The semester started and the toll of upper level classes started weighing down on the apartment. Everyone had less and less time to do what they wanted during what few evening hours they had. Roxas found himself chained to his desk by himself most of the nights. Seifer hardly ever came in the room unless it was to sleep or change his clothes. Axel was gone most of the day to shadow a pharmacist whenever he wasn't in class. Marluxia strained to balance his work and his classes. Even Demyx's and Zexion's room turned abnormally quiet. The only ones who weren't affected as much were Riku and Sora. They spent all of their free time in their room or in the basement so they wouldn't disturb the others. Roxas felt the pressure of taking extra credits for the fall. He normally had sixteen or eighteen credits, but since he was pushing to get done early, Roxas had twenty.

With all of the work, the weeks blurred together. Soon fall was upon them. September breezed past and the first round of exams hit everyone hard. By mid-October, they were burnt out.

Roxas tossed his backpack on the floor and flopped onto his bed. He had spent the afternoon taking three exams and he still had a paper to finish before it was due the next day. Roxas pulled his laptop onto his lap and began typing away. He skipped supper to finish his paper. When he closed the lid of his computer, he checked the time on his phone.

"8:32," Roxas muttered. He set his laptop on the desk and rolled onto his stomach. "I still have a shitload to do. I suppose a five minute break won't hurt." Roxas folded his arms under his pillow and closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds.

Roxas woke to the sound of a drawer closing. He cracked open his eyes to find the room was dark. He felt around for his phone. 10:42. 'Shit.' Roxas rolled onto his side and sat up. Seifer's desk lap was the only light in the room. The older male was at his desk making blueprint sketches. Roxas went to the kitchen and grabbed two sodas. Then he went back to his room and set one of the cans on Seifer's desk. Roxas cracked open his can and sipped the sugary drink. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at his list of things he needed to get done. Roxas groaned in his head.

He sat at his desk and started working on his next project. The pair worked in silence. Seifer only paused once to open his soda and take a couple of sips. Roxas closed his book and sighed. He checked the clock. 1:55. 'I can't get anything more done tonight. My brain's barely functioning as it is.' Roxas went to his wardrobe, grabbed a pair of his sleeping, clothes, and went to the bathroom. When he returned, Seifer was still drawing. Roxas tossed his dirty clothes on top of his laundry hamper and crawled under the sheets.

When his alarm woke him at six thirty, Roxas growled at his phone. He crawled out of bed and went back to the bathroom to get ready for the days classes. When he returned, he noticed Seifer was still at his desk. Besides an empty soda can, six coffee cups were scattered on his desk. Seifer sat sipping his seventh on as he looked over his work.

"Don't you ever sleep?" Roxas asked, changing out the books in his backpack.

"The undead don't sleep," Seifer muttered. He changed his clothes and went downstairs for breakfast with Roxas. Then they headed off to their classes.

The weekend came and the apartment remained silent past noon. Everyone was catching up on their sleep. When Roxas woke, it was two in the afternoon. Seifer was still sleeping tangled in his sheets. Roxas stretched and headed downstairs. He found Zexion reading the paper at the counter in his bathrobe.

"Morning," Roxas muttered. Zexion looked up from his paper.

"Afternoon, more like it," Zexion corrected. Roxas dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. He put a bagel in the toaster and waited for his breakfast. "Are you ready for Halloween this year?"

"Already?"

"It's two weeks from Thursday."

"Oh."

"We were planning on going to the dance again. I'm sure Marluxia will find a way to drag you along so I suggest giving a costume some thought, unless you want to go as a cat again." Roxas frowned. His bagel popped in the toaster. He smeared some jam on the halves and ate them quickly.

"Do you have any plans?" Roxas asked.

"I lack the creativity for that. I usually have Demyx help me pick something out."

"What if we did a group theme?" Zexion brightened at the idea.

"That might actually be fun. I don't know how many people would be interested but we can give it a try."

