Axel lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He was so bored. His mom had grounded him and took away his TV and Xbox because he had broken curfew again. He had homework to do but who gave a fuck about that. After all, he had his "bad" reputation to uphold. The only homework he wouldn't mind doing was math, but only if he could do it with his 'tutor'. In the end, he grabbed his cell and scrolled through it till he reached the R's. He selected 'Roxas' and pressed call. He hummed to himself until Roxas picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Roxas, it's me, Axel. Listen, I was having trouble with the math homework and I was wandering if you wanted to come over and help me with it?"

"Yeah, sure! Tell me where you live and I'll come right over."

Axel told him his address and Roxas hung up, promising he'd be there in ten minutes tops.

Axel put down his cell and looked at his room. Holy shit. It looked like a bomb had exploded in it. He quickly started tidying.

The doorbell rang. Axel's mom yelled "Who the HELL is that? It'd better not be one of your little stoner friends or you'll be stuck in your room for a long time!"

Axel started running downstairs, remembered he was in his T shirt and boxers, went back for some jeans and ran to the door, where Roxas was explaining that he was there to tutor Axel in math, not run ransack through her house and empty her fridge.

"C'mon Rox, let's go to my room and work on my HOMEWORK." he emphasized the word homework to his mother and she went back to the living room.

"Okay, let me just take my shoes off." He bent over to untie his laces, giving Axel the perfect view of his ass. And a hot ass too. Axel quickly stopped drooling as Roxas straightened up.

"My room's on the left. Just go up, I'll get drinks. Coke or beer?""NO BEER AXEL!" his mom yelled from the living room.

"'Kay, guess we're stuck with Coke. That okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Roxas went upstairs and into Axel's room. It was small, painted vivid orange and covered with posters of rock groups and bikini clad girls. Roxas recognised some of the groups: Escape The Fate, My Chemical Romance, Bullet for My Valentine, Thirty Seconds to Mars and his favourite band, Linkin Park. He sat at the desk and looked Axel's math homework, which, surprise surprise, he hadn't even started. He turned around on Axel's swivel chair as Axel walked in holding two glasses of Coke. He put them down on the desk and indicated to the wall at the posters Roxas was looking at.

"Just a few of my favourite bands. And about the girls…" He cringed. "Well, um, they're just a cover up. So my mom doesn't suspect anything. I'm actually into guys." He looked at the floor, waiting for Roxas's reaction. But Roxas had bent over Axel's math homework and his cheeks had turned pink.

"My brother's gay. And so am…uh, nothing."

Phew, he wasn't horrified. Axel thought. Roxas composed himself.

"So, for the first question, you just have to put together the x's and y's to simplify it. Reckon you can do that?"

"Is that all you have to do? God, that's so easy. Leonhart doesn't explain it like that. You're so good at teaching, Roxas," Axel said, cocking his head to one side and looking at Roxas's cute face with admiration. Roxas turned pinker and muttered "…it's nothing, really…"

They continued on with the questions, Axel complimenting Roxas on every little thing and Roxas turning steadily pinker until it looked like all the blood in his body was in his cheeks.

"Well, looks like we're done. You'll get your first A+, I promise!" laughed Roxas.

"Oh crap, no! This'll be the first time I get higher than a D. All the guys will think I'm a nerd."

The smile vanished from Roxas's face. He looked sadly at the floor.

"Yeah, I wondered why you hang out with those guys. It seems like you're not much like them."

Axel took a deep breath and started to explain.

"At the time, it was my sophomore year, just before summer vacation. I was best friends with Xigbar and Saïx and Xemnas snapped them up for this gang he was making. "The Organization". Axel gestured with his fingers, making imaginary quotation marks. "They got Xemnas to let me join too. At first I liked being respected by all the other kids, plus I made some good mates in the Org. But then I realised it wasn't respect I was getting. It was more fear than anything. Which is shit. But at the same I don't wanna leave cos they'll start messing with me worse than anyone else. They... know too much. Xemnas has too much power. He could get me expelled, or worse."

