Notes: I think I've mentioned this, but Neric (who is finally being introduced properly), as well as Kai (who has had even less page time), are on loan from one of my novels. I'm currently a bit torn on what to do with them here because there are two ways I could have my plot play out (a real plot WHAT), and the more interesting one makes them a lot more significant. I don't want to put people off with the direct OC involvement, but it'll make for a better story overall (certainly more unique), so be prepared for it. I'd try to do a replacement with a canon character, but I think it would send said character straight into the realm of hopelessly OOC (which I avoid like the plague). Anyway, regardless of how it works out, the focus is obviously going to be on Axel and Roxas, so no worries there. I just have a story beyond the romance and I need to figure out how best to tell it.

...I really like parentheticals. XD

VII

Axel was again waiting at the park when Roxas got there. Much like the first time, he was wearing his trench coat and smoking a cigarette. Unlike the first time, it was still light out and, in the cool winter sunshine, the long spikes of his hair were startling in their vibrancy. Like fire or paint or blood - almost too much colour for Roxas' mundane world.

Maybe colour was what he really needed.

Or maybe just Axel. The dreams had got worse in the three days since they'd last seen each other and Roxas was starting to have a lot of trouble claiming there was anything remotely normal about them. Normal people didn't dream like that. There was just no way.

Axel grinned brilliantly when Roxas got up to him and his eyes were bright like his hair. "You came."

"Well, yeah," Roxas said, rolling his eyes. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"You did, yeah, but given what happened the other night I worried a little." Axel held up his hands, placating. "Not that I think you'd lie to me, 'cause I really don't, but you were pretty freaked out. But I can see why - don't worry about it." He smiled winningly.

"So we're cool?" Roxas bit his lower lip nervously and didn't miss the way Axel's gaze immediately shifted to his mouth.

He blinked, looking back up. "Of course we are! I wasn't mad, Roxie, I'm not a girl." He grinned again, teasingly.

"I didn't think you were." Roxas grinned back and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Nope. That's definitely not a mistake I'm going to make."

"Good. Because I'd really hate for you to have any nasty surprises at... inopportune moments."

Was Axel suggesting what Roxas thought he was suggesting? Because that sounded suspiciously like... oh, it totally was. Roxas could feel a blush coming on, which made Axel laugh as he ground out his cigarette.

"You're too cute for words, you know that?" He shook his head, still laughing. "So, um, I hope you won't be too upset when I give into temptation and do..." He stepped close suddenly, right into Roxas' personal space, tilted his chin up with gentle fingertips and kissed him sweetly. "...that."

When the kiss broke, Roxas looked up at him as they stood very still, barely touching, barely breathing. Axel's fingers were warm against his face, even though it was cold outside and his leather gloves were in Roxas' pocket. Then he smiled. "Not upset."

Axel's smile was just as bright and blinding as ever, but this time there was a bit of relief mixed in. "I'm glad. I don't think it's something I could ever get tired of, so I'd be pretty broken up about it if you didn't like it, too."

The damn blush was back with a vengeance. "Do you try to make me feel awkward and embarrassed, or is it a skill that just comes naturally?"

"Six of one, half-dozen of the other, really." Axel winked rakishly.

"You're impossible," Roxas replied, deadpan, even though his cheeks were still pink.

"It is one of my many wondrous qualities, yes. But you'll get used to it, just you wait." He'd begun, unconsciously or deliberately Roxas couldn't say, to lightly run his fingers along Roxas' jaw line. His almost too-green eyes were soft with what could have been badly hidden adoration. But that was... uncomfortable. Weird. Roxas did his best to suppress the part of himself that rejoiced in the idea that maybe Axel loved him, and wanted very much to love him back.

It's too early for that. I don't even know him.

"This is still weird," he said softly. "I mean... Jesus, Axel, I don't know anything about you! Your name's Axel Keene, you're twenty-one and you have a job you like. That's all I've got. I have your phone number, but I don't know where you live. This isn't... it's just not enough." I'm scared.

Axel smiled gently, seeming to understand what Roxas wasn't saying. "No, I get it. It bothers you that things are moving so fast. Why don't... do you want to see my apartment? I don't mind or anything. In fact," he smiled teasingly, trying to lighten the mood, "if I have my way, you'll find yourself spending a lot of time there before too long."

Roxas looked at him for a few seconds, thoughtfully. Then he nodded. "Yeah, okay. I'm just gonna ignore that last thing you just said, but the first part? I'd like that."

The older boy laughed again, like he was going to keep up the teasing, but all he said was, "Well, then, we should probably get moving. We've got a train to catch."