XxXxX

The night of the dance arrived. The party lacked luster compared to the previous year. They came up with a theme: animal head bands with a twist. Demyx was going as a vampire bear. Zexion was going as a swordsman with mouse ears. Marluxia wore a tuxedo with a large pair of rabbit ears. Sora had a pair of lion ears to go with his lifeguard outfit. Riku wore dog ears with his Martrix cosplay. Seifer stayed out of the group since he had other friends he was meeting up with. He wore an army outfit complete with tank top, cargo pants, and heavy boots, not to mention his hat. Axel had a pair of tiger ears to go with his Fire Nation robes.

"Hurry up Roxas!" Demyx called up the stairs. They heard footsteps as Roxas made his way to the kitchen.

"What was he going as again?" Marluxia asked.

"He never said," Zexion replied. They turned as Roxas stepped into the kitchen. He looked like a knight out of a video game. Over his old looking clothes he wore various pieces of hand crafted armor over his arms, legs, shoulders, belt, and neck. The neck piece went up and covered the lower half of Roxas's face. He wore a long sword, locked in its sheath, on his back. A pair of black cat ears sat on his head along with a small gold crown. A small red cape hung behind his shoulders.

"Damn! Where'd you get that from?" Demyx pressed.

"That's my secret," Roxas replied, pressing a gloved finger to where his lips would have been on the other side of his armor.

They spent some time taking photos before headed off to the dance. When they got there, they all split up. Axel leaned over and whispered in Roxas's ear.

"You can't hide your secrets from me." Roxas chuckled.

"Olette's brother is a hard core Con junky. She helped me piece it together."

"Going with the Thundercat look, huh?"

"I was going with more of a guardian Cait Sith."

"And what, pray tell, are you protecting?"

"The Fire Nation Lord." Axel smirked.

"My own personal guard. I like the sound of that."

The night flew by, filled with plates of food and wandering around the hall talking to various people. There came a point when Roxas felt like he was being followed. Axel noticed as well and elbowed Roxas.

"Go talk to her," Axel prodded.

"Who?"

"The girl who's been following you half the night. Don't worry, I won't get jealous…much," Axel murmured in the blonde's ear. Roxas turned and spotted the girl. She blushed and her group of friends urged her on. The girl stepped forward. Her face was red from embarrassment.

"Um, can…would you want to dance with me?" the girl stammered. Roxas's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh, um, do I know you?" Roxas asked. The girl shook her head.

"You have class in the same room before me. I always see you through the window on the door, sitting in the back of the class." Roxas felt a light blush brush his cheeks. He glanced at Axel. The red head jerked his head towards the girl, giving his approval. Roxas unhooked his long sword and neck armor. Axel held onto them as Roxas walked with the girl to the dance floor.

'Go have fun.' Axel thought. He watched Roxas dance with the girl for several songs. While he was waiting, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He found a girl looking up at him.

"Want to dance?" she asked cheerfully. Axel shrugged.

"Why not." He found a space along the wall for him to put down Roxas's sword and armor. He also took off the outer layer of his robes so his shirt was sleeveless. Axel wasn't worried about people taking their stuff since the wall was pack with other various props people set aside in order to dance unhindered.

Roxas had to admit he had fun dancing with the girl. Her face had a constant blush on it. He eventually turned to grinding with her. Roxas felt a bit odd with her pressed against him. He didn't feel the same rush as when Axel was behind him.

"What's your name?" Roxas asked. The girl jumped a bit, spooked by Roxas's voice.

"Um…uh…Tara. You're Roxas, right?"

"I don't know who else I would be." The girl gave a nervous laugh.

When they finished the set of songs playing, Roxas gave Tara a small bow.

"Thanks. You were great," Roxas complimented. The girl's blush deepened.

"Um, do you…would you ever want to…um…" Tara stammered. Roxas stepped forward so he was close to her. His breath was hot against her neck.

"Go on a date?" Roxas said in a cool and menacing voice. The girl shivered. "Sorry, but my heart already belongs to someone." Roxas took a step back. Tara's face fell.

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know." Roxas smiled warmly.

"Don't worry. You'll find someone special."

"You think?" Roxas nodded.

"There you are!" Axel strode over and bowed to Tara. "I hope he didn't do anything mean to you."

"Oh! No, he was very nice!" Tara protested.

