(A/N): Wow, I think this is a record for this fic regarding lag between updates. Huzzah. Not to much say, except that this is probably the exception, rather than the rule. Sorry. This thing is already spanning a greater number of chapters in terms of development than I initially thought it would. Thanks for hanging on for the ride, guys. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: It's downright exhausting trying to find so many different ways to say I don't own any of this.

Sometimes Wanna

Roxas groaned as he was shaken out of sleep by someone's hand on his shoulder. "Go away, Namine," he grumbled, pulling away from the clutching fingers. "Just gimme five more minutes, all right?"

"Who's Namine?"

Roxas's eyes snapped open and he flipped over to find Axel standing over him, head cocked quizzically. "What?"

"Who's Namine?" Axel repeated, pulling his hand back. Roxas flinched away from the man's gaze and stared at the wall, mouth dry. Axel regarded him silently for a moment before he shrugged and turned away. "All right, Roxas. Be like that." He circled the foot of the bed, pulling a hand through his hair tiredly. "We gotta go, kid. Get up."

Roxas nodded mutely and slipped out from underneath the covers, suppressing a yawn and brushing his bangs out of his face. "What time is it?"

Axel glanced at his watch as he shrugged into his jacket. "Quarter of nine."

"What?" Annoyance began to seep into Roxas's sleep-addled brain. "Why so damn early?" he demanded, giving up the fight and surrendering to a wide yawn as he reached for his bag. Axel's expression was unreadable as he glanced at the blond.

"I'm hungry."

Roxas's cheeks flamed under the redhead's impenetrable gaze. "Oh." Axel's lips twitched slightly at his expression.

"Yeah." Grabbing up his bag, he headed for the door. "Get the lead out, kid. I'll be in the car."

Roxas groaned and flopped back down on his mattress once the door closed behind Axel. "Shit," he whispered, pressing the heels of his palms to his temples. "Smooth, Roxas. Really fucking smooth." His face burned as he remembered the single cup of coffee Axel had had for dinner the night before. "Shit," he hissed again for good measure before pushing himself up and off the bed. Pulling clothes out of his bag and throwing them on haphazardly – he'd mainly packed an assortment of jeans and hoodies, anyway – he raked his fingers through his hair in a mostly futile effort to dispel his bed head before slinging his duffle bag over his shoulder and bolting for the door.

Axel was throwing his own bag into the back seat when Roxas burst through the door. The redhead glanced up at him, frowning for a second before he grinned. "I didn't mean you had to move that fast," he chided, eyes glinting.

Roxas shivered in the cold air and scowled. "Shut up," he mumbled, heading for the passenger side door. Axel's grin only widened, and Roxas dropped into his seat with a groan. "Let's just go already."

Axel remained standing beside the car for a moment longer before he shrugged and lowered himself into his seat. "Whatever you say, Rox." Roxas grumbled under his breath and propped his feet on the dashboard as Axel backed out of the parking space. "You sure you're okay with this?"

"What?"

"This," Axel emphasized, waving his hand in a vague circle as he pulled out of the parking lot. "Paying for everything."

Roxas nodded and slouched down a little farther in his seat. "It's fine," he muttered. Axel glanced at him, and Roxas had to look away from the speculative gleam in the redhead's eyes.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really." Axel kept his eyes on him until Roxas began to fear the car would run off the road. Finally, he turned his face forward again.

"Okay."

Roxas thumped his head back against the headrest with a sigh before reaching for his headphones. "Don't bother with those," Axel advised. Roxas glanced at him with growing exasperation as he paused in the act of settling them over his head.

"Um, why?"

Axel glanced at him with a small smirk. "Breakfast," he said, turning into a rundown diner's parking lot. Roxas's stomach growled, and he stuffed his headphones back into his bag with a sheepish grin.

"Oh. Okay."

Axel parked and they grabbed a corner booth that smelled of stale smoke and old grease. Axel dug his pack of cigarettes out of his pocket while the waitress took down their order, frowning down at it as she turned away with a promise that she'd return with their drinks shortly. "What's wrong?" Roxas asked, noticing his expression.

"I'm outta cigarettes," Axel grumbled, crumpling the pack in his hand and shoving it back in his pocket.

"Sorry?" Roxas hazarded.

Axel shrugged, settling his elbows on the table. "I'll grab another pack when we stop for gas."

"Oh," Roxas muttered, staring at the table. Gas. His stomach sank as he tried to remember how many times a day he'd had to pause at gas stations to refuel. Surely Axel's car had to get better mileage than his rusted pile of junk. Axel smiled thinly at his expression.

