Title: Boring System

Author: comeandgetmebabe

Disclaimer: This weekend, I went into the city and my friend and I went to a Japanese book store and I bought the Kingdom Hearts II soundtrack! So I own THAT motherfuckers!

-NOTE- I always seem to update this once a month…I should remedy that.

I don't really like the beginning of this chapter, but I couldn't think of another way to write it. I can kinda see Demyx acting like that but…not really.

Think I should raise the rating to T? Just wondering…

READ DAMMIT!

/o/O/o/

Demyx had never liked Saïx.

The feeling was mutual, of course, but at least Demyx made an attempt to be cordial. When Axel told him about how Saïx had yelled at him for going to work, Demyx just nodded and blinked sympathetically. When Axel had told him about the time Saïx had locked him out of their room after Axel got home too late from a concert, Demyx apologized from spending too much time hanging out with his friend. But when Axel told him about how Saïx had tackled to the ground him when he'd called him a psycho, even Demyx had to draw the line.

"He WHAT!" exclaimed Demyx, nearly dropping the record he was shelving.

"And when I told him he should take time off, he said he was working so hard for me," said Axel, ignoring the horrified look on Demyx's face. "I mean, it'd be so much more romantic if he hadn't, you know, banged my head against the tile, but still! He took the whole next day off for me and I just…" Axel sighed and leaned against the shelves. Demyx worked in a used record store and spent more time sitting in the back play sitar than serving customers. The only reason he was out right now was because Axel had come over to say hi. And because he really did need to shelve these records, which had been sitting under his desk for months and were now covered in a thick blanket of dust. "I just feel so bad…"

"What the fuck, Axel! You feel bad! Your boyfriend nearly bashes your head in and you feel bad!"

"...I kinda brought it on myself," said Axel, who wasn't used to Demyx talking about Saïx this. "And besides, it was three weeks ago, calm down—"

"Of fuck that! Who cares how long ago it was! And no you didn't bring it on yourself, you told him the truth! When the guy starts throwing himself on you in a not…sex type…way, then you have a problem, Axel. You're living with a psychopath! The guy is nuts, Axel, and just 'cause you can't see it doesn't mean I can't."

Demyx had had enough. He hated fighting. He loathed fighting. But he hated seeing his friend like this more. He'd known Axel since high school, had seen his flirtatious, confident nature. Had seen him angry, had seen him sad, jovial, a million things, but he had never seen Axel weak. And Saïx was making him weak. Before Axel met Saïx, if any guy had hit him, he would have hit back and wouldn't have stopped hitting until someone pulled him off. He'd had a boyfriend before who'd smacked him, and Demyx clearly remembered bailing Axel out of jail because he'd nearly killed the guy. Axel had always been…sort of like the human form of a wildfire—fearless, beautiful, dangerous, burning bright. Ever since he'd met Saïx, ever since he'd moved into that ice castle he called an apartment, that fire was steadily burning out.

No longer was Axel tough, no longer did he take risks, he barely even wanted to hang out one on one anymore because Saïx might get mad. It was ridiculous and it made Demyx mad and depressed to see it. Axel didn't even go in the mosh pits anymore—what if Saïx saw him with a bruise? He'd get angry, oh no! When did Axel ever care about someone getting angry with him?

Now, apparently.

"I mean, look at yourself! You're nothing like the guy you used to be! You used to be all…fierce and fiery, a flurry of dancing flames—"

"You know, you used to make fun of me for being gay and I never said anything as gay as that."

"—and now you're just…you're like a shadow of your former self! It pisses me off, and I know you don't like it! When's the last time you went out with your friends, Axel? With me and Larxene and Zexion? Huh? Like, fifty years ago! And all because of motherfucking Saïx! It's just…I mean, he tackled you. He got you on the ground, he could have killed you man! Don't you think that's a little, um, I dunno, BAD! I really don't think you should be with this guy anymore! Even if he's great in bed and has a nice apartment."

"But I love—"

"Don't say it," snarled Demyx, slamming the remaining records into the shelves, not caring if they were in their right places. "Don't you ever fucking say that, Axel, you know you don't love him. You've never loved anyone, except yourself. And you don't even seem to be able to pull that off anymore."

"Oh fuck you Demyx!" yelled Axel. "Like you know anything!" He stalked over to Demyx's office and grabbed his coat from the desk, where he'd thrown it. "I don't need this," he growled at Demyx, who'd followed him, looking equally pissed off, "I've got enough shit to worry about."

