The new semester started with the bitter cold of the New Year. Marluxia had bought a ton of sparklers so the guys spent the better part of four hours running around the parks waving them. Students poured back onto the campus and school picked up again. Roxas was sad not to have a class with Axel for the spring but he was welcome to visit him whenever he wanted.

Pence greeted Roxas with a hug and six boxes of cookies upon his return to campus. The boys spent most of the night pigging out on the variety of treats: gingerbread, sugar, sprits, Russian tea cakes, krum kaka, and raspberry sandwiches. By the time they retired for the evening, they were laughing themselves silly from the overdose of sugar and comical movies. Pence commented on Roxas's lip piercing. Roxas had visited several places to make sure his lip wasn't infected and to have the piercing redone professionally.

Classes started and the snow continued to fall. Roxas was swamped with homework but he always made time to visit his favorite friend on the weekends. February soon struck and the weather was as cold as ever. With the coming of February meant one thing: Valentine's Day.

Roxas felt overwhelmed since he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do for Valentine's Day. It was usually a holiday for girls to profess their love for their favorite male counterparts. Neither Roxas or Axel were girls. With a sigh, Roxas came to one conclusion: he was going to have to ask Demyx or Zexion for help.

It was February 3rd. Roxas still had a few days to figure out what he was going to do. He drove over to the apartment deep in thought. Somehow he had to ask for advice without Axel finding out. Upon his arrival, he found a random girl sitting in the kitchen. Riku was busy cooking again. Roxas pointed to her and Riku motioned towards the upper floors with his eyes.

'Seifer…right.' He heard music from the basement and crept down the stairs. He was greeted with laughter.

"How are you beating me?" Demyx complained.

"Mad skills!" Axel replied. Roxas found them playing Just Dance to Take it Off. They looked rather silly.

"Hey guys," Roxas greeted.

"Roxas! You've got to play this," Demyx called.

"You'll get stomped," Axel reminded.

"Maybe I've been holding back." Axel snorted.

"R-I-G-H-T."

"Hey Demyx, have you seen Zexion? There was something I wanted to ask him," Roxas asked.

"He's in our room. Go on in," Demyx stated.

"Thanks." Roxas headed back upstairs and made his way up to the top floor. Odd sounds were sounding from Seifer's room as he passed through the level. Roxas tried to drown out the sounds in his head with little avail. He reached the top floor and took a left at the end of the hall. Demyx's and Zexion's room was a lot like Axel's and Marluxia's: small, dark, one window with the shades drawn, and stuff everywhere. Instead of Marluxia's projects, there were books and CD cases. Demyx had an impressive sound system on his desk and his sitar sat propped at the base of his bed. Zexion's half was a little neater and had two large shelves filled with books.

"Hello Roxas," Zexion greeted.

"Hey. I had a question."

"About what?" Zexion put his book down and pulled his feet up onto his chair.

"It's Axel. See it's almost Valentine's Day…"

"And you don't know what to do?" Zexion guessed.

"Yes!" The elder boy chuckled.

"It's okay. We're all a little lost on our first Valentine's Day. You'll get used to it. Maybe you should just go on a date."

"With just the two of us?"

"Of course. You could have Demyx and I tag along but you wouldn't want to know the details."

"Right. Is there someplace Axel might want to go?" Zexion thought about it.

"I'd ask Marluxia. He would know more than I would."

"Okay. What about presents? Do I have to get him one?"

"If you want. Demyx and I usually exchange gifts but it's really up to you. Anything else?" Roxas shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He let out a long sigh.

"Does it, you know, hurt? Is it weird?" Zexion stood and shut the door to his room. He took Roxas by the hand and sat him down on his bed.

"Are you really that committed?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm not sure. If I just sit here and think about it I'd say no, but when we're together, I just lose myself. I just don't want to hurt Axel."

"Quite honestly, I'd be more worried about you."

"Me?"

"Who's usually on the bottom?"

"Me."

"Then I'd be worried about you."

"Oh. What about you?"

"We switch around." Zexion started picking lint from his comforter. "To answer your question, I would say yes but at the time it happens, any sort of sensation is turned around in your brain." Roxas thought back to the water park and the scratches on their bodies. While they were making out they felt great but when they woke up they stung like Hell.

"Alright. Thanks Zexion."

"The pleasure was mine." Roxas took his leave from the room and headed across the hall. Marluxia was staring blankly at his computer screen.

"Hey," Roxas greeted.