When he offered Roxas his hand, as nonchalantly as possible, Roxas only hesitated for a second before taking it.

-

Axel's apartment was in a way nicer building than Roxas had expected. Given that Axel was only a few years older than he was, and apparently had opted out of college, part of him had anticipated him to live in one of those lower-middle class apartment complexes (inevitably overrun by the grimy children of overworked single mothers) that always looked in need of a new coat of paint. Instead, he lived on the third floor of a smallish building in a nice neighbourhood. There couldn't have been more than maybe eight apartments total and it actually looked pretty classy.

"It's nothing special," Axel said, as they walked up the stairs. "I mean, the elevator hasn't worked since... ever. But I've got plenty of space for my stuff, lots of light, and the building's pretty quiet, so I don't have to get pissed at drunken morons crashing into shit at four in the morning when I have to work. Which is a major upgrade from the last place I lived." They got up to apartment 302 and he unlocked the door, holding it open for Roxas to go ahead of him.

About two steps inside, Roxas just stopped and looked around, surprised. Axel's apartment was... amazingly clean. It did not look anything like the normal young bachelor's place and, for a fleeting second, Roxas wondered if Axel had a female roommate he'd conveniently forgotten to mention. But there was only one person's stuff in the living room, which was a pretty good indication that only one person lived there.

He kicked off his shoes, following Axel's lead, and took a few more steps into the living room. It was kind of impressive, actually. His gaze fell on the packed bookcase and DVD rack. There was something odd about them, almost like...

"Axel, are your books and DVDs organised by colour?"

"...Ah." Axel laughed kind of awkwardly. "Yeah, about that. I'm a little OCD about a few things. Nothing big - it's not like I freak the fuck out if stuff gets messy or whatever - I just... like organisation, I guess. I don't really think about it until someone comes over for the first time and has the what-the-fuck reaction you're having right now. My mom loved it - always let me do all the packing for both of us." He rolled his eyes.

Roxas blinked. "You do not look like the organised type. Like, at all."

"Yeah, I know. The tattoos, pierced ear and crazy red hair are pretty misleading." He shrugged, flicking the single, long earring that curled all the way down the shell of his right ear for emphasis. "But sometimes the bad kids are smart, too."

"I don't know," Roxas said teasingly, "OCD and smart aren't necessarily the same thing..."

"Hey!" Axel said indignantly. "I will have you know, blondie, that I was fifth in my high school graduating class."

That caught Roxas a little off-guard. Axel was even more surprising than he'd expected. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Another shrug. "What can I say, I was good at school. It's just a system, you know? Once you get the pattern down, it's pretty easy. The smart kids hated me, though - I think I confused them a little bit or something, the punk kid who could have had a shot at valedictorian had he given a shit." There was obviously more to that story than Axel was telling. "Then I dropped out of college because I still didn't give a shit, managed to find a decent job anyway, and here I am."

He's lying. I don't know what part's wrong, but he's definitely lying about something. Or maybe it was just that he was leaving a lot out. It was hard to say which it was, but Roxas could tell that something was off. He could hear it in Axel's tone and see it in his face. And it wasn't that Axel was necessarily a bad liar or something, or that the fragment of a story was unbelievable, somehow Roxas just knew.

"Huh. That's pretty cool - you don't just fit into a clique or stereotype." He nodded, letting the suspicion go. "I like that. I like it a lot, actually."

Axel grinned. "Good. I don't know if you could tell, I'm pretty secretive about this sort of thing, after all, but I like you, too. It'd break my fragile little heart if you hated me."

"I'm sure," Roxas replied flatly. "'Cause you're obviously such a delicate little thing."

Axel nodded solemnly. "It's true."

"So, um..." Roxas trailed off as he looked around again, suddenly very aware of the fact that he was standing in the living room of the guy he'd been dreaming about for six years. It made it very hard to think of anything clever to say.

"We could sit down, you know," Axel said patiently. "I have a couch and everything. Don't ask why it's lavender, please, that story hurts me in ways you will never understand."

Lavender? He looked at the couch for the first time. It is lavender. "...Oh. Okay, then."

"Yeah." Axel made a face and then gently shoved Roxas towards it. "Seriously, though, sit. It's not going to eat you. The colour's not that bad."

Roxas chuckled and sat down, trying to relax, which meant he wasn't relaxing at all. Axel sighed and looked up at the ceiling almost pleadingly, like he was trying to communicate with some higher being. Maybe pleading for help.

"All right, kid, this isn't gonna work," he said finally. "Give me your hand."

Slightly puzzled, Roxas held it out. "Dare I ask why?"

