Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

Technically, it's still Sunday...so i'm not a liar. i did get this posted in the week like a promised :D

6. B As much as you wish you could, you can never stay mad at them.

"I guess

That I could live without you.

But without you I'll be miserable,

At best."

-Mayday Parade_Miserable at Best

Roxas knew that Demyx worked a few nights during the week at a small cafe that was situated a little way off from their university's campus. Axel and him and actually been there a few times to eat when going to their favourite diner just seemed like too much of a chore.

As Roxas approached Demyx's place of worked he groaned at his carelessness, with a quick glance at his watch he confirmed that it was actually lunch time and the queues of people that he could see through the glass walls of the cafe were actually there to purchase something to eat. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and took a sniff of the inner lining of the coat guiltily. Axel was the last person who had worn his coat and he realised that the red-head's scent lingered gently on the material. But instead of throwing the coat into the pile of clothes that needed to be washed like a normal person who was trying to get over their fondness for their best friend (or ex-best friend, seeing as Axel still wasn't talking to him) Roxas had thrown the coat on and left his apartment.

The crowd of hungry people inside the cafe was daunting and Roxas was tempted to leave and go home to drown his insecurities in a bag of chips, but he willed himself to walk into establishment, the warmth inside hitting him like a welcomed blanket after all the cold of the unforgiving temperature outside. Seriously? When was the idiotic winter going to release Twilight Town from its evil and forgiving grasp? Winter just didn't sit well with the inhabitants of the town, who were so accustomed to the heat and pleasant sunshine that Twilight was known for.

Roxas inhaled deeply when a few of the people in the cafe turned to look at him with curiosity that soon faded when they realised that he was just another hungry customer. However, Roxas paid them no attention, instead the conversation that he had had with his friends the night before was still running in frantic circles in his head as he tried to keep himself from chickening out from what he was going to do.

He was going to man the fuck up, to quote Olette, and speak to Axel.

But first, he had to find Axel.

He searched the cafe as discreetly as possible for the crazily styled blonde hair that was attached to the person whom he had come to speak to, and upon finding him, Roxas concluded that the best thing to do was to just hang around the back of the cafe until the crowd thinned out a little. Then, he could speak to Demyx and not hold up the line and he could avoid getting killed by angry people who wanted their coffee fix for the day.

Roxas sighed, stuffing his hand back into the pocket and withdrawing his phone from the confines of the black material, once he had found an inconspicuous place to wait. If he had to wait for Demyx to be available, then he may as well beat his high score on Angry Birds.

XxXx

"Roxas!" Demyx beamed, "I was wondering when you were gonna come say hi, I saw you looking all suspicious-like in the back."

Roxas laughed, his hand reaching out to scratch at the back of his neck sheepishly, "Guess I wasn't being as ninja-like as I had hoped then."

Demyx laughed as he brought a cloth out from behind the counter and began to wipe down the surface in front of Roxas, the action distracting Roxas as he watched all of the grime that had accumulated from the lunch time rush disappearing under the fabric of that rag. "Nope, unfortunately being a ninja is not in the list of future job opportunities for you, little man."

Roxas pretended to be upset, bringing a hand down on the now clean surface in mock frustration, "Damn. And I already had my black outfit in my closet and everything."

Demyx graced him with another laugh, but Roxas could see that the older man wanted to know what he wanted. After all, it wasn't that Demyx and Roxas didn't get along, Demyx got along with just about everyone after all, it was just that they were only friends because they both were friends with Axel. The only times they ever hung out was when Axel was involved in the equation. Roxas scratched the back of his neck again, cursing himself for the nervous tic that he seemed to have just acquired after walking up to the counter to speak to Demyx.

"Er, actually I didn't really come all the way to here to talk to you about future career options."

"I figured."

"I was actually going to ask you if-"

"Hold that thought, dude, my shift ended like five minutes ago and I'm about ready to leave this place, so why don't I get my stuff and we can talk?" Demyx said, interrupting Roxas with a smile.

