White Rabbit, and the band had been only too happy to oblige.
Walking off stage, Axel peeled his sweaty tank top off. He hadn't played in front of that huge of a crowd in his entire life and everything about it enthralled him. Almost as much as their lead singer: Roxas had captured Axel's heart the moment he heard the younger blonde sing for the first time. Of course, Roxas had no idea how Axel felt. The redhead had played up the "guitarist gets the groupies" angle from day 1. His mother Tifa was the only person that knew he was into men and unless Roxas confessed to being madly in love with him, well then dammit, it would stay that way.
Axel sighed heavily as he walked to the band's dressing room. He paused outside the door when he heard Roxas sobbing lightly. His heart broke for the younger boy, but he couldn't bring himself to invade such a personal moment. He was turning to walk away when Roxas whispered his name. "Axel... damn you, Axel. Why can't you just feel the same?"
Heart pounding, Axel leaned against the doorframe just as the boy began to sing. "From the moment I saw you, from the moment I looked into your eyes, there was something about. I knew, I knew that you were once in a lifetime, a treasure near impossible to find, and I know how lucky I am to have you. Because I've seen rainbows that could take your breath away, the beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day, and when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few. But I've never seen anything as beautiful as you."
Axel's heart melted with the words to the song; it was much slower than the heavy metal the band typically played. It was obviously something Roxas had written on his own time, and for him to sing it about Axel... it was everything the redhead could do to not rush in and kiss the boy.
"Holding you in my arms, no one else has fit so perfectly. I could dance forever, with you, with you. And at the stroke of midnight, please forgive me if I can't let go. Because I never dreamed I'd find a Cinderella of my own. I've seen rainbows that could take your breath away, the beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day, and when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few. But I've never seen anything as beautiful as you." Axel thought he was finished and began gently pressing the door, when Roxas began again. "I've seen rainbows that could take your breath away, the beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day, and when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few. But I've never seen anything, oh, no I've never seen anything, as beautiful as you."
There were tears in Axel's eyes as he finally pushed open the door. Roxas turned and faced him full-on. "From the moment I saw you," he intoned. "From the moment I looked into your eyes."
"How long?" Axel asked softly.
Roxas smiled sadly, mistaking the reasoning behind Axel's question. "Didn't you listen? How long have we had this band? Five years? Maybe six? From the second I walked into your garage and sang in an audition for you guys, I've been pretty much in love with you. I just never knew how to tell you." The blonde shuffled his feet shyly. "I've written you hundreds of songs. And I sing one to myself after every performance. You're all always talking to fans or girls or getting drinks or high. And this has always been my time to myself. So I sing for you. I'm sorry... I'm sorry you had to find out this way. If you guys want me to leave the band, well, I wouldn't blame you."
Axel's eyebrows furrowed. "Leave the band? Why would we ask you to leave the band? We'd never find another singer like you." He ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, the only thing that's changed is that you can be open with me about how you feel."
"And that's, well, that's not a problem?" Roxas asked.
"Oh, it's a problem," Axel retorted.
Roxas's face flushed and the normally soft-spoken boy raised his voice. "And what exactly is the problem, Axel?"
Axel shrugged casually, leaning back against the doorframe. "Well, I know how you feel now. But you still don't know how I feel. That's a problem."
Confusion swept across the blonde's face. "I don't understand...," he trailed off.
In a quick motion, Axel strode across the room, grabbed the sides of Roxas's face and placed his lips on top of the singer's. Trying to convey as much passion and love as he could, Axel pulled him closer. "Now... now do you understand?"
There were tears on Roxas's cheeks, but he smiled. Axel gently wiped them away. "I think I'm starting to," he whispered, pulling Axel back down for another kiss.