So, I didn't get a ton of feedback from the first chapter. But I got enough to inspire me to write another chapter! Here's hoping this chapter gets more love! Oh well, it usually takes a few chaps for my fics to get attention anyways. So...here's for the few people who like this fic!

Chapter 2

It was so incredibly awkward to slip through the kitchen, quiet as a mouse, pretending that he hadn't just glimpsed his brother kissing another man. He hadn't seen them exactly, they were in the other room, but the TV was casting the flickering shadow of them against the wall; Two shadows far too close for casual conversation, the thin lines of fingers entwined in the long shadow of hair. Even worse, was biting his lip, forcing down the rising disgust and keeping quiet. Keeping his promise to Sora, even though ever fiber of his screamed for him to rush in there and tear the two of them apart. Tear that bastard's filthy hands away from his brother; Those hands that had single handedly smeared corruption all over him, turned him away from what he knew was right.

His hands clenched in tight fists around the plastic handle of his only suitcase, so tight he feared it might crack, he forced his feet to hurry him into the hallway and upstairs, away from the couple below. He didn't know which room was his, but if he watched those shadows meld any longer he wasn't sure what he would do.

Or rather, he was, and simply couldn't afford it.

And to think, he'd thought, for just a moment, that this was easier than anticipated. Sora hadn't shunned him, had invited him into his home and allowed him to stay. They'd even briefly discussed the matter of Sora's sexuality, him having lain his disapproval right there on the table, and still things had gone smoothly, if not somewhat awkwardly. Even watching Riku touch Sora, run his hand down his arm, kiss his face, hadn't affected him like this. That was just Riku being the arrogant, hotheaded, asshole that he was; It had been so easy to hate him. But seeing Sora as an active participant in such debauchery... That had really done it; Brought it all roaring back. The revulsion, the anger, and most of all the betrayal.

After all these years, it still hurt just as much as before.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, forcing the bitter feelings down. They would do him no good, not now. No, he had better things he could be doing, like finding his room for example. Opening his eyes, he looked down the hallway. Though it wasn't long, there were several doors to both his left and right; Simple wooden doors that looked homey against the pale yellow of the walls. There were pictures hung casually at different heights, some straight and some tilted a bit- He noticed that it was mostly the lower ones that were crooked. But it wasn't the pictures themselves that bothered him so much as the images they contained.

Some were of Sora - Smiling all wide and goofy in front of different places: at a park of some sort, in front of a train, in what he assumed was some room on the house holding a paint roller, blue paint smeared into his hair and speckling his coveralls- some of Riku- His long hair pulled back in a pony tail watching the sunset over the beach, his eyes narrowed as he struggled to assemble some sort of furniture, apparently with little success- which he didn't care for, and a few of people he didn't recognize, several with bright red hair- What the hell kinds of friends had Sora gone off and made?

What what hit him the most, like a punch to the gut, was the one of their parents. He had pictures of them, several of them in an album buried beneath his clothes in the very suitcase he now carried. But there was something about seeing their image blown up and framed. His mothers eyes, small blue dots in his copies, were large and clear, staring up at him from behind the glass. Her face was as beautiful as ever, he cheeks rosy, her lips painted dark red and pulled up in a dazzling smile. Her teeth were slightly crooked and a little yellowed from years of coffee addiction, but she was still, hands down, the most beautiful woman Roxas had ever seen. Beside her stood a tall man, proud, with wide shoulders and dark hair flopping lazily over his eyes. He had an arm around his wife, his fingers toying with her honey blonde waves as they rested on her shoulder, his eyes warm and brown and steady. And between them was the mix of them both. Two young boys around the age of three, one with brown hair and one with blonde, each one smiling widely into the camera with giant blue eyes. A testament to the love the two adults had shared. Roxas was sitting on his father's knee, the man's arm around his son protectively as the child clung with both hands to his thumb, while Sora was snugging up against their mother. She was cuddling him with both arms, his head laying adoringly against her shoulder.

Looking at the photo, Roxas couldn't fight the sting that appeared behind his eyes. The sudden, intense, stab of loss, born from the memory of a happy time. When there was a mother and a father and a brother, the people that he loved more than life itself. And they were all so happy and carefree, never believing for a second that anything could tear that happiness apart.

Unable to stare at it any longer- The image burning his eyes like the sun- he tore his gaze away, moved it down, and could only stare. Because there, in lack and white, for all the world to see, was Sora and Riku kissing. It wasn't anything deep; lips together, eyes closed, each obviously smiling, like one that you'd take in a photo booth at the mall.

