"I don't deserve a soul, yet I still have one. I know because it hurts."

Douglas Coupland, the Gum Thief.

Number XIII stood in the rain, shivering as the cold droplets made their way into his black cloak and soaked through the plain black shirt that he wore under it.

"Roxas."

He rubbed at his shoulder and winced when a sharp pain almost took his breath away. He would have to take care of that later.
It wasn't his fault really. That last heartless had appeared from nowhere and he had been distracted.
By Axel.
By Axel and that strange look that Axel seemed to have whenever he looked at Roxas now.
It was unnerving because he couldn't figure out what it meant. Mayb –

"ROXAS!"

He turned just in time to see Axel take out a heartless that was not even a few feet away from him.

"What the fuck dude?" Axel half shouted, his breath coming out in short puffs of air and his envy green eyes flashing in annoyance at Roxas's carelessness.

Roxas swallowed.

"I was distracted."

He knew that he should thank Axel but the words refuse to leave his mouth. So he attempts the next best thing.

"Sorry."

And Axel looks at him with that same infuriating expression that Roxas can't figure out. So he scowls and goes back to trying to get his wet hair off of his face.

XxXx

The looks were now accompanied by gestures.
Simple touches that Roxas was obviously putting too much thought into.

Axel obviously doesn't mean anything when he places a hand on Roxas's shoulder while congratulating him on a mission well done.

And the way that Axel's hand trailed down to his cheek after a congratulatory head pat was just one of those things that Axel does.

Of course.

"Hey there, blondie. You spacing out on me again?"

He looks up to the face of a smiling Axel and the breath that he was about to take is forced back out. Because Axel's hand is gently brushing his hair out of his face, and to make it worse Axel decided that he needed to be as close as possible to complete this action. And Roxas can feel Axel's breath on his cheeks.

And suddenly the thought of leaning in closer to Axel flashes through Roxas's mind and he has to get up and leave while making a stupid excuse before his brain decides to make that thought a reality.

XxX

The fights were becoming more frequent.

"Why are you so mad at me?!" Axel finally screams, pinning Roxas's arms at his sides in an attempt to calm him down.

"I... I don't know!" Roxas replied, bringing his fists to Axel's chest again. But the initial anger had faded, "I don't understand what I'm feeling."

He feels Axel's muscles tense beneath his hands.

"Feeling?"

"You make me feel, Axel. And I don't know what to do about it."

"Maybe," Axel said, bringing the back of his hand up to brush against Roxas's cheeks, "you're not meant to understand it. Whatever it is. Maybe you're just meant to do what feels right."

"Yeah? And what feels right to you?"

Axel smiled gently, brushing his lips against Roxas's own trembling ones. "This."