Roxas was standing on an extremely tall tower, looking down at hundreds of glowing buildings that stretched for miles. He was so awestruck by the sight, he forgot Axel was standing beside him.

"Do you know where we are?" Axel asked.

"No idea," Roxas replied, still gazing out at the city in awe.

"It's a place called San Fransokyo" Axel smiled. "It's brilliant, don't you think? We have to be careful though. Security has caught me up here more times than I can count. I'll worry about it though, if it comes to that," he shrugged, "You can just enjoy yourself." He donned an enthusiastic smile. "Kinda cool, right?"

Roxas nodded. He suddenly realized a few things that, when added together, made him exceptionally nervous. He was on top of a very tall building, alone with Axel , and the two of them could be caught at any moment by "security" and maybe get in trouble. Roxas took one step closer to the edge of the building, looked down, and reminded himself not to do so again. They were very high up, and he felt dizzy and a little sick. He took a few steps back.

"Feel like being adventurous?" Axel asked with a hint of danger dancing in his eyes. Roxas was all too familiar with this look. It made his stomach drop. He didn't respond, but Axel started walking, and Roxas followed until he was looking up at a narrow ladder that led to the building's peak. "Oh no," Roxas thought. He could see exactly where this was going.

Axel started climbing to the top, and when he was a quarter of the way up looked back to discover Roxas staring up at him. "Oh come on Roxas! You know you want to!" he yelled down.

Oh no. Axel was giving him that look again. He could feel the peer pressure from all the way down here. And he knew there were beautiful green eyes staring at him, daring him onward. He hated to admit it, but he knew he wouldn't win this fight. Here goes, he thought, as he stepped onto the ladder.

Axel knew he'd won. He chuckled and continued ascending. Of course, he knew Roxas would keep following him like always.

Roxas tried not to pay attention to anything except his immediate task and surroundings. It wasn't until he was halfway up that he started to panic.

"Roxas, are you okay?" Axel yelled from above him.

"Uh… yeah –what?" He couldn't think about anything except how high up he was.

"Roxas, don't tell me you're still afraid of heights!"

"I most definitely am afraid of heights," Roxas yelled.

"Oh C'mon! We sit on the edge of the clock tower all the time!"

It had taken Roxas a long time to get accustomed to that, and he only did it at the constant urging of Axel, which Axel knew well.

"Nothing's going to happen to you! Trust me. Just keep moving," Axel urged.

Roxas did, and somehow, little by little, it worked. He reached the top and stood next to Axel on a tiny platform. It was so small that they had to stand very close to each other, just a few inches apart.

"Not bad," Axel smiled and shrugged. Then, seeing the look of exasperation on Roxas's face, he laughed.

Axel lived off of adrenaline and Roxas didn't, except when Axel made him. This was probably one of the stupidest things he'd done under the influence of his friend. He was thinking about how ridiculous it all was until he looked out at the beauty of the city again and realized he felt incredible. The adrenaline was pulsing through his entire being. He was wired. He wanted to do something outrageous. Like jump or fly or-

He was being kissed.

Axel was kissing him.

He experienced an indescribable grasp of what it meant to be alive, and the kiss felt appropriately dangerous. Axel's hands were on his face and in his hair. All combined, it was like nothing he'd ever experienced. He was sure it was just what life was supposed to feel like. Axel's lips parted with his, but his hands were still on Roxas's face.

"Fuck," Axel said, breathless, his face still close, looking into Roxas's eyes. He was still standing close enough to Roxas for him not to be too upset when they stopped touching. Roxas looked out at the city. He felt Axel's hand take his, and their fingers intertwined. No one had ever held his hand before, and he found it pleasant and comforting. He was trying to cherish the moment, and he smiled and took in a deep breath and tried to store the memory in his head for later, for forever, just in case he never felt this way again.

"Roxas, what do you think of me?" Axel asked.

"Um..." He'd been caught off guard by the question, but he tried to make an appropriate answer out of all the possible things he could say. "I was kind of mad at you for making climb up here, but… now, I feel pretty good about it," he finished, and he couldn't help but blush a little. Axel was still holding his hand. In a rare moment of bravery, he added, "I really like you, Axel, more than anyone else.'

"What if you had it all wrong? What if I'm not who you think?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. What a ridiculous thing to ask. "Axel, I see you every day. I know who you are. I know you were the only person who took the time to help me when I arrived at the Organization. I was so clueless back then. I'd probably be dead if you hadn't taken me under your wing!"

"Roxas, I am only a good person when it comes to you. You make it easy... But when I'm not around you, I go back to my true self, and I'm not as good as you think. Trust me."

"Fine. Name one bad thing you've done and maybe I'll believe you."

"You're just naïve Roxas. You can't imagine anyone doing anything bad because you never have. And you never will. I, on the other hand, do awful things on a daily basis. I just don't tell you about them. If you knew what I've been doing at Castle Oblivion, you'd believe me," he insisted.

This comment made Roxas uneasy. Axel had never fully explained what kind of missions he'd completed at Castle Oblivion, and Roxas had never pressed him on the subject.

"Listen," Axel said, and he dropped Roxas's hand, "This was an awful idea, and it was selfish of me to bring you here, but you have to understand that even if I'm a bad person, I care about you, okay?" He was looking at Roxas seriously. "And I will protect you. It will be the only good thing I ever do."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas asked suspiciously. Protect him from what? He looked into Axel's eyes. How could there be anything bad hidden there? "I don't believe that you're a bad person, Axel."

Axel sighed. "You will, Roxas, just wait. You're going to hate me when you find out who I really am."

He looked so sad. Roxas couldn't help what happened next. "I could never hate you," he vowed, and, just to prove it, he took a step toward Axel and, casting his nervousness aside, reached up to kiss him on the lips. He was pleased and surprised to find that Axel was kissing him back.