"If you want information about Axel's it's going to cost you," Marluxia said without moving his eyes from the screen. Roxas stopped short.

"How'd you…?"

"Know? Because I gave the same offer to Axel. Left him scratching his head." Marluxia popped a strawberry Pocky into his mouth and chewed slowly like a hamster.

"How much?"

"We're going clubbing once Valentine's Day's over, the 16th. You'll have to come along."

"I could do that."

"Good. I'll give you more details once the date gets closer. Now, what is it you wish to know?"

"Is there somewhere where Axel would want to go out to eat, as in like a date?" Marluxia chewed on his Pocky thoughtfully.

"I can think of two. One you can't go to since you're not of legal age. The other's called Martin Steinz. It's someplace he's always wanted to try. You can try there."

"Thanks, Marluxia." The pink hair man waved his hand, dismissing the teen.

"Don't forget to make a reservation!" Marluxia called as Roxas left the room. He sighed once he was alone. "Looks like it's just you and me again this year, my delicious friend," he said, talking to his Pocky. The delightful treat didn't respond. Marluxia sighed again and stuck another stick into his mouth.

Roxas made his way back down the stairs. He paused on the second floor. After seeing Zexion's room, he was curious to what the others were like. He decided to start with Riku's room since the door was open. Roxas knocked and Riku looked up from his food.

"Hey!" Riku called. He turned down the volume on his TV. "What's up?"

"I here you're going to invite Sora to come live here next year."

"Oh, yeah. Lexaeus is moving out. I guess I won't mind since he's rarely here anyway. Are you thinking of taking the other open spot?"

"Yeah. Axel invited me."

"Cool. It'll save you money on gas. Are you going to room with me or Seifer then?"

"I'll room with Seifer. Sora seems too nice to room with a goon like him." Riku snorted.

"Goons a nice word for him. I can't ever seem to get past his thick head. Maybe you'll have more luck."

"How does Terra do it?"

"He's at sports most of the year so he only puts up with Seifer on the weekends. Some days I wish we were all that lucky." Riku shoveled another forkful of spaghetti into his mouth.

"Sora's a freshmen, right?"

"Yeah. He's in the dorms like you are, although I think he's over in the Radient Village expansion. His roommate seems nice. Some kid name Tidus. He's a sports player too." Riku started eating again and Roxas looked around the room. It was fairly empty. The walls were blank and the desks were void of clutter. It was such as drastic change from the other rooms. The only problem with the room was Riku's overgrown laundry hamper.

"Alright. I'll see you around." Riku waved with his fork, turning the volume back up on his TV. Roxas found Seifer's door was now cracked. He knocked on the doorframe.

"What?" Seifer called. Roxas opened the door a bit further. The room was bright like Riku's but it was an explosion of clothes, take out containers, papers, and sports equipment. Seifer was laying shirtless on his bed, his hat still present. "Chicken wuss? What do you want?"

"I just wanted to let you know I might be staying here next year," Roxas stated flatly.

"You?" Seifer rolled his eyes. "I suppose it could be worse. They could stick me with that half-assed Riku kid. I have my rules though."

"Vacate the room when you have company?"

"You catch on quick." Seifer pulled out a knife from under his pillow and flicked it around.

"Don't try to wake me up."

"Same goes for you." Seifer laughed loudly.

"You gonna shoot me?"

"No. I'll just ruin your day."

"Sleep in late on weekends?"

"Always."

"Eh." Seifer shrugged. "Maybe we'll get along. Just keep your gay stuff upstairs." Roxas was about to say something when his voice got caught in his throat. "I'm not blind, douche bag. I can tell you and Mr. Hot Stuff are together. Like I said, keep it upstairs. I haven't had anything against the lame-o crowd in the past. Let's keep it that way."

"Right. Thanks Seifer."

"Don't go thanking me. We're not roommates yet so don't go fucking it up before we are. I'll make your life Hell."

"Touché." Roxas left the man alone. As he headed for the stairs, the new girl walked by him on her way back from the bathroom. She wore Seifer's shirt. When Roxas glanced behind him, he could see her ass peek out from underneath the fabric. Roxas rolled his eyes and hurried downstairs before Seifer started up another round of S&M.

Downstairs, Axel and Demyx were in the kitchen drinking sodas. They were exhausted from dancing too much. Demyx fetched a soda for Roxas. Roxas nodded his thanks.

"What do you have planned for the evening?" Axel asked.

"Whatever you want to do."

