Dad,

I know you're probably just throwing out these letters but hey, I figured I'd give it a go. At least you'll know your bisexual, artistic disgrace of a son is alive right?

Well, anyway, the stripping business is going well. I'm holding down an apartment and getting my medical treatments on time. They think I'm going to be cured by early next year. Maybe I'll come home then although I rather doubt it. I like Midgar a lot.

Midgar really is something else. I've told you about the plate before but just this week I got invited to go to Sector One. That place is so pretty. You wouldn't believe the mall I went to. I couldn't buy anything of course but still, it was neat just being there. And yes, a rich guy took me. But he's younger than me so at least I'm not dating older guys, right?

I know. I'm a disgrace to the family name and mom is crying with the angels over her wayward son. Well I think that's about enough of that… I need to go paint something. Later Dad.

-Axel

"This place is nice." Roxas was a touch surprised by how nice Axel's apartment was. The furniture was mismatched yet it oddly went together and the wall painting was beautiful. There were interesting accents in the place too, like a beautiful but cracked vase holding a bunch of folded paper flowers. Axel grinned.

"I combed a dozen slum thrift stores for the furnishings. Not to mention the garage sales." That was the truth. One man's trash was another's treasure and Axel had taken pleasure in recycling a bit of the trash. Although… "Be careful with the brown sofa. It looks nice but it's nicknamed 'mantrap'." Roxas blinked then laughed and took a different chair as Axel went to the kitchen. "I was going to make spaghetti with meatballs, is that okay?"

"That's fine!" Roxas smiled to himself as he glanced around. He and Axel had been dating for almost a month now and the redhead had invited him over to his place for supper and to watch a movie. Roxas' parents were out of town so he could stay as late as he wanted. Roxas vaguely hoped he could stay overnight but he didn't really think that would happen. Axel seemed determined to take things slowly. "Oh, can I see your art?" That was what he really wanted. Axel poked his head out of the kitchen with a smile.

"Sure, it's all in the first room to the right." Roxas nodded and went to explore. He was surprised by the size of it when he opened the room. This apartment was much bigger than he'd expected. He blinked at the odd platform in the middle of the room. What was that for?

Then he was distracted by the artwork. Roxas blinked at all the paintings. They were stacked against the walls. Curiously, we looked at the one on the easel and smiled. The angel in the picture was beautiful. Roxas started looking through the other pictures and found a lot of interesting things. He didn't understand the techniques involved but Axel clearly liked to try new things. He remembered what Namine had said about the chaos painting being amateurish but saw no sign of that here. Had that been an early work? Maybe he would ask.

"Oh!" Roxas blinked as he found a bird picture. Blushing, he pulled it free. He knew what Namine would say but he couldn't help it, he just liked birds. This one was of several peacocks, a male with his feathers wide open, strutting his stuff for two rather unimpressed looking females. Roxas smiled as he thought about Axel with his easel set up at the Midgar zoo. He wouldn't have been the least surprised if that was how he'd made this picture. "Hmm." Picking up the painting he carried it out. "Hey Axel! Could I buy this from you?" Axel looked up from stirring the pasta sauce, a bit surprised. "I really like birds and this is cute."

"Oh sure." Axel hesitated a moment as he tried to price the work. It was a big painting and very detailed. He didn't want to let it go for nothing but Roxas was his boyfriend, sort of. They hadn't been dating long but they were dating. "Three hundred munny? That's half what I'd ask from a stranger." Six hundred munny was actually on the low side for a painting that size but Axel was a struggling artist. Roxas looked a little disappointed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just… it should be worth more than that. More than six hundred I mean." Axel grinned as he took the noodles off the heat and poured them out.

"Pfft! Only if I can convince a gallery to take 'em. Until then they're cheeeeeap." Roxas laughed as he imitated a bird. "I'll get by until someone picks them up. Or they won't and I'll die unknown, penniless and ignored. C'est la vie." Roxas winced at that thought. Axel was making a joke but he couldn't help but take it seriously.

