Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Sora groaned, looking at his cell phone. The alarm had gone off all too soon. He would have much preferred to spend his early morning sleeping, maybe catching a late brunch, and staying curled up on the couch with a good book or two. But no, it was Saturday, and Saturday mornings weren't for the peaceful rest he had cherished them for in childhood.

"Sun's up, Sora." Roxas came barreling into his room, blinding him as he opened the curtains on the other side of the bed. The brunet blearily blinked and pulled the covers up over his head.

"Every other day of the week I'm the one dragging your ass out of bed, you know." Sora whined, trying to block out as much of the offensive sun as possible. Roxas chuckled softly before ripping the covers away.

"Oh, I am well aware. That's why I get such a kick out of this." Rox dangled the comforter in front of Sora as the other man moaned in protest. Slowly but surely the brunet rose to his feet, glaring at the perkier man.

"You're lucky I love you." He threatened weakly before trudging his way to the bathroom. Roxas padded along after him, sing-songing as he spoke.

"I love you toooooooo," He chirped out, gleefully veering into the kitchen instead of into the bathroom with his friend. Sora closed the door behind him and sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He was absolutely exhausted from the night before. He wished he could shower, but there was just no point. He'd be gross in the matter of an hour anyway. He might as well save it for when he'd need it most.

The brunet did, however, take the time to scrub his face viciously in order to rub some life into himself. The cold water he splashed over it once he was done helped him energize, and he shook his head and buzzed out of his lips as it hit his skin. He patted the flesh a few times with a towel, hanging it back up to dry. He looked in the mirror, slightly surprised he didn't look half as bad as he felt. How long had it been since he had a proper night's sleep? It seemed like years.

"Sora? You almost ready?" Roxas called out to him from the kitchen, banging around and making a clatter with the cupboards.

"Ready as I'll ever be." The brunet shrugged as he walked into the room to join the vivacious little blond. He was now loudly using the blender, throwing together assorted fruits with the yogurt and ice. Sora yawned before grabbing the coffee pot. Roxas slapped his hand away before he could fill a cup.

"If you drink coffee you're just going to have to poop." He scowled. The brunet rolled his eyes and reached for the cup again, but Rox kept jutting his arm in the way.

"I am fully aware of the effects coffee has on my body, but thank you for paying such close attention." The brunet and the blond were now full out dueling for the coffee pot. Roxas snatched it away from Sora's clutches and poured the fragrant brew down the drain. The writer made a noise as if he had just been stabbed, gaping in horror at the sink. He composed himself and punched Roxas in the arm, hard. "What did you do that for?!" Sora exclaimed.

"I let you run my life 24/7, every day of the week, every week of the year. Saturday mornings are my time to be in control of something, and you are not going to ruin that by needing to dip out on me for a bathroom break!" Roxas crossed his arms, causing his athletic shirt to shift. The blond looked awfully sporty in his baby blue tank top, navy basketball shorts, and running shoes. He pouted at bit, staring Sora down, hoping the brunet would crack. Eventually, as per usual, he did.

"Fine." He sighed, as Roxas beamed in return. "But don't expect me to be happy about it. You know how much I hate this." Sora shook his head and walked out of the kitchen, headed toward his room in order to change. He figured that showing up to the gym in his flannel bottoms wasn't the best idea.

"You're always too busy worrying to be happy, Sor-rah." Roxas called after him as the brunet closed his door. He dragged his hands down his face in exasperation. Saturday mornings were the worst.

The two men showed up at the gym right on time in the Rusty Stallion. Sora turned the car off and frowned at the building, hating the apprehension that the place gave him. Sure, he looked good and all, but was it really worth all the sweating and panting? There were plenty of other ways he could do those two things that didn't involve a treadmill and did involve a Silveret.

Red head. You meant red head! Sora scolded himself, his frown growing even deeper. You're engaged to Kairi!

