Author's Note: In case anyone is wondering, my sister owns that beer bottle opener. It's REAL! Go get one, if you can, it's full of win.

School the next day was interesting.

Riku realized quite soon that Sora was avoiding him, which suited him down to the ground. He didn't want to Sora, wasn't sure he'd ever want to talk to him again. But he certainly didn't want to right now. Roxas and Axel, meanwhile, were not avoiding each other. They were talking. Well… arguing. And shooting daggers at each other when they weren't doing that. Unfortunately, it looked like Axel's and Roxas' friends were picking sides and most were choosing to go with Roxas. Not surprising, perhaps, since Axel had been the first one to key something but still difficult for the redhead. Riku decided to step in at lunch.

"Hey Axel, come sit with us." He offered the redhead, making the rest of the table look at him oddly. They were all jocks and good students, and most of them didn't know Axel beyond his name. Riku decided abruptly that he didn't care. Axel hesitated, glanced at Roxas and his old friends, then shrugged.

"Sure, why not." A bit of awkwardness meeting new people was better than hostility and coldness. Sora was sitting with Roxas too, and Axel didn't doubt he'd take his brother's side in things. It was time to branch out. Axel sat down, tried a bit of his lunch and almost spat it out. "Shit! This is foul. What in hell is it?"

"Strawberry goulash." Axel looked ready to vomit and Riku smiled, shaking his head. "You need to read the menu they put out at the beginning of the week, Axel." Everyone else at the table had brought sandwiches and things from home and Axel was getting several amused looks. "Here, I'll spot you half my sandwich."

"You can have my apple." A girl down the table offered, rolling it over. Axel caught it with a grin.

"Thanks Mia." She dimpled at him prettily. Axel vaguely remembered she was a cheerleader, and she was lovely, with long black hair and dark blue eyes. Not snooty at all though, not like the blond bitch sitting next to her. What was her name? Axel didn't remember and didn't care. Another kid tossed over a peanut butter cup, which made Axel grin. "Hey, thanks. Tidus, right?"

"Right." The blonde kid smiled and ate his own sandwich. Axel tried the half Riku had given him, and was pleased to find it was roast beef on foccacia bread, and big too. Riku always seemed to have the best foods. Axel let the conversation roll over him… it was mostly about football, which he knew nothing about and cared less… but suddenly woke up when things turned to a topic near and dear to his heart.

"So are any of you going to the Crazy Potato concert this weekend?" Mia asked brightly and Axel perked up.

"I am! I've already got my tickets." He was really looking forward to it, too. Riku glanced at him, a bit surprised, and Axel grinned at him. "Want to come Riku?" He was mostly teasing. Riku had mentioned that he didn't much like concerts, they were too loud. But Riku looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment.

"How much are the tickets?" That was a pressing concern. Riku was saving like crazy to have enough for university, so he didn't spend his money frivolously.

"They're fifty dollars. I'm going." Tidus offered brightly. "You ought to try it Riku, I mean, the only time you went to a concert it was the Jane Biscuits. They sucked, bigtime."

"You're the one who talked me into that." Riku said, amused, then shrugged. "Why not? Is the seating random or assigned?" If it was assigned they were going to be out of luck, but Axel shook his head.

"It's random. Why don't we all go together? I've got a car, although the seats are all fucked up." It was going to be some time before he could replace them. Tidus grinned.

"That would be perfect! I was going to get my mom to take me but she gets all pissy, this would be better. And Mia lives right near me. Anyone got some paper?" Riku frowned and searched his pockets, finding an old receipt from something. "Thanks." Tidus quickly scribbled down his and Mia's addresses as Axel watched, bemused. "Here. Pick us up at five? That'll give us plenty of time to get there."

"Sure thing." Axel made the paper disappear, feeling oddly pleased. Sure, they might not be his type but Riku's friends seemed nice enough. It might take some work but he felt like he could fit in here. And with Roxas busy alienating all of his old friends, that was important. Axel was a social person, he didn't want to end up eating by himself or the really weird kids. Not that there was anything wrong with being weird because you liked alternative stuff, but, well, there was something wrong with being weird because you had 30 gigs of porno on your hard drive and liked to boast about it. Some things were just too much.

"Come over to my place after class?" Riku murmured to him as they walked to their next class, and Axel flashed him a grin.

"Sure, why not?" It wasn't like he had anything pressing to do, and he could bum a meal off Riku. Anything that made his food supplies stretch was good, although… "I don't want to mooch off you though." Riku didn't seem to be much better off than him, although he was living at home. But the silver haired boy shook his head.

"Dad has an open account at the grocery store, I can get anything I want. Don't worry about that." Axel blinked at that arrangement, a bit taken aback. Was Riku's dad never home at all? But it relieved his mind a bit.

The rest of the day passed quickly, and Axel drove them back to Riku's place. Riku looked at the seats thoughtfully as they got out.

