~~Rox POV~~

It was complete happenstance, a total fluke, but appreciated at the end of the split second it took me to put the pieces together. Parked outside, on the usual curb side, a familiar red head sat on his car.

But something was wrong... he seemed angry. Well, the more I thought about it the more I realized maybe being angry was who he was as a person in general, but it still wasn't right.

Down the fire escape and through the alley, I approached the man, even though I hated the smell of his cigarettes, I stood beside him.

"What's wrong?" Before the words were completely out of my mouth, he began talking, ranting about the things bothering him most.

"My fucking family is so fucking full of shit!" He took a few steps from the car, spinning around to face me while he continued to shout. "They act like everything is so fucking great, just because there's someone else around! They pretend everything is fucking perfect for them and their own god damned lives, but because I don't fit into their little 'act', they make excuses for me! 'Oh'," he started in a mocking tone. "'Axel is just in a rough spot, once he applies himself he'll get over it!'

"And not only do I have to hear this from my fucking father twenty four fucking seven, but every time my girlfriend comes around she butters up to them the same fucking way, and I have to sit there while they talk shit about me like I'm not right fucking there!"

So Axel had a girlfriend... looking down at my feet I tried my hardest to continue listening to him but my mind reeled on the idea that Axel had someone in his life. And it hurt... it's not like we were anything but... we spend a decent amount of time together almost everyday... whenever he's not with me that probably means he's with her.

He sat back beside me, and successfully pulled me out of my thoughts.

"It's fucking bullshit, it makes me wonder why I even fucking bother going back there! I'd rather hang out with you all day, then have to fucking look at their smug faces." I didn't expect him to say that, and either way, I don't really think that was a compliment. "At least when I'm with you I can actually fucking think for myself instead of listening to how every fucking thing I do is wrong!" His voice softened after another long puff of his cigarette, "They don't even care about being happy, or being successful, all they care about is looking perfect. I want to actually do something with my life... I want to do something great, ya' know?"

He glanced at me while he continued speaking, "I want to be happy... I want to be excited to wake up every morning because I love what I'm doing..." he snorted as he shook his head. "Doesn't even matter though, if I'm actually successful at something, my father will just take all the credit for it..." Another deep breath, "Before I met you... it was like everything I did was just to piss off my father, Hell, even being friends with Demxy was only started to piss him off... but, when I'm with you, it doesn't matter. Ya' know what I mean? It's like, this is the first time in my life I've done something without the thought of getting back at my father... I've never had this before... this... happiness? It's like I can actually see how big the world is, and how tiny my father is..."

Axel stood again, pulling me with him, but he didn't step back, instead he wrapped his lanky arms around me in the warmest hug I've ever been apart of. Ever so softly he whispered into my hair, "Thank you for that..." When he pulled away, he returned the cigarette to his lips and took a few steps away from me.

"We should run away," a smile formed on my face, surprise formed on Axel's. "No, I mean, it's late," I gestured to the dark sky, "We hop on a bus to where ever it'll take us, and then we start over, without all the headaches from this life."

He looked at me like I was crazy, "I know it sounds crazy, but I mean, wouldn't that be awesome? To not have to deal with your father, and I wouldn't have to deal with Riku always nagging me." I was so excited, I could see it all now. We would get a tiny studio apartment in the city, walk to our jobs, and every night we'd sit on the couch and watch some stupid show on TV, only we wouldn't actually watch it, we'd be talking the entire way through it.

"Riku cares for you... a lot..."

Of course he'd think the idea was stupid. With my hands in my pockets I looked down, "I like spending time with you... but... I don't even think it's a good idea anymore."

"What do you mean?" he stepped closer to me, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.

"I like you Axel." I looked him dead in his neon green eyes... he wasn't surprised though, he knew that since the day in the woods, but instead he looked at me like he was concerned. "You know that..." shaking my head I looked down, "You know I like you... but instead of giving me an answer, you act like I didn't say anything at all... So... what's the point of us hanging out when all that happens is you tell me all of your feelings, but ignore all of mine?"

"Roxas..." He stepped closer as I backed up.

"No, it's not your problem... it's kind of hard to tell yourself 'you don't care', when you do... I hate pretending..."

~~AXEL POV~~

As the words left his mouth, I watched as he spun around, almost running back into the bar. I wanted to follow him, I wanted to keep talking to him, but what was the point. If I followed him, I'd start yelling, he'd start crying, and I'd just make everything a hundred times fucking worse... like I always do. Sitting in the driver's seat, I threw my head back, what the Hell was I always doing. I came here to thank Roxas and make him feel good about himself, and instead he left, and I'm pretty sure it was in tears.

"Dammit." I slammed my head on the steering wheel, why did nothing ever fucking go right. "Fuck!" I cursed again, yeah, great way to have not made him feel like shit, probably would've started with me not telling the kid who likes me that I have a fucking girlfriend that I've never fucking mentioned before.

Way to go Ax...

Why is everything so fucking complicated?

The more I thought about it the more I realized...

It was my problem... I hated pretending too...

Uploaded: October 12th, 2017