2 – storm brewing

"So what do you think of Axel?"

It's been around a week and a half since I met him.

Riku and I were currently sitting his basement, staring at the blank television screen. I glanced curiously at him and shrugged.

"He seems like a really nice guy. Definitely someone that I could see myself becoming good friends with." Riku rolled his eyes and propped his arm on his knee as he sank further into the couch.

"Yeah, okay. What else do you think of him?" What else? What did he mean?

I've only met the guy once. I mean, you can't get enough knowledge to say more than that about someone from only one meeting. Right?

Who am I kidding. I had a ton that I could say about him. I just didn't know where to start. He could brighten a room simply by walking in, and if he smiled, everyone else did. How his hair defied gravity, or how those malachite eyes of his appeared to glow. I could always mention his height, because he towered over almost everyone. Or how he was so thin, yet had hips that a lot of girls would kill for. There's a lot more that I could say, but there simply isn't enough time in a day for that.

My sexual preference is not a secret; I don't give a damn who knows anymore. I don't think I ever really did, to be completely honest.

"Why do you want to know?" I'm not stupid. I'm not going to get myself cornered.

Sighing, Riku leaned forward. "You're gay, right? I mean, you dated Seifer didn't you?"

Ah, Seifer. The person who brought me out of the closet and then left me when he got all he could get out of me. I'd call him a bastard, but he did help me realize who I really am.

"And what does my sexual orientation have to do with anything?" I was trying to keep my temper in line, but this was starting to feel like an interrogation.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Riku smirked at me, obviously noticing my discomfort. "You must know where I'm heading with this." I quirked a brow at him and shook my head.

"I can assure you that I have no damn idea as to what you're thinking." Sure, Riku and I are good friends, but I've only known him for about nine months. I've not quite gotten the hang of how his mind works yet.

"Are you really that fucking dense?" I stared at him, furrowing my brow. "I mean, honestly! You'd think that we were speaking two separate languages with how slow you connect things." By this point Riku was getting up off the couch and walking towards the mini fridge. Lucky bastard had a sweet set up in his basement; mini fridge, flat screen, and most gaming systems. Not to mention, his bedroom was also on this floor, so he pretty much never had to leave the cool comfort of the basement.

As Riku stood up after having grabbed a couple of bottled waters, he turned around and smirked. "Axel thinks you're hot," he said smugly.

Time seemed to stand still as I registered what he said. There are moments in your life that seem too perfect to actually be real. And because no one can believe that these moments are real, people tend to react in different ways: anger, denial, caution, or joy.

I happen to go through all of those stages.

Anger.

"Are you messing with me?" I asked him slowly, watching his every move as he passed the water bottle my way. "You fucking better not be fucking with me. I will hurt you, you know. I will rip off your smug face and shred it into pieces that are so tiny that you will only be identifiable by your dental records."

So my temper might be getting the best of me now. I'm trying to stay calm, but when people drop a bomb like this on me, I do tend to freak out.

"I'm not lying. I actually asked him what he thought about you and his words, and I quote, were 'Roxas? Which one was that? The hot one?'" Sitting back down, he tilted his head. "Now, do really you think that I would make this up?"

Did I? Not really, he was one of the most truthful beings I have ever met.

Denial.

"Well, maybe he was talking about Sora. Sora's hot and he's outgoing. I mean, they did a hell of a lot more to talking than Axel and I. He was probably talking about Sora."

"Dude, calm down. He mentioned that he liked your blond hair." Riku seemed to be enjoying this all too much as he took another swig of water. "Does Sora have blond hair?"

I had to give him that one as well, hair color was a major difference between Sora and I. We looked similar in other fashions, such as our eyes and faces, but our hair was drastically different.

Caution.

"What if he made a mistake and meant to say brown hair? He might have actually been thinking about Sora and accidentally said the wrong color.."

"Shut up and accept it Rox."

Joy.

It finally hit me what was going on: Axel thought I was attractive. He found me to be attractive enough to tell others, which meant he was probably interested.

