The faucet squeaked loudly, causing Roxas to flinch as he stepped out of the shower. That was another thing I had promised to fix. He sighed.

Vigorously rubbing a towel over his hair to dry it, he glanced to a nearby wall clock. Almost five.

Roxas let a small smile escape into the towel.

Tonight, Axel, I'll be all you need…I promise.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You can really go home now, Demyx." Larxene smiled and leaned against the doorframe, curiously eyeing the band director.

Said director, bent over a pile of sheet music, shook his head. "No! I have to figure out the arrangement for the flutes!" he glared at a blank music sheet, scratching out a few notes and then running into his office. He emerged seconds later with a flute and proceeded to play the notes, making a wry face and marking through them.

"Look, it's almost five. You don't have to have the concert songs for another three months. Why are you worrying about them now?" She walked into the band room, her stiletto heels clicking with every step.

Demyx looked up from the music, a devilish glint in his eyes. "You don't understand. I have to finish this." He hissed, scratching out a few more bars of notes.

Larxene sighed and put a hand on her hip, grabbing the obsessed musician's collar with the other. "Come on, Axel's driving us home."

"Axel's here?" Demyx perked up and almost dropped the music, peeking over Larxene's shoulder. "Where?"

"Outside. Now stop drooling all over my shirt." She pushed him off of her. "Get your shit together. He won't wait forever."

The band director grinned and started collecting his things. Larxene couldn't help but laugh at her friend's stupidity. Innocent Demyx had a lot to learn about me. She'd been the first to notice his crush on me, but said nothing. The three of us had been 'at the mall' almost every day together for the past two weeks or so, and Demyx never missed a day. Her crush on the musician had been short-lived; Larx needed a man who was more…dominant. Like Marluxia.

She grimaced.

But not Marluxia.

"I'm ready!" He announced, slinging his bag over his shoulder and picking up his black leather briefcase.

She nodded and headed out to my car.

"Took you long enough." I glared at the both of them as they climbed through the windows into my car. I continued to glare at them in the rearview mirror as we sped toward Larxene's house. The Eye seemed to be working, since Demyx was squirming in his seat and the tall woman was pointedly avoiding it.

"What?" The musician finally said in a small voice. "You look like you're about to eat someone."

"Actually…" I thought about the upcoming evening and grinned. "Anyway. You guys made me late again. You know how paranoid Roxas is."

Larxene rolled her eyes. "You're just saying that because you know he's gonna ask for sex tonight. Get over it."

Demyx looked rather disheartened at the comment, but said nothing toward the subject. "I hope you don't get in trouble."

I shrugged. "I won't. Hey, Larx, here's your house." I tossed her bag out the window after her. She muttered a sarcastic "Thank you" before heading inside.

The car stayed motionless for several moments before Demyx noticed green eyes focused on him in the rearview mirror.

"What?" He asked nervously, ever wary of my sexual escapades (even though he had nothing to worry about at that point; I was all set for the night).

"You gonna get in the front seat or make me look like a chauffer?" I grinned and motioned for the musician to climb up.

Demyx did so, but not without a worried glance back to the safety of his original seat. While he had somewhat of a "schoolgirl crush" on me, he didn't want to become a victim of one of my detours (again…nothing to worry about).

We weren't very close yet – we hadn't had a chance to be – so conversation on the way to the band director's house was rather dry. I tried to strike up a few different chats about music and stuff that I knew Demyx was interested in, but nothing seemed to be working.

The blonde just sat there, hands folded in his lap. Very rigid. Part of me wanted to pull over and give him something to be rigid about.

But I didn't.

"And we're here!" I put the car in park outside his apartment. "I had a really great time talking to you on the way here."

Demyx offered a faint smile. "Yeah." He started to climb out the window.

I caught his arm. "Hey, I'm not gonna attack you, y'know."

He looked startled and slid back into his seat. "I-I know that."

"I don't think you do." I tried to keep my voice level. "Look, I don't try to fuck everything that moves, okay? You don't have anything to worry about."

"I get it, Axel." He smiled and gave me a peck on the cheek before climbing out of the window. "Don't look so agitated."

I was left alone in the car, feeling a distinct warm spot on my face from Demyx's lips. What had been a normal, friendly action from the musician seemed like much more to me.

"Make up your damn mind." I mumbled, speeding away.

And that was the first of a long string of misunderstandings between us.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, Roxie!" I yelled as I entered the house, hanging up my car keys in the kitchen.

I didn't hear him approaching (evidently, he'd been practicing). He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling on the red button-up shirt I'd been wearing. It was a good thing I'd unbuttoned it in the car.

I grinned. Roxas was in an aggressive mood.

Turning, I grabbed him around the waist and shrugged off the shirt before shoving him against the wall.

I felt him shiver as I ran my fingers up his chest, stroking his jaw line and…

I stopped suddenly, stepping back. His face was tear-stained and red, and even as I looked at him, more began to fall. He averted his gaze.

"Roxas…" I hugged him close, feeling more like a dick than I had in weeks. "Hey, don't cry."

He clung to me, virtually melting against my chest. "I'm sorry…" he hiccupped and shook his head. "I was going to make this night really special…I cooked dinner and everything…" he motioned to the fully set table and steaming pots on the stove. "But then you were late, and I thought you were off…with someone, somewhere. I'm sorry." He repeated, looking away.

I sighed and picked him up, carrying him to the couch and sitting him in my lap. "Look, Roxas, don't apologize. I'm the one who should be sorry." I stretched out on the couch, taking the blonde with me. "Larxene and Demyx just took too long at the college again, and I was their ride home."

"Oh." He fell silent, trying to suppress his jealousy of the two, who received more of my attention than he ever would. Both of us knew that. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

I leaned my head back and stared at the slow-moving ceiling fan. "Shit, Rox, why do you put up with me?"

He snuggled closer to me, kissing my cheek. "Because I love you. I don't know why, I just do." He tangled his fingers in my hair. "And I hope that someday you'll love me, too."

"I do love you-"

"You know what I mean, Axel." He gave me a stern look. "I mean I hope you'll love me enough to love only me. Until then, I guess I'll wait."

I gave him a pleading glance. "Rox, I've been trying really hard."

"I know. And you've been doing so well the past few weeks. But this happens all the time, Axel. You'll be so good for a month or so, and then one night…it'll all stop." The small boy fixed his gaze on me, studying my face for an answer.

I wrapped my arms around him. "I'm tired." Was all he got in response. He knew how hard I was trying. I didn't feel like psychoanalyzing it.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Can we sleep here tonight? I like how this feels."

I smiled and kissed his forehead. "Yeah."