"You realize that most of your problems stem from that psychopath you're living with! I mean, Christ, Axel, you yourself called him a psychopath! You really need to—"

"What I need is to get to work," snarled Axel, marching to the door. Before he walked out, he turned to Demyx. "And maybe some new friends," he stormed out.

Demyx stared after him. Christ. What had Saïx done to his best friend?

/o/

"Do you have your book?"

"Um, yes."

"Good. Get working."

"Are you okay?" asked Roxas, his worried blue eyes gazing perplexedly into Axel's acidic green ones.

"I'm fine," he snarled. "I just…got in a fight with my friend, that's all. It was stupid. What're we up to?"

"Uh…we were gonna try FOIL again…" murmured Roxas, wanting to die. With Axel all worked up and angry, he could barely hold himself back from crying TAKE ME NOW! and jumping on the redhead.

"Ah yes, a whole three weeks and we're back to FOIL," said Axel, calming down a bit. He and Roxas had indeed been working together for three weeks. They mostly worked on math in the silence of the library, but sometimes one of them would mention something about their personal lives ("Did you ever notice a two likes like a five upside down?" "My friend Naminé told me about that when we were, like, five." "Naminé's the one who's supposed to have a crush on you but doesn't, right?" "Oh man, let's not even talk about that…" "Ha! Poor Roxas, surrounded by hot girls, doesn't know what to do."), thus causing them to come even closer together. Roxas couldn't help but notice, and he hoped to God Axel noticed it too, that they were very comfortable around each other—it usually took Roxas months, even years (in Riku's case) to talk to people the way he talked to Axel: carefree and open. Axel, he noticed, always looked angry or disdainful when he walked into the library where they always met, but seemed to visibly relax when he saw Roxas.

Seeing Axel was a sort of haven for Roxas. And as his crush grew, he could only hope Axel felt the same.

It was now a crush. Of that Roxas was certain. Even before Naminé had told him she like Kairi, when he had liked her, he hadn't felt like this. He actively looked foreword to his tutor sessions, and had been sent to detention four times for not paying attention in his last classes on Monday and Wednesday. He'd had at least five wet dreams about the redhead, as much as it killed him to admit. It made things very awkward on the mornings when Sora woke up first. He had started daydreaming, thinking about Axel when he was supposed to be reading in English or paying attention in math. His most frequent one was of himself, sitting in the cold, sad for some reason or the other, it changed with his mood. Then, he would hear someone behind him and there would be Axel, smiling warmly down at him. He would take off his big black overcoat and lay it over Roxas's skinny shoulders, his mouth close to Roxas's ear. And he would whisper, "Don't want you getting sick, love." And then Axel would lean foreword and kiss Roxas. Sometimes it was a soft kiss, all gentleness and feeling. Sometimes it was a hard kiss, all passion and lust. But every time, it was perfect. It was that fantasy that got Roxas through the day.

Of course, he knew Axel didn't feel the same. He had a boyfriend. But maybe…maybe Roxas could…

"Which page is that in the book again?" asked Axel, snapping Roxas back into the real world.

"Uh…lemme check the back, hold on…" muttered Roxas, mentally kicking himself for being so stupid. You're with him now, dammit. You don't need to relive fantasies.

For the next half hour, they went over the first FOIL problem in the book. Axel had spent a lot time learning how to use the method, so he correct Roxas's work. After a half hour of guessing and checking, Roxas finally got the right answer.

"YES!" cried Axel, ignoring the scandalized looks from the librarians. "You did it!" he whispered, reaching across the table to give Roxas a high five. "See, all that work and studying amounted to something!" Roxas, who was still in shock over getting the problem right, gave Axel a weak high five, which ended up more like Axel holding Roxas's limp hand in the air. Axel grinned.

"Hey, blondie. You gotta gimme something better than that."

Roxas suddenly realized he was holding Axel's hand, which made him turn bright red. He pulled his hand away like he'd been burned.

"W-What does that mean?" he asked, voice shaking, not meeting Axel's eyes.

Axel laughed, not noticing how bashful Roxas was being—he was too excited. The kid finally got the FOIL method right! "I mean a better high five! That was like a high five from a fish! They don't have hands, man!"

Roxas glared and slapped Axel's hand so hard he pulled it away and shook it. "Damn, kid, now that's what I'm talking about," Axel grimaced. "You had to hit it so hard though?"

"Oh shut up, my hand hurts too," muttered Roxas, whose palm was now red.