"I can still just drop you off somewhere," he reminded him. He jerked a thumb over his left shoulder. "Bus station's half a mile that way."

Roxas scowled, irritated at how easily Axel had been able to follow his thoughts. "I said it's fine," he growled, glaring at the other man. Axel's smile spread as he shrugged and leaned back in his seat.

"Suit yourself, kid."

Roxas grumbled under his breath and shifted in his seat, turning to stare out the window and waiting for the barrage of questions concerning where he was from, where he was going, and why. Across from him, Axel only shook his head and turned his attention elsewhere, gaze skimming the line of people seated at the counter. The waitress returned with their drinks, and Roxas drummed his fingers against his coffee cup to try and fill the silence.

"So where are we going?" he finally asked. Axel's eyes met his briefly before he shrugged and turned his attention back to the counter.

"A place I know," he said vaguely, taking a long drink from his own coffee cup. Roxas's brows began to draw together in the beginning of a frown, but Axel held up a hand. "Roxas, I am starving and minus nicotine. Not now."

Roxas scowled down at the table, but he fell back into a grudging silence. Axel's leg jittered under the table, his heel tapping a staccato rhythm against the plastic base of the booth. The clink of silverware and the low hum of the other customers' conversations swirled around them, but Axel didn't speak again until the waitress reappeared with their food.

The redhead's eyes lit up as his plate was set before him, and something in Roxas's stomach tightened at the expression. With a mumbled thanks at the waitress's retreating back, Axel fell on the food ravenously, not looking up from his plate until it was almost empty. Finally, he sat back with a heavy sigh, grinning as he set his silverware on the plate with a clatter. "That hit the spot. Thanks, kid."

Roxas gave a barely perceptible nod and glanced back out the window. Axel shook his head at him and reached for his cigarettes, groaning when he remembered he was out. "C'mon Roxas, pick up the pace. We got a ways to go today." Roxas cut his eyes back to the redhead's face, frowning.

"Where are we going?"

Axel blew his breath out in aggravation. "Radiant Garden."

Roxas's stomach clenched violently. Trying to keep his expression blank, he turned to fully face the redhead again. "Why so far?" he asked, striving to keep his voice level. Radiant Garden was only a two-day drive from Destiny Islands.

"Because I need money," Axel grumbled. "And it's the best place around here to make it."

"Because you know people around here."

Axel's grin was entirely without humor. "Yeah."

"I thought you'd never been out to Destiny Islands," Roxas challenged, hands curling into fists under the table.

"It's not Destiny Islands, kid," Axel sighed. "I've never been farther than Radiant Garden." Roxas dropped his eyes back to his plate before he shrugged.

"Okay."

Axel blinked at him. "Okay, what?"

Roxas shrugged again and signaled for the check. "Let's go, then."

Axel fixed him with a long, hard look before he wiped a hand over his face and slumped over the table. "I need a cigarette," he muttered, resting his forehead in his hands.

"What?"

Axel glanced up, his eyes flashing across Roxas's for a second before he turned his attention back to the table, a small smirk stretching his lips. "I need a cigarette," he repeated with a wry chuckle. Roxas only stared at him, waiting for further clarification that didn't come. When the waitress returned with their check and tired sounding lip service about having a nice day, Axel only pushed himself up and out of the booth, reaching out and ruffling Roxas's hair with a muttered "stupid kid" as he headed for the register.

Axel was drumming his fingers against the glass dessert case next to the register when Roxas caught up to him. The woman behind the register shot a disapproving look at the redhead, but Axel either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. Roxas had to fight down a brief but intense impulse to laugh; biting down on the inside of his cheek, he handed the check over and dug his wallet out of his pocket. "Debit, please."

Axel's drumming abruptly ceased, and when Roxas glanced to the side he found the redhead watching him with that speculative gleam in his eyes that made Roxas's stomach sink. Rattled, he added a ridiculously exorbitant tip to the bill and scrawled his name at the bottom, stuffing his copy into his wallet and turning away from the redhead.

Axel trailed him out of the diner, expression still thoughtful, but he remained silent as they got back in the car and left the parking lot behind. Roxas curled in his seat and slipped his headphones over his head, grateful that the redhead didn't seem to want to talk.

It seemed they'd only gotten on the highway when Axel got back off again, pulling into a sprawling gas station and parking next to one of the pumps. Roxas glanced over at him in silent question and Axel pantomimed removing the headphones from his ears, rolling his eyes and grinning when Roxas frowned at him. "What?" Roxas asked, dropping his headphones on top of his bag and straightening in his seat.