"Well, I have to thank you then for keeping him safe." Axel took her hand and kissed the back of it. "Now if you excuse me, I require the services of my personal guard." Axel put his arm around Roxas's waist and led him off. Tara blinked in a stunned silence. Then she giggled.

"I guess the best ones are always taken," she muttered under her breath.

After the party, the group from the apartment went out for drinks. They stayed until the bar closed and headed back to the comfort of their beds.

Roxas grabbed his phone and slipped out of his room. He snuck upstairs and stepped into Axel's. Then he crawled over Axel to lie against the wall. He felt Axel's arms wrap around him.

"I was wondering when you'd come find me," Axel whispered in his ear. Roxas fell asleep next to Axel and spent the night dreaming of a fantasy world where he would protect Axel from the evil candy dragon.

XxXxX

Axel frowned at his computer. His inbox was full of e-mails and half of them were from the same person. He had no idea who it was but all of the letters sounded the same.

*Axel, I want to see you.*

*Axel, we should do something together.*

*I really want to be with you!*

*I thought we understood each other. Why won't you talk to me?*

Axel clicked the boxes on the sides of the e-mail and clicked delete. He wanted to assume someone else had gotten his e-mail mixed up with someone else but by the sound of it the person was practically stalking him. 'If I ignore him enough, maybe he'll just leave me alone. Who is this guy anyway? Xemnas…I've never heard of him before. I suppose I could look him up on the online data base. His e-mail is from this school.' Axel opened the school data base and typed in Xemnas's name. All that came up was he was a senior in political science. 'He's not living on campus then. Just who is this guy?'

Axel quickly closed out of the data base as he heard the door to his room open. Roxas poked his head inside.

"Hiding?" the blonde asked.

"More like hibernating," Axel joked. Roxas went over and sat on Axel's lap. He clicked on random things on Axel's computer, looking at various sites. Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas's waist and rested his chin on the blonde's shoulder. He wasn't sure why he was content with letting Roxas do whatever he wanted with his things. He remembered when he caught Demyx on his computer. Axel banished him from the room for a month.

'Maybe it's because I love him. Whatever I have I want to share with him.' Axel closed his eyes and simply listened to Roxas's breathing. It was soothing. The anxiety of the mysterious e-mails soon melted away. 'This is what's important." Roxas rested his head against Axel's. 'Does he even realize he's doing it? Even if I wanted to go back to what society wants from me, I just feel so incomplete. Dancing with the girls at Halloween barely fazed me. They didn't feel right. So then why can I hold onto Roxas for hours without ever thinking once of letting go?'

Axel gave Roxas's waist a squeeze.

"Something wrong?" Roxas asked, turning to look at Axel. Axel shook his head, nuzzling the blonde's shoulder.

"You're perfect."

"I'm bipolar."

"All the more reason I love you." Roxas smiled. He wiggled out of Axel's arms and strode across the room. He shut and locked the door. Then he went back and pulled Axel with him towards the bed. The blonde sat on top of the older male. He was gentle with his kisses, showing he wanted to go slow for once. Axel let him do as he pleased.

Roxas slowly undressed Axel and himself. They slipped under the sheets and Roxas found his way into Axel. Roxas continued to make love to his friend slowly. Unlike the other times they slept together, it was soft and warm. Axel felt like they were swimming in a bath of warm milk. Roxas's skin felt smooth against his own.

They spent the hour making love together. When they came, they felt different. Usually they were in ecstasy, but instead they were feeling the bonds of their love grow stronger.

Roxas stared down at Axel. The red head's countenance was that of a blissful content. Axel smiled up at Roxas. Then he reached up and traced the scar on Roxas's chest. Roxas lay down on top of Axel, resting his head on his sternum. Axel gently stroked the blonde's hair. He hummed their song quietly. Roxas closed his eyes and listened to the combination of Axel breathing, voice, and heartbeat. He found himself dozing.

Axel turned his head as the sound of keys opening the door alerted him of Marluxia's return. The door opened and Marluxia strode inside, bags of papers weighing down his shoulders. After he set them on the floor, he noticed Axel staring at him. He couldn't help but smile a bit at the sight of the two lying together. Marluxia went and shut the door, locking it as well. Then he went to his computer and plugged in his headphones. Marluxia gave Axel a thumbs up over his shoulder. Axel smiled and turned his gaze to the ceiling.

