A/N: I do not own Kingdom Hearts

Yuuuurp, got another chapter out, much shorter than the last two. If you are still reading this than thank you, thank you, tank you! I've revised teh entire plot to make it a little more original... or so I hope.

Well, Enjoy!

"C'mon Axel, just take them!" the mullet man was practically screaming at the top of his lungs now. The coffee shop was empty in the middle of the day, which hardly ever occurred, and I was here stuck with this annoyingly, sufferable, totally born in the wrong era, ADD influenced child. His hands waved dramatically as he debated his side of the topic. "You could take a girl, a nice pretty girl with you!" I turned to him only raising an eyebrow before dusting off the coffee cups again. "For the love of god Axel its Coldplay!Two freetickets to see Coldplay!"

"Demyx what am I going to do with two tickets to see a band I don't even like. Why are you trying to give them to me in the first place? It's because I'm so charming huh?" I waggled my eyebrows in his direction.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I already explained it to you! I was going to ask that girl to go see it with me but then suddenly she's going on a family vacation and wants me to tag along, don't you see this is my chanceto appeal to her folks. I've been trying to get these tickets off my hands but no one will take them, and it's a shame to let them go to waste." He looked up at me pleadingly with eyes full of utter innocence, and let me tell you, when Demyx pulls that face you better bring down the big guns or else you're doomed.

"Demyx, really, I don't have any need-"

"Axeeeeel!" He drawled out my name in a whiny voice like any 6-year-old would do.

Sighing, I glared at him and said: "Fine."

He gave a great "Huzzah!" before latching himself to my body in a breathless hug. With my arms pinned to my sides I glared down at that bizarre hair of his and sighed. "Thanks a million Axel!"

"Hands off pea brain!" I elbowed at his chest trying to wedge him off. Still smiling he retreated to the other side of the counter before I could slug him one. I groaned trying to come up with and idea to get these off my own hands now, and also come up with a special way to attack Demyx when he least expected it.

"Don't you have something better to do then annoy me while I'm working?"

He just shrugged and smiled. "Well I thought I'd drop by and see how the gang was doing. Where's Kairi? Isn't she supposed to be on this shift with you?"

"Who knows, not like it's going to be busy today anyways. So why don't you just run along and leave me to my solitude?" And my sanity.

With that Demyx left in a hurried rush claiming to have forgotten something which was just so Demyx of him. I looked down at the tickets in my hand frowning miserably. It's not like I didn't want to go, sure I didn't like Coldplay all that much, but who would I take? Xigbar left once again on some business trip like always, I couldn't bring Kairi or Rikku unless I wanted to experience rape of some sort, and Roxas has been avoiding me for quite some time. I jammed the tickets into my pocket angry at how much they made me feel like such a loser and went back to dusting off the shelves.

I opened the door to my apartment later that night catching the phone just as it began to ring. I threw my keys aside to the checkered table and made a mad dash for the phone.

"Yello!" I answered.

"Axel!" I groaned under my breath hearing the familiar squeal of Rikku.

"Hey there…" I opened the fridge pulling out the orange juice container and took a big gulp straight from the carton.

"Listen, I was just heading to a party. It's at my friend Pain's house, you should totally come!"

I thought over it for a while, it's true I haven't been to a party in forever and it would be a nice break. Not to mention I had no work tomorrow so what was the harm?

"Sure thing, just give me the address and I'll be there." I scribbled down her address on a used napkin and looked up just as Roxas came through the door. He jumped at the sound of my loud voice still a little put off from the other night.

Smirking I caught her attention again. "Heeeeey, Rikku you don't mind if I bring a friend right?"

I pulled up to the house and parked on the curb across the street. Roxas sat in the passenger seat of my truck glumly looking at the shit hole we were about to enter. I grinned widely and patted his leg.

"All set and ready?" Parties were the best, and if Pain was anywhere near as hot as Rikuu this was going to be an interesting night.

"Axel I told you I didn't want to come!" Roxas retorted as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Aww don't be such a chick!" I ruffled his hair and he shrunk back away from my touch. "This'll be fun; you can sit out here all night, go in with me, or find your own way home. Your choice." I hopped out of the cab and locked my door and started jogging up across the street.

