Axel was back in Roxas's room for the fifth night in a row. He was lounging on the bed talking while Roxas brushed his teeth. Roxas was ecstatic about this new arrangement. The only thing he disliked was having less time to think about everything on his own. It was really hard to do much of anything when Axel was around, but Roxas had decided to stop worrying about it and just enjoy their time together as long as it lasted.

Axel was telling him some crazy story about setting something or other on fire (which was one of Axel's favorite activities), when he casually mentioned that Demyx had been there with him. Roxas's ears perked up, and he decided to take the opportunity to ask about the nature of Demyx's and Axel's relationship. When he'd first heard about it from Demyx, he had been wildly jealous, but now he saw it more as a subject of curiosity. He wanted to know everything about Axel, and this was one more thing to know.

"What's the deal with you and Demyx? I mean, I sort of know, but I was wondering about the, er, details."

"Well… I think Demyx might have already mentioned this to you…but, you know that we kind of, uh….dated?"

"Dated?"

"Hmm... how to explain... Well, you know when I took you out that night, I called it a date? When you go on dates with someone, you're 'dating,'" he explained.

"Oh," Roxas exclaimed, appreciating that he and Axel's relationship had a description now. They were "dating." The thought made him smile.

"But it wasn't that serious," Axel continued. "Despite the fact that we hooked up sometimes, Demyx is more or less straight."

"Straight?"

"That means he likes women."

"Well, I like women – or at least, I like Xion…" He thought about all the women he knew personally, and realized there were only two. "But not Larxene…" Roxas recognized for the first time how male-dominated his world was.

Axel laughed. "Don't feel bad. I don't like Larxene either," he shrugged. "But, anyway, you've never kissed a girl have you? So how would you know? Wait," Axel said with a peculiar look on his face and a slight smile, "You haven't kissed someone I don't know about, have you?"

"No! Of course not." What a weird question, Roxas thought. "Well… I guess I wouldn't know if I liked girls. I only know two, but you can like someone without wanting to kiss them."

"Not in the way I mean, Roxas."

"So, uh, are you… straight?"

Axel laughed. "I am most definitely not straight. Although what you would call me is also a mystery. I guess if you had to classify it…well… I've been with my share of men and women."

Roxas realized once again just how young and inexperienced he was in comparison to Axel. He wondered if Sora had kissed men and women like Axel had. He wondered a lot of things about his Somebody, but so far he only knew his name.

"So anyway, like I was saying, Demyx is, in spite of everything, pretty much straight, so our relationship- his and mine- was purely physical… He wasn't interested at first, but I can be very persuasive," Axel smirked. "Neither of us really had anyone to turn to. I wish you'd been there," Axel added and looked at him briefly. Roxas smiled. Axel smiled back and continued. "So what did Demyx say about our relationship? I'm curious."

"Basically what you just said. Just that it was lonely, and he mentioned missing the people his Somebody knew and all that. He said his relationship with you was a way to keep sane…"

"I believe it. He used to be such a downer all the time. Well, anyway, that was until I showed up," Axel boasted. Roxas was leaning on the door frame of his bathroom, and he felt a pang of jealousy imaging Demyx and Axel together every night like he and Axel were now.

"Roxas," Axel turned to him, "Come here." He gestured toward the bed and scooted over, so Roxas could sit by him. Axel put his arm around him. "I was crazy and reckless then. Oh, and extremely unstable. And insecure…Well, come to think of it – I'm still all those things. But at least now I'm trying to be better. You know… I'm actually glad you didn't know me when I first joined the Organization. I don't' think you would have liked me."

Roxas thought about it. "I don't know," he concluded. He couldn't imagine an Axel that was more crazy and reckless than the one he knew, but he liked Axel just the way he was (even though he sometimes wished he didn't like him quite so much). He figured he would like the old Axel just as irresponsibly as the one he knew. He realized they'd gotten off subject. He still wanted to talk about Demyx. "It's weird to hear you talk about Demyx like that," he observed.

"Roxas…" Axel was looking at him. "Are you jealous? I can tell you are. Don't worry," Axel said as he kissed Roxas's forehead," I like you best,"

"I… like you too," Roxas said. He was smiling in spite of himself. Axel snuggled closer to him. "I don't want you to worry about my past Roxas. It's, well, in the past obviously. Demyx and I are just friends now... He's been annoying me a lot lately though. He thinks you're too young, and he doesn't trust me."

"Sometimes I don't know if I trust you either," Roxas blurted.

"Really?" Axel looked up at him. Roxas was surprised that he looked curious rather than upset.

"Well…yeah," he finished, figuring it was too late to change his mind now.

"That's probably for the best."

"That's not what I hoped you'd say."

"I can't always be the person you think I am. I'm trying to be."

"What kind of person is that?"

"The good kind."

"You are the good kind." Every time he said it, he felt like he believed it less and less.

"I am a terrible person Roxas. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Axel smiled and moved his lips to kiss Roxas's neck, his cheek, and his lips. These were really the times when Roxas had the most trouble remembering what made him so unsure about Axel in the first place. He put a hand on Axel's neck and pulled him closer. He wanted to kiss him forever. It made him forget everything. He only knew how happy he was and how much Axel was a part of that. The bad things disappeared.

As they continued to kiss, Axel moved closer and closer to Roxas until they were laying down, and Axel was on top of him, their entire bodies touching. Roxas devoured the moment as Axel slowly moved his lips away and simply looked at him. Roxas loved those green eyes. They were rarely as vulnerable as they were now. Lovely, lovely eyes, Roxas thought.

Axel lay down next to him and put his head on Roxas's chest.

"Goodnight Roxas," he said as he reached over him to turn off the light.