Roxas had such a tender look on his face, Axel half thought he might kiss him. Which he really hoped he would. But he didn't.

"Wow, I didn't know you felt like that. I thought all you Organization guys were just potheads."

Axel laughed. "Most of us are."

Roxas looked at Axel's alarm clock on his cluttered bedside table. It was nearly nine.

"Damn, I'd better get going. My mom says I have to be back by nine on a school night."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "You're sixteen and your curfew is nine o'clock?" he asked incredulously. "Mine's midnight and I though that was lame."

Roxas raised his eyebrows. Then he got up from Axel's desk. They stood, awkwardly looking at each other.

This is your chance Axel! inner Axel told him. Go for it!

Axel was never one to not listen to himself, so he moved closer to Roxas.

"Cheers for tonight. I never knew math homework could be fun!" said Axel. By now, their faces were so close Axel could feel Roxas's warm breath on his cheeks. That adorable colour was reappearing in his cheeks.

"I, uh, don't mention it." Roxas sounded nervous.

"You can come over again whenever. Not just to help me with homework, whenever you want." Their noses were practically touching.

Roxas seemed to be too absorbed in Axel's emerald eyes to answer. They both jumped when Roxas's mobile started ringing.

Axel chuckled. "Breaking the Habit, right?"

"Uh, yeah." He answered the phone. It was his mom.

"Hi Mom. Yeah, I'm good. Just finished. You want me back now? Aww, Mom, do I have to? Fine." He hung up.

"Well, I'd better go. So I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

Axel blinked. "Tomorrow's Saturday. But if you like, I can convince my mom to let you come round again sometime. She likes you better than Xiggy and Saix already by the look of it."

Roxas nodded eagerly. "And I'll ask my mom if you can come over. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Yeah that'll be great!"

"So, I'll call you later. See ya!"

"Bye."

Roxas ran down the stairs and Axel peered over the banister to watch him bend over to put on his shoes again. Then he was gone.

Axel released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

He went back into his room and breathed heavily through his nose.

Dammit! he thought. I was so fucking close!

He kicked his bed in frustration. Then he lay down on it.

But. He grinned. But he still had that phone call to look forward to!

As promised, at 10 o'clock, Roxas called him.

"Hi Rox." Axel tried to keep the huskiness out his voice.

"Hey, I asked my mom if you can come over tomorrow and she said yeah. Sora and Riku will be there but they won't bother us."

"Riku? You mean Riku Misaki? Why's he coming?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I told you Sora's gay, Riku is his boyfriend."

So that was the guy that Riku had ditched the Org for.

"Oh. Right."

"Is that alright?"

"Yeah, fine. I'll come round 'bout 11. Where do you live?"

"142 Waterdrive Close."

Waterdrive Close. The houses there were practically mansions.

"Wow, Waterdrive Close, eh? Fancy you being a posh little rich kid."

"Shut up."

Axel laughed. "See ya tomorrow then."

"Bye."

Axel hung up. No way was he gonna sleep tonight. Not with the memory of the near-kiss playing over and over in his head all night. Nor with the excitement of going round to Roxas's tomorrow. Shit.

Wait. An idea.

Axel dug through his drawer, tossing aside boxers and socks. Aha. There was the familiar silver box.

He crossed his fingers and opened it. One left. That was all he needed. He grabbed his lighter out of his school bag and headed downstairs.

"If you're gonna smoke that shit, go outside!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Axel yelled to his mom. He headed down the steps into his back garden, jogging up to the familiar tree littered with cigarette butts. It was a shitty old tree, but at least it provided some cover from the drizzle that was soaking his skin and fiery red hair.

He stuck the spliff in his mouth, but paused on the way to light it. It had just crossed his mind that Roxas probably wouldn't agree with him doing this. Even though he was basically doing this for Roxas, so he wouldn't be a complete zombie in the morning. What the fuck.

Axel shook his head to clear the thought and lit up the drug. It had been a while, but sure enough, it helped.