I heard the car door slam and soft foot steps following me. Smirking I turned to him waiting. He ignored me and we walked up to the house together. Rikku was quick to answer the door wearing some slutty little black dress that barely covered anything.

"Good you finally came!" She exclaimed and grabbed my wrist pulling me in, in turn I grabbed Roxas' dragging him right behind me. The house was just as shitty as the outside but the music was amazing. There were no rooms untouched by the violent vibrations and unnecessarily loud music.

"Pain, this is Axel, Axel this is Pain!" Rikku showed me to a chick with short hair wearing all leather looking pretty tuff… T-U-F-F tuff. That's not to say she wasn't attractive though slightly butch. I was handed a half full cup of beer that Rikku had been drinking out of and I quickly finished.

"Oh so you brought… Roo… Rocky?" Rikku turned her gaze down to Roxas slightly disappointed. Roxas however was to busy clinging to my sleeve and avoiding the flailing dancers to correct his name. I chuckled a bit and ruffled his hair.

"Yeah I thought it would be kind of me to get this little munchkin a life." They laughed but Roxas glared and rolled his eyes. He quickly turned and walked away making his way to what might have been the kitchen. My eyes followed him but quickly darted back to Pain as she began to speak.

"So how do you know Rikku?" She grimaced after sizing me up and taking a sip of her beer.

"Er… work actually." I looked back towards the kitchen growing slightly worried about Roxas.

"Ah so you work at that crack Coffee shop too?" she snickered obviously not hiding her dislike for me.

"Actually, there is a reason why it's called Starbucks, you know that whale book about the…" When my gaze set back to Pain she had disappeared. Well there goes one hottie for the night, but I was sure there was plenty more.

I began my journey towards the kitchen hoping to save poor Roxie from what ever dangers and sleeping dragons that might lay there. I was half way there when a soft, small hand caught my elbow.

"Axel?"

I turned obviously to see who I knew that could be at this party. But I regretted it as soon as I did and my stomach did a million flip flops and felt as if there were a thousand flaming butterflies within it. "…Yuna…" I said flatly with a forced smile.

"What… what are you doing here?"

"You know just prowling." She chuckled a bit but I grimaced at the soft music like laugh of hers that swallowed me whole. I dug my hands into my pockets. "You a friend of Pain's?"

"Sort of, I mean as friendly as Pain gets." She gave me that winning smile and my heart lurched forward. "You know Pain too?"

"Ah no, Rikku invited me, I work with her." I smiled back and she nodded. "So how have you been doing?"

"Good… good." She nodded at her own words with a half smile then frowned as she looked into her drink. "Terrible actually." She looked back at me with a now hopeful expression and reached up to caress my cheek. "It's hard to find someone like you again." She pulled away before I could even respond. "Maybe you and I should see each other again sometime. It would be fun, well I'll leave you be." Yuna walked off swaying her hips just like she used to and I wanted to run after her so badly. But I knew this was a bad idea. This was Yuna; it didn't work the first time it certainly wasn't going to work this time.

I turned sharply shaking my head to catch sight of Roxas sitting on top of the counter chatting with some broad shouldered guy and sipping a beer. The older boy's hand rested softly on Roxas' knee and was leaning in a bit too close for my liking.

"Hey there…" I growled unpleasantly and strode next to Roxas and this unfamiliar boy.

Roxas smiled to me and motioned to the guy "This is my new friend Lexaeus."

I could smell the alcohol so heavy on his breath and I reached to take the cup away from him but Roxas pulled it away with a whine. He definitely had too much. Instead I settled my hand on Roxas lower back. "C'mon Roxie lets go."

"It's Roxas Axel, ROXAS! And we just got here," he frowned but looked back at Lexaeus who seemed rather dense or maybe just quiet. "Besides, Lexaeus promised to take me for a ride on his Jaguar!"

I shook my head and looked to him dumbfounded. "That is NOT what you think it means Roxie, just c'mon." I grabbed his elbow and seized the cup from his hand as I roughly pulled him off the counter. Roxas responded with a glared and pulled away.

