Author's Note: Important! Ok. So, I shall be going on hiatus with this story as well as No Such Thing (which my Naruto fic in case you're like whaaaat?). This is because I'm having issues concentrating on these stories. There will be one more chapter for No Such Thing to let them know this as well before I stop. But this isn't gonna just end here, cause I actually like this one. I'll be working on it during my hiatus and I'll start up again once I've gotten enough chapters done. There shall also be some revamping so be aware you may need to re read some parts when I come back. In any case, that is all I needed to say. Have a lovely New Year (as Sora is trying to do haha) and I will see you again with the rest of the story at a later date!

Disclaimer: Don't own Kingdom Hearts or all the pretty characters within. So sad...

Warnings: boys loving boys, assumptions, hangovers, over protective friends, sexy silver haired men, questioning of sexuality, bad language among other things...

Chapter 3

Sora woke up on New Year's Day with the worst headache of his life. Well, maybe not the worst, he distinctly remembered waking up from the worst which he didn't really want to think about now, but this one was well up there in the running. The sun shining through the window and the noisy traffic outside wasn't helping at all either. And so it was with an irritated groan that Sora sat up and decided that his day could have started better; at least he didn't have to work until the next day.

He was about to stand up when he noticed that something was off. He felt weird and the sheets were…rubbing against bare skin? Sora had a mild breakdown, much like the one yesterday when he had first officially met Riku, as to the reason why he was naked in the first place. He hadn't gotten drunk and taken a stranger home had he?

As if to answer the panicked thought, a low mumble sounded to his left and then an arm fell into his lap. Sora froze. He really did bring someone home last night…although these things happened when one got inexorably drunk, he supposed, trying to make everything better. Maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe she was really pretty or something. He stared down at the arm in his lap, only a sheet separating the appendage from his bare skin, and noticed that it was rather well developed and bigger than a girl's arm should be. But maybe she was some kind of weight lifting champion and that would explain the extra muscle. He was starting to scare himself and began to hope desperately, as he traced the arm back to the owner, that if she had to be a buff chick, at least she would be a decent, good looking buff chick. How desperate would he be if he just took anyone home that would come with him last night?

What he saw, though, was not something he had expected. The person was on lying on their stomach, so the first thing he saw was a wide, muscular back and strong shoulders. The sheets covered half of it and downward. Above that was a long neck and silver hair swept up into a ponytail, though most of it was falling out at this point. The person's face was turned away and buried into the pillow, but Sora had never met many people in his life that had silver hair. Nervously he thought, it could either be someone he'd met randomly sometime after getting too drunk to remember anything, or it was…

"Mmm, wan' waffles," the person mumbled in a distinctly masculine voice and then shifted, removing their arm from Sora's lap. The voice was too low to be a girl's, too smooth as well, he thought but Sora banished that thought from his mind. He held his breath as the person slowly pushed themself up and finally looked at the frozen brunette. Blue met green and it was just like he thought, apprehensively. It was Riku.

Sora nearly fainted at the thought. Riku. It was Riku in his bed. He had taken Riku home last night and did who knew what with him, all while he was drunk, and oh god this was embarrassing! He was pretty sure his face was hot enough to burn off at this point.

Riku watched the freak out and increasing blush with a raised eyebrow and sat up, wrapping the sheets around his lower half like he needed covering. Oh god, oh god, oh god, there's a naked man in my bed, oh god, oh god, oh god, was the mantra Sora had going on in his mind at the moment.

"We didn't have sex, you know," the silver haired man said calmly, watching for Sora's reaction. He looked instantly relieved until the next statement. "Just some heavy petting and that's about it."

"Th-that's the same thing!" the brunette exclaimed, coming out of his stupor at last, any and all thoughts of a headache and hang over gone. God, why did he have to bring Riku home? He just met the guy! And besides, Riku was a guy for crying out loud! He wasn't gay now, was he? He wasn't sure what he was supposed to think if he was.

"I don't know. I thought we hit it off pretty well last night. Besides, don't think of it as being gay, think of it as being free spirited, like in the seventies. Free love and all," Riku said nonchalantly. Sora paused, feeling fairly embarrassed at this point.

"I said all that out loud didn't I?" he asked. Riku nodded, smirk falling into place. The brunette groaned and buried his head in his arms, which were now crossed and propped up by his knees. The bed shifted, but Sora didn't want to lift his head, his face already bright red with embarrassment. Why the hell did he bring a guy home?

"You know," Riku began. "We didn't actually do anything. I was just messing with you."

Sora looked up, hopefully, and found Riku standing in the middle of his room clad only in his boxers, scratching his head and stretching simultaneously. The abs in the silverette's stomach elongated tauntingly as he reached for the sky and Sora refused to acknowledge the lean midsection or any other naked part of Riku. He was already envious of the more muscular build Riku had from one glance at it without needing to stare. Especially after having woken up with said better built person in his bed.

"Would you mind if I used your shower?" Riku asked, looking around the small messy room with interest. Then he turned to look into Sora's eyes, who felt another blush coming up even though Riku had said nothing had actually happened last night.

"S-sure," he mumbled. "Go ahead. It's the, um—the room next door."

Riku shrugged with an easy going smile. "Thanks." And then walked out to go take his shower.

Sora, meanwhile, stayed where he was in bed, sheets still covering his naked body. What…the hell had happened? He really couldn't remember anything for the life of him. He remembered being at the bar and drinking with everyone. Then he bumped into Riku and bought him a drink. Then midnight came and Riku kissed him, which was natural because you're supposed to kiss someone at midnight on New Years anyway, right? But after that, there were a few more drinks to be had and dancing, lots of dancing. With Naminé and Leon and Roxas, and even Riku once, he thought. But lots of things were fuzzy and after that there wasn't much he could even remember. His hangover decided to rage again and his head throbbed painfully. Reaching for the blinds from his bed, he pulled them shut. Much better.