And once again, Roxas felt his stomach churn with uncontrollable anger. He'd seen their shadows kiss, but this was somehow worse, not because he could see their faces but because it was hing so close to his parents. Because his parents would roll over in their graves if they knew. His father's face would tense, the lines around his eyes and mouth becoming prominent and he restrained his own emotion, instead seeing to his wife. And his mother. He could see her now, her eyes wide and wet, lip quivering as she wondered where she went wrong, questioned their parenting.

And that was something that Roxas simply could not stand. His parents had been amazing, the best in the world, and he simply refused to let them or anyone else think otherwise. It didn't matter that they were no longer around to witness it for themselves, there were others who were; Their friends, their family. And that Sora would rub this in their face this way...

Grabbing the kissing picture, he yanked it from the wall, turning it around before slamming it harshly back into place, the picture sufficiently hidden behind the back of the frame. Glass fell silently into the carpet from the force of his actions, but he couldn't bring himself to care, and with one last look at the family they had once been, he stormed into the nearest one he could find hoping that it was his.

The Sinclair house had never been a place that anyone would consider ordinary, probably because the word itself was in direct contrast with the people who lived there. It was for that reason that Axel Sinclair found the sight before him less odd than others would...But it was still kind of weird...

Fresh out of the shower he was shirtless, pajama pants slung low on his hips – Black, dotted with flaming chilli peppers, the words TOO HOT TO HANDLE repeating across the waistband.- a towel slung around his neck. His long red hair, usually poking up in unruly spikes, was limp and straight, hanging in a shiny red curtain around his shoulders. Leaning against the door-frame, he just stared into the living room.

His older brother Reno was hanging upside down on the couch, playing God Of War on the PS3, his eyes narrowed in concentration, tongue sticking out one corner of his mouth. His legs were kicking against the back of the couch as he played. All in all he looked more like an irresponsible little boy that the oldest of the siblings and the owner of the house they resided in. What was weirder though, was the way he was murmuring to the screen, little things like, " Ooh! In yo' face", and "Yeah, I shanked you bitch. So what?"

Oblivious to Reno's epic battle was their younger sister Kairi, who was currently flattening herself against the living room window, her nose smudging up the glass, not blinking. And that, Axel decided, was far creepier than Reno and his video-game addiction.

"Kairi...what the fuck are you doing?" When there was no response, he turned to Reno. "What the fuck is she doing?"

"Hell if I know," Reno shrugged, his voice somewhat distracted. "But she's been doing it for like, twenty minutes now..." His voice trailed off as he began rapidly pounding away at the circle button. "SWEET! HA! TAKE THAT!"

Sighing, he shook his head, returning his attention to his sister. "Kai-"

"There's someone outside." She replied suddenly, effectively cutting him off, He arched a brow, waiting for more, but she didn't continue, never moving her eyes from the window.

"I hate to break it to you Kai, but there are other people in this neighborhood, and sometimes they like to venture outdoors."

That comment earned him an eye roll.

"Well no duh. It's not that. It's just, he's in front of Sora's house. I saw him go in earlier..."

"So what?" Reno asked, pulling himself up so that he was sitting on the back of the couch, facing away from the TV. At another, less distracting, time Axel might have envied the strength and definition of his brother's abs that allowed him to move that way so effortlessly, strength his own skin-and-bones stomach was sorely lacking. Now, however, he was too busy trying to discern his crazy sister's antics. "They're allowed to have company you know."

"I know but-"

"You're being seriously freaky Kai," Axel interjected, crossing the room to flop across the sofa cushions. "And get away from the window. You're leaving smudge marks."

"Am not!"

"Are too. And no one ever cleans those windows so cut it out. We're going to look grimey."

"Grimey?"

"Yes. Grimey. Groedy. Like so totally eeew."

"You are such a dork," she groaned, rolling her eyes, but she couldn't fight the grin twitching at the corner of her lips.

"I know I am, but what are you!" he shot back, green eyes glimmering triumphantly for a moment, before... "Wait-"

"Way to prove her point." Reno chuckled, swinging his legs back and forth against the back of the couch and letting his laughter swirl into his sister's. The two of them were busy laughing at Axel's expense, amidst their brother's attempts at defending himself, when suddenly Kairi stopped, perking up.

"He's back!" She exclaimed, darting to the window, though admittedly making a conscious effort to keep her nose off the already smudgy surface. Axel was, though with questionable vocabulary, right- The window was "grimey."

She looked back at her brothers expectantly, frowning when she realized that rather than following her, sharing in her excitement, they were both still planted in their seats on the couch, staring at her blankly. Reno even had the nerve to blink...Traitor. Hadn't he been laughing with her just a second ago?

"Would you just get over here?"

"What? Why?"

"Because he-" She blinked in shock as her eyes turned back to the new guy. "He's got a suitcase..."

"What?" His interest finally piqued, Axel hauled himself up, striding over to look over Kairi's shoulder...and froze...