"Earth to Sora?" Roxas waved a hand in front of his friend's face. When the brunet came around and jumped back in his seat at the proximity of the blond's hand, Rox let out a small laugh. "What's up with you this morning?" He asked curiously. "You're acting weird." He explained.

"I'm okay, Rox. I'm just a bit tired." He shrugged his shoulders and yawned, furthering his point. He unbuckled and got out of the car, hoping to avoid any more questioning form the blond. Knowing his best friend though, he didn't expect much.

"Yeah, where were you last night? You weren't in when I got home," Roxas mentioned as he closed his own door. The Rusty Stallion creaked with the motion and Rox gave the car a wary look before catching up with his friend, already halfway to the entrance.

"I stayed late at the Cabaret. You must have missed me somehow." Sora lied, hoping he would drop the subject.

"…Okay." Rox eyed him even more warily than he had the car. They made it inside the gym and immediately headed for one of the more private work out rooms. This was where they had their appointment with the great ninja— "Yuffie!" Roxas called out lovingly, giving the girl a huge hug, even though he had seen her at the Cabaret just hours before. She smiled back at him when he pulled away, hands on her hips.

"You two never keep a girl waiting. It's a shame neither of you are straight." She clicked her tongue disapprovingly before slipping on her work-out gloves.

Yuffie had gone to school to be a dance teacher and later went on to get a certification to be a personal trainer. Before she started working at the Cabaret she had owned her own dance studio. It had been a small business with few customers, but it had kept her relatively happy before it went under. That was three years ago, though, and ever since then she had been training people during the day, incorporating dance into her work-out routines to strengthen core muscles and flexibility. At night, however, she was one of the lead female dancers alongside Roxas. Between her, Rox, and Zexion, they choreographed one hell of a show.

"Keep your voice down!" Sora hissed at her, looking around the private room in paranoia. Yuf rolled her eyes and grabbed the brunet by the arm, dragging him toward his designated mat. "And I'm getting married to a woman, remember?" He sounded annoyed as he sat down on the plush rubber and laced his tennis shoes.

"Marrying a girl doesn't make you straight, honey." She smiled sweetly before patting him on the back. Sora muttered under his breath, something along the lines of Cabaret dancers and where they could stick their tap shoes. Roxas snickered and jumped to his feet, doing a small little jog in place.

"He's just cranky today. Don't mind him." He apologized for Sora's rudeness and yanked the brunet to his feet as well. The writer let out a small yelp before gently rubbing his attacked wrist.

"It's the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning and you two plan on throwing my ass down on that mat upwards of twenty times. Of course I'm cranky." He replied snarkily, though it was obvious to the dancers that there was a trace of humor in his voice.

"We'll warm that blood up and then we'll see if you're still such a grump." Yuffie beamed at him, using the remote in her hands to start up the CD player. It whirred to life, greeting them with a cheerful HELLO written across the screen, and blared upbeat music through the speakers above. Sora rolled his eyes the once he recognized the song. Could he not escape this stupid band?

Anthony works in the grocery store, savin' his pennies for some day. Mama Leone left a note on the door- She said "Sonny move out to the country".

As the music began playing, Riku's voice filled the private work out room. The glossy wooden floors and the mirrored walls bounced the sound of his melodic tenor all around, making the air pregnant with rich noise. The brunet tried his best to ignore the familiar voice and instead focused on the warm-up Yuffie was having them copy.

Ah but working too hard can give you a heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack!

As Sora pulled his knees as close to his chest as he could, running in place quickly, he felt his foot-steps line up with every "ack" the Silveret crooned out. He felt a pang of nostalgia run through him. He could remember the day he wrote those lyrics, playfully joking around with his once boyfriend. It had all been for fun back then, and he never really thought that he'd hear those words over the radio. He never really thought that an inside joke shared between the two of them would be adored by fans everywhere.

You ought-a know by now. Who needs a house out in Hackensack? Is that all you get for your money?