"I told you! It's ROXAS not Roxie, not Rox, and definitely NOT Francis!" He shouted loudly over the music drawing attention from the partiers in the kitchen. Roxas' face was flushed and his expression was sour like that of a child's. "I'm NOT going home with you. All you ever do is pick on me and make fun."

"Roxas you're too intoxicated to understand what you're saying c'mon." I tugged at his sleeve yet again and replied with a softer voice but Roxas just wouldn't have it.

"And who was that?! Your girlfriend? Does she know you like to kiss boys?" those perfect blue eyes pierced me and I was struck dumbfounded. Had that kiss really bothered him so much? Sighing I took a step away.

"Fine don't come home with me. Stay here and get wasted. When this brute…" I looked towards Lexeaus, "No hard feelings." Then back to Roxas "starts to play with your ass hole you better give it all to him you little prick." I wasn't completely sure what in Roxas' words had pushed the wrong buttons but I stormed from the kitchen and out of the house. I jammed the key into the ignition and blazed away back home.

Roxas didn't come back that night. I waited up all night and he never returned. Finally at seven the next morning did I catch him sneaking in. He wouldn't look at me, nor would he speak to me. I didn't have the time to deal with him so I got up and headed to Holly's at noon.

"Sounds like he got fucked in the ass real hard last night," snickered Wakka from across the diner as he wiped down some tables earning him some strange glances from the costumers.

"I guess. But Roxas was barely able to stand kissing me how would he be able to go through something like that?"

He shrugged and replied, "Well there was the alcohol, and apparently his hatred for you."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee thanks, I just want him to talk to me again…" My mind began to stray away.

"Why do you care so much about this kid? Up till now you've only been telling me about how you'd like to pull out the stick that's been up his ass. And now suddenly when he gets loose a little you begin to care? You don't have some sort of weird man crush do you?"

"No! No, of course it's not like that." I paused. "You don't think he was raped do you?" Wakka shrugged and returned to work as the last set of costumers decided to leave. Was Roxas afraid?

Once I had returned home I tore off my jacket and flung the keys to the table. Roxas' Honda was outside meaning he must have been here. I quickly strode up to his door and knocked once. There was no reply. I knocked several more times.

"Roxas!" There was a moan from inside and I slowly opened the door. "Roxas I'm coming in." I ducked as a magazine flew past my head.

"Get out!"

I frowned and clucked my tongue. "You okay Rox? I mean Roxas." I cautiously walked towards the lump on the bed.

"Everything hurts…"

I chuckled slightly "Well when one gets a big ol' fu-"

"I didn't sleep with him…"

I raised my eyebrows and sat on the edge of the bed. "Roxas what's up?" He ducked down further beneath the covers. There was no other response and I sighed. "Roxas it's fine, you can tell me."

He stayed beneath the comforter but mumbled out his reply "I was stupid last night…"

"Yeah I know…" I rolled my eyes again.

He peeked out from the top of his Ultramarine blue comforter at me. "I don't know. The alcohol and that Lex guy, and you were talking to those girls… It made me mad."

Oh boy… "Roxas what happened after I left?" Just at the question his eyes began to water and he almost looked like he wanted to cry.

"We-we had some more drinks and… I was really trashed so Lex took me out too his car." He frowned and added in "It wasn't even a Jaguar." I smiled at his pout. "But I got in and he started to drive…"

"And where did he take you."

"I don't remember, he kept touching me though. His hand was on my knee then my thigh then…" He stopped looking elsewhere and I nodded. "He pulled into some vacant parking lot and climbed on top of me in the passenger seat." His voice was so small I was straining to hear him. "I told him to stop but he wouldn't, so I kicked him… I kicked him a lot, and then I ran."

And that was that. I didn't press for anymore information. I did however kick off my shoes and crawl into Roxas' single wide bed. He didn't freak or yell. He watched me questioningly but smiled at the comforting gesture and nuzzled into my shirt and drifted back off to sleep.

I don't know if I have a man crush or even why I bother with this kid. But something about this simple innocence of his just sucked me in. I tried to swim against the current, oh believe me I tried, but I was always pulled back. I guess I'm okay with that though.

I looked down at the small boy and gave a half smile. "Roxas?"

"Mmmm?"

"Do you like Coldplay?"