Roxas smiled back, not really wanting to have the conversation he was planning to have with Demyx in a cafe full of people anyway. He returned Demyx's easy smile.

"Sure. I'll just wait for you here."

"Cool, I won't be long. Promise." And with that last sentence, Demyx disappeared into the wilderness that was the backroom where his things, and the belongings of the other employees, were stored during his shifts.

Roxas leaned against the counter, trying to relax himself. A quick glance to his watch told him that even if Demyx took his time, he would still have more than enough time to find Axel, wherever he was, and talk to him before it got too late. He had been planning out what he was going to say to his red-headed best friend since last night, the dark circles under his eyes proof of the hours he had spent tossing and turning in bed the night before.

Everything that his mind conjured up just sounded too dramatic and sappy, and Roxas didn't want to be laughed at by Axel, or worse, chase Axel away once again. He winced as the reality that Axel could just crush his heart and leave him confused and alone yet again made itself known. But he promised his friends that he would tell Axel, and if Axel didn't want a... relationship, then he could at least settle for a return of their previous friendship.

Fuck, he missed his best friend. It just wasn't the same without the crazy pyro. Roxas hadn't even realised how much time the two of them had spent together until all interaction between them had ceased.

Suddenly Demyx was next to him on the other side of the cash register, the store regulation dark blue apron gone and his black, acid washed jeans and plain white t-shirt shirt visible now that there wasn't a counter in the way. Roxas took in his outfit with a raised brow.

"Please tell me that you have a jacket, Demyx. It's a freaking ice age out there."

Demyx smiled sheepishly, rubbing at his bare forearms with his hands. "Well, the sun was shining this morning, so I guess that I got prematurely summer happy and ditched the jacket idea."

Roxas rolled his eyes, and scanned the area once they had left the store, spotting a coffee house not that far from where they were standing; he grabbed onto Demyx's arm and pulled him away from the cafe.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that the last thing that you wanna do is sit and talk in the place where you work but if we aren't inside somewhere, you'll freeze. So let's go get coffee from that place, I'll pay." He said, in response to the enquiring look that Demyx shot him.

Demyx nodded and allowed himself to be dragged off by the smaller blonde.

XxXx

"I know that you want to talk about Axel."

Roxas and Demyx were seated in a comfortable booth, with a cup of steaming coffee warming each of their hands respectively. Roxas inhaled the delicious scent of coffee that emanated from his cup and looked up at Demyx in apology.

"Sorry if I was that transparent."

Demyx just shrugged the easy smile that he always seemed to wear visible on his face as he took a tentative sip of his coffee. He savoured the taste before answering. "It's okay. I don't mind. I'm just curious to know what you want from me."

Roxas took a deep breath, and set his coffee down on the surface of the table as he prepared himself to speak.

"I don't know if Axel has spoken to you about it... but something happened a few weeks ago, and Axel refuses to speak to me because of what happened. I need you to tell me where I can find him so that I can speak to him myself because..." Roxas took a deep breath after his speech and looked down at his hands instead of meeting Demyx' eyes, "I miss my best friend."

Demyx looked at Roxas with a frown marring his normally care-free expression.

"Axel didn't mention anything... What happened between you two?" Demyx asked just to see what reaction he would get out of Roxas; of course he knew what had happened. Axel was his best friend after all, and the red-head had been so confused and distressed on the day that he came back after staying at Roxas's place that it didn't really take much prying to get him to spill the details as to what had happened. But getting Roxas's version of the story would be interesting.

Roxas looked as if he was debating whether to tell Demyx or just lie to cover up his tracks. The older blonde watched him with a small smile playing at his lips. When Roxas finally looked up from staring at his coffee cup, he frowned at the expression on Demyx's face.

"You know, don't you?"

Demyx shrugged.

"It didn't take much to get it out of Axel. And Larxene and I were sorta expecting it anyway; the sexual tension between you guys was bound to escalate into something. Honestly, I was expecting sex, but a steamy make out session is okay too I guess."

Roxas felt his face turn a fierce shade of red and he tried really hard to keep his composure. "Well, uh, "he spluttered out, "can you tell me where he is?"