"Oh my God." I don't think that I've smiled this big since I was a little kid. When I looked to Riku, he rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like 'Fuckin' time...'. "I can't believe this..."

"Good. That means you'll be up for hanging with him again soon, right? Because his band is playing in Transverse Town next week by the wharf. I'm sure he'd love it if you came." I did not miss the mischievous glint in Riku's sea green eyes, but rather pushed it aside.

Life was good; things were finally falling into place. It had been a long while since Seifer and I had broken up, roughly a year, and it had been a year of hell. We hadn't had the healthiest relationship, but it had worked for us.

Well, not really.

I try not to dwell on the topic of us, it takes me to a dark place. I'm busy trying to rebuild myself, not just for me, but for my friends. I sort of let them down in the past school year and I'm determined to get back to where we were before everything happened.

"His band, eh?" There's something I didn't know. "What are they like?"

Riku chuckled and grabbed the television remote. Turning it on, he flipped until he got to 'Input 1'. "They're an alternative rock band, but they mostly do covers right now. Easier to get started playing songs that everyone knows. Oh, and the name is 'Nobody's Heart'. 'Nobodies' for short."

Nodding, I mentally took note of the major aspects of the band as Riku rambled on while finding a movie for us to watch. Demyx, Zexion, and Luxord were his band mates, they'd been together since their freshman year of high school, and they had grown up together. Alongside their name and genre, I also learned that one of their songs had become popular over in the little town of Radiant Garden. It was then that Riku had mentioned how serious they actually were about their music. They had had other members of the band at times, but none seemed to last long. The first rule of Nobodies was that band members were expected to show up for practice, unless a legitimate excuse was presented. Most new band mates didn't quite grasp that idea, and had to be shown the door.

xx

As I was walking home, I realized that I couldn't recall any parts of the movie Riku had put on. I couldn't even remember the name of it. Instead, all I could remember from my time at his place was all the things he had told me about Axel.

And what he said to me last.

"You're serious about liking Axel, right?"

"Yeah, man."

"You know that means if all goes well, you'd be putting up with some tough shit? Chemo isn't something that's easy to watch someone you care about receive, and it sure as hell isn't something that's easy to take. Axel's not going to always be that happy, cheeky bastard." Riku was refusing to look me in the eye as I glanced at him and opted to tilt his head back to stare at the ceiling. "A lot of people have strung that guy on, but I'm not gonna let that happen again. He can't go through another person blowing him off while he's already in physical pain."

"I wouldn't do that-"

"You say that now, Rox, but they said it too. Who's to say that the moment you see him throw up, or pass out, or lose hair you won't walk away?"

"Because while everyone was busy growing vain, I was growing up."

I guess that's what it took for Riku to finally accept that I wasn't some attention seeking brat. Apparently a few people had expressed an interest in Axel within the past few months, but he was hung out to dry when each said they couldn't deal with it anymore. They were mainly in it for the status of dating that cancer patient everyone loves. Fuckers.

Those sorts of people piss me off. I can't help it. I had friends that I completely stay away from now because they turned into attention whores. I don't play into their little 'Woe is me!' rouses and I sure as hell don't ask them what's wrong. There are enough patsies to make sure that their little hearts get everything they desire: compliments, affection, gifts, and everything under the sun.

Who the hell plays with a guys emotions like that? Especially someone who's going through such a tough time?

I don't usually get this worked up over the actions of strangers. Years ago I accepted the fact that the rest of the world must be socially or emotionally stunted. I suppose I'm really falling for this guy.

As psychology has taught me, the first step to a relationship is attraction. And boy, he's like a magnet made entirely for me.

xx

I found myself with some time to think as I waited in line at Materia¹ to get a drink. It had been four days since I last saw Riku, but he had been constantly texting, calling and messaging me every chance he had. He kept telling me it had to do with him making sure that his best friend since grade school wasn't going to get screwed over again; that it really didn't have anything to do with me personally. No, personally he thought I was a great guy, but I just didn't know what I was getting myself into.