Axel rolled his eyes and started gently massaging Roxas' palm, focusing most of the pressure on the fleshy part of his hand at the base of his thumb. "I'm helping you relax. Just trust me - this actually works."

Roxas looked at him sceptically for a few seconds, until he noticed that the way Axel was rubbing his hand actually was pretty soothing. Axel grinned triumphantly as some of the tension drained away.

"See? What'd I tell you? There's a pressure point in this part of your hand, connected to nerves in the back of your neck. If you ever get bad headaches, rubbing your hand like this can help a little." The light massage didn't stop. "True fact."

"You know some pretty random shit, has anyone ever told you that?" He raised his eyebrows.

Axel laughed lightly. "Yeah, I know. I just pick things up, you know? It's funny, the stuff that sticks in your brain." He'd stopped rubbing, apparently satisfied, but he was still holding Roxas' hand. It was nice, so Roxas let him, going so far as to curl his fingers around Axel's.

"I have your gloves," he said matter-of-factly after a more comfortable silence.

Axel blinked. Then he blinked again. "Roxie, that was the most random thing you've ever said to me. What the hell, where did my gloves come into this?

Roxas shrugged and laughed. "I don't know, it was just the first thing I thought of."

"Wait, so me holding your hand all romantic-like makes you think of... gloves?" Axel arched an eyebrow. "That's an interesting revelation, blondie."

"It's not like that!" Roxas smacked his arm with his free hand. "Don't be a jerk."

"Hey now, no need to hit me for making an observation!" Axel was grinning again, like the Cheshire Cat. It should have been annoying, but instead it made Roxas feel kind of warm and silly and wanting to kiss him. So, for once, he stopped thinking too hard about everything and did.

As far as kisses went, it wasn't the greatest in the world. He'd gone in a bit fast, which made it a bit clumsy, and it wasn't like he had all that much experience to begin with, but then Axel recovered from his surprise and took over and then Roxas was opening his mouth and letting Axel take it farther and it got a whole lot better pretty fast. Their hands shifted, fingers lacing together more tightly, and Roxas' other hand came up to twist in the hem of Axel's black t-shirt.

When their lips parted, Axel exhaled slowly, blinking lazily and touching their noses together. Then he smiled. "Hi."

"Hi," Roxas whispered back.

"And you act like I'm surprising." He let go of Roxas' hand so he could slip his arm around his waist instead. Then he kissed the end of Roxas' nose.

"I have my moments." He shot him a small, genuine smile.

"Apparently so." He leaned in for another kiss.

Then Axel's phone, sitting innocently on the coffee table, rang.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Axel groaned and grabbed it with the hand not resting on Roxas' side. He looked at the caller ID. "God damn it. Sorry, Roxie, I've got to take this." He didn't let go, though, as he flicked it open. "Neric. I'm a little busy right now. What." His voice was so flat it wasn't actually a question.

There was silence as he listened to the person on the other end of the call. He frowned sharply, annoyed, which made Roxas pretty sure whatever this Neric was saying wasn't good.

"Right now? Like, for real?" Correction: Axel was not just annoyed - he was well on the way to pissed. "Can't this wait?" A pause. "Yes, I know I've interrupted you three times this week with -" He scowled as he was apparently cut off. "This is important! I don't -" The scowl deepened. "Fine, whatever. You better make it quick, though." And he hung up.

"Well, it looks like we're going to get interrupted for a few minutes. Apparently this is really important." Axel looked unconvinced.

"Oh." That... really sucked. "Should I go?"

"No. Neric said it won't take long and, well, I wasn't finished." He flashed a crooked smile.

"Is that so?" Roxas raised an eyebrow coyly. "Well then, I guess I'll have to stick around, won't I?"

Some of the lingering tension in Axel's face fell away. "I'm glad we agree." He darted in to kiss Roxas' forehead lightly. "You're amazing."

"W-what?" Roxas actually stuttered a little bit, surprised by the non-sequitur. "Where did that come from?"

Axel smiled again. "It's just true." Then he sighed and sat back, letting go. "I really am sorry about this, Rox. I wasn't expecting it. But I should probably know better by now - work never quite ends for me."

"This is for your job?" Both eyebrows raised, now. "It's Friday night."

"Well, I know that, and you know that, but Neric? Neric doesn't have much of a grip on days of the week and what they mean for normal people." Axel shook his head. "You kinda get used to it after awhile. It's just really fucking annoying sometimes - like right now."

So Axel's boss, or whatever the hell Neric's job was, was crazy. Good to know. It was starting to feel like nothing about them could just be normal or easy.

