Roxas felt his mind start to wake up. He groaned and buried his head deeper into the sheets.

"Morning," Axel muttered in his ear. Roxas slowly opened his eyes and yawned. His body was sore and it hurt to move.

"Uhn…" Roxas replied, half-asleep.

"Got back to sleep, you lazy cat," Axel teased.

"How long have you been up?" Roxas asked groggily.

"About two hours, but it hardly seemed like five minutes. I could watch you sleep all day." Roxas rolled over and pressed his head against Axel's bare chest.

"Axel?"

"Hm?"

"I'm hungry." Axel chuckled. He lifted Roxas's chin and gave him a kiss.

"Anything for you." Axel crawled out of bed and slipped on his boxers and his jeans. Roxas remained curled up on the bed, drifting in and out of sleep. Axel made his way downstairs and started making breakfast. While he was cooking some eggs, he got a call from Marluxia.

"How was the trip?" Axel greeted.

"God! It was awful. I didn't get an ounce of sleep. Too many people keep trying to contact me. Don't they get the hint I'm on vacation?"

"I guess not." There was some side chatter Axel couldn't make out.

"Tifa says hi. She wants to meet your boyfriend when she gets back to school."

"You told her?"

"I had to tell her something. The second I got off the plane she was grilling me for details for what has happened since Spring Break."

"I am not!" Axel heard Tifa shout into the phone.

"Anyway, I was just calling to see if everything is going okay over there."

"Yeah, we're doing great. Roxas is still asleep so I'm making breakfast."

"Did you…?

"You could say that." Marluxia sighed.

"Please tell me my room is still intact."

"Don't worry about it. By the time you get home, we'll have the whole place spotless. It could use a deep cleaning anyway."

"No doubt. Well, Tifa got us a taxi so I have to go. Cheerio!" Marluxia ended the call. Axel finished making breakfast and brought it upstairs on two plates. Roxas was looking at random websites on his phone when Axel arrived.

"Brought you something," Axel offered. Roxas took the plate and ravenously started cleaning his plate. Axel sat his desk, taking his time to eat his food. When Roxas had literally licked his plate clean, he started eyeing Axel's food. Axel rolled his eyes and handed over what was left of his breakfast. Roxas joyfully cleaned his second plate.

"Damn, I've never seen you so hungry before," Axel commented.

"Shut up!" Roxas protested, savoring his last bit of toast. When it was gone he threw his legs out of bed so he could go find more to eat. When he stood, Roxas yelped and collapsed. Axel managed to catch him but the plates were sent rolling across the carpet.

"Are you okay?"

"My legs hurt, that's all."

"You're out of shape," Axel pointed out.

"It's not my fault I don't like to exercise."

"Talk to Seifer when he gets back. He goes to the the gym here on campus. Maybe you can persuade him to take you with him." Roxas scowled. He limped along the floor and crawled into his boxers. Axel picked up the plates. "Can you make it down stairs on your own?"

"Don't worry about me. Just go make more food." Axel rolled his eyes and headed back to the kitchen. Roxas flinched with each step as he made his way back to his room. 'Zexion wasn't kidding when he said he was worried about me. My legs feel like their being twisted off and my ass feel like there's a flaming pinecone shoved in it. I suppose I'll get used to it. Otherwise I'm going to need a fucking wheelchair!'

Roxas finally got to his room and found his favorite pair of black shorts. He slipped them on with a green t-shirt. Then he made his way to the first floor. Roxas found moving became easier the farther he walked but the pain still remained. He entered the kitchen and pulled out a pack of Poptarts. Roxas ate them while Axel made him a second round of eggs and toast, which he finished off in minutes.

"Geez! Slow down," Axel commented as Roxas finished off his third glass of juice. Roxas finally felt full. He lazily went to the couch in the living room and lay down on his stomach. Axel cleaned the dishes before going over to his friend. Roxas was dozing on the couch. Axel sat behind him and started to rub the blonde's back. He felt Roxas slowly start to relax as his muscles enjoyed the massage.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Axel asked.