The three of them began their warm-up punches and high kicks, feeling their blood begin to rush. Sora hated and loved this part of the morning. There was something so thrilling about his heart pumping and lungs filling, but the eventual fatigue that would follow always made the excitement less enjoyable.

And if that's what you have in mind- Then that's what you're all about. Good luck, movin' up, 'cause I'm movin' out. I'm movin' out.

They finished the warm-up song as Riku's voice, filled with frustration and discontent in the song, snapped the final words. Yuffie and Roxas exchanged high-fives as Sora reached for his water bottle. It was going to be a long morning.

Axel remembered going to bed alone, so- when he gently woke and opened his eyes to a face full of blond, silky hair- he was mildly concerned. He blinked a few times, wondering if he had remembered the events of the night before correctly. He had gone to bed alone, hadn't he?

Maybe he hadn't. Maybe he had just imagined Roxie pushing him away at the Cabaret. He had never been rejected by a girl before, after all, and it seemed strange that a woman who was so obviously into him would be the first to say no. He was probably just dreamed that she'd pushed him away. It was probably her blonde hair in the bed next to him.

When the other person rolled over and revealed a set of blue eyes staring back at him, Axel narrowed his own.

"Demyx," He snapped, his tone annoyed. His dreams of waking up next to the Cabaret dancer were crushed. "What have I told you about sneaking into my room?" He shoved the bass player out of his bed. The other man let out a yelp before hitting the ground.

"But I get so lonely downstairs! Marlu and Larx are out on a date today, and Riku's sulking in his room," He mentioned, obviously having already tried to bother the Silveret. "And that just leaves you." He peeked his head over the side of the bed.

The band, carefully constructed of four main members (Riku, Axel, Demyx, and Marluxia), liked to mostly keep to themselves. Sure, they had a few random musicians that they hired to play other instruments when songs required more than guitar, bass, piano, and drums, and every now and then they'd group up with another set of famous people to hang out with, but it was normally just them. They were all very close-knit, seeing as they spent every second of every day together for the past ten years. After Riku, Demyx was Axel's closest friend, so it wasn't exactly strange to find the hyper blond in his bed, eagerly waiting for him to wake up so they could hang out, when he happened to be under stimulated without other activities to keep himself occupied. This was the usual occurrence on date day, when both Marluxia (Dem's go-to entertainment while Axel is busy) and Larxene (the mother figure that normally kept Demyx in-line) were busy sucking face and being lovey without the sneering jokes and jests of the rest of the band.

"You couldn't have at least waited until after noon?" Axel groaned as he looked at the clock. Dem jumped back up onto the bed, happy that his friend was acknowledging his presence. If Axel ignored him, it meant that he was refusing to get up and that Dem would have to try again later. But the moan of protest was signal enough that the blond could continue with his assault.

"If we waited until after noon, we couldn't get lunch!" Dem whined. His hair flowed toward his neck from the top of his head, except where it was shaved on the sides. All of the band members had signature long hair, and the blond had been no exception until about a year prior. The media exploded when he shaved his hair off the sides and chopped the length right before the band's huge international tour. Girls who had been in love with his hair mourned, and others went ballistic over the 'new and improved' bass player. People debated about it for days, arguing if old Dem or new Dem was hotter, which member of the band would chop it off next, and whether or not it hurt their image to no longer be uniform. It seemed crazy to Axel that hair could cause such a controversy, and reminded himself that if he ever needed to start a riot, he could just take a razor to his fiery locks.

"Who says?" The red head stretched before rolling out of bed. He headed for the dresser and threw on a pair of jeans and a black v-neck. He figured they wouldn't be leaving the hotel. No need to look nice, since the paparazzi weren't allowed within five blocks of the place.

"I says!" Dem exclaimed, excitedly dragging Axel out of the door. Riku was exiting his room at the same time, wrapped up in a navy blue robe. He held a slight smirk on his face as he watched the puppy-like blond drag the tattooed man.

"Mornin'," He saluted the two men before moving to get himself some coffee. He let his bare feet pad their way across the kitchen floor. The black tiles felt cool underneath his toes.

