~O~

Axel stood at the beginning of the student parking lot with his hands buried deep in his pants pockets. It had started snowing heavily during the last class of the day and now 2 inches of fluff graced the ground. He shuttered, wishing he had brought his hoodie with him today and not left it in his car. He debated if he had the time to go and grab it when he saw Roxas' small form. Axel smiled. The younger boy had a black and grey stripped beanie pull almost over his eyes and a matching scarf wrapped around his face. He was also bundled deep in a thick black winter coat. The only word Axel could think to describe what he was seeing was adorable.

"Cold?" He called out in a teasing voice when Roxas was in ear shot.

Roxas' eyes lit up with amusement, "Probably not as cold as you are." He countered.

Axel smirked at the smaller blond and bumped his shoulder against Roxas' as he came to a stop beside him. "Smart ass."

They walked in silence to Axel's car where he unlocked the doors to let them in. Roxas climbed in and tucked the scarf under his chin but not removing it. Axel placed the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot in the direction of their neighborhood.

"So, what would you like to do?"

Roxas was quiet for a moment, "I don't know." He said softly.

An awkward silence filled the car and Axel side glanced at the smaller a few times. "Well, what do you like to do for fun?"

Roxas turned toward him and blinked, a long slow blink. "Um...I like puzzles." He said after a long moment.

Axel chewed on the inside on his cheek as he pumped the brakes a few times as he came to a red light. "Well, fancy that. I actually have this five thousand piece puzzle that my mom got me for my birthday last year and I just don't have the attention span to do it by myself. I mean, I really have been wanting to do it for forever now, but I have major A.D.D." He threw a grin at the other and winked.

Roxas gave him back a small smile, his eyes watching the steady falling of the snow outside the car.

"Seriously though, it's bad. In a 'And that's when I ...Oh my God, squirrel!' kind of way."

Roxas snorted in amusement.

"So, would you do me a solid and help me with it?"

Still snickering to himself Roxas nodded, "Sure. Sounds like it could be fun."

They fell back into silence, although this one was far more comfortable then the first. After another moment Axel pulled into the driveway of his house and cut the engine, climbing out of the car. Roxas followed suit and shut the door, glancing across the street. Axel stood and watched him for a second before following his gaze. His brow furrowed at what he saw. All of the windows of Roxas' house had been blacked out. He shot a questioning look over at Roxas.

The blond ducked his head at the stare, "I...uh...I'm allergic to the sun." He explained softly. "Direct sunlight could kill me."

Thin red eyebrows shot into Axel's hair line. "Seriously?"

Roxas nodded, endeared by the caring tone that had filtered into the taller's voice. "Yeah, but don't worry. I've been this way as long as I can remember. We manage it."

Axel took the words at face value and turned toward his own house, leaving Roxas to trail after him. He pushed the front door open and stomped his feet, shaking snow loose. "I'm home!" He called kicking his shoes off.

Roxas came into the foyer and copied Axel, removing his boots and his coat. Axel took the coat and the rest of Roxas' snow gear and hung them on a hook in the closet. He then lead the other boy into the kitchen where his mother was standing at the sink washing dishes. Axel came up behind the woman and planted a kiss on her cheek. She squealed and smacked Axel with a wooden spoon. "Don't scare me like that," She huffed.

"Hey, I called out when I came in, " Axel said in his defense. He then motioned Roxas further into the room. "This is Roxas, he's gonna hang out and help me do that puzzle I never have time for."

Axel's mother turned and took in the younger boy, her eyes lighting up. "It's nice to meet you, Roxas. It's been such a long time since he's brought a friend home." She sent her son a glare.

The redhead held his hands up, "Hey, I used to bring friends over all the time but ever since Demyx came over, you give them the third degree."

"Well," the woman said in a thoughtful voice. "If your sister hadn't walked in on you two making out, there probably wouldn't be a problem."

Axel sighed, "Whatever." He went to the fridge and grabbed a couple cans of soda before heading to the stairs, Roxas trailing at his heels.

"Leave your door open, please!" His mother called after him.

"You're gay?" Roxas asked quietly as they climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Axel reached the landing and turned around, eying the blond. Trying to determine his reaction to the information, "Uh...yeah. Does it bother you?"

Roxas gave him a small smile that you would give a child that said something entertaining, "No. Not at all."

Axel let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding, "Okay cool...Are you?"

Roxas' let eyes caress Axel's slim form before answering. When he returned his gaze to the redhead's face, his cheeks were slightly pink. "You could say that."