"I'm fine," Roxas replied, his voice muffled from the couch. Axel crawled on top of Roxas and lay over him like a blanket.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You can fuck me again."

"Won't that just make it worse?"

"It'll take my mind off of it." Axel licked the side of Roxas's neck.

"Just let me know if it hurts." Roxas smiled victoriously.

XxXxX

Monday came and summer classes started. So did the rain. It poured for hours at a time, only letting up when a fog bank rolled in. Roxas went to his classes while Axel stayed home to deep clean the apartment. By Wednesday, the rain was still pouring. Roxas came home soaking wet from his class. His backpack was wrapped in plastic bags to keep his books dry.

As he made his way upstairs to take a warm shower, he felt his stomach squirm. He shed his clothes and took a hot shower. Then he made himself some lunch. As he was eating, he suddenly didn't like the taste of his food. Roxas slowly chewed on his sandwich, wondering if he should swallow or spit it out.

His stomach heaved and Roxas bolted to the sink. His lunch came back to haunt him as he threw up for a second time. Axel came running from the basement. He had a bandana around his head to keep his hair back while he was cleaning.

"Roxas?" he called. He found the blonde hunched over the sink, his breathing labored. Axel pressed the back of his hand to Roxas's forehead. "You're burning up!" Roxas spat in the sink, his mouth tasting like sour milk. "Let's get you to bed. Hopefully you just got a 24 hour flu." Axel helped his friend up the stairs and tucked him in.

On Saturday, Axel drove to the airport to pick up Marluxia. He came back exhausted but relatively happy. He also brought some rather sudden news.

"You can't mean this summer?!" Axel exclaimed.

"I'm afraid so. She's too impatient. August first is the wedding and we're going to be in Japan. I hope you and Roxas can make it."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, provided Roxas gets better."

"What happened?"

"We're not sure. He came back Wednesday feeling poorly. He's had a fever on and off since then. He eats practically nothing, although…" Axel paused to think. Marluxia peered over at him anxiously. "No wonder he got sick."

"What?"

"Ever since Roxas moved in he's eaten nothing but eggs, ramen, grilled cheese and frozen meals. I guess I never realized he didn't know how to cook. A combination of his poor diet and being wet for five hours a day while he's at classes is probably what caused it."

"Oh, Roxas. What are we going to do with you?" Marluxia wondered aloud.

When they got back to the apartment, they found Roxas sleeping on the kitchen counter. He had fallen asleep while eating. Axel went over and felt his forehead. His face fell.

"His fever's back," Axel stated. With a sigh, Axel headed back to his car.

"Where are you headed?" Marluxia asked.

"The drug store. Be back in a few." Axel waved over his shoulder and drove off. Marluxia sighed and brought his bags up to his room. After an hour of unpacking, Marluxia dragged his dirty clothes to the basement. He noticed Roxas hadn't moved from the counter. Marluxia started a load of laundry and went back to check on Roxas.

The blonde's cheeks were pink from the fever. His breathing was shallow and raspy. Marluxia coaxed Roxas awake.

"We should get you up to bed," Marluxia suggested. Roxas didn't protest. Once he was asleep in his own bed, Marluxia put a damp cloth on his forehead.

The next week passed by very slowly. Marluxia was swamped with catching up with his work while Axel tended to Roxas. Roxas kept pushing himself by going to his classes so his condition didn't improve much over the week. By midweek, he had developed a hacking cough. Marluxia was worried Roxas had pneumonia so they took the young tenant to the hospital. Roxas came up negative but he was put on a strict recovery, which meant until he was better Roxas would have to miss class.

Demyx and Zexion returned on Sunday afternoon. They were tan and extremely energetic from the jet lag. Marluxia had to scold them to keep their voices down while Roxas slept. Monday came and it brought more rain. Axel had left the apartment to talk to Roxas's professors about the assignments he would be missing while Marluxia was away on a business meeting.