"Riku, you're up!" Dem smiled and waved with his free hand. "Want to get some lunch with us?"

"Nah, I haven't even had breakfast. I don't think I'm awake enough for lunch." Riku chuckled softly while stirring his cup of Joe.

"You and me both." Axel rolled his eyes as he was taken across the living room.

"Well, have fun!" The Silveret called out to them cheerfully, Demyx smiling back and Axel flipping him off. He shook his head in amusement as the two left the suite. The bass player had always given the two more somber men a run for their money. Marluxia seemed immune to Demyx's constant rambling, babbling, and effortless energy. Axel and Riku, however, were still struggling to fully grasp their chatterbox friend even after ten years. They loved him all the same, though.

Riku stretched and looked around the empty hotel suite. He had gone to bed and gotten up earlier than usual, no doubt tired from his previous night's exploits. He nearly shivered, remembering what had happened in the shower just hours before. It didn't seem real to him yet. It had to have been a dream, right? There was no way that after ten years of being apart, Sora had just waltzed into his life, into his suite, and into his shower.

Rather than wonder about the reality of the situation, Riku decided to revel in the satisfaction. He had slept with Sora again. Sure, it hadn't been the same are before, but did it really matter? They had six months to get back to the level they had been at when they broke up.

You mean when you left him? It wasn't a break up. Break ups are mutual. Riku frowned, thinking to himself. He hadn't meant to hurt Sora. He didn't want to leave. But there are some choices that aren't right or wrong, they're not black and white. Riku's life was a whole lot of grey back then, and the music industry wouldn't have tolerated the shade. No, he had to walk in a different light in order to succeed, and succeed he did.

But was all his success: the riches, the fame, the glory—was it all worth losing him?

There was nothing Sora could do but wait for impact. Rox's fist came flying at him, catching him off guard, and the brunet didn't have enough time to block or counter it. He simply waited for the bones to connect with his mask, sending a dull pain into his senses. He hit the mat after the punch landed, collapsing on the gym floor.

"Come on, Scoots! Is that all you got?" Roxas cried out, sounding strange with his mouth guard in. He called Sora by his childhood nick name, obviously trying to get a rise out of the brunet. The writer was spent, though, and held up a phantom white flag in surrender. "Hah, done already? It's only been an hour!" Roxas exclaimed, proud of himself. Yuffie clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"Sora, you're an absolute nightmare today. You got your ass handed to you." She helped him take off his boxing gloves and leg pads. The brunet took off his soft helmet once his hands were freed and gave them both a look of disapproval.

"Thanks, but I'm already aware that I got the shit kicked out of me." He grimaced as he shifted his weight. His ass was smarting something fierce. It had been such a long time since he had—

Don't even think about it, West! Sora scolded himself. Roxas will sniff out those dirty thoughts in a heartbeat.

The blond had been practicing self-defense ever since he got out of the hospital and was able to function properly. Sora, a dedicated and loyal friend, stayed true to his promise of helping Roxas cope in any way that he could. Getting beat up every Saturday morning in an attempt to make the blond stronger, faster, and essentially safer, was part of the deal. It didn't mean Sora particularly enjoyed getting hit, but with every punch Rox landed and every kick he stuck, Sora knew that his best friend was healing. That made it all worth it.

Even if they struggled to afford the membership.

When Sora had come home the night before, wearing Riku's clothes and hoping to God Roxie wouldn't be awake to questioned where they came from, he had seen all of the bills on the coffee table. Each red amount added up to far more than the two of them could make during a month, even with Rox's new assistant job. The brunet had spent a good thirty minutes after reading each letter going over their budget. What could they cut? What could they live without? They had already sacrificed so much, and it seemed as if they were getting down to the bare bones of their spending.