"Aw, poor baby," said Axel. He smirked. "Want me to make it feel better?"

"Pfft, yeah. You got some ice hidden in that flasher overcoat?"

Axel pouted, grabbed Roxas's hand, and blew on it. "There," he stated letting go of Roxas's hand. "All better." He turned back to the textbook. "So, let's try to do the second one in twenty minutes, how does that sound?"

Roxas didn't answer. Roxas stared at his hand. Mere seconds ago, Axel's lips had been this close to his palm, his cool breath flowing over Roxas's soft pink flesh. Seeing Axel like that, bent over his hand, his green eyes closed, eyelashes so soft and long…Roxas had never seen anything so beauti—

OH GOD HE SOUNDED LIKE SORA!

He sounded like Sora when he talked about Riku! This was bad! This was very bad, this was more than a crush, this wasn't right.

Part of the time Roxas had spent thinking about Axel was also spent kicking himself. First off, Axel was at least four years older than him, second of all, he had a boyfriend, and third of all, oh, yeah, right, HE WAS A GUY! That was the big one in the beginning. Roxas had hated himself for liking another guy. It wasn't natural; it was something Sora would do and Roxas was not, not, like Sora.

But as time went by, that was starting to seem less important.

As time had gone by, what seemed more important was not the fact that Axel was a boy, but that he had a boyfriend. And what Roxas needed to do was figure out a way to get him away from said boyfriend.

That, of course, was ridiculous, but he was a teenager, he could dream.

But he couldn't daydream during his tutoring session.

Roxas dropped his hand and reached for his pencil. He smiled shakily at Axel, trying not to blush and failing miserably. "How 'bout we go for twenty-five?"

Axel laughed.

Roxas' smile turned into a grin

/o/

Saïx was done. He was finally done with all the work he had to do for today. It had been a light work day, considering the merger, but still. He sighed, pushed the save button on his computer, and began to collect his papers. He was slightly apprehensive about going home, or as apprehensive as Saïx could be. As a general rule, his emotional range didn't go that far. Thing's had been rocky with Axel for the past few weeks. He'd always made sure to leave the apartment before Axel woke up, and had spent a few nights waiting outside their door, listening for when Axel went into his room. Axel had returned to the shared bed. He was always asleep by the time Saïx got back, but occasionally he left some food out on the kitchen table, with a note saying something like "REHEATED FOOD—FOR THE WORKING MAN IN US ALL" which sometimes made Saïx smile and sometimes made Saïx throw the food away in disgust.

Some nights Saïx would stare at Axel's sleeping form, climb into bed with him and gently spoon against him, making sure not to awake his sleeping lover. Other nights he couldn't bare to even look at that pathetic redhead and would stay on the couch, or in one of the guestrooms. Saïx sighed, packing away his laptop. Maybe Axel was right. Maybe was a…well, a borderline something. He couldn't bear to say that word. He'd been called it all throughout high school, just because, when their gym class did a unit on wrestling, Saïx had started punching one of his classmates and didn't stop until the gym teacher and three large students pulled him off.

But just because he had anger issues didn't mean he was crazy. He just needed anger management, that was all. Maybe he and Axel could go to couple counseling.

He sighed, leaning back against the wall to his office. Except Axel didn't need counseling. Saïx did.

Axel.

Saïx didn't even know how he felt about his young lover anymore. When they'd first met, Axel was full of life, vigor Saïx had never known. And when Axel had said yes to Saïx's invitation on a date… Saïx had felt like the luckiest man in the world. And when he started to realize that Axel was falling in love with him the way he was falling in love with the red head…he couldn't even describe how he felt.

But now, now he didn't know. Axel had gotten that idea in his head that he needed a job, and now he was hanging out with some kid twice a week, and when he wasn't hanging out with that damn kid he was hanging out with Demyx or whatever that faggot's name was.

Saïx sighed again. He was very jealous. That wasn't right for a healthy relationship.

Maybe he should do something for Axel. Not sometime just randomly out of the blue, like the Day of Sex had been, but something…nice. Dinner or something. Or maybe a vacation. Of course, he'd have to wait until that little bastard's (Rocky or whatever his name was) school got out, but he could wait. If Saïx was one thing, it was patient. Patient, jealous, and slightly psychotic.

He banged his head against the wall. That was not the right thought.

"Saïx?"

