A/N: Boy, that took a long time. My horse really demands a lot of my time. >>; And guess what! I have a beta now! Horray! So...yep. That's all I have to say! I hope you enjoy it!

You wake up the next morning, your head pounding. You groan and roll over, burying your head under your pillow. You decide the pillow, despite the fact that it has a musky, smoky odor, smells pretty good. You inhale deeply, relaxing a little under the pile of sheets. Snuggling back down, your body feels heavier than a boulder. Sleeping the rest of the day away doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

You're just about to settle down and put that theory to the test when you smell smoke. It's not the pleasant, faint smell from the pillows. No. It's a biting stench, like something burning. The fact that something is burning takes a moment to register with your foggy mind. Once it hits you that, yes, something really is burning, and yes, burning objects are generally bad for you, you kick the covers back and throw yourself out of bed. In hindsight, you realize, you wouldn't be sprawled on the floor if you hadn't tried to imitate a monkey. Getting up calmly would have been sufficient and you will remember that next time, you decide as you haul yourself to your feet.

You're a bit shaky as you stagger down the hall, choking on the thickening smoke. If you recall correctly, Axel's kitchen/living room was at the end of said hallway. Quite useful when one does not want to venture too far from the television and a beverage is necessary. It was usually hard lemonade. Or maybe it was beer? You aren't really sure. Thinking right now seems to be rather hard to accomplish. It is alcoholic, you know that much.

You shake your head. The contents of Axel's fridge aren't important right now, because something's burning. You pull your shirt up over your nose, trying to filter out the thick smoke. It's not terribly effective, but it's better than nothing. You stumble out into the kitchen, eyes watering with the growing intensity of the smog. And there's Axel, flapping around like an idiot.

…what the hell is going on?

"…Axel?" He doesn't respond immediately, more concerned with the dancing flames in front of him. Half of you wonders if he actually meant to set the kitchen on fire. Your inner voice then proceeds to tell you that this would be an opportune time to make a break for it. He doesn't even know you're standing only feet away from him, never mind awake. You could slip right out that door and he wouldn't even realize that you were gone for at least an hour. Plenty of time to get away.

You're about to follow through with that well thought out plan when your common sense kicks in and reminds you that your head is about to explode. Oh yeah. The smoke and the confusion had made you temporarily forget that you can barely stand. In fact, you are leaning against the wall as you watch Axel dance a dangerous tango with those persistent orange flames.

On second thought, perhaps it wasn't such a well thought out plan. You're about to retreat when Axel finally achieves victory over what appears to be his stove. He turns to you, tossing something that resembles a rag into the sink.

"Sorry about that," he says sheepishly, motioning towards the smoldering mess. "I was trying to make breakfast."

Why aren't you surprised? Before you realize it, a small smile has wormed its way onto your lips and you're shaking your head. You're about to tell him that he woke you up when there's a clicking noise from above. You glance up and it's suddenly raining in Axel's kitchen.

Axel squawks, flailing as you're both soaked. For some reason, you can't muster up the strength to be even mildly annoyed by the fact that you're getting absolutely waterlogged. In fact, you find this predicament absolutely hilarious. You haven't even been awake for five minutes and you've already practiced flying, had random flashbacks, watched Axel act like an idiot and now you may as well take a shower.

Axel squeals angrily and you glance back over, unable to supress a giggle when you realize his hair is plastered to his head. You can't even see his face. He looks like a big shaggy wet dog, or something. And you had always thought Axel was a cat person. Ha.

By now, you are laughing hysterically. Axel is parting his bangs- at least, you think they are bangs- and giving you a funny look. He just makes you laugh harder. You can't stop laughing. It's just so damn hilarious.

Roxas, you tell yourself, you've finally cracked.

There's nothing funny about this situation. You can barely stand, your head is pounding, you're in Axel's apartment, and you're soaked. But you can't stop laughing. This is absolutely ridiculous. You realize you cannot stop laughing. Alarmed, you can do nothing more than suck in air and try to bring the vicious cycle to a halt.

