A/N: Okay, so I do realize that Saix is incredibly out of character. I'm aware of that. I only chose him because of the friendship between Isa and Lea when they were teenagers. And it is hinted that Isa had a comical side, even though he was always more mature than Lea. I just kind of amped it up a little. I understand that most people like the fics to keep more true to character, but I really only played with his personality a little. He's honestly more like Isa than Saix, but I used the Nobody names for everyone else in the fic, so I didn't want to call him Isa in this one. Hopefully that sheds some light on the whole Saix thing. I don't want it to turn anyone off from the story! But I understand if it does.

…

Chapter Twenty One

…

Roxas could feel his heart pounding in doubletime as he waited… and waited… and waited some more. He knew that brain surgery wasn't going to be a quick thing, but damn. And he'd been banished to the main waiting room in the surgical wing too, which was making him even more anxious. Twice now he'd seen doctor's talking to families that then all burst into tears. It… it wasn't reassuring.

When he finally saw Saix walking toward him with a somber look on his face, he felt like his heart would literally give out right there. "He's… he's…"

"Oh shit…" Roxas choked up immediately, tears springing to his eyes.

"He's fine! …Damn, you should see the look on your face right now. Axel's gonna be just fine. He pulled through amazingly, and the surgery went exactly as planned."

Roxas could have punched the guy square in the face for pulling that shit with him. "When can I see him?" he grit his teeth together, ready to be done with this guy.

"Give him a couple hours in post-op to wake up. I'll let you know when you can visit."

"I'll be in the cafeteria," his voice was short and filled with irritation.

Saix nodded, "Got it. But hey, stay away from the stroganoff. It… it isn't beef like it says…"

"Right," he growled, turning on his heel and walking away. He couldn't handle looking at the overly-happy blunette's face for even another second.

…

After what felt like hours of sitting in the cafeteria playing around on his phone and drinking shitty coffee, the obnoxious intern appeared once again. "Hey, he's awake now if you wanna see him."

"He already woke up?! Damn it, I wanted to be there!" Roxas dashed out of his seat, the taller man close on his heels.

"Oh, relax… I was there when he woke up, so he wasn't alone or anything."

Roxas shot him a glare, "That wasn't the point. He's my best friend. I should have been there."

"He's fine! He's still super groggy anyways. He won't even know the difference."

When he finally made it to Axel's room, the redhead was fast asleep again. "Are you kidding me? I missed it… He's gonna think I didn't wait…"

"God, you're uptight. Calm the fuck down and let him sleep. You'll be here next time he wakes up."

"I should have been here the first time…" he mumbled, sitting down next to Axel's bed and glowering up at Saix, "Unless you have something to do as a doctor, get the hell out of here."

Saix raised an eyebrow, "What the hell did I ever do to you, kid?"

"What? Nothing… I just want to be alone with him now, okay?" he quickly covered his tracks.

"Oh… I get it. You like him, don't you?"

Roxas tried not to yell, exclaimed in a hushed whisper instead, "No! I have a boyfriend, you idiot!"

"Right… So you wouldn't care if I asked him out when he's recovered then?"

"I… I thought you guys were just friends…?"

Saix laughed quietly, "Axe was my first kiss, and I was his. I had a huge crush on him… But when his parents died, he was shipped out of town to live with some foster family and I never saw him again. But you know what they say about best friends… no matter how long you're apart, it's like no time has passed when you get back together."

"…Whatever. Do what you want. Like I said, I have a boyfriend."

"All right," he grinned, stepping towards the doorway, "I think I will."

Roxas resisted the urge to roll his eyes, just turning his attention to Axel. His eyes immediately fell on the side of his head which, from what he could see under the bandages, had been partially shaved. Axel was nottt going to be happy about that… he loved his hair.

"Hmm… Roxy…?" the sudden voice made him jump a little.

"Axel! You're awake!" he grinned happily.

The redhead groaned, "Hush… I've got a killer headache…"

"Well I can imagine," he quieted down, chuckling a little.

"I think they told me everything went well… or did I dream that?"

Roxas shook his head, "Nah, Saix was already in here when you woke up the first time. Everything was perfect. You're headed for a full recovery."

"Saix… where is he?"

"He… had other rounds to make. He said he'd be back later."

Axel smiled sleepily, "Good… I can't believe I ran into him again."

"Yeah, it seems like you two were really good friends…" Roxas trailed off, his own smile fading.