Demyx leaned back in the cushioned seat of the booth, running a finger along the lip of his coffee cup casually and bringing the finger to his lips, sucking off the foam that he had gathered, before he answered Roxas's question.

"I'll text him."

Roxas let out a breath that he didn't even know that he had been holding and smiled at Demyx's gratefully.

"Thank you."

Demyx didn't reply, he just dug his phone out from the pocket of his jeans and Roxas watched as his fingers flew across the keypad of his phone. The instantaneous reply almost mocked Roxas, considering the fact that he had texted Axel so many times in the last few weeks and received nothing in reply. Demyx looked at his screen before giving Roxas a report back.

"He says that he's at the university's cafeteria. If you go now, you might be able to catch him. But Roxas maybe you shouldn't-"

Roxas stood up, downing the last of his now cool coffee and shook his head as he gathered up his coat so he could leave. "No Demyx. I have to speak to him... Even if he doesn't return my feelings; he needs to know how I feel about him."

And then he turned and left, without giving Demyx a chance to complete his sentence. And as he walked away, he missed the sad smile that Demyx sent his way and the warning that Demyx whispered as he watched Roxas walk out of the coffee shop.

"Oh, Roxas. You're gonna get your heart broken, kid."

XxXx

If there was something that Roxas never really had trouble with, it was spotting Axel in a crowd. Bright red hair isn't really that hard to spot. Axel was leaning against the outside wall of the university's cafeteria, the place that students only went to when they really were too lazy to go somewhere else for lunch or their coffee fix, and his lips were wrapped around a cigarette, the ash dropping onto the floor in front of him. Roxas felt his breath stop on its path back up his pharynx, the cold air that he had inhaled only seconds before suddenly left him when he saw Axel. It was amazing, he hadn't seen his best friend in weeks, but even now, every feature on Axel's face was as familiar to Roxas as the features on his own body. Except for one small, tiny detail.

He still wanted to kiss Axel.

Watching the red head as he stood there, his lean ("I'm not skinny, Roxas, I'm just...in proportion") body looking relaxed and comfortable despite the biting cold weather that was visible as white puffs of breath whenever someone expelled carbon dioxide into the late afternoon air. The collar of his black trench coat, almost an exact replica of the one that Roxas was wearing, was pulled up so that his neck was guarded from the harsh air, and his hands were hidden beneath black gloves. Unfortunately, as much as staring at his best friend was sufficient enough for Roxas; he wasn't going to accomplish anything unless he spoke to Axel. Taking a deep breath, Roxas filled his lungs with some much needed oxygen and started to walk over to where Axel was situated. At the sound of footsteps approaching him, Axel looked up and his green eyes widened when he took in the sight of his best friend walking towards him. His best friend whom he had been trying so hard to avoid for weeks. He should have known that Roxas would have tracked him down though, Roxas was determined and Axel realised that ignoring a few phone calls and text messages was futile when the two of them attended the same university and lived in the same town. Can't blame a guy for trying though. He looked at the blonde walking towards him and tried to not notice how his cheeks were tainted a light pink due to the biting cold, and he tried extremely hard, he really did, to not notice how Roxas's lips had turned a bright red because the kid continuously forgot to use chapstick. How was he not supposed to notice though? Especially since Roxas seemed determined to draw attention to those lips by running the tip of a pink, wet tongue along his bottom lip...

"Axel."

Axel had decided, as soon as he had seen Roxas walk towards him, that he was going to be as cold and distant as he could possibly be to the blonde, but when heard the way that Roxas said his name, slightly out of breath due to the cold, and with a smile that was present even in his voice, he felt something inside of him thaw.

"Hey, there Roxas."

"You've been ignoring me, asshole." Even though the statement sounded snappish, it was delivered with a smile that Axel couldn't help but return once he had finished wincing at the truth that lay behind that statement.

