a/n: Hello and welcome to chapter 10 of The Cool Guy! Double digits, isn't that exciting? Don't you think? Okay, yeah. I was gone for a REALLY long time. And I'm really sorry about it...especially because I had 98 percent of this already written. But now I'm really anxious to get through the thick of the story...and I think this chapter marks the start of the middle, which is the thick of the plot, if that makes any sense. So...Roxas comes to some realizations, Axel does too...and in the next chapter, we'll have both of them in the same room again. I really appreciate all the people who've been reviewing this, and have this on alert; and I hope you enjoy reading.

Chapter 10

His time spent with Xigbar's friends had definitely been socially awkward.

"I'm serious, Lux---it was like, time slowed down! There was the dog, and there was Sora, scrawny and standing with his knees braced and this awesome expression on his face---tell him, Sora!"

Roxas smiled lopsidedly. The lanky young man, with his open grin and soon discovered habit of slinging a casual arm over people's shoulders, had taken to him like a bird to air. Roxas supposed he had taken to him as well, finding in him none of the malice he had been imagining after the night Demyx had proudly looked down on him and proclaimed himself to be Axel. He saw neither hint nor hair of that cold arrogance; perhaps it had simply been the way he was standing…

"Anyone would have done the same thing," He calmly assured his skeptic coworker. It wouldn't do for Sora to come off as boastful, not at all, but he kept a blush to his words to avoid false modesty.

Xigbar had dragged him excitedly, not to a café---for which he was grateful, Roxas was getting sick of them---but to a quiet, pleasant bistro. He had been surprised to see Xaldin and Luxord, who both worked at the flower shop, contentedly bantering with Saix, Demyx, and a pale young man whose name he didn't know.

"It's Zexion," he'd said when introductions were being made (Roxas had held his breath at the sharp gazes of Xaldin and Luxord, but they both accepted his identity) and apart from raising an eyebrow during Demyx's wild retelling of the art show, had said nothing.

And it might have been Roxas's imagination, but was that cold stare glaring at his landlord, beneath the silver fringe of half-lowered lashes?

"So, Sora, what kind of work do you do?" Luxord asked interestedly. "I'm guessing you're a tad more successful than your Uncle, eh?"

Roxas almost dropped his iced tea, fingers going suddenly numb.

"I'm plenty successful," Xigbar muttered hotly; Roxas caught him steal a glance at Demyx.

"I'm sort of a, you know, jack-of-all-trades," he said, wondering what the hell kind of social dynamics were at work with this group of people. Every five seconds someone was shooting someone a glance laced with cryptic meaning, or kicking someone under the table, and whenever Roxas moved he felt as if all eyes were on him, as they were now.

"Nothing bet-worthy, then?" Luxord leaned forward, chin in hand, and Roxas recognized that he was being sized up.

Sized up in regards to what, well, he didn't know.

"Not really."

Roxas maintained a detachedly agreeable tone, but Luxord still exchanged a few mental words with Xaldin, who sat to his direct left. From what Roxas could gather, those two were thick as thieves, as was Xaldin with Xigbar, Xigbar with Demyx, or maybe Demyx was closer to Zexion? It was, of course, not explained, and Roxas could only guess.

And they all seemed, with the perhaps-exception of Zexion, to want Sora for a friend.

As the lunch proceeded Roxas was given ample opportunity to flesh out Sora's existence to the world---

Where did he come from, Demyx inquired.

"A small island off the coast; it was just me, my parents, and a few other families."

What had he studied, Saix pressed, surely he had a degree…?

"I went to college for two years, studying mostly art and English…it was great, at first. But one day I woke up and realized that I wasn't doing anything. What would I be able to look back on with fondness, with pride? Nothing. After that, every hour I spent there was an eternity, until I decided to come here..."

"That's certainly…an interesting view."

Roxas didn't like the way the editor, with a pen tucked into his silky blue hair---today he had pulled it back from his angular face, it made him look even sharper---stared at him after that particular speech.

It wasn't like it was his view, exactly. Roxas had scoffed at the idea of more school, and his mum had balked at the thought of paying for it. No, it was strictly a part of Sora---Sora, who had to be somewhat more involved in art than simply admiring and pouring his heart out to paintings.