Fair enough. I've never actually spent time with a cancer patient before, and everyone who ever died in my life had battled the disease. My parents had always sheltered me from seeing those that I loved in pain. Right now, that sure as hell isn't going to help. Frankly, it might do more damage than anything.

My train of thought was disrupted when a familiar voice said "Hey, welcome to Materia, how can I help you?"

I looked up to be greeted by that face that had been plaguing my dreams for days.

"Axel?" Holy flying fish cakes, this couldn't be actually happening. The look of surprise on his face sent the impression that he wasn't expecting this encounter too.

"Well, I'll be. Hey Roxas." he grinned and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "What can I do for you?"

"Just a large iced green tea please." 'Oh, there's a lot you could do for me..'

"That it? Okay, that comes to $3.18." Nodding, I handed him three and a half dollars. I made an effort not to actually touch his hand while doing this transaction, and shook my head when he offered me the change. He smiled and said "Thanks man." as he dropped the change into the tip jar.

I wish he didn't smile like that. It makes it hard for me to keep a blush down.

"So, Riku's been bugging me about asking you to come to see my band play next week. Are you interested?" Before I could reply, he had my drink in his hand. Something about the way he was looking at me made it feel like he was holding it hostage.

"Yeah. Sounds like it'd be a good time." I stuck on hand in my shorts pocket as I reached tentatively for my drink. As he passed it to me, he obviously wasn't afraid of some breaking some personal boundaries.

Our fingers touched for the briefest of moments, yet my hand felt like it had been stuck in a light socket. Swallowing hard, I brought my arm back and did my best to fight the blush that was creeping over my face.

"I'm looking forward to seeing you there." he said, winking at me. Guess he noticed it too.

I mumbled a quick goodbye and left, drink in hand.

I've never felt this excited for anything before. I've never felt this way about someone before. And quite frankly, it scares me.

xx

A day later, a deafening screech greeted me when I opened the door to Sora's house and stepped inside.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that Axel asked you to come see his band play?"

Kairi was quickly storming out from the kitchen with Sora bringing up the rear, a sheepish look on his face.

"The fuck Kairi? Is this how you great someone now?" Kicking my shoes off, I walked down the hall to meet them. "And why is it any of your damn business?"

She was seething, obviously not used to me actually standing up to her. Usually, I'd just shrug it off and say that I was going to, but this was different.

"It's my damn business when my cousin asks someone to go see his band!" Eyes narrowing, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I would expect him to tell me something like that, or for you to tell me that. But no, I had to hear it from Riku and Sora because both of you monkeys never thought to let me in on it!"

I glared at Sora, who conveniently was fixing the picture frames on the table in the hall. Good luck if he thinks he'll walk away from this scot free.

"Maybe we never said anything because we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, Kairi." Her eyes wouldn't meet mine, and she mouthed a breathy "Oh..". "We're just friends. Acquaintances, really. Just trying to hang out to become friends. Okay?" I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall. I wasn't in the mood to be arguing with a friend, especially over something so minor.

Kairi fell silent for a few moments, and Sora made weird faces at me which I took to be half-assed apologies. Yeah, like those would make it better.

"You-you just don't get it.." she was mumbling now, arms down by her side and fists clenching. "He never does anything like this. He never invites someone to do anything and not mention it to all parties involved. It's just weird that he only told Riku..." She sighed and looked at me studiously. "By the look on your face, I'd say you weren't expecting for it to be such a big deal. But it is. It's totally out of character for him."

"C'mon Kairi, it's nothing to freak out about, he's just inviting another friend to hang." Sora was obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation, and was trying to diffuse it carefully. Too bad Sora didn't have the most finesse.

"Yeah, well did he invite you?" She got him right where it hurt him the most; his heart. Sora quietly stepped back and slumped against the wall. Shaking her head, she turned on her heel. "I need to get a drink and think. I'll come in when I've thought this through."