There were days that the brunet wondered how they'd make it. Pretty soon they wouldn't even be able to make rent. Sora had saved up some money for a rainy day and Rox had saved some to move to New York before the incident, but it was depleting quickly. Could they hold out the six months it would take to get their royalties for the book? Some days it looked bleak.

What was worse, in Sora's mind, was that Rox had seen the bills. Normally he was good about leaving all that to Sora. When he was in the hospital, the blond had given the brunet full jurisdiction over his bank accounts, information, and practically everything else in his life. Sora consumed Rox's responsibilities and snatched them away from the blond, leaving the dancer to focus on getting better. Since he was still in the process, Sora had done his best to keep the harshness away from his friend. He would give the blond a rough estimate of where they were at financially, since they had started living as a unit when Rox left his rehabilitation program, but he never told him too much information for the sake of living in ignorant bliss.

But Roxas had seen those nasty, red, demanding bills. He had opened them all and could easily have totaled them up, doing the math as to how they'd be even further in debt. Sora didn't want to add more to Rox's plate than he could chew. He had been through so much—hell, he was still going through a lot. Money was supposed to be Sora's albatross and his alone. He felt guilty, having forgotten to get the mail. He was supposed to take care of these things. He was supposed to take care of Roxas.

"Maybe if you'd practice a bit more, you wouldn't be in pain." Yuf stuck her tongue out before smiling playfully, bringing Sora out of his deep train of thought. "Let's take a break, guys. I'm going to go hit on the guy behind the smoothie bar. You two play nice while I'm gone!" She called out as she left the room.

Roxas plopped down on the mat beside Sora and narrowed his eyes, inspecting the brunet up and down. The writer felt himself blush as Roxas peered over his features, observing the way he was moving, fidgeting, and squirming.

There was an unspoken connection between the two boys. Over the years of their friendship, Roxas had gotten impeccably good at reading the brunet without having to do anything but look at him. Sora was a very expressive person without meaning to be. His eyes were incapable of hiding anything, and his features always held a trace of what he was feeling. Roxas had fine-tuned his abilities within the past six months. There was a lot that Sora tried to keep hidden from him (for his own good, of course), and the only way he could figure it out was by reading what little the brunet offered him.

"Oh my god…" The blond finally spoke after a minute, jaw dropping in realization. "Oh my god, ohmygod, omaigawd!" The words blurred together, coming out as one singular squeal. His powers of detection hadn't failed him.

"What?!" Sora yelled, frustrated that his friend wouldn't just spit it out. Did he have something in his teeth? Did he forget to clean out his ears? What was so scream worthy that Roxas was freaking out about?

"You slept with Riku, didn't you?!" Roxas looked around, making sure the coast was clear, before hissing and grabbing both sides of Sora's face. Unable to respond while being grabbed, Sora's skin turned ashen. "Oh my God, you did. Oh my God." Roxas let go of the brunet, who immediately stammered to remedy the situation.

"I did not! Where are you even getting this from?" Sora tried to defend himself, make up a lie, or simply melt into the floor. None of the options seemed to be working.

"You weren't home last night, you're more tired than usual-" Roxas started before Sora cut him off.

"Those could be from anything!" He exclaimed.

"You have a hickey on your neck." Rox interjected, raising his eyebrows. "And you can barely sit on your ass. He totally fucked you." The blond crossed his arms, knowing he was right.

The brunet sputtered, reeling from the facts Roxas had thrown in his face. There was no way he could deny it, but he couldn't exactly tell the truth, either. If Roxas knew that Sora was whoring himself out to the Silveret in exchange for the book, he'd never hear the end of it until Sora finally stopped. If Rox knew that Sora was doing it for the sake of the Cabaret, then the blond would be miserable, knowing he had to choose between his best friend's integrity and their livelihoods. He couldn't put a burden like that on Roxas.

"It was a mistake, Rox." Sora admitted to his crimes, holding his hands up in defeat. The blond screamed, suddenly flying to his feet. His gym shorts swished in the air from the sudden upward velocity.