Saix comes bursting through Axel's door, soaking wet and absolutely infuriated. In fact, he also resembles a very wet dog. A very wet, rabid dog. You recoil as he storms past, shouting angrily at Axel. This isn't helping your hyperventilating. In fact, the dog fight unfolding before you is making it worse. You double over with laughter and Saix is on you faster than mud on a pig. Ha. Mud on a pig.

"I thought you said he was sick," he snarls at Axel, giving you a dirty look. Honestly, you're too oxygen-depleted to care. You mock him silently for a moment before falling into another bout of laughter. "I'll show you how to get your shits and giggles," he threatens. He growls menacingly and you come to the conclusion your wet dog has mutated into a man-eating werewolf. You're too busy snickering to notice the ravenous beast is now advancing towards you.

Axel, on the other hand, is your Prince Charming. "Saix!" he roars, grabbing his hood.

Number VII snarls and whips around, socking Axel in the face. The redhead stumbles back, letting loose a string of colorful curses. All you can think to do is giggle like a kindergartener on sugar. "He is clearly not sick!" Saix insists, pointing an accusatory finger at you.

Before you can stop yourself, you point a finger back at him. "Dog!" And you're back to snickering and snorting as he shoots you the most evil look you have ever seen. It falls under the 'I-kill-kittens-and-I-hate-you-so-much-I'll-eat-your-babies' category. Wait…can Nobodies even have children?

While you hypothesize, Axel is busy covering for you. "He's clearly delusional," he retorts, sounding slightly disgusted. You glance over at him, noting that he's currently touching his cheekbone gingerly. You wince (still chortling of course) as you notice a bruise already forming. He's going to have one hell of a shiner come tomorrow morning. Saix flashes you a dirty look and you shrug, once again trying to regulate your breathing. You're feeling terribly lightheaded and your sides are killing you. "Just go home Saix," you hear Axel say. Strange. He sounds distanced.

You can't even make out the response. The door slams and your attention jumps back to your best friend. You're sucking air, but at least the hysterics are gone. The kitchen is swimming and a groan reaches your ears. Axel turns and gives you a funny look. …were you the one groaning?

Axel's still giving you a strange look and quickly closing the gap between you. His mouth is moving, but you can barely hear his voice. You panic and your mind starts to race. "Axel?" you croak. Your voice sounds foreign as the kitchen starts to swirl faster. You lurch forward and it barely registers that Axel is calling your name. You're about to hit the floor when everything goes blank.

When you open your eyes, Axel is hovering above you, brows stitched with worry. "Roxas!" He sounds…upset.

"Huh?" You try to sit up but your body feels like it's made of lead.

"Don't push yourself." He puts a hand to your chest and pushes gently.

More than happy to comply, you flop over, but not without noticing his hand stays on your chest a bit longer than need be. Huh. You're on his couch. If you recalled correctly, you were in the kitchen. "…what happened?" you ponder aloud, staring up at him.

He sighs, running a hand through that flaming red hair. "You passed out." You've never seen Axel look so concerned. Ever. "That's the second time, Rox. Is something wrong?"

Well gee, nothing gets by you, huh slick? You grumble mentally. "No." Since it's perfectly normal to go searching for one's Other, get knocked out by one's best friend, and get kissed by said best friend. At least nothing terribly unnatural has occurred today…yet. Actually, strike that. Seeing Axel so upset is downright unnerving.

He gives you a dubious look. "So your normally have hysterics in the morning and then promptly faint," he says sarcastically.

You shoot him a glare. "Not a morning person," you fire back.

He rolls his eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious." You bristle. If you didn't feel so damn shitty, you could really give Axel a piece of your mind. Instead, you settle for refusing to acknowledge the mordant bastard. The ceiling is far more interesting anyway. "So, Rox, you want anything to eat?" You continue to stare at his ceiling intently. If you focus hard enough, that splotch in the corner looks like a Keyblade. "Roxas?" You steal a look out of the corner of your eyes. He looks perplexed. Good. Let him ponder the error of his ways. For some reason, the thought amuses you. Axel, actually admitting he was wrong. What a stretch.