Zexion found himself alone in his room reading. Normally he would have enjoyed the moment but he felt something constantly nagging him in the back of his mind. With a sigh, he closed his book and went to find where Demyx had vanished to. Zexion found him in the kitchen watching a pot of soup simmer on the stove.

"Hungry?" Zexion asked. Demyx looked up from his entertainment.

"No. I was just making some for Roxas. He's not eating and if he gets any thinner he'll never recover. I talked to Axel and Marluxia about what foods he was able to stomach. This is about the best I could come up with." Zexion went to the stove and smelled the contents of the pot.

"Chicken noodle soup?"

"Sort of. It's chicken noodle without the chicken or the noodles."

"So carrots, celery and chicken base soup?"

"Something like that." Demyx went to the fridge and poured a small glass of apple juice into a cup with a straw. Zexion pulled the soup from the stove and poured it into a bowl. They brought Roxas's lunch up to his room.

The blonde appeared to be sleeping except his face appeared to be in pain. He was propped up on four pillows so he could breath. Various medications sat on his small night stand. Demyx removed the cloth from his face and went to the bathroom to exchange it. Zexion pulled up a chair next to Roxas's bed.

"Roxas, are you hungry?" Zexion asked quietly. Roxas cracked open his eyes and peered over at Zexion. The dark haired male smiled back at him.

"Yeah…" Roxas sat up a bit straighter. Zexion handed him the bowl of soup and watched over Roxas as he ate. Two bites in, Roxas started coughing violently. Zexion grabbed the bowl of soup before it spilled. Roxas leaned back against his pillows. "Thanks."

"It's alright. Did the doctor get back to you on his diagnosis?"

"Influenza and bronchitis. They put me on medication." Roxas motioned to his nightstand. Zexion set the soup on his lap and read the labels on the drugs.

"These are some heavy prescriptions."

"I wanted to get back to class."

"Normally one would be overjoyed to skip out on school." Roxas shook his head.

"I have to finish my summer courses to graduate a year ahead."

"But why?"

"So I can finish the same time as Axel." Zexion felt his heart melt for the blonde. He truly wanted nothing more than to be with Axel. Demyx returned with a cool cloth and placed it on Roxas's head.

"Eat up! You're going to need your strength," Demyx encouraged.

"For what?"

"Travel. We're going to Japan!"

"For what?" Roxas asked again.

"Marluxia's wedding! They moved the date up so we're going to go with him. It's going to be great! Apparently it's going to be all traditional so we get to wear the works: kimonos, sandals, accessories and whatever else you can think of. Personally, I really want one of those fans they carry around. Then I can whack people with it when they get too close to Zexion," Demyx said with a sassy smile.

Roxas coughed again before taking back his soup. He sipped it straight out of the bowl until it was empty. As the soup settled in his stomach, he felt a little bit better.

"Thanks guys. You would make some awesome parents." Zexion chuckled while Demyx gave him a large grin.

"Thanks, Roxas. That means a lot," Zexion stated.

"Do you have any plans for the future? You know, after graduation?"

"You mean like marriage?" Demyx asked.

"Yeah." The pair chuckled. "I don't understand."

"Oh, Roxas, what do you think we did in Jamaica? Lay around on the beach all day?" Demyx asked. He and Zexion held up their left hands. A thin silver band was wrapped around their ring fingers. Roxas's eyes grew wide.

"It was a spur of the moment sort of thing," Zexion admitted. Roxas smiled.

"Congratulations! If I had known, I would have gone with," Roxas commented.

"It was a private wedding anyway," Demyx corrected. "Need to know basis."

"Will you tell the others?"

"Only if they ask. Axel and Marluxia already know so you're welcome to discuss it freely with them," Zexion replied.

"Speaking of which," Demyx started, "how was your week off with Axel? Was it…electrifying?" Roxas felt his cheeks flush slightly.

