Okay, this is the other parallel ending to Come Out Of The Shade. I'll say trigger warning on this one too because it starts the same as the last one. Anyways, I only have one more class in this semester than I am out for over a month, so yay time for me to do some personal art and stuff. I am probably going to do some christmas songs this month and if you have any songs you want to suggest, go for it. I can't promise I will use it or that I won't take it in a completely different direction but... you can try.

Roxas stared up at the large branches. They stretched out, away from the trunk of the old tree, reaching for the sun. He spied the perfect branch: sturdy, within throwing range… That was really the only requirements for this.

The rope in his hands was rough, digging into delicate skin.

The sun wasn't out. There was a pretty big storm coming in. Thunderstorm warnings threatened everyone to stay inside and away from open spaces or things that might attract the lightning.

It didn't matter for Roxas.

Swinging the rope in his hands, he threw it up and over the branch he had picked out. Surprisingly he made it on the first try, the other end of the rope falling on the opposite side of the branch, just within Roxas's reach. He made a loop and pulled the rope tight to the branch before climbing up the tree and making another loop on the other end.

As he ran his fingers over the rough texture once again, he stared into the sky between the leaves on the tree. To his surprise, the sun was peaking through the clouds, shining down on his face through the leaves.

"Roxas!"

Roxas jumped slightly at the sound of his name being called. Who would be outside when there was supposed to be a huge storm coming through?

"Roxas! Wait! Drop the rope! Come down here, please!"

Of course.

Of course it was Axel.

Roxas looked down from his perch in the tree, down into the scared eyes of his best friend.

"Don't do it, Roxas. Please."

How could he deny Axel anything? Dropping the rope like it was on fire, Roxas ungracefully dropped down from the branch. The moment his feet touched the ground, or maybe before that, Roxas couldn't tell, Axel had his arms around him, pulling him in close.

"You scared me, Roxas." Axel nose was buried in blond spikes, rubbing back and forth, taking in the sweet smell of Roxas's shampoo. "I thought you were going to…" Axel gripped him tighter. They stayed like that for a while, Axel slowly swaying them back and forth and he whispered nonsense into Roxas's ear. He finally pulled away, holding Roxas by the shoulders at arm length. "Why were you up there?"

"I… I thought… I thought everyone would be… happier… without me." Saying it out loud made Roxas feel like it was a bad reasoning, but it had seemed so right before. "I thought I was just a burden on everyone… I thought… you would be better off not worrying about me all the time." Roxas's eyes never left the grass under his feet until Axel grabbed his chin rather forcefully and made him look him in the eye.

"You are not a burden, Roxas. You are loved." Axel said, a hard look in his eyes. "Your parents love you, they would do anything for you. Your brother loves you, you're his better half." Roxas almost snorted at the thought, but kept quiet, figuring Axel wouldn't appreciate it. "I… I love you, Roxas. So much." Roxas gave Axel a look that clearly said he didn't understand, and it only got more confusing when Axel flushed and looked away, pink creeping up his neck. "I love you. I have for a while now. I love everything about you, the way you smile, the way you laugh, your sense of humor, how bright you are… I-" The words were bit off with a chocked sob, Roxas growing alarmed now because Axel never got this emotional. "You have no idea how scared I was seeing you up there with that r-rope. I can't lose you, Roxas." Axel buried his face in Roxas's neck and Roxas was shocked to feel tears stain his shirt.

Axel was crying.

Sobbing.

For Roxas.

Roxas clutched Axel like his life depended on it. And maybe it did. "I'm so sorry, Axel. I didn't know you felt that way. I-I always thought that you were just nice to me because you were nice to everyone. I… I thought that you would have done that for anyone, and the only reason you did it for me was because I had no one else."

Axel shook his head, still trying to sink into Roxas's shoulder, as if he could become a part of Roxas and never have to leave him. "Maybe in a way it started that way, but you are just too amazing for it to stay as just a friendly gesture. You sucked me right in and I couldn't escape. I fell hard and fast, Roxas."

Roxas carefully pulled Axel away from his shoulder, looking him right in the eye and seeing only complete sincerity. "I always thought that the only people that cared about me where the ones that felt they were obligated to." Axel quickly shook his head. No, that was not how he felt about Roxas, he had to understand that. Roxas brushed his fingers across Axel's smooth face, the stubble on his jaw only noticeable in a few small patches. "I'm sorry I scared you like that, Axel. I thought I was always going to be alone. I thought I would be stuck in the shade forever. I… I thought I would always have to live with the fact that I loved you, and you could never love me back."

Axel got the biggest, goofiest grin Roxas had ever seen. "You love me?"

Roxas smiled nervously. "It was kind of hard not to." Before he could finished the sentence, Axel had swooped him up in his arms, twirling him around and clutching him close. When he finally set Roxas back on his feet, he assaulted his face with kisses, everywhere he could reach, before finally, somewhat roughly, finding his lips. What started rough quickly turned into a soft and slow kiss. Axel's lips worked smoothly against Roxas's, his breathe quickly evening out to slow puffs through his nose. His hands gently held Roxas's face, while Roxas's tangled in his shirt. Roxas tingled all the way down to his toes. Axel finally pulled back when he couldn't breathe well any longer, a soft sound as his lips left Roxas's. He pressed their foreheads together so they could stand that way for a while.

"Axel?" Roxas's voice was soft, hesitant to break the perfect silence between them.

"Mm?" Axel mumbled, eyes still closed, enjoying the memory of that kiss.

"I think… I'm going to ask my parents if I can see a therapist."

Axel pulled away slightly to look at Roxas. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Roxas nodded a bit. "I want to get better. I don't want to end up back here again. You… you might not show up next time." Roxas started to look away, but Axel softly grabbed his face again.

"I will always be there for you if I can, Roxas. Know that. But… I think that's a good idea. I want to see you smile all the time. And I will help in any way I can."

"Just be here for me, please." Roxas tugged on Axel's sleeve to grab a hold of his hand. "And maybe… come with me to the first appointment?"

"OF course." Axel smiled, hugged Roxas. "Hey, Rox. Look."

Roxas turned around to see that the sun had completely come through the clouds now, most of the dark ones off into the distance and only white fluffy ones left to lazily drift across the sky.

"The storm must have passed right over us. The sun is out." Axel smiled, still holding onto Roxas. "So how about we go take a walk out in the sun?"

"Sounds perfect."