It was at that moment that someone knocked sharply on the door. They both looked up in surprise.

"That was fast," Roxas said blandly.

"Too fast," Axel agreed. But he got up and opened the door, anyway. "I hate it when you do shit like this, Neric," he said by way of greeting.

"I know you do. But you're going to have to get over it," said the man in the doorway. He had a pleasant enough voice, light with a hint of an accent Roxas couldn't quite place. He came inside and took off his hat in a way that reminded Roxas of guys in old movies. He blinked slowly, lazily. "Hello, Roxas."

Axel motioned to him vaguely, sighing slightly. "Roxas, this is Neric - my boss."

Roxas' first impression of Neric was mixed. He was very thin, very pale and very tall. His dark hair was just long enough to fall forward into his eyes, which were... strange. They were light eyes, very bright, and he didn't blink enough. But what was really odd about them was how... old they looked. The man couldn't have been older than thirty, but his eyes were all wrong. It was off-putting and made him seem secretive and odd. At the same time, though, something about him was very likeable.

Everything just kept getting weirder everyday. Was his life destined to never quite make sense again?

"Hi," he said after a pause. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure, I think, might be mine." Neric smiled, a brief flash of off-white teeth. "How are you?"

"I'm... good." It was kind of weird, the way he asked, like they already knew each other. But Neric didn't exactly scream normal, so maybe it was just the way he was. "Uh, you?"

"Overworked. Speaking of which!" He rounded on Axel. "You're working tonight."

"What?" Axel scowled. "Since when? It's Riku's shift."

"Since fifteen minutes ago when Riku called to tell me he absolutely has to be somewhere else. He'll take your Sunday shift, but someone has to be there tonight and it won't be me."

"What about Demyx? Or Zexion? Or, hell, I don't know, Larxene?" Axel looked very unhappy about this development. "In case you couldn't tell, Neric, I'm kind of busy myself here."

Neric sighed and raked a hand back through his hair. "Look, Axel, I'm sorry about this, I really am, but there's no one else who can do it. I wish I didn't have to ruin your date, but sometimes these things happen." Roxas felt heat creeping onto his cheeks when, for the first time, someone who wasn't him or Axel called their meetings dates.

"Great." Axel looked less than thrilled. "So rather than spend time with Roxas, I get to go sit and stare at a computer screen for six hours. Sounds like fun."

"If you're not happy with the job, Axel, you're welcome to leave it." Neric frowned reproachfully. "I won't hunt you down."

Axel sighed and threw up his hands in resignation. "I'm not going to quit my fucking job over this, Neric. Stop being an asshole. I just wish you wouldn't spring shit like this on me at the last minute."

"Comes with the territory. I guess you didn't read the fine print." But apparently Axel had said the right thing, because he smiled again. "I'll make it up to you. A vacation or something."

"How 'bout you just pay me double this week and we'll call it even?"

"Done." Neric sighed, shoulders slumping slightly, like he was suddenly very tired. "Thank you. Tonight is... well, it's somewhat important to me. There are things that have to be done. But I can't just let everything else fall apart while my attention is elsewhere, can I?" He turned his attention back to Roxas. "I am sorry about this, Roxas. If I could have found someone else, I would have."

"'s okay," Roxas replied, shrugging one shoulder. "We'll get over it."

"Yes, I'm sure you will." Another fleeting smile crossed his face. "Axel, you need to be there in about forty-five minutes. I'll let you two have a bit of time to yourselves now, before then." He shook his head, tossing his hair back, and put the black hat back on. "I, on the other hand, have a party of sorts to attend. Good night to both of you." And then he was gone, slipping out the door and closing it after him.

Axel and Roxas both stared at the empty space where the man had just been. "So, that's Neric," Axel said finally. "He's a little weird, but he sort of grows on you. And he's actually pretty great to work for, most of the time."

A little weird? "Seems like." Roxas paused awkwardly. "So, um. What now?"

"Now... I have a question." Axel turned to look at him head-on, leaning against the back of the squishy lavender couch. "How much would it freak you out if I took this growing thing of ours for what it's turning into, and called you my boyfriend?"

Boyfriend. That was a word Roxas hadn't dared to even think about applying to them. It had a sort of official sound, like whatever was going on between them was solid and lasting and real. His rational mind insisted that it was awfully soon to be using that word, but... did it freak him out?

He thought about it.

It really didn't.

"I think..." he said thoughtfully, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "I think it's a level of freaked out I can handle. Boyfriend has kind of a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Axel smiled brilliantly, like the sun coming out. "Yeah, yeah it does."