"Want to go get some ice cream?"

"Sure!" Roxas brightened at the prospect of his favorite treat.

"Alright. Let's go, then." Axel went and grabbed his keys from his room. Demyx stared smugly at Roxas.

"What?"

"You're so lucky," Demyx stated.

"I am?"

"Do you know how many girls would kill for a man like that? Out of all of them, he picked you. You're special, Roxas."

"How'd you pick Zexion?"

"He asked me out in the library one day. Truth be told I was a bit shocked. It didn't help I had a girlfriend at the time. Once she dumped me, I found myself going to the library and asking if Zexion wanted to do anything fun for awhile. Six weeks later we started dating."

"What drew you to him?"

"His quiet nature, I suppose. If you asked him, he'd probably say he was drawn to my quirky nature. We just got along so well we just decided to take out relationship further. Not much else to it."

"Do you get much flack?"

"Depends. Campus is pretty chill about it. Even the two clubs on campus are pretty chill about LGBT crowd. If you go off campus, you're in for a bit of a wakeup call. Just be careful, Roxas. Some people will never change their views and nothing you say will change their mind. I tried once and I ended getting beaten up. Zexion had to take me to the ER. Anyways…" He tiled his head to the side as Axel came back down the stairs. "Go have fun."

As Roxas followed Axel out of the apartment, he turned and mouthed "Thanks" to Demyx. The music major raised is soda in recognition.

The pair drove out to the ice cream place. Kairi was behind the counter. She knew was Roxas was going to order since he always got the same thing: sea salt ice cream in a waffle bowl. Axel ordered a small bowl of chocolate. They sat in their corner table and ate silently for the first few bites.

"Have any plans for Valentine's Day?" Axel asked. Roxas shook his head. "Is there anything you want to do?" Roxas shrugged.

"We could out for ice cream." Axel let out a chuckled and a sigh at the same time.

"Roxas, you can't survive on ice cream." Roxas frowned.

"I wish I could. What if we went skating?"

"Skating?"

"Yeah. There's that huge rink on the other side of campus where the pond is. They rent out skates there I think."

"I guess that might be fun."

"Should I pick you up at five then?"

"Kind of early, don't you think?"

"I thought we might go eat before."

"Right. Yeah, five works. You're not going to crash this time, are you?" Roxas scowled.

"No."

"I'll see you then."

XxXxX

The day of love soon blossomed on campus. Couples were seen everywhere of every shape and size. Demyx had been right about the campus being accepting. Roxas sat in front of his wardrobe and wondered what he should wear. His heart pounded wildly as five o'clock drew nearer and nearer.

"What if you did the black cargo pants with your jacket and scarf?" Pence suggested.

"Is that too normal?"

"Nah. Go with that red long sleeved shirt."

"Sweatshirt ideas?"

"Grey?"

"Too plain."

"Red?"

"Too subtle."

"Black?"

"Too much black."

"What if you wore a black tank top under your red shirt instead of a sweat shirt over it?"

"Great idea!" Roxas found his clothes and changed. Then he decided on the accessories. He eventually went with a pair of black leather cuffs and his red dog collar.

"You two have fun tonight. I'm going to splurge on candy and romantic comedies," Pence commented.

"Aren't you doing anything with Hayner or Olette?"

"They're on a date, I guess. No need to make things awkward." Roxas nodded. He was happy for Pence to be his roommate. Roxas could confine in him whenever he was having issues. Pence swore to keep Roxas's secret safe, especially from Hayner.

"You want me to pick you up something?"

"Nah. Don't worry about me. I'll just pretend it's any other day and suddenly the prospect of watching a movie alone isn't so depressing." Roxas felt bad for him. He dug around in his wardrobe until he came up with a poorly wrapped package.

"Here," Roxas offered.

"What's this?" Pence took the package.

"It was for your birthday."

"That's in two weeks, though."

"Close enough." Pence smiled sheepishly and opened the paper. Inside was the special edition of the Matrix trilogy.

"Whoa! Thanks Roxas! You are the best roommate in the world." Roxas smiled.

"Thanks." Pence gave him a hug and let Roxas get going before he was late. Then he settled down to watch a movie marathon with a bowl of pink and red M&Ms.

Roxas drove over to Axel's apartment and picked him up. The red head wore a black hat over his head, forcing his spikey hair downwards. He wore a simple matching outfit: black boots, black skinny jeans, black jacket, and a dark red sweatshirt. A green scarf was wrapped around his neck.

