Alright, so to clear up Axel's current living situation, just in case there was any confusion. Reno is twenty years old and is Axel's older cousin who currently has custody of him. The two of them live with Reno's partner (and I mean that in every sense of the word) Rude in a two bedroom apartment.

"Axel! Get up! I have to leave in forty five minutes! Get your ass up and out of bed before I dump my coffee on your face yo!"

Axel groaned into his pillow. He didn't want to wake up yet! It was too early! He looked at the clock. 6:45. Yeah, way too fucking early. He sat up and groggily looked around before flopping himself out of bed and trudging his way to the kitchen table. A bowl of cereal and an egg coated in sriracha was placed in front of him next to a mixture of coffee and hot chocolate. Apparently Reno felt like being nice today.

"So, ready for a new day?" Reno asked, sitting down to eat his own, identical breakfast. Axel shrugged. "Well... React please!"

"What do you want me to say?!" Axel finally yelled, staring Reno in the face. "Yesterday was fine. Today's going to be fine." He leaned back drank his chocolate mixture, looking away from his cousin's face and trying not to look back. He figured he wouldn't see hurt in Reno's blue eyes. The twenty year old was too used to this by now. He was afraid, however, that just once he might.

"Just so long as you're going to be okay yo." Reno said, drinking from his mug once again. Axel mentally thanked him for not pressing the issue. And for forgiving him. Reno was the only member of his living family that he could still tolerate. He wouldn't know what to do if Reno decided he wasn't worth. Reno was all he had left. He couldn't go back home...

"Yo!" Axel snapped out of his thoughts to see his cousin's fingers snapping before his eyes. "Get dressed!" Axel nodded and ran to his room as Reno cleaned up breakfast. He quickly got dressed and sat on his bed. The morning didn't actually take much work for him. His style was simple. Jeans, combat boots, tshirts, and hoodies. Hoodies were nonnegotiable.

About ten minutes later the redheads were in car and on the road, Reno visibly ecstatic to see Rude again when he got home, as the man had been one a business trip to Thailand for the past month. This would be the first time since Axel moved in that he would see Rude. They'd met before, of course, but never lived together.

Axel stepped out of the car in front of the school and said a quick goodbye to Reno before walking off. School wouldn't start for another twenty minutes, and because he didn't feel like hanging out in the cafeteria, he was, for the most part, alone. He made his way into the library and sat down at a table, putting headphones in his ears and resting his head on his arms. He shut his arms and let the music carry him away.

Twenty minutes later he sat in the same seat he had claimed yesterday, listening to music and drawing dragons in his notebook. He had a few more minutes till class started. Time to be completely unproductive. He looked up and pulled out a headphone when he heard some shuffling next to him. Right there, in the same seat as before, was Saïx.

"...So, do you think you can sit somewhere else?" Axel asked, not even bothering to be polite. He didn't feel like being around people right now.

"Probably." Saïx continued to pull out his stuff, not making a singling attempt to move. Axel raised an eyebrow at him, causing the blunette to look over. "I'm not moving, I always sit in this seat. So either deal with it or move." Axel glared a little bit and looked back down at his notebook. Rude much? He snickered a bit to himself. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me."

"No."

"Tell me. Now."

"Fine! You're rude and my cousin's boyfriend's name is Rude!" Axel snapped, trying to explain. "So now you're dating my cousin!" Saïx stared at him.

"Well, is he hot?" He finally asked, causing the redhead to look at him in confusion. "Your cousin. Is he hot?"

"Not unless you have a thing for a redheads." Axel said, leaning back and staring at the sealing.

"I have a thing for redheads."

"You are disgusting!"

After school that day it was up to Axel to walk home. It wasn't far, only about a half hour walk. Reno would have driven him if he hadn't had to work. Axel sighed, putting in his headphones once again and beginning his walk.

About ten minutes on he had the uncomfortable feeling that he was being followed, he turned to see it who his was only to see a familiar blue mop.

"Are you stalking me?" Axel asked, pulling out a headphone. Saïx stopped next to him and looked at him. "I don't have anything valuable at my house except for a play station and a Nintendo 3DS. If you take either of those I will fucking shank you."

"I'm not interested in stealing your shit." Saïx said. "I live in the Pamosa complex." Axel's eyebrows furrowed. "You're so weird. What's your problem."

"I live in the same complex... I have for the past week." Axel said. "Why haven't I seen you before?"

"Maybe you don't go outside." Saïx said. "Ever."

"Well, you wouldn't be wrong." The pair walked in silence for the rest of the walk and entered the complex. Axel didn't even know why he walked with Saïx. He didn't even like Saïx, right? Well, maybe he could learn to. He sighed and turned to the blunette. "Listen...um...my cousin and therapist think I need to socialize more so...if you ever want to come over and hang out...you can."

"Sure." Saïx said. "My mom probably wants me out of house more anyway." He put out his hand for Axel to shake and then pulled it away. "Right. No touching."

"I'm not comfortable with touching, got it memorized?" Axel asked, throwing in his usual catch phrase just to seem...lighthearted was probably the right word.

"Heard you the first time, Sonic the Hedgehog."

"My hair isn't even blue!"

OKAY I promise I would've had this up sooner if I hadn't been suffering from a mixture of writers block and paranoia due to flash flood warnings. Anyhow, read, review, repeat!