"I-i guess that I just needed some time to sort my shit out." Axel replied a gloved hand going up to his hair and once again, involuntarily, Roxas felt his fingers twitch with the need to run his own hand through the red, silky hair. Roxas's gaze settled on Axel's envy green eyes, and he kept them there, all traces of his previous smile gone.

"So, have you sorted yourself out?"

Axel nodded, lazily flicking the butt of his cigarette do the ground and crushing the smouldering flame under the sole of his omnipresent combat boots.

"So, you're ready to talk about what happened?" Roxas continued, cerulean pigmented eyes searching Axel's own green eyes for any lack in sincerity. The blue eyes hardened when Axel winced and looked away, eyes glued to something behind Roxas.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Axel, are you fucking kidding me?" Roxas sighed and brought his hands to clasp at the hand that Axel had been running through his hair anxiously, his gloved fingers covering his friend's hands, "look. Axel, look at me."

Axel tore his eyes away from the hands that were clasped around his and looked at Roxas, clearly uncomfortable with the situation and the close proximity of his friend.

"You wouldn't have kissed me unless you felt something, Axel, and I understand if you're scared...shit damn, I'm fucking scared too. But we need to talk about this, we can't just act as though it didn't happen, "he paused, a faint smile on those cold reddened lips, "I don't want to act as though it didn't happen."

Axel frowned, "you don't?"

"Nope," Roxas laughed, dropping Axel's hands and standing even closer to his best friend, "I needed time to sort my shit out too, and after a lecture from Olette...I realised that I want this to go somewhere. I want...us to happen." Roxas felt his cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink, and he knew that it had nothing to do with the cold weather, "Axel, I like you. As in...More than a friend."

Axel's eyes widened and his whole body tensed up as soon as those words had left Roxas's mouth, but all that he could do in his shocked state was shake his head repeatedly, "no, no, no...Roxas...don't...i-i cant..."

Roxas felt his whole body deflate as he saw Axel stand there; it was as if everyone around them, all of the noise that had surrounded them only moments ago had been sucked into a vacuum, leaving Roxas with only the sound of his blood pounding in his ears. How could he be so stupid? Why did he listen to Olette? It was ludicrous to think that someone like Axel would ever want Roxas in that way. That kiss didn't mean anything, it was just a lapse in character that he should have forgotten ages ago and gotten on with his life like Axel had. He felt tears prickling at his eyes, which made him feel so much more pathetic. Couldn't the earth just grant him one small act of kindness and allow a tree to fall on him or something? It seemed, however, that the universe had other ideas for him, because instead of pulling him out of his misery, the cold, heartless bitch decided to dump another load of bad news onto him.

"Axel?" at the sound of the new voice, Axel sprung away from Roxas, his eyes widening even more as he tried to make himself look less guilty. Roxas snorted, what was there to feel guilty for? It's not like they got caught with their pants down, "sorry I took so long, the queue in there is a little crazy." And as the voice took a few more steps closer to them, Roxas finally looked at the source of the sweet, feminine voice, though it was futile. He knew before he saw the furry white boots or the white coat come into view that the voice belonged to and, like a dead weight settling in his stomach, he knew why she was there.

Naminé placed a chaste kiss on Axel's pale cheek, her platinum blonde hair brushing against the tattoos on the red-head's cheek. It was only after she placed a take-away cup of coffee into Axel's hand that she realised that Roxas was there. A smile graced her lips as a white gloved hand went to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Hi...you're Roxas, right? Axel speaks about you so much, I probably know almost as much about you as I do about Axel.", she laughed, not taking in the way that both Axel and Roxas tensed up as she told them that piece of news, Axel out of embarrassment and Roxas out of resentment, "I don't know if you remember me...I was your waitress once at the Christmas Town Diner."

Roxas smiled sweetly, his eyes straying from Naminé to look at Axel, "oh, I remember you. So..." he trailed off casually, as if he was just making polite conversation with his best friend's girlfriend, "Axel talks about me a lot, you say?" he chuckled, smiling at Axel sweetly, honey dripping off his every word, "only good things I hope?"