"I knew it!" He cried out with glee, dancing around. "I knew you two were going to get back together. It was just a matter of time, being locked in that room with him all day."

"I said it was a mistake! No one is getting back together with anybody!" Sora cried out, trying to stop the rampage his little blond was about to begin. "I'm marrying Kairi. I love Kairi."

"Really? Because I think your dick says otherwise." Roxas pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows at his friend. Sora scowled and crossed his arms.

"Roxas, you better drop this. I don't care what you think you know, you know nothing." Sora explained.

"But Sora—"

"Drop. It." The writer hissed just as Yuffie came back into the room. He dropped his aggressive demeanor and smiled at the black haired "ninja".

"Did you two have fun while mommy was gone?" She teased them, sipping on a smoothie she must have either bought or flirted her way into possessing.

"Loads." Roxas sneered, giving as pointed look to Sora. The brunet sighed before looking at the clock.

"It's already eleven? When did that happen?" He wondered out loud, rubbing his temples. He quickly grabbed his gym bag and Roxie's arm. "Sorry Yuffie, but we've got to go." He grabbed the blond's gym bag with the same hand as his own and struggled to carry all of the equipment while still leading Roxas out the exit. Yuffie chuckled and opened the door for them.

"Got an appointment with the doctor from the Hah-Hah Hilton?" She lovingly kissed Roxas on the cheek as the men exited the room. The blond smiled sheepishly before Sora dragged him along.

They piled into the Rusty Stallion and immediately roared toward the freeway. Roxas busied himself with changing into clean clothes while Sora focused on driving, swerving in and out of traffic. They were behind schedule and there wasn't a whole lot that bothered Sora, but being late was definitely on the list.

The duo clambered out of the car the moment it stopped moving and Sora had taken out the keys. They slammed their doors and briskly walked into the prestigious hospital, waving cheerily at the receptionist at the front desk.

"Morning, boys." She gave them a soft smile before handing Sora some paperwork. The brunet grinned back and exchanged pleasantries while constantly moving, rushing with Rox toward the elevators. He snuck a pen off of her desk as the receptionist rolled her eyes. "I expect that back when you leave." She pretended to scold before taking her seat and answering a call on her headset.

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you have a thing for her." Rox laughed as they scrambled inside the elevator before the doors closed. Visitors and staff gave them an annoyed look while they settled themselves inside the already cramped quarters.

"She's blonde—most definitely not my type." Sora replied, flashing a smirk in the singer's direction. Rox snorted before biting his lip, holding in a laugh.

"Don't knock it till you try it, West." He wiggled his eyebrows as they exited the elevator. The two were once again rushing down the hall, scurrying toward the ward they both knew so well. They flew into the psychiatric section and entered their key code, watching as the doors opened for them. They stepped their way in and entered a different code this time, the next set of doors sliding open as well.

"Good morning, you two! Wait, it's still morning, right?" Their favorite nurse, Yuna, greeted them cheerfully before spinning around wildly, looking for a clock on the walls. "Oh, good!" She exclaimed after finding one and checking the time. "Sometimes I lose track of myself on this unit. Pretty soon they're going to strap me down and give me a bed." She laughed and brushed her hair back out of her eyes.

"Whoa there, Yuna. I don't know if even the best psych ward in the nation can handle you." Roxas winked before blowing her a kiss and moving past her nurses' station. She reached to stop him before hearing a shout from the open activity area.

"I'm dying! Help, I've been shot!"

"Heather, you're fine!" Yuna called back, rolling her eyes. Sora held his hand up to stop her from moving.

"I'll go get her." He explained, and received a loving smile in return.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Sora." She returned to her charting and left the brunet to attend to the patient.

Sora walked over to the middle aged woman and smiled softly. She backed away at first, not looking at his face, but once she recognized him she grabbed on to his arm and held it tightly, almost painfully so. Sora knew better than to pull away, though, and gently touched her hands with his free one.

