A/N: Yes, I realize I haven't updated anything in a really long time. And I apologize for it over and over again. I got an idea from one of my reviewers to write the next chapter of this story as the LAST chapter, but from Axel's point of view. I hope you guys like it. :) And I shall TRY to update things more than 4 months at a time. Really, really sorry about that. I hope you like the chapter anyway! :)

Friday/ Viernes – Christmas Eve / Navidad Vispera

Axel's POV

I take a deep breath in, my eyes closed as I lie down in the sun. God, I love vacations. I open my eyes, squinting from the sun. I glance down towards the beach, watching the waves crash gently on the shore. I tilt my head, my attention caught by a teenage girl and boy kissing in the waves. I smile to myself; that's cute. I could probably use that for a scene.

I yawn, stretching out my arms. I love naps. Naps are awesome. I rub my eyes, standing up to stretch my legs. My stomach growls at me, and I smile happily to myself. It's probably about lunchtime now, and I didn't have to pay for meals!

I start walking along the beach to a cute little mini-cafe. The sand oozes between my toes, as I was wearing no shoes. I was in swim trunks and a plain white wife-beater. After my little nap, I was planning on going swimming in the ocean. Today was my first day here, and I was going to spend it relaxing to the fullest potential.

I continue walking, lost in my thoughts. It was so nice of my editor to send me down here. I know he sent me down here for "research" purposes, but he knows I over-work myself and sent me down here for a bit of a break. But who knows, maybe this vacation could really give me an idea for another manga.

Entering the mini-cafe, I walk up a couple stairs to grab some food. The first thing that catches my eyes is a container of Jell-O. I glance around, feeling like a little kid as I pile my plate full of Jell-O. Licking my lips, I walk back down the stairs, sitting down at the first table available to start eating my delicious sweets, mentally preparing myself to make up for it by swimming later.

I glance up as I'm eating, looking around the cafe. It was full of lots of families, and couples spending time together and kissing happily. My smile falters for a moment as I take notice of a couple sitting next to each other in a booth and snuggling close to each other. I grimace, poking my Jell-O with a fork. It's been a while since my last relationship. And that one hadn't ended up very well.

My boyfriend, Riku, had cheated on me with some guy named Sora over a year ago. I found out when I found a pair of boxers that weren't mine in his room. We broke up then and there, and I haven't seen him since. I sigh heavily, shaking my head. Relationships are hard. Even harder when you're gay.

I glance around, my eyes picking up a blonde kid walking through the food area. The smile reappears on my face as I look at this kid. His blonde hair stood up in short spikes all over his head, and he was dressed in simple swim trunks and a white t-shirt. But when he turns around and starts walking this way, I notice how stunning his bright blue eyes are. Oh, he was cute.

Suddenly, I notice he trips, and in a moment I can tell he's going to fall on my table.

"Shit!" I yelp out, grabbing my tray of Jell-O before it can fall on the floor. The kid doesn't even cry out as he falls, he just drops his tray to hold out his hands to protect his face.

Dropping my tray on an adjacent table, I grab the back of his shirt before he hits the ground, saving him from a conk on the head. Once he's standing, he starts muttering. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! So sorry! I am..."

He trails off, and his eyes widen as he looks at me for the first time. I feel my stomach knot worse than a dozen butterflies in my stomach as his eyes glance up and down my body. I hope I didn't look pervy or something. Did he think my hair stood out too straight? Are my eyes too green? Is it weird that my hair is red? Some people don't like that... But gosh, his eyes are even more dazzling up close.

"Sorry." He finishes, casting his eyes downward to look at his food, splattered all over the floor. He looks up to glance around the cafe, and I watch as his face turns a dark shade of red. I resist the urge to giggle; that was so cute!

His legs seem to wobble and he sinks into an empty chair at the table. I glance at him, sitting down across from him. "Hey Blondie? Are you okay?" My eyes narrow at him in worry, my lips twisting downward in a slight frown.

"Yeah." He utters after a moment's pause. He rubs the side of his leg. "But I'm going to have one hell of a bruise tomorrow."

I grin brightly. Kid has a sense of humor. That's attractive. He glances at me, and I lean back in the chair languidly, my eyes hungrily looking over his face. "Well as long as you're okay kid."

"I'm not a kid." He snaps at me, looking a little unnerved. Perhaps I shouldn't stare so obviously. He holds up his wrist, showing me his yellow wrist banc.

I smile to myself, this kid was really cute. I could feel butterflies flying around in my stomach as I hold up my own arm, revealing my yellow wristband. I let out another grin. "I'm twenty four. You?"

"Twenty-two." I grin, two years younger than me. Not trying to sound pedo-ish at all, but I like younger guys. They have a lot of energy.

"So," I start, taking a skip of the Shirley temple I'd acquired earlier. "Why don't you go get another plate and come back here so we can talk?" I'd really like to get to know him more. Well...I'd really like to know if he's gay or not. He doesn't look gay...