"You know, maybe you could just put on seat covers. I bet it would be cheaper than getting them completely recovered." He wasn't sure, but it was probably something to look into. Axel tilted his head to one side thoughtfully, then shrugged.

"Maybe. Have to see if K-Mart carries anything. So what's for supper?" Axel's stomach rumbled on cue and Riku laughed, opening the door.

"We just got home! Have a cookie and I'll make something." Riku went to the kichen, opening the fridge and considering the contents for a moment. "I was thinking of making pork chops, but with two of us… how about a pork stir fry?" Idly Riku wondered if he should start planning on always making enough for two. That would be almost nice, actually.

"Sounds great! Need any help chopping stuff?" Axel offered, finding some girl scout cookies and wolfing a few down. Riku smiled as he pulled out some green peppers from the vegetable cooler.

"Get started on these." They chopped together for a while, Riku throwing the pieces into the wok and quickly frying them with squirts of soy sauce. Then he put a packet of Annie's sticky rice into the microwave, letting it run as he worked on the stir fry. "You know, Axel. You really don't have to worry about coming over here to eat. If you want, you can come over every night. It would be nice to have company." Axel paused, blinking at him.

"Seriously? You sure?" Riku nodded, feeling a familiar ache in his chest, a tight feeling that would never go away completely. But it could be eased for a while. "What would your dad think?" Axel was aware his mother was dead. Riku paused in his stirring for a moment, then shrugged.

"He's never here, so who cares what he thinks?" Axel's eyes widened at the bitterness in his tone and Riku tried to gentle it, managing a half-smile. "The last time I saw him was in June."

"Holy shit! I see my parents more than that and they kicked my ass to the curb. What happened?" Axel couldn't see why Riku's dad would be away so much. Riku was a good kid, not a troublemaker like him. Riku stirred the food for a moment before speaking.

"It's like this. Mom died when I was eight. Before that we lived in a really nice house on the South side of town. We even had a swimming pool. After she died dad sold it and moved me here. It was like the house reminded him of her." Riku swallowed, then tried a bit of the carrot in the stir fry. It was still too hard. "I'm a reminder too. I look just like her… so he started going on business trips. At first he hired a nanny for me, but she quit when I was twelve and he didn't get another one." Riku shrugged. "I see him maybe twice a year, usually around Christmas and my birthday." Axel was silent for a moment.

"That's seriously fucked up, Riku. So he has an account for you at the grocery store?" Riku nodded.

"And one at Abercrombie and Finch for clothes. He also takes care of all the bills and I send any repair bills and whatnot to some law office and they take care of it." Riku shrugged. "I have no idea what he's doing, but I've never heard any complaints about my spending." He wasn't sure anyone was checking what he spent, but since he was limited to two stores it usually wasn't that much anyway.

"Wait, so that means you can only buy clothes at A&F? That sucks man!" Axel exclaimed as Riku pulled the rice from the microwave. "No wonder you always look so… preppie."

"Yeah, Abercrombie doesn't sell shirts with skulls on like the ones you wear… can you pass me some plates?" Riku asked as he pulled the stir fry off the stove, and Axel fetched a couple plates out of the cupboard. "Thanks." Riku split the rice evenly then poured the stir fry over top. Axel grabbed his plate with a grin.

"Well, if you think I'm turning down free food, think again. I'd love to mooch off you." Riku smiled and got them some beer from the fridge. "Alexander Keats? I love you. Marry me."

"You'd marry me for beer? Talk about a cheap date." Riku said absently as he used the bottle opener on Axel's bottle. The redhead stared as the beer opener mumbled Mmmm… beer… Hehehe…yes oh yes! WooHOO! in Homer Simpson's voice.

"What the fuck Riku?" Axel laughed and Riku looked up with a grin.

"Like it? I found it in a novelty store." Riku repeated the process on his own beer and sat down beside Axel as the redhead flipped though the TV stations. They were eating in the living room. "Hmm… want to watch Dancing with the Stars?"

"Hell ya! That's a good show." Riku laughed and turned it to that channel. They ate mostly in silence, occasionally commenting on the show and the occasional commercial. Riku smiled to himself. Just hanging out with Axel was surprisingly comfortable.

"Do you want to stay over tonight?" He suddenly asked the redhead, and Axel hesitated before shaking his head.

"Nah. Last night was kinda difficult, I had to drive home and get changed before I could go to school." Doing all that in the morning had been a pain. Riku looked slightly disappointed and mumbled something. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." Riku had been thinking that it would be much simpler if Axel moved in with him. The redhead could save money on his apartment and Riku could have some company. But they had been intimate, so that might be awkward. And far too soon. Riku resolved that if they were still liking each other in a couple months he would mention it. It would be a huge savings for Axel and maybe for him as well, if Axel could pick up some of the incidentals. Of course, the downside would be that Axel was a slob… maybe he would have to think about that more carefully. Riku wasn't sure he wanted to end up cleaning up after the redhead.