"Need to know basis," Roxas replied.

"Oh no, you're not getting away with that excuse. Spill it!"

"We're only curious," Zexion added. Roxas sighed, realizing there was no reasoning with the couple.

"It was nice," Roxas replied quietly.

"Did you do anything fun?" Demyx pressed. Roxas unconsciously rubbed the dog tag on his collar. Demyx and Zexion exchanged glances. Roxas buried his forehead into his fists, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"We slept together," Roxas muttered.

"And?" Zexion asked.

"I liked it."

"Couldn't keep your hands off each other, could you?" Demyx pushed.

"No!" Roxas protested, turning to glare at the pair. The blush on his face said otherwise.

"Don't feel embarrassed, Roxas. You're talking to pair of gay college students. We won't judge you in the slightest," Zexion reasoned.

"Oh, let him be, Zexi. If we pressed Roxas too much he'll explode all over the walls," Demyx interrupted, putting a hand on his lover's shoulder. "We'll grill him once he's better. That way he can't faint on us." Zexion and Demyx laughed together. Roxas lowered his gaze again.

"Rest up, Roxas," Zexion said before he took his leave with Demyx. Roxas grabbed his cup of juice and sipped on it. His mind was lost in thought.

XxXxX

Seifer slammed the door on his truck and carried his bags inside. He had left home early due to family conflicts. 'They never fucking stop.' Seifer growled in his head. He stormed up the stairs and kicked open his door. He paused when he saw Roxas. Roxas's laptop sat on his desk chair, playing a movie. Unfortunately, the movie played for no one. Roxas lay sleeping on his side, his breathing steady.

Seifer set down his bags and went over to his roommate's nightstand. Pill bottles were spread out over the small space with prescriptions. Most of the bottles were empty. Seifer checked his watch. 'Doesn't he have class?' Seifer wondered as he noted it was Thursday. He stopped caring and went back to unpacking his belongings. When he was finished, he sprawled out on his bed. The movie played in the background.

There was a knock at the door. Seifer looked up to find Axel there with a bowl of ramen. "Welcome back," the tall man stated.

"Eh," Seifer replied, returning his gaze to the wall. Axel noticed Roxas was sleeping. He cleared a spot on the cluttered nightstand and set the bowl down. Axel sighed as he noticed a set of pills on the bottom of a bottle. He poked Roxas until he woke from his slumber.

"Hey, you were supposed to take these this morning," Axel reminded, his tone serious.

"I thought I did," Roxas replied. Axel held up the bottle as proof. "Oh."

"You'll never get better if you don't take the full prescription." Roxas sat up and popped the pills into his mouth.

"Not that I care, but why are you here?" Seifer asked.

"My job," Axel replied sharply.

"Nursemaid?" Seifer sneered.

"No, pharmacist. I double checked the prescriptions myself and it's my job to nag at people who can't remember to take them." Seifer rolled his eyes. He got up from his bed and found his keys.

"Smell you later, losers." Seifer took his leave. Axel sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Why did we ever agree to have him here?" Axel muttered to himself.

"How did he end up here?" Roxas asked.

"Marluxia, Lexaeus, Vexen and I applied for an apartment under recommendation from Demyx. He had spent his sophomore year here. My third year we moved in together here. There were still some spots open so Demyx invited Zexion to join. Terra was living here with Demyx already so there was one spot left open. We let the school pick the last person and we were stuck with him ever since," Axel explained.

"Why doesn't he leave?"

"Honestly, we have no idea. I think he stuck around for the last two years because of Terra. Since he only has one year left, my guess is he was too lazy to look for another place to live."

"Makes sense."

"I hope he doesn't give you any trouble. Marluxia's about the only one who can put up with him, now that Terra and Lexaeus are gone. I'm hoping his ridiculous schedule will keep him from being too much of a prick."

"Is engineering that tough?"