"Why would I do that?" He snaps at me and I raise an eyebrow, wondering if I'm rubbing him the wrong way.

"Because you're a nice kid and you want to be polite to the guy you nearly ran over?" I grin at him, applauding myself for the nice sentence. Perhaps I could use that later. The kid doesn't say another word; he just quickly gets to his feet and goes to get more food.

I smile to myself, munching on some more of my Jell-O. He was interesting, that's for sure.

I zone out for a moment, and I'm jostled back to reality when Blondie eases back into the seat across from me. He grabs a napkin and wipes some food off his shirt. Then he stuffs his mouth full of what looked like noodles mixed with beef.

"Do you always make sure a dramatic entrance to catch someone's attention?" I grin at him as I try to start a conversation. He frowns at me, and I think back, trying to think of what I'd done to offend him.

"I was going to another table." He mutters an excuse, eyes cast downward. "I didn't mean to run into you at all."

I chuckle. "Sure you were kid, that's why you sat down at my table so quickly isn't it?"

He flinches backwards and drops his utensils down on his plate, making a rather loud clattering sound. "What's your problem?" He hisses at me. "Why are you being so rude? You don't even know me!"

I can feel the confusion in my face. I was being rude? I wasn't trying to be... I guess I'm not as good at flirting as I thought I was... I was trying to subtly tell him I was interested in him...

"Rude? What do you mean?" My voice seems softer to me, and I look at him with curiosity. I didn't want to offend him at all.

"You're being a bit rude to me." He pauses, his eyes flickering over my face. "Don't you realize it?"

I can feel the blood rise to my face. I hunch over and eat another forkful of Jell-O. I remember Riku had told me I acted like an ass sometimes...but I didn't think I did. It wasn't intentional that's for sure.

"Ugh." The kid grunts out in annoyance and shoves his chair backwards to stand up. He thrusts the chair back under the table and storms off.

Panicked, I call out the first thing that comes to my mind. "I'm Axel by the way! Get in memorized!"

He doesn't even turn around. I sigh, banging my head against the table. Good job Axel. You'll probably never see him again. And even if I do, he'll avoid me like the black plague.

8:55pm

I stroll along the beachside again. I'd spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean to try and ease away my worries, but I just couldn't get the blonde kid out of my head. I didn't even know his name.

I sigh to myself. For all I knew, he could have left the hotel already. I'd never even get a name. I'd be stuck with that regretful memory for the rest of my life.

Ehh...maybe I can drown my sorrow in food. Apparently there's a banquet outside today. It is Christmas Eve, so there should be some good food. I hope there's some more Jell-O. The stuff I'd had at lunch was delicious.

I grab a ticket from a waiter. Looking at the ticket, it was a table and seat number on it. I glance around at all the tables set up all over the lawn outside, looking for one that matched my number.

I catch sight of the number and smile to myself. As I walk over there, someone rises from the table rather quickly and starts walking towards the buffet style food. A grin spreads out over my face as I recognize the blonde hair.

I follow him, standing behind him in line. I grab a plate and put some food on it. Disappointingly, no Jell-O. But I smile at the kid and clear my throat to speak.

"Hey there Blondie."

His body seems to freeze up, and I feel a thread of fear worm into my heart. What if he hated me?

He glances up and down me, and I worry if I'm dressed well for the event. I was just wearing a black tux, but maybe that was a bit much. Maybe he thinks I'm an overconfident jerk... I hope not.

"Axel?" My name comes out of his mouth and I grin brightly. "You actually do remember me...I'm so...flattered."

Butterflies resume their duty flying around my stomach even at the kid frowns slightly and turns to continue putting food on his plate. "You hungry?" I speak up, desperately trying to start a conversation. "You didn't eat much during lunch." He ignores me and starts walking back to his table. I follow, noticing that there's another man sitting at the table.

The blonde turns a little and catches sight of me. He narrows his eyes and walks a little faster, sitting across the table from the other man, who smiles at the blonde. "Hungry Roxas?"

"Roxas." I grin, thankful to finally have a name. I sit down in the seat next to Roxas, thanking god that I had been assigned this seat. Roxas glances at me in disbelief as I take out my ticket and place it on the table so he could see that I'd been assigned to that seat. "Thanks for the name kid." I grin at the guy sitting across from Roxas.

"And you are...?" He cocks his head to the side.

I reach my hand out toward the man. "Axel. Got it memorized? I met Roxie here earlier today."

Oooh Roxie. That was a cute little nickname. I'm going to have to use that.

I notice that he shakes his head, throwing Roxas a look. I glance at Roxas, but he's glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes. I try not to blush, flattered beyond all belief that he was looking. Butterflies continue wreaking havoc on my stomach.

"So, Axel, what're you doing here?" The man asks, leaning forward in his seat. Wish I knew his name, but I'm sure I'll learn later. I'll just identify him by his pudgy nature.