Naminé beamed, the conversation making her feel accepted into Axel's group of friends. Axel had yet to introduce her to any of his friends, and she was afraid to ask him why in case he saw her being too needy.

"of course!" she exclaimed, "you're, like, his favourite person ever!" she giggled once again, the gloved hand that wasn't clutching at the hot drink that she had purchased in the cafeteria coming up to cover her mouth cutely, "you want to hear something funny?"

"Always."

"when I first saw you two at the diner, I almost didn't give Axel my number because I was so, get this, certain that you two were a couple." Roxas saw Axel's jaw tense as he kept his gaze locked onto something far away from the conversation unfolding in front of him but, as detached as he tried to look, Roxas could tell that he was paying close attention.

"Really?" Roxas asked, a well forged laughed escaping his throat, "a couple?"

"Yes! I mean, i understand now that it's because you guys are such close friends, but you guys just looked so cute and couple-like together. And if it wasn't for my friend pushing me into giving Axel my number...I wouldn't have such an amazing boyfriend right now." She beamed once again, directing that perfect smile in Axel's direction.

And Roxas felt it.

Hate.

Welling up inside of him and flowing in his veins, intermingling with the crimson blood that flowed there too, clouding his vision and causing him physical pain.

Hate that caused his internal organs to twist until it felt like he might throw up onto Naminé's perfectly white and pristine boots.

But the hate wasn't all directed at the white clad girl in front of him, oh no. There was plenty of hate for Axel too.

"That's lovely. Fucking lovely." He plastered another fake smile onto his face. He was getting good at faking this appearance of 'nice Roxas', "Well, it was nice seeing you again Naminé, I'm really happy for you and Axel." His smile turned slightly sadistic, "And Axel? Call me sometime, babe."

He then walked away, that smile still stuck on his face, the effort of holding it up seemed much easier than letting it go and allowing the tears that he knew he was forcing back to spill from his eyes. He was tired of playing the love struck victim. Axel had made it pretty clear that he didn't want Roxas, and Roxas sure as hell wasn't going to chase a relationship that had no possibility of ever forming.

Regardless of how perfect that relationship would have been.

XxXx

New Text message received from: Demyx

(08:00)

Hey, Roxas. Er... I know that this is probably a little strange,

But I was wondering if you maybe wanted to meet up today for ice-cream?

My treat.

Meet me at the clock tower at ten?

Demyx

New text message received from: Demyx

(08:12)

Hey, there Axel

Wanna meet up with me at the clock tower

Today at about ten?

We haven't really spoken in ages and I kinda sorta miss you, asshole.

I'll bring ice-cream.

Demyx

Roxas sat on the ledge of the clock tower, overlooking the town that he had called home for so many years. He used to love coming up here with Axel, sitting on the edge like he was now, and experiencing that wondrous emotion of feeling on top of the world... like the whole world was yours for the taking.

Or maybe it was just Axel that made him feel that way.

Maybe it was just Axel that made him feel like he could take on the world, made him feel like he meant something.

Roxas sighed, kicking the heels of his sneakers against the wall of the clock tower. It was futile, even after he had walked off from Axel and Axel's new girlfriend, and even after he had kept his phone next to him for the next few days in the hopes that Axel would call him, he still couldn't move on from Axel.

He didn't want to forget about his best friend.

"When's Demyx gonna get here..." he muttered, checking his watch for the tenth time since he had come up to the clock tower twenty minutes ago.

"Demyx? Duuude, where's the ice-cream you bribed me with?"

Roxas jumped in surprise when he heard Axel's voice, and when Axel himself came into view after walking around the corner of the ledge of the clock tower. Roxas's surprise, however, was miniscule compared to Axel's. The pyro's eyes widened in shock, and he froze dead in place.

"You know, it seems as though that 'deer in the headlights' look is starting to become your trade mark. It's the expression that you're wearing whenever I see you." Roxas said, dragging his eyes away from Axel and placing them on the view of his town. He might miss his best friend, but his best friend was still an asshole.

"R-Roxas...?" Axel stuttered, still frozen in place a few feet away from where Roxas was perched.