"You're paying, remember?" Axel asked dryly. Without waiting for an answer he pushed himself out of the car, flicking open the fuel door and unscrewing the gas cap from the side of the car. Roxas followed him slowly, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and glaring over the top of the car at the other man. "You sure you got enough money for this?" Axel asked, keeping his eyes on the numbers clicking over on the pump. Roxas frowned at the back of his head.

"Yes."

Axel glanced back at him, expression unreadable. "With only a debit card? Really?"

"Yes." Roxas bristled at the redhead's tone, hands tightening into fists in his pockets. "Look, it's my money, okay?"

The ghost of a smirk flitted across Axel's face before he turned his face away again. "All right, Roxas."

"Fine," Roxas muttered, turning and glowering at the car at the next pump. Axel remained silent as he set the gas pump back in the cradle, only glancing over his shoulder to make sure Roxas was following him before heading in to pay. Roxas waited while the redhead asked for a pack of cigarettes, then slapped his debit card on the counter. Axel rolled his eyes and made a show of looking elsewhere, already tearing at the cellophane of the new pack of cigarettes, until Roxas got his receipt.

Roxas trailed Axel back out to the car, frowning at the redhead when he settled a cigarette between his lips. "You can't light that next to the pumps," he objected. Axel glanced back at him with an expression caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation before opening his door.

"Thank you, mom."

Axel made a point of waiting until they were a block from the gas station to light his cigarette. "Is your current level of pissiness in any way a reflection of how the rest of the day's going to be?" he asked, opening his window a crack.

"What?"

"You. Being a dick. You gonna be like this all day?" Axel asked patiently, flicking the ash from his cigarette out the window.

Roxas bit back the scathing answer that automatically rose to his tongue; slouching down in his seat, he glared out the window and muttered, "Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah."

Roxas rested his temple against the window, the glass cool against his heated skin as he let his eyes slide closed. "It's my college fund, okay?"

He sensed rather than saw the redhead turn his head to look at him. "What?"

"The money. I worked for some of it, but most of it was supposed to be for my college fund. I transferred it out of the trust fund as soon as I turned eighteen." He opened his eyes to find Axel staring at him, and his lips curved in a shallow smile. "It's my money, Axel." Axel shook his head and muttered something under his breath, bringing the cigarette back to his lips. Roxas watched him for another moment before he turned back to face the window. "What, you're not gonna tell me how I'm screwing up my life?"

"None of my business, is it?" Axel replied, flicking his cigarette out the window. Roxas internally flinched at his dismissive tone, resting his forehead back against the glass as he wondered sourly why it should bother him. "Besides," Axel continued, rolling up his window, "I'm not the guy to go by. I split right after high school."

Roxas peered at him out the corner of his eye; Axel noticed him looking and grinned. Roxas rolled his eyes and turned his gaze away again, but he couldn't help asking. "Why?"

"You want the quick and ugly version? My parents and I loved to hate each other, and I left before they could throw me out."

"Ah jeez, Axel, I'm sorry," Roxas muttered. Axel only shrugged.

"Don't be."

There was a short silence. Roxas fingered his headphones and stared out at the dull scenery flashing past, trying to keep his eyelids from growing too heavy. "So what did you do after you left?" he asked at last, voice sounding fuzzy in his own ears.

"You're lookin' at it," Axel answered, taking a hand off the wheel to make a quick sweeping gesture around the car.

"Why?"

Axel's bitter smile made something in Roxas's chest tighten. "Because there's nowhere and no one worth stopping for, kid."

Roxas woke with a start, wincing as his muscles began to un-cramp from the hunched position he'd fallen asleep in. The weak light had bled out of the sky, and Axel was little more than a green-splashed shadow in the driver's seat. "Where are we?" he mumbled, swiping his bangs out of his eyes.

Axel's eyes glinted in the backwash of the headlights as he glanced over at him. "About forty miles outside Radiant Garden." His voice took on a tone that Roxas couldn't quite pin down. "You really do sleep too much, kid."

"What time is it?" Roxas asked, stifling a yawn.

"Almost seven."

Ignoring the ache in his back, Roxas straightened in his seat. "What about lunch?"

"I couldn't wake you up. Skipped it."

"Shit." Roxas was grateful the dark helped hide the warmth that flooded his face. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. I'll live."