"But Axel, what will you do if your art never goes anywhere? You can't be a stripper forever." Axel grinned as he mixed the noodles with the sauce and began setting out the plates. Roxas carefully leaned the painting against the wall.

"You sound like my dad! 'Being a farrier is a very good profession son. All those chocobos need their shoes.'" Axel shook his head. "You can be a male stripper longer than you think Roxy. The key is keeping in shape. Think about that actor, what's his name… the guy who did the last Loveless. He must be sixty but I bet you there's a zillion women who'd love to see him strip."

"Uh, probably." Roxas privately admitted Axel had a point. It was a double standard but as long as the body was toned, grey hair in a man was distinguished where for a woman it was just old. "Just make sure you stay in shape!" Roxas smiled as Axel laughed.

"That won't be a problem." Axel enjoyed dancing and exercising. It made him feel good and energetic. "Supper's done." It smelled very good too. Axel had fried up sausage, onions and green peppers for the sauce as well as grated some real parmesan. Roxas took a seat with a smile and dug in with good appetite.

"I wish I could take you to my house." He admitted as they ate. "We have a cook who makes a wonderful curry." Axel paused for a moment, struck again by how different their lives were. A cook? Back in his old village the only family that had any servants was the Mayor's family and they'd only had an elderly maid. They hadn't really needed her either, they'd only kept her on because she'd always been with them. Tossing out a woman that age would have been truly cruel. Although that made Axel curious. What would Roxas' home be like?

"It's okay Roxy, although I would like to see it someday. Maybe when you're parents aren't home." Axel said with a smile and Roxas shook his head.

"The servants would tell them… although I could just say you're a friend from school." That was a good idea as long as his parents weren't home. Roxas didn't want to actually lie to them but lying to the servants was different. His parents probably wouldn't ask him about it, they were used to Namine bringing home all kinds of friends. "One thing I've been looking into is how to get a gallery to take your work. Namine wants to know what places you've approached so far?" Axel tilted his head to one side, a little confused but obligingly listed them off. "Have you gone to see the stuff they carry?"

It didn't take long for Roxas to realize that Axel was going about selling his works all wrong. It wasn't surprisingly really. Roxas had tried to find out online and had had finally given up in disgust. But Namine had teachers who actually knew how an artist should market himself and were willing to introduce their students to the right people in the art world. Axel had gone to some of the most prominent galleries in the city and tried to show them his work. They weren't the ones that nurtured new talents and they hadn't been at all interested.

"OK… Namine wants to know if you have a portfolio she could show some of her teachers?" Roxas asked and Axel nodded. "And also, would you like to go to some of the galleries tomorrow?" Roxas caught a haunted look in Axel's eyes and he could guess why. After all the rejections going to galleries to look at other artist's work had to be slightly painful. Still, it would be good for him. Both artistically and for planning. "See, Nam says that you need to find a gallery that's simpatico with what you're doing. Your art isn't really bleeding edge so a gallery that carries really modern stuff wouldn't take it."

"Um, okay. Fair enough." Axel blinked as he realized he was fairly ignorant of the way galleries actually worked. Valhalla hadn't had one, of course, and he hadn't really gone to see many in Midgar except to try to sell his work. Maybe he hadn't been thinking about this the right way. Fortunately it had been months since he'd tried one and Axel had mostly been diffident about offering his portfolio, so he was sure no one would remember him. He could begin with an almost clean slate. "You've really thought about this." That surprised him. Roxas really seemed to care. The blonde shook his head.

"Not really, I just had to ask my sister about it." Namine had inundated him with information. The only hard part had been remembering it all. "She talks too much sometimes." Axel laughed.

"Don't they always?" The rest of the meal passed very pleasantly and soon they were eating popcorn and watching TV. Roxas snuggled up to Axel as they watched the hero (sort of) blow up all kinds of things. "Did you want to go see the galleries tomorrow?" He asked quietly during a lull in the action. Axel thought about it and nodded.