Neither of us responded as she made her way back to the kitchen. Sora pushed off his wall and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"She pried it outta me, I swear!"

"Pansy."

"No, honestly! It was like pulling teeth to get any information out of me, but I was a rock. She tried for about an hour!"

"She texted you and you told her, right?"

"Yep."

"Bastard."

Half-heartedly, I gave him a shove and watched him stumble for a second before turning and giving me a toothy grin.

xx

"Y'know, this it's really funny to see you this flustered." Sora was lying upside down on my bed, head hanging off the side as he watching me pick out clothes.

"Fuck off, Sora." I growled at him, but the only furthered his amusement to laughter. "You think you could help instead of being a little shit? Or is that too much to ask for?" I was busy tossing shirts and pants at him, half hoping that something might knock some sense into him. In his laughing stupor, he somehow managed to pull out a pair of tighter fitting grey jeans, grey tee and black hoodie.

"You have to be kidding me. That's so plain!" How was I supposed to make an impression in that?

"Don't be so quick to judge. You need a hoodie, we both know it's colder in Transverse Town than her in Twilight, and the band's playing in the square, right by the water. Very cold at night." Sora picked up the sweater, and placed in the end of the bed. "The shirt is nice and neutral, gives you a casual look that you tend to go for." The shirt was chucked back at me with a little more force than needed—an obvious hint for me to lighten up and wear it. "And the pants make your ass look good."

The pants hit me square in the face as I hissed 'Incestuous pervert!'. We've said things like that to each other before about clothing, so I think it's mainly my nerves that have me on edge. It's been a while since I last tried impressing a guy. Over a year since my last relationship, actually.

I slipped my current clothes off, and switched for the new set. It wasn't a big deal, first of we're guys and we're related. He's probably the only person I am actually comfortable with changing in front of, I'm even shy in front of my older brother. But I guess I had to do this more with Sora than my own brother, since we've been in the same class since we were young.

"Yeah, yeah. Now get your checkered Vans and you'll be good. Worst that could happen would be you missed him play because you were too busy picking out an outfit." He tried to muffle his laughs as a look of horror crossed my face. "We're fine man. My mom will drive us out with plenty of time beforehand. In fact, if anything, we'll be there before any of the bands start."

"Good." I grunted, hauling my shoes out from under my bed. Quickly, I slipped them on and grabbed a leather wristband off of my dresser. Sora had walked up behind me, and waiting until I was busy tightening the accessory to ruffle my hair.

"It's cute to see you so flustered." He was grinning. He was grinning at my expense. I pushed him off, a little harder than necessary, which in turned caused him to push back. I'm still not sure exactly how it happened, but I ended up face down on the floor. He however, was sitting on my back and answering his ringing phone.

"Oh, hey Mom! What, you're here? That's great we'll be right down." Sora patted the back of my head, sending my face deeper into the carpet. "Roxas? Yeah, I'm just sitting down with him. We're getting up now, so we'll see you in a minute." He got up off me as he ended the call, and I pushed myself up off the floor.

"Don't you ever fucking do that again. Ever. Got it?" Straightening out my clothes

"Sure, yep, whatever you say."

We didn't say anything else as we left the apartment. He went to the elevator and pushed the button as I locked up. By the time I made it to the elevator, it still hadn't come. Cloud, my brother, and I lived in a crappy apartment complex, and it was seriously lacking in maintenance. We'd much rather live in a small house or even another apartment complex, but our funds are limited.

I nudged Sora and started walking towards the stairs. We were only on the fourth floor, so it wasn't a big deal walking. Most of the time, I used it anyway. Not many people actually used the stairs, so it was a lot more peaceful.

We didn't speak during our descent, and made our way out of the front doors of the building. Sora's mom had parked her SUV right in front, which was pretty convenient. He hoped in the front, while I slipped into the back.