"I'm dying!" She cried out, staring at him in horror. She took one of her hands off of his wrist and pulled at her shirt, revealing the bullet wound scar at was healing.

"Heather, it's me, Sora." The brunet looked the woman in the eye and spoke to her sternly. "You're not being hurt. You're at the hospital."

"What?" The woman stared at him, confused. Sora gently took her arm and removed it from his, showing her the wristband she was wearing. He pointed to her name and slowly wrapped his free hand around her shoulders, rubbing the skin.

"See? You're here because you were mugged outside your work in the parking ramp. You suffer from PTSD episodes and you were just experiencing one. You're safe now. You're here because you need to see the doctor for daily therapy sessions and have to have controlled substances from the nurses. Remember?" The brunet reminded her before realization hit her eyes. She relaxed in his grip and sighed, looking around at the other patients. Some of them eyed her in annoyance, obviously having been through this before. She waved at them sheepishly before her gaze traveled to the more sever patients, some of them sedated on anti-behavior medications and some of them being acxtively watched by the guards in avoidance of self-harm.

"Oh, Sora. I'm so embarrassed." Heather admitted, hugging the smaller brunet. He rubbed her back and pulled away, smiling.

"Hey there, don't be. You're getting faster at coming out of those episodes." He stated with pride.

"I wish I didn't have them at all. I'd be out of here so much faster if I could keep it together." She sighed, looking out the window at the city longingly. Roxas snuck up beside them, resting his head on Sora's shoulder.

"It's all a process, honey. It took me a whole year to be back into the functioning, normal society again." Rox winked at her and kissed Sora's cheek. "All thanks to this hunky man." He nodded toward the brunet. Sora rolled his eyes and shoved the blond to the side.

"Why aren't you in your appointment?" He scolded, ushering the other man toward his psychiatrist's door.

"Yikes! Pushy, pushy." Rox scrunched his nose up and strut away from the pair, rapping his knuckles on the wooden door. It opened slowly as another patient exited the room, giving the blond a wave. The singer waved back before sauntering in and flopping down on the plush leather couch. Everything in the room was a stark contrast to the white, sterile feel of the Psych ward. This room was intimate and cozy, with dark green walls and brown, rich furniture. The large wooden desk in the back was cluttered with neat, organized bins and a large computer, but there was still enough room for a picture frame with smiling children in it. Roxas loved that picture.

"You're late." The door closed behind Roxas and footfall filled the room.

"I'm always late, Doc. I was too busy seeking out dangerous behavior because I wasn't loved enough as a child and now I need the attention to feel validated in the cruel, apathetic eyes of society." The blond smirked as his psychiatrist sat down across from him. Luxord curled his lips into a thin frown with a hint of a smile in the corners.

Luxord was a pretty simple man, which seemed ironic due to the caliber of people he worked with. Normally psychology majors were pretty fucked up themselves, but he was your average Joe with no real problems. He had a beautiful wife and three even more beautiful children. He finished medical school with flying colors and had been practicing at the hospital ever since. He was the best psychiatrist in the entire nation but was humble and never bragged. He liked to paint in his spare time, though he wasn't very good, and deep down in his heart he always had a love for strawberry ice cream.

Roxas was told all of this right off the bat when he started seeing Dr. Luxord Rettin, and every curiosity it sprung from the blond was answered as long as Roxas cooperated. The blond assumed that the doctor was used to patients not cooperating with much ease, but the singer was determined to get better at any cost. The first few meetings were spent with feverish questioning from the blond, while Roxas discovered all he could about his condition and how to manage it. The rest of the year and a half had been spent doing just that: managing it.

"I see you're reading up on your useless Freudian psych, then? Going to tell me that you have an Oedipus complex, next?" Luxord placed his hands in his lap and set his voice recorded on the small coffee table in-between them. Roxas' mind flashed to the recorder that he had used for the interview the day before and felt a twinge of embarrassment go through him. He was trying his hardest to not think about the red-head and how he had left him there alone in that room.