"Yup, it's me. What are you doing up here anyway?"

"Er... Demyx lured me up here with the promise of free ice-cream." Roxas felt his body relax when he heard Axel's footsteps and then felt his presence as the he sat down on the ledge next to Roxas. He tried not to notice the unnecessary amount of space left between them and instead focus on the fact that his best friend wasn't treating him like he was carrying the plague anymore. Roxas chuckled, glancing over at Axel with a smile on his face.

"Looks like we both were conned with the promise of free ice-cream."

Axel laughed, "You too?"

Roxas nodded, before questioning their situation. "Demyx didn't say that he was inviting you as well though. And... Where is Demyx? He was meant to meet me here almost half an hour ago."

Just before Axel could open his mouth to reply to Roxas's enquiry, music cut through the air and made them both stop and stare at each other.

'The bass, the rock

The mic, the treble.

I like my coffee black

Just like my metal'

Axel raised an eyebrow as Roxas retrieved his phone from his jean's pocket, taking in the familiar blush that the flustered blonde was now sporting.

"Hey, I thought that you hated that song? You wouldn't even let me play it around you!" Axel exclaimed, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He still stared at Roxas's phone as if the small device might explain itself to him sometime soon.

"It... grew on me." Roxas huffed, before answering the phone and bringing it up to his ear.

"Hello?" There was a pause as Roxas's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and he looked at Axel in the same bewildered manner as the unknown person spoke to him on the phone. Axel shot Roxas his own confused look, "Yes... he's here. Okay, I'll do that." The uncertainty didn't leave Roxas's voice and the way that he was acting was making Axel slightly nervous.

"Er... Demyx said that I have to put him on loud speaker because he wants us both to hear what he has to say." Roxas muttered, his fingers messing around on his phone so that he could activate his loudspeaker option.

Axel shrugged and moved to sit closer to Roxas so that he could hear what it was that Demyx wanted them both to hear. He chose not to question what was going on, honestly, with friends like his he had grown used to accepting these odd moments. He also chose to not question why his heart beat sped up considerably when he inched closer to Roxas, or why his palms suddenly decided to get all sweaty when he felt his arm brush up against Roxas's. Axel was good at not questioning things.

"Right, so are you two listening?" Demyx's voice asked from the speaker of the phone.

Roxas and Axel simultaneously rolled their eyes and answered with an unenthusiastic 'yes' each.

"Good. Now, after another week of putting up with you two moping and being your lonely emo selves, your friends have unanimously decided that the only way to get you two to talk to each other and sort out your shit was to trap you on top of the clock tower and block all your exits."

"Wait... what?" Axel looked at the phone is Roxas's palm in horror, and then he looked at Roxas in horror.

"Shush, Axel. No interrupting, okay?" Demyx's disembodied voice continued, "Anyway, you two are the two most perfect friends ever, and before this stupid kiss business, you guys were completely inseparable. Are you really going to let all those years of friendship go to waste? Grow up, assholes. Grow up and realise that one kiss isn't enough to end a friendship, and Axel running away and ignoring things doesn't solve anything either. So, like I said, we're all blocking the exits and we're aimed with water guns... filled with paint, ready to shoot anyone who comes down here. Keep your phone close and phone when you two have sorted stuff out, and if we deem you ready, you can both come down. Have fun."

Roxas locked his phone and placed it back into his pocket, all the while shaking his head at the situation that they had found themselves in.

"Why are we friends with these people?"

"Asking myself the same question." Axel answered, resting his back on the wall behind him and sighing.

A silence followed Axel's sentence.

"Axel-"

"Roxas-"

The two of them laughed when they realised that they had both started speaking at the same time, sheepish smiles adorning their faces.

"Er... you can go first." Roxas said, a hand coming up to scratch at his neck nervously. He still couldn't believe that Axel was up here with him. And he couldn't believe that Axel hadn't curled himself up into foetal position out of fear or something. The guy had been ignoring Roxas for ages now, and a large part of Roxas wouldn't be surprised if Axel decided to brave their paint-filled water gun toting friends instead of talking to him.