"Sure, I have the day off. But if we're going to do that did you want to spend the night?" Roxas looked up at him with shining eyes and Axel realized he'd jumped a bit past what he meant. "Just to sleep." Roxas looked disappointed but not too surprised. Axel just didn't seem willing to jump into things too quickly and they'd only been dating a month.

"Okay." Roxas said softly and Axel smiled, giving him a slow, tender kiss. Roxas smiled as they parted. The only awkward moment came when the movie was over and Roxas tried to escape the sofa. "Gark!" Axel laughed and had to give him a hand up. "That thing is horrible!" It was nice enough to sit in but the way you sank into the cushions guaranteed that getting up would be an adventure. Unless you had very long legs.

"I know. You can have my bed, I'll sleep on the sofa." Roxas started to protest then thought better of it. Axel had escaped the mantrap sofa smoothly. Before he fell asleep, though, he wondered. Axel knew what he wanted. Was he stretching things out because he cared and wanted to do it right? Or did he just… not want Roxas at all? He didn't think that was it, he'd caught a warmth in Axel's eyes that he was sure wasn't feigned. But he couldn't be sure.

Still, it was too early to worry. They'd only been dating a month. Roxas resolved that if they hadn't done anything more than kissing after six months, then he would get worried. It seemed like a good timeline. Comforted, he quickly fell asleep.

Roxas woke up very disoriented. The light was coming in through the entirely wrong direction and he hadn't been woken by the familiar clatter of the maids beginning their morning routine. Instead he'd been woken by a snapping sound and the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Roxas rubbed his eyes for a moment, blinking, before he realized where he was. "Oh!" Sitting up he glanced around and really took in Axel's bedroom. It was very simple, with just a desk and a laptop as furnishings. There were paintings on the walls though and Roxas caught his breath as he looked at a large picture of a flower garden. It was amazingly beautiful and full of light.

"Hm." Roxas reflected on Axel's art style as he got dressed. Fortunately he'd figured he might be staying overnight and had brought a change in underwear. The rest of his clothes were fine. Axel's art was all very lighthearted, a lot like the person painting it. It was all rather traditional too but then, Axel probably hadn't been exposed to too much in the way of modern art. Roxas pulled out a piece of paper and looked at the gallery names Namine had written down for him. She'd made notes beside each one indicating in a general way what sort of art they carried and if they were open to new artists. Roxas walked out of the room as he examined the list and looked up with a smile to see that Axel was making pancakes. There was whipped cream and maple syrup too.

"Good morning!" Axel said cheerfully as he flipped a few pancakes onto a plate. "How many would you like? Three?" Roxas nodded.

"That sounds good." Axel finished another pancake and passed the plate over. "Thanks!" Axel finished making his own pancakes a few moments later and took a seat across from him. "Okay, I think I know where we should go today." Roxas passed over the list and Axel looked at it, a touch bemused. "We should try Brianna's Gallery in Sector Two, The Art Cluster in Sector Three and Lux Gallery in Sector One. There's more than that, of course, but those are our best bet." Roxas frowned slightly. "Although Lux might be shooting a bit high. But we're just going to see their work today."

"Okay." Axel was beginning to warm up a little to the idea. Sure, it would hurt a bit to see other artists on display while he wasn't but it could also give him ideas for new things to try out. He came up with ideas all the time but new inspiration was good. "This could be fun. Where in Sector Three is the Art Cluster?" That would be closest to his apartment in Sector Five. Soon they had a line of attack planned out. "Roxas, I just want to say. Thank you for this. I'd've never thought to do this on my own." Axel felt a bit humbled by how well Roxas could plan and carry it through. Axel wasn't bad at planning but he tended to procrastinate and let things be. Roxas clearly wasn't like that at all. Roxas smiled cheerfully.