"Hello Roxas! My, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" She asked, turning around in her seat. Her eyes aren't as bright as Sora's, or mine for that matter, and her hair was a bit darker. Squall, Sora's older brother resembled her more.

"I'm doing well, thanks Aunt Raine. How are you?" Her smile grew, and it was easy to see where Sora got his personality.

"Well, I'm pretty good! Had a lot of work to catch up on at the office, but it's almost done. Maybe then I'll get some more nights off!" She laughed, and turned around to start the car. "Here we go!"

The drive was relatively quiet, Sora and his mom chatted in the front, occasionally asking for my input. My mind was elsewhere though, and I was trying to ease the butterflies in my stomach. It's been so long.. My heart aches at the thought of what rests on this night. It's not like I'm the sort of person who needs to be in a relationship, but it's been a rough time. It'd be nice to have someone else.

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. This evening is meant to be a time to hang out with a new friend, get to know him better, see where it goes. Friendship first. Though he did say I was hot..

Fuck. I can't get off the idea of possible connection between us. What am I going to do?

"We're here!" Raine chirped happily, her trademark smile taking to her lips. Sora was already bailing out with a 'Bye mom!' thrown over his shoulder. I followed suit, thanking her as I left.

"Have fun!"

I turned around and waved at her, and watched her copy the gesture as she drove away. Sora's one lucky guy to have a mother like her.

Sora was darting through the crowd, making it to the front of the stage. I'm not sure how he makes it through so easily, because I'm dodging elbows and squeezing by bodies to follow. When I was able to catch up with him, I was greeted by Riku, Kairi, Axel, and a couple of their friends.

"There you are, thought I lost you or something." Sora said, laughing and nudging me.

"You did."

"Eh, what was that Rox? Couldn't hear your mumbling." Sora then turned his attention to Kairi and Riku, starting up a conversation. Before I could even think of what to do, a hand found its way to my shoulder. Turning, I was met by the sight of Axel's green eyes staring into my own.

"Hey Rox! I'd like to introduce you to my band mates!" He was smiling from ear to ear, and pointed to a short, slate haired teen. "That right there is our own Mr. Quiet, Zexion. He's seventeen, like you, but graduated with me last year." He gave a curt nod, arms crossed across his chest. "And this here is Demyx. He's a hyperactive, uh, something. Not sure there's one word that could be used describe him. Maybe fifty or so, but that would take too long."

'Demyx' was attempt to protest, but lost his train of thought as a person walked by with a bulldog. I have to admit that even with Axel's introduction, I wasn't expecting the six foot, faux hawk headed guy to scream 'Puppy!' and take off to pet the dog.

"And he's about seven, right?" I asked, watching as he got onto his knees and hugged the white and brown canine thirty feet away. Axel chuckled, and shook his head.

"You've got that right. Sorta like eighteen going on eight." Glancing at Demyx, he spoke to Zexion. "Hey, where's Luxord? He does know it's tonight, right?"

"Yes, in fact he sent me a text fifteen minutes ago saying that he was on his way. Traffic or some such nonsense is holding him up." Placing a hand in his pocket, he flipped his bangs out of his eyes with the other. "Don't worry; he'll be here. You and I both know that he's fully committed to the band."

"Yeah, I know. Just can't help but think the other way. We've had some times." Axel switched his attention from Zexion to me, and shrugged. "Luxord's our drummer. He's our original drummer, though he had to take a hiatus. We had to find some substitutes, but no one could ever replace him." I nodded, vaguely remembering that Riku had mentioned something about this. Nobody seemed willing to go into details, and that was perfectly fine by me. Not my business.

"Guys! Look who I found!" Three of us, looked and saw Demyx pulling a platinum blond man by the arm. Axel visibly relaxed at the sight, and sighed.

"Luxord, you're late." Zexion stated, his voice emotionless.

"Yeah, the thing is, there's a lot of people out here tonight, and traffic was a bitch!" Luxord offered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You should have left sooner." The slate haired youth snorted, folding his arms over his chest once more.