"Fifth year is. Long class workshops are tied with mounds of notes to know for tests, not to mention Seifer will be working on top of that. If we're lucky, he'll live in his room for a year."

"What about the rest of you? I know you and Riku have two years left. Sora will have three. Will Demyx, Zexion, Marluxia and Seifer all graduate this year?"

"I'm afraid so. Demyx and Zexion already have plans to move somewhere. Marluxia will leave school to work on his business full time along with caring for Tifa."

"And what are you going to do when you graduate?" Axel thought about it for a moment.

"Work, I guess. Honestly, I don't give it much thought." Roxas nodded thoughtfully. "What about you?"

"Chemistry major."

"Thinking of grad school?"

"No. I'll go find a job." Axel smirked.

"Gee, that sounds familiar. It's almost as if I had the same plans," the elder male teased. Roxas scowled and Axel ruffled his hair. "Great minds think alike, you know. Now eat your ramen before it gets cold. You have some weight to gain back." Roxas picked up the bowl and started eating, returning to his movie.

Axel left the room and felt his heart sink. 'He's lost so much weight. He looks the same as when he was anorexic last fall. I know it's not the same, but I can't help but get this icky feeling when I see him like that.'

XxXxX

Roxas was back to his classes by the next week. After missing the previous week, he was loaded down with catching up on notes, projects, and papers. He lived at his desk, determined to finish out the summer semester. June arrived with high temperatures and the promise of severe summer storms. The apartment was unusually quiet for a change.

Roxas sat at his desk cramming notes into his brain. He chewed lazily at the end of his eraser, leaning back on his chair. His headphones blasted music into his ears. He was so focused he didn't hear Seifer enter the room.

"Look at you being the good student," Seifer sneered. Roxas looked up from his notes. He flipped his headphones to his neck.

"Sorry, what did you say?" Roxas asked, unsure of what Seifer had said.

"Screw it."

"O-kay then." Roxas replaced his headphones and continued to study. Seifer lazily sat on his desk chair and checked his phone. He sent several texts before opening his laptop. Roxas yawned and set his pencil down on the desk. He brought his feet up onto the chair and rested his folded arms and chin on top of his knees. Seifer picked at his nails until he got another text. He sent a reply and turned back to his computer.

The same routine occurred for the next hour. Roxas would read his notes, occasionally changing his position. Seifer would staring blankly at his computer, occasionally answering a text.

When Roxas finished studying, he pushed his notes aside and removed his headphones. Then he checked his phone to see if anyone had contacted him.

"Expecting someone?" Seifer jibed.

"No. Are you?" Roxas shot back.

"As if! No one ever comes to see me. It's always about THEM," Seifer growled, closing his computer.

"Someone I should know about?"

"No, you chicken wuss. What goes on with my family is concern of yours."

"Is that why you came back early?" Seifer scowled heavily.

"None of your business." Seifer received a call and he ignored it. His phone rang three more times before he picked up. "Get off my back!" he shouted. "No, I'm not coming home. If you're so worried about it then you deal with it. Don't give me that shit ass excuse! Fine then!" Seifer slammed his phone onto his desk. "I hate you people," he seethed.

"Parents?" Roxas asked.

"They're DEAD, fuckhole! I don't have any. Instead I deal with my God damn siblings bitching about how "overburdened" they are. Overburdened my ass."

"Sorry. I didn't know." Roxas shifted his gaze back to his desk. He started to organize his notes and store them neatly away into his desk drawer.

"Why do you care so much about my life anyway?" Roxas paused, unsure how to answer.

"I don't know, really. I guess you just remind me of myself, in way." Seifer scoffed.

"Are you're parents dead?"

"No."

"Are your siblings bitching down your throat?"

"No."

"Then we have nothing in common."

"So it seems. If anything, we're polar opposites. My parents may be alive but they chose to act like I'm dead. My mother disowned me; my dad hardly looks at me. I never hated my siblings but I always seemed to hurt them. Nothing I do is ever right."