"So you work with art, then, right?" Demyx smiled at him, and…yes, there was the arm again, a strangely heavy weight hanging across Roxas's shoulders. Immediately after the contact, Roxas looked up—he felt as if someone had walked across his grave!---to meet Zexion's steely grey glare.

"You could say that," Roxas said, covering his unease by taking another sip of iced tea. What was this guy's problem, anyway? His constant watching, without ever speaking a word, was getting under his skin.

It reminded him of himself.

"A freelancer, then?" Xaldin's low growl was somehow friendly in nature. His voice could be easily construed as seductive, Roxas thought suddenly; the man could have worked recording cheap romance novels if he wanted. Still Roxas couldn't help but feel intimidated.

"Y-yes."

"It's a noble enough profession, but do you think you'll be able to find work here? There's heavy competition."

"Oh, I know. But I think I'll be able to find something. Everyone seems very…friendly."

A hearty laugh flung itself around the table---Roxas snapped his head round, catching the window that looked out over the busy street within his sights, but there was no lightning to be had.

"Your nephew here, he's naïve, isn't he?" Luxord seemed to take great pleasure in drawling the syllables out.

"He's not as naïve as you'd think," the landlord answered, looking at Roxas with an emotion he couldn't quite name in his dark eye. Roxas didn't linger on his gaze.

"Who is?" Saix scribbled something onto a small pad of paper; when Demyx leaned over to peer at it the editor swiftly---but nonchalantly---covered it with his sleeve. "Still---he is refreshing, isn't he?"

Roxas blinked. Did it even matter, the fact that he was sitting with them instead of standing against them? They were judging him, just the same as they had before. What gave them the right?

Who did they think they were?

Who did they think he was?

(And who the hell did he think he was, but that question, for the moment, could be put aside.)

"Refreshing. I can agree with that."

"Like a breath of fresh water!"

"Air, Demyx, you mean air."

Roxas stood up, shrugging off Demyx's arm.

"I…I need to get some. Air. I need to get some air."

In retrospect, Roxas thought, sitting idly in his apartment and staring at the blinking red light of his answering machine with eyes he knew were brighter for the fact that he'd been in desperate need of nourishment (coffee was nice, but there was a lot more to be said for something substantial, like the roast beef French dip Xigbar had treated him to), nothing in his life could really be described as not being socially awkward.

The light flashed. In agreement? Roxas shook his head, running a hand through his haystack colored locks. Of their own accord his fingers twisted the strands and yanked them lightly.

He'd just listened to Axel's message. If he'd known who it'd been from, he probably would have done well to put it off until later that evening. The way things were sitting, all he could do was hang over the edge of the couch---a green, paisley sort of affair that made Roxas wonder if Xiggy had picked out the furniture for the rooms himself---and try to fight off the nasty little thoughts that were running rampant little cycles in his head.

Roxas didn't know if it was the phone, his own shoddy hearing, or circumstance that had led to the strange quality of tone in the message. Axel had started out in the same suave, over the top voice he was---insert a shudder here---starting to get used to.

But halfway through Axel's words started getting a whole lot less cool and whole lot more something Roxas really, really didn't want to contemplate too much, dissolving until at the end, his voice was soft, earnest, a million other things that reminded Roxas more of Hayner than anything else.

Roxas sighed, and decided to evaluate the situation once more.

On the one hand, a meeting with Axel was excellent---the phone call had been exactly the follow up Roxas had been hoping for, a hook into Axel's life. He could show up as Sora, apologize, and socialize with Axel---if he could set up another time to interact, well, that'd be great. Then he could disappear and come back as Roxas, armed with the new batch of messages.

On the other hand, Axel was throwing a wrench into Roxas's plans with this whole, "I'm sincere and find you interesting" thing. Because Roxas was a good judge of character, and because Roxas could be and was conniving when he wanted to be, he was well aware that Axel really was sincere about that part.

And Roxas was smart enough to advance relations in his mind until he saw the day when interest would turn into friendship (on Axel's part, of course, Roxas hated the bastard). And Roxas was smart enough to know that eventually, Axel would find out that his friend didn't actually exist, and Axel would feel betrayed. Betrayed, and probably a lot more than that.