By the time you come back from la-la land, Axel is singing your name at you. Axel is singing your name at you rather poorly. And while you're sorely tempted to mock him, all your stoic efforts would go to waste. You continue to ignore his antics up until the point he starts varying the style in which he sings. By the time he reaches opera, you're choking down a laugh. He flashes you a brilliant grin. "I knew you couldn't ignore me forever."

"You're such an attention whore."

Axel just smiles and ruffles your hair. You squawk in protest, swatting at his hand. "So, I'll only ask you one more time. Do you want food?"

"No thanks." You answer without hesitation.

He frowns. "You're skin and bones, Rox. You sure?"

You take a moment to prop your head up on a pillow. "Yeah." You nod. You have a feeling that if you actually ate, you wouldn't be keeping breakfast down. "I'm not really hungry." It's a safe enough answer, right?

Axel raises an eyebrow. "Roxas. What do you take me for, exactly? You? Not hungry?" He snorts. "Roxas, you've plowed through an entire meal and an entire thing of cookies and you still weren't full." Huh. You had forgotten about that. You grin a little at the recollection. The look on Axel's face had been priceless…besides, those were good cookies!

You simply shrug in response. "I just don't feel like eating." Admitting you feel seriously ill would be a bad idea, you decide, because you don't think Axel is capable of worrying any more without seriously injuring himself. He might blow up or something… You've never, ever seen him like this.

"You feeling okay?" He puts a hand to your forehead and you grumble, pawing him away. "No fever," he muses.

"…duh." You can't help the sarcastic remark. "I'm not really sick, Axel." That was just the cover story, right?

"Yeah…but, uh…" Axel pauses, running a hand across the back of his neck. He looks really, really guilty.

You frown, feeling very suspicious all of the sudden. "Axel…" you try to keep your voice steady, "what the hell did you do to me?"

The guilty look only magnifies. "Well…" he starts, glancing at the wall. You growl, pulling his attention back. "…I just sort of hit you in the back of the head…that's all. Just to, you know, knock some sense into you?"

…well, that would certainly explain the killer headache. You glare and he continues to look sheepish. "…you knocked me out…"

He nods. "Yep. You were really angry and you definitely weren't going to listen to reason."

"…so you knocked me out…"

Now Axel looks proud of himself. "You're still here, aren't you?"

You scowl, struggling to sit up again. "That fucking hurt, you know," you grumble, rubbing the back of your head gingerly. Strange. You hadn't noticed the egg-sized lump before. He's lucky you don't return the favor.

He shrugs. "The ends justify the means." You snort. "You really should eat, though. Head bashing shouldn't affect your appetite." You give him a dirty look and he shrugs.

"I'm not sure how many times I have to tell you, Axel, but I'm not freaking hungry!" you snap. "And, thanks to you, I have a splitting headache!"

"If you just ate something, I could give you painkillers!" he snaps back, looking frustrated.

"No!" you shout.

"Damn," he grumbles, turning away from you. "Don't be such a fucking child," he mutters under his breath as he makes his way across the room to his kitchen.

"I AM NOT A CHILD!" you howl and instantly regret it. Your head certainly didn't appreciate that and now Axel is practically on top of you with a hand clamped over your mouth.

"Be quiet," he hisses, pointing down the hall with his free hand. "Or do you want the blue-haired wonder to pay us another visit?"

You pause in mid-bite, pulling your teeth away from Axel's flesh. He does have a point. So instead of biting the redhead, you decide licking his hand will do. That will teach him to try and silence you.