"Says the dick with a 4.0."

"I meant for them," Roxas corrected. There was a long silence filled with frustrated tension. "If you don't mind me asking, how'd your parents die?"

"Car accident four years ago. They died on their anniversary." Seifer propped his elbows on his desk and rubbed his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not like you ran them off the road, stupid." Seifer sighed. "They were nice people…" Roxas suddenly felt bad for Seifer. "As if their passing wasn't enough, they had to leave it in their will to have the siblings decide on who got what in the inheritance. My idiot brother and sister just love arguing over who should get what share. I bowed out but I end up acting as the instigator to keep them from killing each other."

"I guess I wouldn't know what it's like being the youngest. My siblings are both younger than me," Roxas commented.

"Rai's married and Fuu already has kids. I honestly wouldn't care about this at all if we were the only siblings involved."

"What do you mean?" Seifer sighed and sat back in his chair. His face looked tired and strained.

"We have a little brother, Sephiroth. Seph's only five so he doesn't understand what's going on." Seifer scoffed at himself. "I was the one who watched over him that night. Rai and Fuu were supposed to come over so I could go hang with my friends. They never showed up. Part of me wanted to leave but Seph was barely old enough to walk. So, I stayed home and did my part as the older brother. That night my parents never came home. When I heard the news, I shut myself off from the world. I didn't even cry at their funeral! I'm just some sick bastard who wanted nothing to do with his family once it started falling apart. But I can't let one stupid thing go."

"You're brother."

"Seph's staying with his godfather. Our uncle Setzer isn't the brightest guy. He's a bachelor. He doesn't know the first thing about raising kids. So now Rai, Fuu and I are in a legal battle over possession of Seph since we're all of age to take care of him. The problem is the court won't let me take care of him."

"Why not?"

"Juvey. They deemed me unworthy of being a legal guardian. It doesn't matter what I say, I'll always be shoved aside."

"And your siblings won't look after him?"

"Rai's an idiot. He forgets to do everything. Whenever I see them together, it's almost as if Seph becomes part of the wall. Fuu's no better. She bitches at her two kids all the time. Seph just likes it quiet and to be by himself. I used to think I could handle that much on my own, but now I'm not even sure if I have what it takes to be his brother. It's so fucking stupid and I can't let it go!" Seifer kicked his desk in frustration.

Roxas remained silent. He wasn't sure what to say. He thought about Ven and Naminé. 'If I had to fight for them between my parents and myself, I don't think I could do it. They're lives are so much happier without me. I know nothing about Seifer's family. Who's to say is his little brother is happier where he is now or with one of his siblings?'

Roxas glanced at Seifer. He still looked troubled but he was slowly recomposing himself. Seifer stood and dug around under his bed. He pulled out a gym bag and a skateboard.

"Hey!" Seifer barked. Roxas jumped. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"The gym, where else?"

"Now?" Roxas glanced at the clock. It was 9:04pm.

"Yeah. Now get off your ass and move it. It'll build up your immune system." Seifer reached under his bed and tossed Roxas a skateboard of his own. Roxas wondered why Seifer had the sudden urge to go life weights but he didn't want to argue with the violence prone man. He packed some comfy clothes into a drawstring backpack and followed Seifer out of the apartment.

"You know how to ride?" Seifer asked. Roxas tossed the board onto the ground and jumped on, gliding smoothly across the parking lot. Seifer smirked. He tossed his board and leapt on, flying across the pavement. "Let's go!" he called. Roxas followed Seifer to the gym. The night air was cool and refreshing. Even with the sun below the horizon, there was still plenty of light for them to see. Roxas closed his eyes as he let the wind brush across his face.

"Hey Seifer," Roxas called, opening his eyes.

"What?" Seifer snapped, back to his tacky attitude.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Giving a damn." Seifer burst out laughing.

"Sure thing, chicken wuss."