Axel said nothing and turned back around to pad on bare feet to his room, trying to ignore the fluttering in his belly. He shoved the door open to reveal an immaculately clean room. Walking into the room he placed the cans on top of the dresser before making his way over to his bookshelf and leaning down, retrieving the puzzle from the second to bottom shelf. He then turned around and tossed it onto the bed before going over to the closet. Roxas came into the room and sank down onto the mattress, watching Axel with deep blue eyes. Axel pulled the door open and reached into the small space before pulling a large piece of thin plywood out. He then shut the door again, turning to face the blond.

Roxas had the puzzle box in his hands and was looking at the picture on the cover. It was a large black and red dragon sitting on a mound of gold coins and treasure while breathing fire into the air. He watched Axel set the wood on the floor and scooted to the carpet taking the box with him. He settled himself across from Axel and opened the box, dumping the pieces onto the wood. Axel began sorting threw them, separating the edge pieces while Roxas gathered all the ones that had parts of the dragon on them.

"So, Roxas. "Axel said after a few more moments of silence. "Have you had boyfriends?"

Roxas blinked for a second before answering, "Um...no? I wouldn't exactly call them boyfriends."

"What do you mean?" Axel asked as he matched two pieces together.

"Well, I've had lovers, but I've never really considered them 'boyfriends'."

Axel went still for a second before grabbing another puzzle piece and fitting it to the section he was working on. "So, you've already had sex?"

Roxas glanced up at him from the dragon's head that he already had finished, "Yes. Have you?"

Axel gave a masculine chuckle, "Nah. I'm old fashioned in that way. I'm waiting for it to be with someone I love."

The smaller's hands stilled and he gave Axel the full weight of that azure gaze. "It's nice to meet someone that still thinks that way."

The remark threw Axel off a bit, but he understood the meaning behind it. He was 18 and 99 percent his graduating class had lost their virginity before their 17th birthday. "I just think it's something special, not to be taken lightly."

Roxas smiled, "That it is."

They fell into silence again, each fitting pieces together, but Roxas was working far more diligently then Axel was. He kept sneaking looks at the blond, his stomach fluttering endlessly. The feeling was strange to him, sure he had had crushes before but never had he felt this way after less then a day. He felt unsure of himself, not something that he was used to. It wasn't often that Axel found himself feeling out of his element, but for some reason Roxas made him feel nervous. Which he found ridiculous. He was just some 16 year old kid. Albeit, a strange kid but Axel chalked that up to him being an army brat. There was no need for him to be feeling this way.

Roxas glanced up and saw the internal struggle flashing across Axel's features. "Something wrong?" He asked as if not already knowing what the other boy was thinking.

Axel shrugged and gave him a watery grin, "Nah. Just thinking about some stuff." Like shoving him up against the wall.

Shut up brain. Axel thought forcefully at himself, but the image was now in his mind and he couldn't get it out. Roxas ceased what he was doing and sat back on his heels, watching Axel have an argument with himself. This was actually really good, he wasn't expecting Axel to become interested so fast. He'd known he would like this boy.

"Axel?" He called softly leaning over the puzzle.

Axel started from his thoughts and looked up, surprised that he hadn't noticed Roxas get so close. The blond ran his fingers threw locks of fire and clasped the back of Axel's neck with cold fingertips. Axel shivered as Roxas tugged him closer, having a pretty good idea of where this was going even as his mind was screaming at him that this was happening way too fast.

"I...Roxas, wait." Axel choked out in a hoarse whisper, their lips hovering just millimeters away from each others.

"Shhhhhhhhh," Roxas soothed closing that small distance and bringing their lips together.

Axel's mind blanked and all he could think about was the slight chill of the smaller's lips pressed firmly against his own. It felt amazing. A small sound escaped his throat and he grasped the side of Roxas' face and tilted his head back, deepening the kiss. Roxas let him dominate the kiss, moving where Axel directed, opening his mouth when Axel's tongue crept forward to run along his bottom lip. That hot muscle darting into his mouth and he moaned at the feeling of Axel expertly wrapping his tongue around his own, coaxing it into playing.

The redhead shuffled forward, scattering the pieces of the abandoned puzzle and pulling Roxas against him, the blond crawling into his lap. Roxas slipped his hands into Axel shirt and caressed the heated skin. Axel arched for him when he ran sharp nails up his back, just this side of leaving marks.

"Harder," Axel whispered pulling away for a second before lowering his mouth to the pale skin of Roxas' neck.