The blue haired man looked up. In his doorway stood Sark, who'd recently been promoted from the computer-engineering department to Saïx's division. He didn't do much—just went to certain employees and told them to see the Superior. Unfortunately, the people he told to go to the Superiors office had generally done something unforgivable. Hopefully he was just asking Saïx if he wanted to get coffee, which Saïx could easily give a cold 'no' to and leave.

"The Superior wants to see you," said Sark, looking entirely too smug.

Saïx nodded, fighting off the urge to hit Sark (God did he have a punchable face, though) and breezed past him, to the Superiors office.

He knocked on the large, ornate doors, doors that were so overdone and tacky that Axel would have died laughing at the sight of them, had Saïx even taken him to the office. After a moment, the Superiors deep voice was heard, muffled, through the door: "Enter."

Saïx was extremely loyal to the Superior, but some nights, even he laughed when he saw the faces Axel made when he told him about how mysterious the Superior tried to be. Other nights he yelled at Axel to shut the hell up, that was his boss he was rolling his eyes at.

"You wanted to see me Superior?" Saïx asked, entering the room and walked over to the large, white leather chair in front of the Superior's impossibly large desk.

The Superior was staring out his window and didn't seem to notice Saïx come in the room. Saïx waited a moment, then coughed. "Superior?" No one called the Superior by his real name.

The Superior finally took note of him. "Saïx."

"Yes sir?"

"I need you to go on a mission."

"Sir?"

Saïx knew that right now Axel would be on the floor rolling with laughter. A mission! he would say between bursts of laughter, I thought we were a company, not the fucking army! Saïx, on the other hand, knew how important this was for the Superior to cal on him personally, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Maleficent seems to be very hesitant in signing the necessary contracts for our companies to merge. She seems to think she has some control over the matter. I need you to take a plane to Hollow Bastion and convince her, in person, to sign. With force, if necessary."

Force meant blackmail.

"I know you know how to deal with these situations. I expect to have full control of Heartless Inc. by the time of your return."

"Of course, sir. When will I be leaving?"

"Next week. The flight details are being worked out as we speak."

"Sir…will I be staying in the Radiant Garden Hotel?"

"That's where we put all our personnel, yes."

"May I bring a guest?"

The Superior stiffened. "Your…roommate?"

"Yes sir."

"No I'm afraid you cannot," The Superior turned from the window to look Saïx in the eye. "He would be a distraction. I need your full attention to this…problem." He walked over to the other side of the desk, Saïx's side, and tossed his long silver hair over his shoulder. "I expect perfection, Saïx. We can't afford any mistakes on this acquisition."

"Of course Superior. Forgive me for asking." Saïx stood and nodded at the Superior, knowing it was time to leave.

"Oh, and Saïx?"

Saïx turned. "Yes sir?"

The Superior smiled at him, a rare sight indeed. "Call me Xemnas."

/o/

Twenty-four minutes and thirty seven seconds later, Roxas had finished his second FOIL problem. He and Axel were nearly beside themselves with excitement.

"Less than twenty-five!" crowed Axel, gazing at his watch and Roxas' work with happiness. "You need to give yourself more credit kid!"

"I can't believe it! I understand it, kind of! Oh, Mr. Leonhart, wait'll the next math test, I'll show you!" cried Roxas, who was now in a state of euphoria.

"Okay, that's it," came an old voice. Axel and Roxas looked up to see an old librarian towering over them. "You two come here every week and just make more and more noise every time! I'm going to have to ask you two to leave and please, don't come back together." Her eyes glared down at the boys. She meant business.

"Um, yeah, sorry ma'am," whispered Roxas, immediately bowing his head low and averting his eyes.

Axel would have none of that. "What, we're not allowed to come anymore! That's bullshit! I'm trying to tutor him, where else can I find such an academic atmosphere!"

"I don't know, sir, but you won't find it here. Now leave. Immediately!" she added, seeing Axel's mouth opening, no doubt with a retort.

"It's okay, Axel, let's just…let's just go…" murmured Roxas, grabbing his books and pulling on Axel's sleeve. Axel glared daggers at the librarian, but followed Roxas out of the library. He slumped down on the steps, looking dejected. Roxas sat down next to him, putting his books in his bag.

"Well fuck!" yelled Axel, much to the horror of passing mothers and children. "What're we supposed to do now! We could try that coffee shop again but DAMN is the service there annoying! We could try my friend's record store…no, wait, hold on, I hate him now, he isn't my friend anymore. Or we could—"

"Why isn't he your friend anymore?" asked Roxas, zipping his bag.