Because there, across the street, stood perhaps the most beautiful boy that Axel had ever seen...And that was saying something. Good looking people were always waltzing into the bar he worked at, hell, he liked across the street from freaking Riku. Between his glass-green eyes and shining, silver, hair, you'd be hard pressed to find a more attractive man than his neighbor, but even he had never elicited such a reaction in Axel; Made his breath catch, his heart skip a beat.

He couldn't see the boy exceptionally well from that distance, but even so, he could tell that he was on the shorter side, with large eyes. He couldn't tell the color, but they were big. His hair was messy, in little spikes that shone and glittered a shimmery gold, like crystallized sunlight, and Axel found himself wanting to touch it, his fingers twitching at his sides. Would it be soft, he wondered? Natural? Or was it hard and crunchy, glued in place with gels and sprays. He hoped it was the first one, probably more intensely than was really logical at this point, but he couldn't help it.

His eyes dropped to the suitcase in his hand, the one he placed on the ground beside him as he leaned into his car to do something, before emerging once again and slamming the door shut. Pressing a button on his keys, the lights flashed as he locked it up, a nifty feature that Axel's car was sadly lacking, before he grabbed his suitcase once more and turned, heading towards the house. And then he was gone, the door closing and blocking him from view. Blinking, Axel felt his senses return to him, caught the tail end of something Kairi had been saying.

"-know him?"

He blinked again, shaking his head clear. "Um...what?"

Kairi sighed. "I said, I've never seen him around here before. Who do you think he could be? Do you know him?"

No, he didn't. But he wanted to.

"Well, he had luggage didn't he?"Reno piped up, "Maybe they were looking for a roommate or something."

At this Axel just snorted. "Pfft. Roommate? Are you crazy?That would totally interfere with their spontaneous table sex."

Kairi's eyebrows shot up before her face contorted into a look of disgust. "Ew. You do know that Sora's my friend, right?"

"Well duh," Reno commented, "They're our friends too."

"So that's just it!"

"What? So?"

"So I don't wanna hear about my friends having sex!"

Both boys just blinked, and meeting each other's eyes they shared a disbelieving look.

"What the hell kind of college student are you?"

"She's a prude" Reno teased, his mouth curling up, eyes glittering with mirth. "I bet your closet is just full of conservative little plaid skirts."

"With matching sweater vests", Axel grinned, poking her in the arm. "Are we right? Are we?"

"You guys suck!"

"No, no, no" Reno corrected, holding up his hands. "You're a little confused baby sister." He moved one finger to point at Axel. "He sucks. I however, am not into that."

"Ew!" She cried, jumping to her feet. "Ew! Ew! Ew!" She was jumping in place, hands waving frantically, as if trying to clear away the image. "Ew!"

"Hey!" Axel exclaimed in fake indignation. "I thought you were supportive of my alternative lifestyle."

"I can support it without imagining it." She cringed. "Seriously, I don't wanna think about my friend's sex lives and you...you're my brother...Ew!"

"Well if that's all..." Axel replied, a mischievous grin stretching from ear to ear. He was about to continue, his eyes glinting with a comment that was sure to make Kairi screech again, when she beat him too it.

"So what are we going to do about that guy?"

Reno blinked. "What do you mean? Why the hell do we have to do anything?"

"Because...because..."

Under normal circumstances, Axel probably would have sided with Reno on this one- He was the one making sense after all. He wasn't glaring or waving his arms or getting all worked up as Kairi had a tendency to do. Unfortunately, his laid-back ideals weren't going to help Axel at all.

A new goal had just arisen in Axel's life: He had to meet the boy from across the street. Suddenly, it was the most important task in his entire repertoire, and he'd do anything to see to it that that goal was met. Even side with his somewhat spazzy baby sister.

"Because they're our friends." He replied, speaking up above Kairi's sputtered excuses. "Sora and Riku that is. And besides, it's only neighborly."

Kairi blinked while Reno fixed his gaze on his brother. "Axel, what exactly are you talking about?"

"Why, when we go introduce ourselves over dinner of course." He grinned widely, his teeth glimmering in the window's light. "After all, it's only polite."

Alright, so I'm sorry if this chapter is a little short, and not as good as the first one, but I've been having writer's block lately...On EVERYTHING. But I really did try. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to Shiksa, who promised to finish (Or at least update) The Kid's Got Spunk (All Over His Face.) if I did. Anyways, it took me a while, but here is the nice, shiny, update, just for you. So I'm going to be waiting for you're end of the bargain now :p

Thank You everyone for reading and sticking with me through my writers block and stuff. I hope you will continue to do so until this fic is finished. I hope you enjoyed this update!

Reviews make Redfaerie happy!

_Redfaerie :)