"It's nothing! I enjoy it." To his surprise Roxas found that was really the case. This project was interesting… had he been bored before he met Axel? Roxas was surprised by the thought but also thought that it was true. There was nothing boring about the flamboyant redhead. Axel grinned and gave him a quick kiss before they pulled on their coats to leave. The weather was bitterly cold and the ground crunched under their feet as they walked. "Ugh, I can't wait for spring to come." Axel nodded. The new coat Roxas had gotten him for his birthday was very nice but he could still feel the chill.

"It's a hard winter." Axel poked the ground. "Exactly the kind the farmers would have hated at home. Not much snow but so cold." Roxas blinked at that. He considered lack of snow to be a plus.

"Why would they care about snow? Oh, water in the spring?" Axel nodded.

"Exactly. Of course, it's different in Midgar, snow is just a nuisance here. Not like there are any farmers that would need it." The closest farm to Midgar was a fair ways away. Although they were close enough that Axel doubted they'd gotten much snow either. "Oh well. Nothing anyone can do about the weather."

"Too true. Hey, did I tell you what the engineers did last week?" Roxas thought he probably hadn't and it was a good story. Axel looked interested as they waited for the monorail.

"No, what?" Roxas entertained his boyfriend with a story about how the engineering students had managed to winch a vehicle onto the roof of the agricultural building. Axel grinned at the thought. "How'd they get it back down?"

"I have NO idea. I hear it belonged to one of the Professors, too." Axel choked at the thought and shook his head. He couldn't imagine doing that.

"Someone's asking for a suspension." He observed. "Unless their parents are rich. Uh, no offense." He added quickly and Roxas shook his head.

"None taken." It was a fact of life that money could get you much better treatment in Midgar. "But even the richest student would likely get suspended a few days. The Professor was pissed." Axel laughed as they got on the monorail.

"I know I would be!" Although Axel was sure that Professor must have done something to piss off his students. Unless the car selection had just been random, which might have been the case.

They chatted about random things as the monorail made its way to Sector Three. Axel found himself noticing all over again how cute Roxas was with his cheeks reddened by the cold and his blue eyes bright. His blonde hair was hidden under a cap but a few spikes were escaping around his neck. Axel smiled and gave him a gentle peck on the cheek, making Roxas blink.

"What was that for?" He was a bit surprised. They'd been talking about birds. Axel smiled slowly.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to kiss you." Roxas felt warmed by that reply and smiled, taking Axel's hand. The redhead gave him a small squeeze and Roxas suddenly felt better about everything. Axel did want him, he was sure of it.

They spent the rest of the day looking at art galleries and Axel found plenty of inspirational ideas, which he jotted down in a notebook. Roxas looked at the paintings more critically, trying to decide if Axel's work would be a good fit. Ironically, the one that he thought Axel would fit best with was the Lux. They specialized in rather traditional artwork meant to appeal to a broad audience and they carried a lot of things with 'happy' themes. That seemed to suit Axel very well. And Axel hadn't tried approaching them. They were within Sector One and a touch beyond the public areas. A resident of Sector Five could come visit but might end up stopped and harassed a bit by the Sector security.

"You're right though, it's shooting kinda high." Axel said when Roxas mentioned that. "They're really high tone. I could try." Axel was pretty dubious about his chances for success and Roxas frowned.

"Let me talk to Namine first. Maybe her teachers know someone who works there." Roxas was a bit vague on the contacts she had. "And I want to show her your portfolio first. Oh hey, would you like to get dim sum for lunch?" Roxas was getting really hungry and he knew some very nice restaurants in Sector One. Axel nodded with a grin.

"Sure!" Soon they were trying all kinds of little baskets of delicacies. Axel sighed as he polished off a pork bun and looked at Roxas with a smile. "You know, I love just being with you. It's so much fun." Roxas blushed a little at that but smiled.

"I love being with you too." He said sincerely. Even when they weren't doing much of anything, it was nice to just be with Axel. Roxas was vaguely aware he was badly infatuated but didn't care. Axel felt the same way.

It might even be love.