Better yet, you can make out with his hand to punish him. Yes, totally freak him out like that. You snicker with evil glee somewhere deep inside and set to your task. He makes a startled noise, staring down at you as you continue to tease his hand. You're too busy to notice. Axel's hand tastes a lot like chocolate and you find yourself wondering what exactly he was making for breakfast. You quickly decide you don't really care, because damn, does his hand taste good. You finish a few minutes later, fully sated, and let his hand go.

Axel whimpers and it's your turn to give him a baffled look. He's still staring at you, eyes occasionally flicking from your face to his hand and back again. You feel smug, proud of yourself for putting him in such a stupor.

His look of bewilderment is gone in a flash, replaced by one of absolute hunger. Your complacency drains quickly. The predatory glint in his eye is starting to make you rather uncomfortable and you squirm a little.

You're trapped in those electric green eyes and before you know it, Axel has settled onto the couch. He's somehow managed to get your legs around his waist and your body onto his lap. Now he is putting his hands around your waist.

Somewhere in your mind, there is a big red flag screaming danger. You decide to heed the alarm and promptly try to escape your best friend's grip. When making your calculations, you didn't put the fact that he may try to retaliate into the equation. He chuckles and you squeak, struggling harder against his arms.

"Roxas," he purrs, pulling you back down, "don't even think about escaping. You started it, after all." You gulp, staring into those bright green eyes. It's like a train wreck waiting to happen. Doom is imminent, but you just can't look away.

You feel a hand on the back of your neck and your scalp prickles. Just what is Axel planning to do to you, anyways?

He leans forward, so close his nose is nearly touching yours. There's a hundred ways you can think of to get away, but for some reason, you can't seem to put any of them into action.

"A-Axel?" The quake in your voice surprises even you.

He smiles, cooing reassuringly. If you weren't so distraught, you'd be terribly annoyed he was treating you like a girl. "Hush," he murmurs, stroking the side of your face gently. You start to relax despite yourself, unable to defend yourself against such a soothing touch.

Axel spies his opening and leans closer, pressing soft lips to yours. You make a surprised noise, only encouraging him further. He presses closer and you can feel heat radiating from his body. Your mind is going a million miles an hour. It takes you a moment to realize his tongue is pressing against your lips. He's gentle but insistent. You aren't sure why, but you part your lips. Just a little. Because curiosity got the better of you and you want to know what he'll do. That's all.

He immediately takes the opening, sticking his tongue into your mouth and brushing it past yours. It feels strange, and somehow, it's managed to let a tornado of butterflies loose in your gut. Your mind has shut off. You don't know what to do.

So you kiss him back. It feels amazing.

You don't even realize what you've done until you've already gone and sealed your fate. Axel makes a pleased noise and pulls you closer. The heat coming from him is searing hot. You suddenly realize you're burning.

You howl, shocked and pained. You push back with all your might, freeing your mouth and body from Axel's grasp. Unfortunately, you had forgotten that you're on a couch. As you shoot back, you hit the arm rest and flip over it, landing on the floor with a resounding thud.

"Roxas!" You see Axel peer over the ledge of the couch.

"Ow…" you groan, rubbing your head. That was painful.

"Oh, Roxas…" he croons, quickly getting up and offering you a hand.

You stare at said hand, thoughts racing. Axel had just kissed you…again. And you kissed him back. And, if you aren't mistaken, Axel was terribly turned on. You pale.

"…Roxas?" Axel reaches out to touch your shoulder.

You jump back, brushing off the hand. You quickly stand up and brush your clothing off. "I'm fine," you answer quickly, clearly flustered.

Axel smiles. "Oh, good. I was afraid you'd bumped your head again." He seems totally unfazed by the entire thing. You determine that didn't just happen. But before you totally ward it off, you need one thing.

"Hey Axel, can I ask you a favor?"

"Yeah, sure. Whaddya need?"

"…can I borrow a toothbrush?"

To my reveiwers: ZOMKH! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVEIWING!

Just thought it important to mention thatI love you guys to pieces for taking the time to reveiw. XD And now on to chapter three, away!