Roxas's stomach growled and he sank back down in his seat, sure his face was going to burst into flame at any moment. Axel didn't say anything, but Roxas caught the way the man's lips curved from the corner of his eye.

Axel got off the highway at the next exit, and Roxas paid for a trip through the drive-through at the first burger joint they came across. Axel brushed aside the blond's insistence that they should eat in the parking lot, pointing out through a mouthful of cheeseburger that they were almost there and he was tired. Roxas resigned himself to eating with one hand and clinging to the car door with the other until Axel had finished his meal.

Another twenty minutes brought them to the city limits. A cheerily painted Radiant Garden Welcomes You! sign flashed past in a blur of streetlights and Roxas reached for his bag, pulling it into his lap and staring patiently out the window. Axel bent his head low over the steering wheel, double-checking street signs as his cigarette burned low between his fingers.

Finally they pulled into a lot and parked. "Do you have this subconscious thing with water?" Roxas asked, eyeing the neon Lake Shore sign. Only half of the letters actually lit up; the rest guttered feebly. Axel huffed at him as he tossed what remained of his cigarette out the window.

"I'm trying to save you money here, kid. We could always stay at the damn Tipton."

"Uh-huh," Roxas mumbled, already getting out of the car and slinging his bag over his shoulder. Axel shook his head and unfolded himself from his own seat, placing his hands against the small of his back and stretching until something popped. Sighing in relief, he bent and retrieved his own bag from the back seat before closing his door and heading for the office. He glanced back over his shoulder when Roxas didn't follow.

"Uh, are you coming?"

Roxas shook his head as he dug his card out of his wallet. "Just…just gimme a sec, okay? My PIN's 0813." Axel turned back to face him, something shifting just below the surface of his eyes.

"That was a stupid thing to do, Roxas."

Roxas shrugged, smiling thinly. "Probably." They stared at each other for a long moment before Axel finally took the proffered card and turned away, handling it like he expected it to burn him at any moment.

Roxas hung back, leaning against the car and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He blew his breath out in deliberate puffs, idly watching it curl up and away from him in the icy air. He was almost there. Only a two-day drive between himself and Destiny Islands. Just the thought twisted his stomach into greasy knots.

A shout of laughter drew his attention to the main office, where Axel was emerging with something in his hands. Calling something back over his shoulder, Axel let the door fall closed behind him and headed back to where Roxas was standing, grinning widely. He paused in front of the blond, shoving something with sharp corners into his chest so that Roxas's arms came up around it automatically. "What's this?" Roxas demanded, frowning down at the case of beer.

"Room-warming gift," Axel replied, already moving past him. He glanced over his shoulder, smirking at Roxas's expression. "I told you I know people around here." Roxas concentrated on trying to keep a grip on the case of beer as he followed the redhead to their room, doing his best to resist the urge to bean him with one of the beer bottles. "Okay," Axel sighed, unlocking a door with a dull brass number eight inlaid in it. "Home sweet home. For the next few days, at least."

Roxas squeezed past him and dropped the box on the nearest flat surface, stretching his arms over his head and shooting the redhead a dirty look. Axel ignored him, closing the door and tossing his bag into the far corner. "Okay," he repeated, raking a hand through his hair as he surveyed the small room. "Oh," he muttered, almost to himself as he dug in his pocket for something. "Here's your card."

Roxas's fingertips grazed Axel's as he took the card, and he stuffed it into his wallet with a muttered "Thanks."

"That really was stupid, kid."

"I know."

Axel stared at him for another moment, expression flat and unreadable, before he turned away with a sigh. "Sure you do."

Roxas's throat crowded with things to say, but none of them seemed like the right thing to say. "Whatever," he mumbled, moving past Axel and toward the tiny bathroom. For a second he thought Axel might try to stop him, but the redhead let him pass. With the barrier of the thin door between them, he concentrated fiercely on thinking about nothing at all as he let the water beat against his skull, reaching out and resting his palms on the cracked tiles.

Axel was already in bed when Roxas exited the bathroom. Roxas simply stood and stared at the lump underneath the covers for a moment, flicking damp bangs out of his eyes and biting unconsciously at his lower lip. Axel was right – he shouldn't have given the redhead his PIN. He couldn't even remember why he'd thought it had seemed like a good idea.

Frowning, he dropped his dirty clothes at the foot of his mattress and slid between the sheets, turning off the small bedside lamp Axel had left burning before turning and facing the wall. He was almost asleep when Axel's voice sounded out of the darkness.

"Night, kid."

Roxas couldn't help the way his shoulders relaxed. "Yeah. Night, Axel."