Roxas mewled at the feeling of Axel working the skin at the side of his throat and left hot trails of fire all down Axel's back. Axel let out a guttural groan and bit into the skin that he had been sucking at. Roxas gave a small cry and pressed his hips into Axel's. The answering hardness was enough for Roxas' body to ache with need. When the dry humping started Axel's mind finally regained itself and a single thought was like a slap of cold water in the face. You're about to give up your precious virginity to a boy you barely know on your bedroom floor.

It was enough for Axel to reign in his hormones and pull back. Roxas made a helpless noise in the back of his throat at the loss of contact and it was almost enough to set the fire back in Axel's veins, but he managed to push Roxas out of his lap. Roxas looked at him with eyes full of curiosity and clouded with lust and it made Axel shiver. He looked away from the blonde.

"This is too fast."

Roxas wanted to slap himself for letting himself get carried away. "I'm sorry," He whispered. "You were just giving me this look, and I lost control of myself. I'm sorry."

Axel gave him his trademark grin though a little softer then it usually was, "Don't worry about it, I tend to have that effect on people."

Roxas smiled at him and glanced down at the destroyed dragon he had been working on and made a face. "I should probably get going."

The redhead stood up and grabbed one of the forgotten cans of Pepsi. He chugged half of it, letting out a huge belch and looking down at Roxas thoughtfully. "Yeah, I have a homework and shit I should probably be doing."

Roxas stood and adjusted his clothes, his fingers coming up to touch lightly at the throbbing skin of his neck. "Is it bad?" He asked turning his head away to give Axel a full view of the large almost black hickey he had left on the blonde's skin.

Axel gave him a wide, toothy grin and nodded, eyes sparkling in amusement. "It's fucking huge. You're gonna have to wear that scarf of yours home if you don't want your dad to see it."

It was at that exact moment that's Axel's back gave a vicious throb, reminding him that Roxas had done his own damage. He turned around and asked Roxas to take a look at it. The smaller lifted Axel's shirt and examined the lines that marred the skin. "They're bleeding," He said in an apologetic voice.

Axel let his shirt fall and turned back to face Roxas, still grinning. "I asked you to do." He shrugged, "Maybe I'm a masochist."

Roxas blinked at him and a smile of his own played around on his lips, "Maybe you are."

Axel's grin widened and the two of them exited the room, going back down the way they had come a few hours earlier. When they emerged in the kitchen Axel's mother was standing at the stove with a ladle in her hand. Roxas ducked his head to try and hide the hickey he was sporting from her gaze. She didn't say anything and the two of them moved into the foyer, Axel returning Roxas' garments. The blonde accepted them and bundled up before slipping his small feet into his boots.

"I had fun," He said when he was done.

Axel nodded, chewing on a fingernail. "Yeah, me too."

A silence fell between them as Roxas reached for the door handle. "So...see you at school tomorrow?" He asked stepping out onto the doorstep.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." Axel said absently before leaning forward and planting a small kiss on Roxas' lips.

Roxas gazed deep into Axel's brilliant green eyes as he pulled away. "Goodbye, Axel."

"Goodbye, Roxas." He whispered as he stepped back inside and shut the door.

He leaned against the painted wood with a sigh before his heart stuttered and his eyes widening. He looked sharply out the small window that bordered the door watching the small form cross the street. He'd never told Roxas his name...

~O~

Roxas shut the door behind him and immediately shed all of his clothing except for his T-shirt and boxers before heading into the kitchen. Luxord held out an unmarked bottle full with a dark red liquid. Roxas took it hungrily and brought it to his lips, furiously gulping down half the bottle. When he calmed, he set it down on the table turning to his companion. The hickey the only blemish on his alabaster skin.

"I've made a connection," He said softly.

The other nodded, eying the dark spot. "So, does that mean our plans are going smoother then you'd hoped?"

Roxas nodded, "Yes. If things continue the way they are going, you will be able to go to your daughter in six months time."

A look of relieve flashed over the older blond's face and guilt crept into Roxas' stomach. He turned away, "I'm sorry...I should have never come to you..."

He heard the sound of chair legs scraping against the linoleum before arms wrapped themselves around him. "Don't start that. You were abandoned, you needed me."

At the mentioning of his abandonment Roxas sagged and small sounds escaped his throat.

~O~

Rox3l: I just wanted to explain a bit, a connection isn't some big thing. It's just the attachment between two people. Roxas needs to establish this connection between him and Axel so that when all comes to light, Axel is more likely to accept it because he's already invested. Kay? Let me know what you thought.

So, did anyone actually notice in the first chapter that Axel never introduced himself but Roxas knew his name?