Three hours later the door rattled and there was a knock. Marluxia popped off his headphones. "What is it?" he called.

"Are you guys eating?" Zexion asked on the other side of the door. Marluxia noticed it was after six.

"No. We're trying to get some work done. We'll come eat when we're ready," Marluxia lied.

"Oh, okay." Zexion left the room be. Marluxia glanced back at the pair on the bed.

"Thank you," Axel mouthed.

"You're welcome," Marluxia mouthed back. He returned to his work, shoving his headphones back against his ears.

Axel turned back to Roxas. The blonde was sleeping peacefully on his chest. Axel didn't have the heart to wake him. He rubbed Roxas's back with his knuckles. He loved the feeling of Roxas's muscles moving at his will. As he rubbed the knots out of Roxas's shoulder, Axel could feel the muscles relax under his touch.

Roxas twitched as he dreamed. Then he woke from his slumber, burying his face deeper into Axel's chest.

"Hey beautiful," Axel greeted.

"Hey," Roxas replied sleepily.

"Did you have a good dream?" Roxas's face fell.

"No."

"No?" Roxas's arms wrapped tightly around Axel's neck. "Why don't you tell me about it? You'll feel better." Roxas took a deep breath.

"I went hang gliding with Pence. I saw you on one of the cliffs. As I went up to you, you fell backwards. I leapt after you. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get close to you. You kept drifting farther and farther away." Axel gave Roxas a tight hug.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here for you for as long as you need me." Roxas hoped he was right. Axel shifted slightly. "Sorry, my back's sore." Roxas sat up and let Axel roll over onto his stomach. Then he sat on his thighs and rubbed the tense muscles with his fingers. Axel slowly relaxed under his touch. Roxas leaned over and kissed Axel on the back.

"We should go find something to eat," Roxas suggested, resuming his massage.

"I really don't feel like cooking right now," Axel admitted.

"I can cook." Axel scoffed.

"You making me ramen?"

"Maybe." Axel chuckled.

"That actually doesn't sound too bad." Roxas smiled. He slid out of bed and slipped on his clothes. Axel remained where he was. Roxas went downstairs and made a double batch of ramen on the stove, adding an egg to each bowl. Then he brought the food upstairs.

Axel was sitting up on his bed with his back against the wall. He wore a pair of PJ pants. Roxas handed him a bowl and sat at Axel's desk. They ate in silence. Roxas finished first and set his bowl on the desk. Once Axel sipped the last of his broth, he stacked his bowl on top.

"We should plan something for Christmas," Axel stated suddenly.

"Okay. What did you have in mind?"

"We could go on a trip." Roxas shook his head.

"I'm still paying off my trip to Japan."

"Right. I guess we can always hang with whoever stays behind this year."

"You'll be partying by yourself then," Marluxia shouted over his music.

"You can take those off, Marly." Marluxia gratefully removed his headphones.

"Is everyone leaving?" Roxas asked.

"It sounds that way. Seifer, Riku and Sora are headed home. I'll be off to see Tifa in Scotland. Demyx and Zexion might be around for awhile but they were going house hunting over the break."

"That leaves you and me then," Axel commented. "We could invite your siblings for a few days."

"No. We always travel over Christmas."

"That's probably the worst time to travel." Roxas shrugged.

"I kind of got used to it."

"Did you travel after…you know…"

"Yeah, but I don't remember much. I mostly stared at my phone or off into space. I honestly don't even remember where we went those two years."

"So then we're back to what we want to do over break."

"We don't have to decide today. Besides, we can always improvise." Roxas gave Axel a sly grin. Axel rolled his eyes.

"If that's what you want to do, then I guess I'm okay with it."

Marluxia shook his head with a smile. He clicked send on his e-mail. He got a reply back right away.

*Looks great! I'll get started.*

Marluxia leaned back in his chair and opened a new box of strawberry Pocky. He stuffed a piece into his mouth and chewed happily. Things were starting to look bright.