"He was my first crush, actually… He was always the more mature one, if you can believe it, and he balanced out my crazy side. He was definitely a bit of a mastermind when it came to pranking people, though I was always the one that actually pulled them off."

Roxas raised an eyebrow, "He seems kind of hyper and goofy now…"

"It's his defense mechanism. I think he's really nervous to be around me again, so he's acting a little out of character. I saw him talking to the other doctors and he's super calm and serious."

"I think he likes you," Roxas blurted out suddenly, immediately wishing he hadn't said anything.

Axel blinked a few times, then laughed, "Yeah… that wouldn't surprise me…"

"Would you ever go out with him…?"

"Mmm… maybe…" Axel's voice started to fade as his eyes began to close, "'m sleepy…"

Roxas smiled softly, "Get some rest, Axe… I'll be here."

…

Roxas felt like punching a hole through the wall as Saix shoved him out of the way again to examine Axel. All week he'd been dealing with this shit, being pushed aside so they could bond. "Give it to me straight, Sai… how bad is the bald spot? I haven't seen it yet," Axel asked him as he changed the bandage on his head.

The intern laughed, "Of course that's the one thing you'd be concerned about. It's not too bad… honestly, you could shave the other side to match and pull off a pretty sweet death hawk."

"Ooh, good idea. I can be metal as fuck," he chuckled, glancing over at Roxas, "Think I can pull it off, Rox?"

"…Sure," he mumbled, pouting in the corner yet again.

Axel furrowed his brow in confusion, "What's wrong, Roxas?"

"What? Nothing," he shrugged, "You'd look great."

"So when am I gonna be able to dye my hair again? I know my roots are getting bad," Axel asked Saix, running a hand through his hair, which had about a quarter inch of dark brown roots showing.

Saix rolled his eyes, "I've never met a guy as weird about his hair as you are."

"So you want me to believe that your blue is all natural? Hm?"

He grumbled a little, "Hush… you know my natural color is gross. Anyways… You'll have to wait until your incision is completely healed, and even then I'd have someone else do it to make sure you don't get any dye near it."

"You think I achieve this gorgeousness myself? I've got a stylist to keep me looking human," Axel laughed, grinning over at Roxas, "Roxy here has met her."

Roxas thought back to his wonderful hair-removal experience and shuddered, "Yeah, she's great…"

"You're healing quickly, Axe… I can't believe it's already been a week since your surgery," Saix told him, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

Roxas couldn't believe it either. The bruises on his throat were finally starting to fade, and things with Vanitas had been going… okay. "You know what? I've got to get home… I think Van made dinner. I'll visit again tomorrow, Axe."

"Actually, you won't need to. Axe, we're sending you home. The neurosurgeon is going to do his own examination to confirm, but based on everything I see, you're ready to get the hell out of here."

Axel grinned, "Seriously? That's awesome!"

"Wait a minute… but he had brain surgery! How can it be safe to send him home?!" Roxas exclaimed.

"The best place to recover is from the comfort of your own home. We have no reason to keep him here anymore. He's healing very well."

"But… he lives alone. Is that safe?"

Axel looked over at Roxas, "Well… I was kind of hoping… maybe you could stay with me again for a little while…? Van can come too!"

"You… would want Vanitas and I to live with you?"

"Well, why not? Like you said, Roxy, it isn't safe for me to be alone right now. I'll give you your privacy and everything… plus, Saix said he'd stop by every so often too and check up on me. But I need someone to drive me to my follow up appointments and make sure I don't, like… die alone in my bedroom or something."

Roxas chewed on his lower lip nervously, "I mean, yeah… I'll ask Vanitas. I'm sure it'll be fine with him."

Right… because Vanitas was ever so understanding about Axel. He didn't even like when Roxas mentioned his name, so he couldn't imagine that Van would feel too great about living with him. But he also couldn't let Axel try to recover by himself. Again, he was faced with the choice between Axel and Vanitas… and he knew who he'd choose.

…

A/N: Ooh, Saix is still crushing on Axel! Old crushes die hard, I suppose. But Roxas is just a jealous mess anymore! I feel like him and Saix are gonna end up fighting it out… (And notice how I haven't mentioned his scars yet… Mayhaps he hasn't yet acquired them…?)

Again, I know Saix is out of character in this! I just couldn't pass up the chance to bring him in as an old childhood friend because of the Lea/Isa thing. (Besides, I literally have nobody else to use. XD)

I loves you all and hope that you keep leaving me your thoughts and such!

Simply Rexene