"Ugh…I'm gonna sound like a girl right now so bear with me, kay?"

"Kay."

"I've been…my boyfriend and I've been…eh, blah blah blah, every couple has some rough spots right?"

"Right," replied Roxas, his stomach sinking at the mention of Axel's boyfriend.

"So, I'm complaining to my friend Demyx about it, and all I wanted was for him to just be sympathetic, be all 'Oh man Axel that sucks balls but it'll get better' you know, shit like that. But noooo he has to get righteous on me, saying I should break up with him and stuff. I mean, shit, man, if I break up with Saïx I'll have to live on the fucking street. Or even in my old apartment," Axel shivered at the thought.

Saïx, thought Roxas, his eyes narrowing. So that's his name.

Axel sighed and rolled his head back, staring at the sky and the tall buildings towering over them. "Some best friend he is, huh."

"Aw, it's not too bad. I mean, at least he didn't yell at you or anything."

"But he did!" cried Axel.

"Then maybe you need a new best friend," said Roxas, smirking.

Axel seemed to consider this, then sat up straight. "Know what, Roxas? You're right. My life has become to stagnant, I do need a new best friend," he turned to Roxas with a grin. "And I nominate you! All in favor?" he looked around at an invisible crowed of people. "Aye! All against?" he looked around again, then back at Roxas, his grin ever wider. "Guess that means you're my new buddy, Roxas. Now my ass is starting to hurt from sitting on these steps, best friend, let's go get some ice cream and continue with the studying," Axel stood, stretched, and began walking down the steps to the street. Scrooges Ice Cream Shoppe was right across the street from the library. "Come, grasshopper!" Axel called over his shoulder, hands in pockets. "We've got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in!"

Roxas sat on the steps, gazing at the view. Axel had the nicest walk. It made his ass look OH GOD NOT AGAIN.

Roxas hopped up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and ran after Axel, trying to shove that thought out of his mind. Thinking about kissing was okay. Thinking about asses was not.

"So am I really your new best friend?" he asked, catching up to Axel. They jaywalked across the street.

"…eh, sure, why not. You're a cool kid Roxas. I'm actually glad I met you," Axel gave him a wink. "Tutoring you is like a mini-vacation from all the crap happening in my real life. And hey, if you ever want to bitch to me about your friends, be my guest. God knows I do it enough to you," he held the door to the shop open for Roxas. "Whaddya want?"

"Uh…a Sea-Salt Ice Cream pop?"

"Coming up! Get us a table and take out your crap, I'll get you stuff."

Roxas sat at the table and took out his stuff. A thought was forming in his mind. It was a bad thought, something he shouldn't be thinking. But…but he really liked Axel. He was smart and funny and nice and sweet and dangerous and liable to go insane and hotter than the sun and Roxas reeeaaaallllyyy liked him.

So he let the thought form. And form that thought did. It formed and formed and formed it's way into a plan, albeit a foolish one. Roxas knew this wouldn't work but…Axel had said he'd been having problem's with his boyfriend. And he said he liked Roxas, in a friendly way. Well, Sora and Riku had started off as friends, and look at them. They were voted "Most Likely to Get Married" in the school yearbook. And sure, it would involve admitting something embarrassing, and he would probably make a fool out of himself, but that was a chance Roxas was willing to take.

Axel came back with the ice cream, a sky blue ice cream pop for Roxas and a strawberry and chocolate sundae for Axel, with red and brown sprinkles. "Got your stuff out? Cool. Now let's try to do this one in twenty-three minutes."

"Axel…listen, can I tell you something? I…I really think I need your help."

Axel's spoon paused a second from his mouth. "Yeah? You all right Roxas?"

Roxas took a deep breath. Here goes everything, he though, bracing himself. "Axel…" he said, staring the redhead in the eyes. "I think I'm gay."

/o/O/o/

HEHEHEHEHEHEHE CLIFF HANGER!

The shittiest cliff hanger EVER!

So, you may be able to figure out Roxas's plan or not, I don't know. Tell me what you think it is and I'll laugh mercilessly at your stupidity if your wrong and applaud your brilliance if you're right.

Am I the only writer who loves writing AU fics and putting in vague game references?

And who else loves Xemnas? I can totally see him just…being, like, supergay and talking like he's in command of an army when he just runs some stupid company.

What do you think of Saïx and Demyx? Seriously, I wanna know. I beg, no flames please, just constructive criticism. I…I CAN'T HANDLE THE FIRE!

Please review! I'll DANCE!