"And get you guys used to me arriving on time? No thanks." Luxord scoffed. "You'd be expecting me to do it every time." Axel chuckled at this and Demyx nodded furiously.

"Yeah! Lux is a free spirit!" Demyx exclaimed, pointing dramatically at the drummer. "Like me!" At this, Zexion rolled his eyes and started walking to the back of the stage.

"We should go get ready now. We're opening in ten."

Axel checked his phone at Zexion's statement, and raised his eyebrows. "Crap, yeah we should get going." As the trio started to make their way to the platform, Axel suddenly turned around. "I hope we'll get a chance to talk after the show, Blondie. You can tell me how awesome we were or something."

"Or something is about right." I replied, grinning back. "I'm looking forward to it." At this, Axel winked again and disappeared behind the set.

I left out a breath I didn't realize that I was holding, and Sora came up and clapped me on the back. Riku and Kairi also decided to join us, and Kairi proceeded to give me creepy looks. I'm sure she intended them to look like 'Ohhhh, you like him.' faces. Well, almost sure. Sometimes it's hard to tell with her.

"How's it going Roxas?" Riku asked nonchalantly. There was too much effort being put in to appearing indifferent on his part for this to be a normal greeting. Plus, Kairi and Sora were both making constipated faces.

"It's good." Watching him, I tilted my head. "But that's not really what you're asking about, is it?" A nervous laugh broke out between the two knuckle heads, and Riku smirked.

"Ah, aren't you perceptive? You've caught me." Riku paused for a moment, and was about to speak again when a booming voice cut through the park.

"Go-od evening everybody!" emcee announced, causing cheers and clapping. "Are you all ready to hear what you came for?" More cheering, more clapping. "Then let's kick it off with Twilight Town's very own Nobodies! Make some noise!"

I jumped at the decibel of the screaming of the crowd. Goddammit, girls are fucking banshees! After glaring over my shoulder and wish a horrible, slow, and tortuous death upon all of the spectators, my eyes caught sight of a familiar lanky redhead.

"Hey guys! Let's start off with something a lot of you would know." Smiling, he adjusted the guitar strap on his shoulder. "Sing along if you would like."

Pressure!

Pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets

Only thirty some seconds in to the song, I learned some new facts. First, Demyx was a bassist and Zexion a guitarist. Second, Axel had a damn sexy singing voice along with a damn sexy speaking voice. Third, he looked damn sexy in his tight fitting denim jeans and tee.

And lastly, I was a shameless ogler.

Bah bah dah bah bah dah
(Yeah) (Yeah)

That's okay!
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Scream "Let me out!"

I can't really tell you what the rest of the song sounded like, or what other songs they played after it. Everything became part of the hum of the crowd as I watched him. Every now and then, I caught him watching me. For just about their entire performance, I was a blushing fool.

See, people get it wrong when they say that time stands still when looking into someone's eyes and there's chemistry. For me, time flew.

Things were already passing me by.

Author's Note: Here you guys go! First real chapter! Just one month after the prologue. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

So I told myself that I was going to set a month deadline for posting new chapters. And for the first time in my life, I stuck to it! I even had my birthday during the tail end of the deadline, but I didn't let it stop me from getting back to you guys. (: Lubadub you all.

Big thanks to those of you who are watching/favourited the story! And of course to my two reviewers! It means more to me than you'll ever know! Maybe this one can satisfy you until I get some real Axel/Roxas progress made.

Yeah... About meeting the deadline. I completed that goal, because I wanted to have at least ten pages for the update (and I did!), but I only got about half of what I had planned done. Actually, less. Whoops. That just means more for you next time? Hahaaa..

Anyways, comment, favourite, watch, whatever! I'll be looking forward to your feedback!

P. S. Added the fact that Sora and Roxas are cousins. Forgot to add that in the first chapter, but I'll fix it.

Under Pressure belongs to Queen and David Bowie, this version is My Chemical Romance and The Used's.