Roxas isn't stupid. He could see that just as well as you and I, in case you were thinking that it would come to him as a shock.

Roxas sighed again, then once more for good measure. Whatever Axel had done to him certainly didn't beget what he was setting him up for later. He'd replayed the message four times to be positive about that---and yes.

Each time brought with it a whole new level of queasiness. A sharp twisting in his stomach.

Why?

Well. In his mind, Roxas was the good guy here. Axel was like—Grendel. Sure, Roxas wouldn't feel any qualms about ripping his arm off, but messing with his head? A little switching, that was okay. That would have been fine. But fucking over someone who---Roxas was sure, after hearing those last words---wanted to see you as a friend?

Roxas just didn't see himself as that type of guy.

His eye fell upon the clip board, it was laying across his knees and the stark white of the paper drew his gaze further down the lines, jumping on the words that relayed so many emotions, all over just one man.

I used to like you, you know…I would have forgiven you…but, my sister? Why did you have to pick her? And why won't you talk to me now? I hate you! I hate you! I hate…

Roxas twitched. He must have made Sora too nice, it was messing with his convictions…to think, he'd been considering showing sympathy…was he insane?

"I need to get out," he informed the paisley green couch, and fled the apartment lest it reply, or, even worse, lest Axel call again.

"Axel speaking, what can I do for you?"

"Axel? Axel?! EEeeee! It really is your number! I--"

Axel slammed the phone on the receiver, none too gracefully. It bounced a little and fell off the edge of his cluttered desk, swinging dejectedly by its off white cord.

Demyx looked up from his videogame at the noise, wary. "Axel?"

Axel looked at his cousin, trying not to shoot him a glare. (He wasn't mad at Demyx, anyway, just everybody else. It was impossible to be mad at Demyx.) (Scratch that, it was simple to be mad at Demyx, but Axel felt guilty every time he was.)

Demyx took the look as an invitation to continue. "You seem…twitchy today."

"It's Tuesday," Axel shrugged, letting Dem contemplate that and stalking into the kitchen. He cast an eye around for the cereal box.

It was nowhere to be found.

And Axel resisted the urge to yell at his cousin for forgetting to do the stupid shopping; because he wasn't mad at Demyx.

Who was he mad at? Well. He was mad at Xigbar; for freaking out on him just because he hadn't turned in his room key.

He was mad at Marluxia; for being a manipulative bastard.

But mostly, he had to admit, Axel was mad at himself for moping around an empty apartment (Demyx didn't count; socially) and jumping every time the phone rang like a hyperactive teenage girl with her first crush. And Axel didn't have a crush. He preferred sex to feelings, numerous partners to one, caprice to convention. He'd been around the block a few times, hell; people ran around the block just to catch a glimpse of him. Axel didn't get crushes. True love were two words that hardly made sense alone, never mind together. He should just calm down, get some work done, and forget he'd ever met that ki--

Ring. Ri---

"Hello?" Axel answered, breathless.

"Did you order a--"

"No!" Axel snarled. He hung up, running a frantic hand through his hair. Was he insane? Getting so worked up over the phone ringing…

Demyx surveyed the wreckage left behind by Axel's wild, long-legged leap from the middle of the kitchen tiles to the wall in the other room where the phone now swung slowly, eyes wide and curious. He hadn't seen his cousin lose his cool like this since they were in middle school and he'd had a crush on Kairi, the girl with the pretty red hair...Demyx giggled, imagining Sora with bright red spikes...and then regretted it when Axel's eyes swung around at him, back to normal.

"I need to get out," he informed Demyx, and strode out the door and down the stairs quickly, lest he snap at his dumbfounded cousin.

a/n: So...not a lot happening, in terms of action. This was more a decision-making character-building chapter. Don't worry, I wouldn't give you guys the parallels without actually using them, so you can probably imagine what might happen next. Or can you? cough Anyway, I'd love to hear from you guys, who knows, the chapter might come really quickly if I feel inspired by readers...(hint, hint) Also! I highly recommend, if you like high school-ish fics, checking out So Much For That. It's really shaping up and is written in a style very different from this story; you might like it. 'til the next update, then!