"Where are we going?" Axel asked.

"It's a surprise." Axel raised his eyebrows but didn't press for questions. Roxas drove to the edge of the campus. They arrive at Martin Steinz and Axel had to smile. "Ready?" Roxas called from the door. Axel strode up to his companion and locked arms with him.

"Of course."

They were seated and ordered some drinks. While they waited for their food, the talked idly about school and classes. Axel didn't have as many Literature classes this semester so he had a bit more free time due to the lack of papers. Roxas was finding he liked chemistry the most out of his classes. Axel then talked about the abomination of a class o-chem was and how he survived the third time through. He went on a tangent about Vexen, the old apartment tenant, and how he had gone into biochemistry.

Their food arrived and they continued their conversation over their meal. Roxas got a flat bread pizza while Axel got a shrimp pasta bowl. Their conversation turned to their friends and how they were handling the school year. As they ordered desserts, they talked about moving arrangements for the end of the spring. Roxas would be able to apply for the empty place in the apartments in March once all of the forms of leave notices were filed.

Once they were done with dessert, Roxas drove them to the skating rink. They got skates and joined the crowd. Roxas was a natural on the skates after so many years of dance practice, but Axel was full of surprises too. Apparently his sister used to skate so he got to practice with her during the open skating sessions.

Roxas wobbled as Axel skated backwards past him with his hands in his pockets. "Show off!" Roxas shouted. Axel spun around and grabbed Roxas by the hand. The teens face blushed lightly. He was worried people would stare but they were too preoccupied with their own partner that they ignored everyone else. Axel led Roxas around the skating rink, giving him tips along the way. Axel taught Roxas a few tricks too.

Later in the evening, they ran into Terra and Aqua on the ice. They were holding hands as Terra attempted to remain standing. Aqua kept encouraging him, which made Terra smile.

Around ten, Roxas and Axel got off of the ice and got some hot chocolate. They were breathless from skating so long. Then they headed back to Axel's apartment. When they got there, Axel motioned for Roxas to follow him. Roxas was a bit confused but followed the red head without question. They took a walk in the nearby park, their elbows linked.

Axel exhaled and watched his breath float up into the night sky. "What a perfect day," he muttered. Roxas looked up at him. Axel's face was calm and relaxed. The cold winter air kissed his cheeks, turning them pink. Roxas smiled and leaned against Axel's arm, his arm snaking around the taller man's.

"You're being awfully quiet," Axel noticed.

"Sorry. I was just enjoying the silence. It's so quiet out here compared to the other parts of campus. It's comforting, in a way. I know if I ever need to escape I can always come out here and let the stress melt off." Axel stopped walking and turned to Roxas.

"Is that so?" He then led Roxas through the snow. He stopped in the middle of the park and flopped backwards in the snow. Roxas sat down next to him. Axel pulled the teen onto his lap and Roxas lay quietly on top of him. They stared up at the sky. Stars filled the black void with constellations and glittering lights.

"Do you ever miss your family?" Axel asked.

"Mostly just my siblings, although I never hung out with them much. I was always too busy when I was younger and then when I hit my junior year of high school, I pretty much locked myself in my room. Do you even miss Xion?"

"Nah. She keeps in touch about once a month by sending me a postcard with a couple of sentences on it."

"What about your parents?"

"They moved after I came to college. I haven't been home since. I was never on bad terms with my parents but I don't really miss them either." Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas tighter.

"Do you think we'll always be like this?"

"What do you mean?" Axel asked, confused.

"I guess I'm just being pessimistic. When we're together, I feel like we could never be torn apart. But then when I go to sleep at night I can't stop thinking about all of the ways I could lose you." Axel nuzzled his chin on Roxas's head.

"Whatever happens will happen. We can't control it. If we do get separated, then we just have to get together in our next life."

"I'll run to you," Roxas promised.

"With open arms," Axel promised.

They lay in perfect silence for over an hour.

Then Axel started humming. Roxas recognized the tune.

"Omoidasu ba, haruka haruka," Roxas sang softly. He sang through the entire song of Passion, Axel humming the music for him.

When Roxas finished singing, he let Axel finish humming before they were left in silence again. "Hey Roxas?" Axel asked.

"Yeah?"

"I can't feel my legs." Axel chuckled awkwardly. Roxas rolled off of him and let Axel sit up. "Want to head back?"

"I have class tomorrow morning. I should probably go back to my dorm."