All they did that night was a goodbye kiss, and Riku felt a bit tingly as he went to bed. It was almost like it had been a date. A very strange, limited date, but still a date. What did it mean?

Deciding he wasn't going to figure it out, Riku let himself drift off to sleep. He'd just have to take things as they came.


The next few months saw Axel and Riku getting closer. They both had to adjust a little. Riku went to concerts with Axel and started tentatively trying his online games. Getting his butt kicked in the process, of course, but he took his losses gracefully and tried to keep learning. Axel went with Riku on nature hikes and found he rather enjoyed it, although he wasn't willing to watch Riku's football games. Which was just fine by Riku, they didn't need to be joined at the hip. Riku and Sora had started casually talking again, although they weren't nearly as close as they had been. Which was to be expected. If anything, Riku thought it was a minor miracle that he could manage a civil conversation with the brunette.

Roxas and Axel couldn't manage a civil conversation, and his defection to the jock table had sealed Axel's estrangement from his former friends. But he was branching out and making new ones, and he still had his online friends. Things seemed to be mostly working out.

Well. Except for a few aspects.

"Hello there handsome." Riku blinked at the voice behind him and turned to look, disbelieving. He was at the titty bar, pouring drinks, and that was the last place he'd have expected to find Axel. He gaped for a moment at the redhead.

"What in hell Axel? What are you doing here?" Technically, Axel wasn't really his boyfriend and he could go anywhere he liked. But while the redhead was a bisexual pervert, he was also incredibly broke. Titty bars were not for broke people. Axel looked a bit embarrassed.

"Er, yeah. I'm here to talk to you." Riku gave him a long stare and Axel coughed. "Would you mind if I crashed at your place for a while?"

"Dare I ask why?" Riku asked, morbidly curious. Axel hunched a bit and mumbled something. "What was that?"

"I had another fight with Roxas and started a fire in my apartment!" Axel said in an unfortunate lull in the sound of the bar, and turned red as a half-dozen people turned to stare at him. "I… fuck! I've been kicked out, okay?" Riku shook his head with a small smile.

"I hope the fire was an accident. Okay, you can come stay with me. But if you make any fires I'm feeding you to the garden gnomes." Riku had the pleasure of seeing Axel wince. "I'll help you move your stuff tomorrow if you want."

"Thanks Riku." Axel smiled, very relieved as Riku went back to work. "I'll stay about a week, okay?" He didn't want to impose on Riku more than necessary. The silver hair paused then came to an abrupt decision.

"Why don't you just stay with me permanently?" He asked and Axel blinked. Riku finished his tray of drinks which was taken by a waitress, and began pouring some more as he spoke. "You'll just have to get a hotel room twice a year when dad's in town and he won't know the difference." Riku couldn't help the bitter note in his tone, but smoothed it out as he spoke again. "And you can pay for the movie rentals and whatnot, so I'll be able to save a bit more."

"Seriously?" Axel liked that idea a lot. He'd be able to get free meals without having to drive home every night. And of course, Riku's company, which was something he was coming to prize. "I'd love to! Thanks Riku."

"Thank me when we've been living together for a while without killing each other." Riku advised him, and Axel grinned. He didn't think that would be a problem. Riku was one of the most logical, reasonable people in the world and he hated screaming fights. It was a completely different sort of relationship than the one he'd had with Roxas, but Axel was finding he rather enjoyed the absence of drama. Although he wasn't sure he'd call them boyfriends yet. They had sex maybe once a week, but it was still hard to define… closer than fuck buddies but both of them were hesitant about really committing after getting burned so recently. They were like good friends with benefits. Satisfied with that definition, Axel ordered a beer and watched the show a bit, although he couldn't see as much as he would have liked from the bar. But then, he couldn't afford to tip the girls so that was fine.

"Well, I have to go to K-Mart." He said as he checked the time. His job was the night shift. "Can you leave the door open for me?" Riku nodded absently, filling out another order.

"No problem. You can sleep with me or in dad's room, whichever you prefer." Riku vaguely hoped Axel would stay with him. It would be nice to have someone to curl up with. Axel grinned and reached out, gently cupping his cheek and making the silver hair blush.

"Oh, definitely with you. Later Riku." Axel slipped out of the bar, leaving Riku smiling as he worked. Everyone in the bar knew he was gay, he was quite open about it, so Axel's affection didn't bother him a bit. In fact, it felt good. Was he falling for the redhead?

Riku wasn't sure if he wanted that to be true or not. His heart had been broken to pieces so recently. He didn't know if he could take that happening again, and Axel didn't seem to be quite finished with Roxas, even if he was dating Olette now. Roxas didn't seem to be finished with the redhead either, with all the arguments, but Riku had no idea what to make of that. It just wasn't how he dealt with the world so he couldn't say what it meant. But it should have been easy for the two of them to avoid each other so it had to mean something. Riku decided there was no point in worrying about it. But he would have to be careful not to give his whole heart to Axel until he and Roxas had stopped even fighting each other.

He couldn't stand to have his heart broken again.