Ch 7

"AXEL!" A tall, brown haired girl launched herself at Axel. I felt my self grow strangely jealous… I couldn't stop the jealousy. Axel pried her off, laughing and handed her the Pokémon shirt he found at InTellipunk.

"Roxas, meet my sister, Mandi. She's in your grade. Mandi, meet Roxas." Axel introduced us politely. "Roxas is sleeping over." At this, Mandi instantly started to tease her brother. "Yeah, Mandi. We are going to do each other's hair and paint our nails. Sorry, you're not invited." She pretended to look hurt at her brother's comment, and ran back up the stairs clutching her shirt.

"Thanks bro! Roxas, don't let him rape you!" She shouted down the steps, giggling. Axel blushed, and started down the steps to the basement where our family had had our rec room. However, it seemed like Axel had managed to completely convert it.

The walls were all red, except for one. It was black with sloppy designs painted on it in white. The ceiling was plain white, but covered in posters. Axel had a giant king sized bed with black and red sheets. Everything was perfectly color coordinated. Connected was a fair sized restroom, with eyeliner and hair gel/hair spray in it. I walked around, marveling at his room. When I turned around to find Axel I found him leaning into a drawer, pulling out sweatpants. After a moment, he turned and threw a pair at me.

"Unless you want to sleep in your clothes, you can wear those. They're an older pair so they should fit you. Now, to answer your earlier question… Who is Slipknot?" He picked up a remote, hitting a button that made music come pumping out of speakers hidden throughout his room. I looked up into his blazing emerald eyes, knowing what would come eventually. But first, he asked if I wanted a cigarette. Of course, I refused. "Sorry, thought you might have changed your mind since I picked you up on the side of the road like a whore!" I would have been angry, but I heard him laugh after I turned away. I shrugged. I guess it's not too bad, I reasoned. I did already smoke one. So I accepted one, and let him help me light it.

We sat in his bed for a long time, smoking and talking. I learned about his life, his abusive dad who had never cared, who had left when he was young, but not young enough to forget the terror. He was thankful that Mandi had avoided it, because she wasn't old enough to remember. He didn't open up to people, and tried to act like a toughass so he wouldn't let anyone in and disappoint him. Axel had seen something special in me, and trusted me. I told Axel, in turn, that I had a twin brother who had died, along with an older sister. Axel didn't push me to talk about it. He seemed to understand the subject was taboo. I learned why he smoked – He had an older brother, who had been killed in a car crash. His brother had always smoked, always Camels… He had been let down horribly by the last boy he trusted. After he said this, he turned toward me, and leaned in for a kiss. Of course, I let him. I couldn't help it. There was just something different about Axel.

"Maybe Axel… I am gay…" I managed to mutter in between kisses. "In fact, I'm sure I am." Axel pulled back, and looked at me inquisitively. "I… Never thought…" Boy, this was harder to say then I thought. "That I… Would like boys? I NEVER considered it…" Axel laughed, and kissing me on the forehead, stood up.

"Roxas, you never asked, but I feel like you need to know something. Xigbar and I knew each other before, and he was the one who let me down… We used to live in Traverse Town together… And his parents walked in on us… They aren't very gay friendly!" He shook his head grimly. "His parents kicked him out, and he left town. He hates me because I never defended him, and I don't like him because he left me." I tried to comprehend. Then did that mean he liked me because I knew Xigbar? "I'm glad he left though. I found you." All of a sudden, he briskly walked over to me, kissing me passionately. "Roxas, this is an incredible feeling I never thought I'd have…