"Oh, right." Roxas stood up and offered a hand down to Axel. The red head gladly accepted and was pulled to his feet. They walked back to the parking lot, their cold hands intertwined. When they got there, Axel didn't want to let Roxas go. Roxas smiled softly.

"I'll be back," Roxas reassured him. Axel wrapped Roxas in a hug. He felt a pair of tears fall from his eyes. Roxas looked up as the tears hit the top of his head. "What's wrong?"

"Damn tears just slipped out. Promise me we'll do this again next year."

"I promise." Axel pulled Roxas into a kiss. When they parted, they hugged each other tightly. Roxas said his good-byes and left for his dorm. Axel went up to his room and got ready for bed. When he crawled under the covers, he was overcome with a wave of emotions.

'Why does my heart hurt around him?' Axel fell asleep.

In his dreams he found himself on a sandy beach. He looked out across the waves. They were a brilliant blue. He turned and sat a figure sitting on a rock. They were dressed in black with a pair of white wings loosely folded behind them. They stared out at the sea, waiting. Axel started running. The figure grew closer. He could make out the blonde hair blowing gently in the wind.

"Roxas!" Axel screamed. The figure turned. He stood and pushed off from the rock. The world slowed. Axel watched the angel spread its wings, blocking out the light of the sun. Axel was scared out of his mind. The angel held out a hand to him. Axel reached for it. Their fingers brushed gently before Axel took hold of the angel's hand. The white wings pumped higher and higher into the sky.

Axel noticed the higher they climbed, the darker the angel's wings became. He turned back to see the angel fixated on flying higher. Once they broke the clouds, a beautiful sunset was spread before them. The last of the angel's feather's turned black and he dropped out of the sky. Axel dove after him, determined to save him.

The angel pressed his hands over his heart. His wings dissolved into a flurry of feathers. Axel soon caught up and wrapped his arms around the angel. Pain erupted from his back as a set of scarlet wings spread out behind him. Axel slowed their fall and they came to rest on the earth.

The angel opened his eyes. He stared at Axel with searching eyes. The wind blew sharply and Axel was torn away. He tried to fight the wind, but he couldn't. Axel pressed his hand against his chest. A shining light emerged in his palm. Axel threw it against the wind. It soared through the air and pierced the angel through the chest. He blinked and reached out.

"Axel!" he screamed. Axel watched as his wings turned from scarlet to dark purple. Then the feathers slowly disappeared into the breeze.

"Where fears and lies melt away," Axel muttered.

He woke in a cold sweat. Axel noticed his phone was vibrating on his desk. He quickly picked it up to find Roxas calling him. Axel picked it up.

"Roxas?"

"I'm outside." Axel quickly found a sweatshirt and slipped it over his head before sprinting down the stairs. As he burst outside, Roxas slammed into his chest.

"What are you doing here?" Axel asked.

"I had to see you again…one more time," Roxas replied.

"You'll see me tomorrow," Axel reminded. Roxas shook his head.

"I wanted to tell you something but I couldn't bring myself to it before. Now I'm sure. Axel…" Roxas looked up into the elder males face. "I love you."

Axel swept Roxas up into a passionate kiss.

"I love you too," Axel breathed as the parted. Roxas's face softened and fell. Tears spilled out of his eyes. Axel kissed them away. "Got get some sleep. I'll be waiting for you when you get back." Axel kissed Roxas on the forehead. "Night Roxy."

"Night Axel." Roxas stole one more kiss before climbing back into his car. Then he drove off into the night. Axel stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

A shadow strode up behind him. Marluxia put an arm around Axel's shoulders.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." Marluxia could see the blush on Axel's face.

"You should come inside before you get sick." Marluxia slipped his arm off of Axel's shoulder and started heading back to bed.

"Marly?" Axel called. Marluxia stopped and turned around. Axel stepped inside and locked the front door. He walked over to Marluxia and rested his head on the shorter man's shoulder. "What am I supposed to do?"

"For starters, got back to bed. You'll only make Roxas worry if you're not sleeping."

"I can't stand not being around him. He made me feel like I had a heart again." Marluxia lifted Axel's head and smiled at him.

"I'm sure he could say the same about you." Marluxia ushered Axel back to his bed. The red head was asleep in seconds.

The pink haired man sat at his desk for awhile, thinking deeply. Then he smiled.

Keeping his thoughts to himself, he dug out his last piece of Pocky. He bit off the end and chewed on it happily.

"Haruka haruka."