"Absolutely. I've switched to women now, and specifically Mary Hart." Roxas replied sarcastically, drawling out his mother's name.

"I doubt it. How have you been, Roxas? It's been a whole week since I've seen you. Do you feel these less frequent meetings are working for you?" Luxord barraged him with questions.

"I think meeting three times every two weeks isn't so bad. I haven't felt myself slipping, yet, if that's what you're asking." Roxas stated happily. His mind traveled to the night before, however, and how he had lost control for a few moments. "Actually," he started again, biting his lip. "I guess I did have a tiny episode yesterday.

"An episode? You haven't had one of those is quite some time." Luxord sounded intrigued as he spoke.

"I know," Rox licked his lips before continuing. "I think I was just confused. I haven't really kissed anyone since this whole thing happened, and I think my body started freaking out from the novelty of it all. Not to mention the circumstance."

"You kissed?"

"Yeah, I… uh… I met someone."

"Someone?" Luxord raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And… things maybe are getting out of hand." Rox admitted.

"I thought we agreed that you weren't ready for a serious relationship yet. Or… is that not what this is? Because I thought we also agreed that it's ill-advised for you to be sleeping around at this stage in your recovery-" Luxord began to scold the blond, but Roxas cut him off.

"No, no! It's not like that." He sighed. "I didn't sleep with him, and I don't plan on it. He's straight."

"And you've become infatuated with him?"

"And he's become infatuated with Roxie." The blond waited for the shit-storm to follow.

"So you're telling me that you've become romantically involved with a straight man who has no idea that you're both genders, and that this has caused you to have an episode?" Luxord questioned.

"…yes?" Rox cringed and looked up at the doctor in fear.

"You're hopeless." He pursed his lips and frowned. "Roxas I specifically warned you about something like this."

"But you don't understand, Lux!" He cried out. "He's the most gorgeous man on the planet."

"I don't care if he's the attractive, rich, or famous, Roxas! You can't compromise your recovery!" Dr. Rettin scolded before seeing the look on his patient's face. "Oh, for Christ's sake, what?"

"Well… what if he's all of those things?" Rox fake smiled in hope. Luxord's face fell.

"Roxas…"

"It's Axel Andrus."

"…Come again?"

"Axel Andrus. As in The World That Never Was' Axel Andrus."

"You're lying to me." Luxord squinted. "You have never lied to me before."

"I'm not lying!" Roxas exclaimed, defending himself. "I got a new job as Sora's assistant at the publishing house. CityRise is doing a biography on the band, so Sora and I need to do their interviews to write the book." Roxas explained. "I'm the one interviewing Axel, and he's only seen me as Roxie so far. He comes to the Cabaret, too, and so he's seen me perform. He… he uh, bought me last night. We only kissed a few times but I started to hear his voice in my head. Taunting me, you know? Things he said when it happened. Things I used to hear during real episodes. But I was able to push it away and take control again. I refuse to let him hurt me any more than he already has."

They stared at each other for a moment, the doctor and the singer, seemingly both soaking in what was said. Luxord had always felt a strong pull toward Roxas, though the little blond seemed to do that with most people he encountered. There was something about the effortless enthusiasm, wit, and energy that he exuded that drew people in and made them fall in love. It was no wonder that Axel Andrus was no exception; still, Dr. Rettin couldn't help but worry. Roxas was fragile behind that exuberant shell, and any little crack could cause him to crumble.

"Do you think that continuing his advances would be a good idea?" Luxord seemed contemplative when he finally spoke.

"No." Roxas spat with dark humor.

"And why is that?"

"Because no matter how much I look in the mirror and see a woman, he will always see a man once he knows." Roxas looked at the floor and tried his best to hold back tears. It had been awhile since he'd cried in this room, but he knew it wouldn't be the last time.

Authors Note:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the characters of Kingdom Hearts, or the ideas from Kingdom hearts.

I also do not own any music lyrics used in chapters.

Music this Chapter

Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) - Billy Joel