"I'm down here doing some research for this manga I'm in the middle of writing." I grin brightly, happy to share my profession.

"You're a manga artist?" Pudgy leans back in his chair, clearly impressed. "How's that profession?"

I shrug, delighted that he's impressed. "Well, I'm not going to get rich off it, but you know, who cares? It's what I love to do. I'm just absolutely astounded my editor managed to save up enough money to send me down here for an entire week. This is my first day here, and I've been chillin' around for the day before I get down to my research."

"Roxas you've got to admit that's cool!" Pudgy looks at Roxas, and I gather that the two are friends. I wait for Roxas to answer, wanting to get approval from him. But he doesn't say a word, just nods and continues eating.

"What's cool?" Someone questions. I glance up to see another guy and a girl sit down at the table with two plates full of food.

Pudgy sits up, about to get food. He must have been watching the table. "This is Axel," He gestures to me. "He's the guy Roxas met earlier today, and he's a manga artist."

He walks away, and I beam, delighted that Roxas had talked about me with his friends. I'm guessing that the two who just sat down are his friends too. Until I know their names, I shall refer to them as girly, and Blondie, seeing as though Roxas has a name now.

The girl looks at me, intrigued. "So you met Roxas earlier today then?"

I nod, swallowing a mouthful of food I'd put in my mouth a moment earlier. "That's right. He nearly ran over me in the process, but hey, I don't mind." I turn my head slightly catch Roxas' eye, preparing my self to be blatantly obvious that I have thing for him. "He's cute."

Roxas doesn't say anything, just continues eating his food. Maybe he was straight...and his silence was his way of telling me to get lost.

"So what kind of manga do you write?" New Blondie asks me, curiosity plain on his face.

I can feel my face heating up, and I run a hand through my hair. "Ahhh...you'll think it's weird." It's one of the reasons I don't have many friends. In fact... I think my editor is my only real friend.

"No we won't." Girly smiles brightly at me. "We're all friends here."

"Friends huh..." I mutter under my breath. That sounds awfully nice...

"Ah, fine." I take a sip of the red wine that was laid out on front of me. I resist the urge to cringe. Ugh, alcohol tastes so disgusting. I lick my lips, girly's speech influencing me to reveal my manga genre. "I write yaoi and yuri manga."

"Would you all excuse me?" Roxas stands up hurriedly and pushes his chair in. "I'm exhausted, and I think it would be best for me to go to sleep now."

This is when Pudgy arrives back at the table. "Aw, Roxas, why do you have to go? It's Christmas Eve for pete's safe!"

"All the more reason for me to go to sleep." He smiles at his friends, skipping over me. "It's okay, you guys have fun. I don't drink anyway, you'll have more fun without me."

He turns around and walks away quickly, before anyone can even protest. I sigh and bang my head on the table; a repeat of only a few hours ago.

"He hates me doesn't he?" I sigh sadly, sitting up straight and running a hand through my hair. "He must think I'm such a creep."

"Roxas?" Blondie shakes his head and laughs, almost ready to fall out of his seat because he's laughing so hard.

I raise an eyebrow, confused.

Girly chuckles and smiles. "I'm sorry about Hayner. He's known Roxas longer than any of us, so he knows him way better than any of us." She smiles. "I'm Olette by the way. I don't think we were introduced. Obviously, the oaf laughing is ass off is my boyfriend Hayner."

Pudgy smacks his forehead with his hand. "I completely forgot to introduce myself! I'm so sorry, my name is Pence."

I smile at all of them. "Well, it's nice to meet you all. You're all friends with Roxas?"

Hayner nods, recovering from his laugh attack. "Yeah we are. And just by looking at you, I can tell you're enamored with out little Rox."

I feel myself blush, the butterflies in my stomach working overtime. Hayner winks at me. "Hey, don't get embarrassed. 'Cause I can tell he likes you too."

"Really?" I look sharply at him. "How can you tell?"

He smiles. "Like Olette said, I've known Roxas forever. I can practically read him like a book." He leans forward, a more serious expression on his face. "We can help you, but you've got to promise one thing."

I nod, eager for their help. I wanted to get to know Roxas better. Those blue eyes were something I wanted to see again.

"Roxas has never been in a serious relationship before, and he's very sensitive." Hayner glances around at Pence and Olette. "You seem like a good guy, and if Roxas likes you, that's more than enough reason for the rest of us to like you. But, you have to promise to be careful with him. And..." Hayner pauses. "If you break his heart, I reserve the right to break your entire body into little tiny pieces."

I nod, understanding completely. "I promise."

Olette giggles. "Excellent! It's about time Roxas got back out into the dating world."

Pence grins. "This might actually make Roxas happy for the rest of the vacation."

I smile to myself, the butterflies floating around my entire body as the four of us devise a plan to get Roxas to admit that he likes me.