Roxas watched Axel's chest rise as he took a deep breath, and he prepared himself for what his best friend was going to say. It was weird that, even all that had happened, Roxas didn't think twice before calling Axel his best friend. And he wouldn't be able to stop even if he wanted to.

"Roxas..." Axel stopped, and Roxas watched as his head dropped down to his hands. There was so much emotional pain in that single declaration of his name that immediately, Roxas felt all the resentment and anger that had been building up inside of him because of his situation with Axel just melt away. They were both victims. There was no bad guy. Axel took a deep, shuddering breath, and without his friend even looking up, Roxas knew that he was crying.

"Hey... Look, it's okay. We both screwed up and handled this whole predicament so badly. So, so badly. I don't blame you as long as you don't blame me." Roxas soothed, his hand going out to rub at Axel's back. He winced whenever he felt Axel's back shake as he cried.

"No, you're forgiving me way too easily." Axel said, looking up and wiping at his wet eyes with the sleeve of his blue and black striped sweater. He felt like an idiot for crying, but it was okay because it was Roxas. Crying in front of Roxas didn't make him feel weak; it made him feel like he actually had emotions, "I'm such an asshole. Roxas... After we kissed I just freaked out. And I should have spoken to you, I really should have, because you actually wanted to speak... and I just... I completely fucked up."

Roxas couldn't look at Axel, not when his eyes were still wet from tears. Watching Axel cry killed him inside, but in a sick, twisted way... It liberated him. The fact that Axel was just as torn up as he was about the kiss meant that his best friend wasn't ignoring him because he was repulsed and sickened by what they did, he was just confused as fuck. Axel wasn't trying to cut all ties with him; he was just too scared to face reality.

"Look, Axel. I've missed you. Life without my best friend is boring as hell. I miss being able to text you when I think up some lame joke, or coming over to your place and watching b-grade horror movies with you. So... we don't have to confront all of this now, but if you promise that we WILL talk about this. I'm happy."

Axel nodded a shaky smile on his lips as he rubbed at his eyes again.

"Are we best friends for life again?" He asked, his smile widening as he saw Roxas roll his eyes in exasperation at his wording.

"Yes, Axel, we're BFFL's again."

"Good. Now come here, bro." Roxas laughed as he shifted closer to Axel so that he could position himself in Axel's outstretched arm, basking in the warmth that his best friend radiated.

"You know, it's kinda weird that you're always so warm."

"Shhh," Axel scolded, "we're having a moment. Don't ruin it by talking about how weird I am."

Roxas laughed again, and even though he couldn't see it, he knew that Axel was grinning.

"I'm glad that we're best friends again, Roxas." Axel whispered close to his ear, his warm breath causing Roxas to shiver involuntarily.

"Yeah... me too." Roxas whispered back, melting into Axel's embrace and looking over onto Twilight Town as it was bathed in the sun's warm, golden light. It wasn't what he wanted, if it was up to him Axel wouldn't just be his best friend. But if he had to settle for friendship in order to have Axel in his life, then he was okay with that. He would always be okay with that.

Well, hi there.

This chapter...well. i don't even know. It kinda sorta just...killed me to write.
So i'd love to hear what you guys thought about it.
Ahh...i'm so freaking tired o.o so this note probably isn't going to make much sense...i'm sorry for being a fail.

Now, time to thank all the people that made my week!
Thank you to Moka nee-chan, mudkipluvr4ever, sakurasapprentice7, InkDrippingRose, Jenny -Xenj- Harris, fallenofthedark, VeniVediVici, ReliveTheGreat and the other reviewer that just showed as 'Guest'.

Also, thank you to anyone who has alerted, favourited, or just read this.

Oh! And thank you for the birthday messages guys! :D i felt so loved ^.^

Aside from all my other kick-ass gifts, my best friend bought me a freaking KEYBLADE necklace. i love it and fangirl whenever i see it.

And now, i shall go crash on my bed because i don't even really know what i'm typing anymore...