He could hear the water from the shower in the next room over, making him very aware that someone was in his house and he was currently still naked. He still wasn't sure what had happened to lead to him being naked with Riku in his bed, nearly naked as well, but he certainly didn't want to go around without anything on while he wasn't in a drunken stupor. That just wasn't what a normal person did.

So he got up, not quite sure how long it had been since Riku had started his shower but knowing he wanted to be dressed as soon as possible anyway. He stood up, getting a bit of a head rush as he did, but he managed to steady himself. He picked up a pair of boxers, some jeans thrown away from the day before and not yet put away, and a loose dark blue T-shirt he had wanted to wear but decided against yesterday. Hands ran through messy brown hair, pulling out a few tangles, but otherwise leaving it alone since it always stuck up in random directions anyway.

Looking around his room, Sora felt almost abashed that Riku had seen it in such a state. He hadn't had anyone over in such a long time, and rarely did they go into his bedroom, so he hadn't kept it quite as clean as the rest of the apartment. Although the rest of the apartment was something like organized chaos, he liked to keep it relatively clean and free of debris and dirty dishes. His room was another story with clothes thrown wherever, a few cups sitting on his dresser, and other miscellaneous things strew about. He frowned a little and started cleaning the floor a little so that it was at least visible. The things on his dresser and night table could wait until another time.

During his attempt at cleaning he found clothes that did not belong to him, and ones that looked familiar from last night. They were Riku's. Right. That would make sense. Well he supposed, as he "made" his bed, he could at least lay out his…guest's clothes out somewhere he could find them. Picking up the shirt and jeans, both felt very worn and weathered, like fabric that had been thinned with plenty of use and was hardly good to use as protection from the cold of New York's winter. This made Sora frown a little in concern. But…he'd had that big, heavy looking coat when he'd first seen Riku. Although he didn't see it lying on the floor of his room, he was sure it would be somewhere out in the living room. Riku wouldn't go out without some kind of coat to go over thin clothes like those.

The shower stopped abruptly, pulling Sora out of his thoughts. Why was he holding Riku's clothes again? With a shake of his head, he dropped the clothing onto the bed and left for the kitchen before Riku returned to change.

Now, Sora wasn't exactly the best chef in the world, but he could do simple things without burning them. Eggs and toast being some of the few recipes that normally came out well enough. And coffee and orange juice also went well with this kind of breakfast. Considering he had a guest, though he hadn't planned on having one, Sora decided to make a serving for Riku as well. After drinking three cups of water plus two tablets of painkillers to help dispel the headache that came with a hang over, he started on breakfast. He was halfway through when Riku appeared, now fully clothed though his hair was still damp. Sora gave him an uncertain smile and nodded to the table.

"Go ahead and sit. I'm making eggs and toast," he said, and then turned back to the food. He heard the scraping of the wooden chair on the tiled floor and the creak of the old cushion as Riku sat in it. Sora had to admit it had been a while since he had cooked for someone. Granted, people usually cooked for him since he normally burned everything, but still, it was mostly the fact that he was cooking breakfast for someone that made him a little happy and nostalgic. But when he served the eggs and toast onto each plate he had taken out and turned to give one to his guest, that feeling of awkwardness from earlier returned to him. He could feel his cheeks heating up again.

"Um, here," he said quickly and sat down, passing Riku his plate. He could feel aquamarine eyes on him, but he shot back up soon enough. "Um, do you want coffee?"

"With a little milk would be nice," Riku replied easily. Sora almost scowled. He felt so tense and awkward with Riku just sitting there, but the silverette seemed completely comfortable and at home where he was. As if he wasn't staying at a stranger's house. Granted they had talked a little on the street and at the bar, and yes Sora had taken him home with him, but they didn't really know each other. They were still considered strangers, right? Or at the very least acquaintances. And Sora had never woken up to see an acquaintance in his bed.

But Sora hurried off to get Riku his coffee with a little milk, as well as a glass of orange juice for himself. When he sat back down, drinks distributed, he could still feel Riku's eyes on him. So he looked up and met the stare with a pout.

"What?"

Riku shook his head. "Nothing."

Sora rose an eyebrow. "O…kay?" And they began eating the warm breakfast food. It was quiet, something Sora was used to, though not when there was another person in the room. He was normally a chatterbox with other people, but he couldn't find anything to say in this situation. It was like he was nervous for some reason.

"You're cute, you know?" Riku said suddenly, and then popped some more eggs in his mouth to chew on. Sora, meanwhile, sputtered and coughed, choking on the piece of toast he had been about to swallow. Riku had the decency to look concerned, though he chuckled while he reached over, patted his host on the back, and made sure he was all right. Sora's eyes watered a little while he managed to calm himself down and shot his guest an incredulous look.

"I'm a guy. You don't call a guy cute," he said, coughing a little in between still. The silverette just shrugged and took another bite of his eggs.

"Doesn't change the fact," he replied nonchalantly, with just the hint of a teasing tone audible.

"Yeah, also doesn't change the fact that people still think I'm a teenager," Sora grumbled. A pout appeared, punctuating the point by making him look even more childish.

"Oh, so you're not? I thought you just had a fake ID last night so you could get beer," Riku replied, smirking from across the table. When the pout turned into a scowl, Riku laughed. "I was kidding, just kidding. You look about…21?"

"I'm 25, thank you very much," Sora said. His scowl had lightened but hadn't disappeared completely. He was sensitive about how young he looked and how it often resulted in others treating him like a child. He often got carded when drinking with his friends when he had the time as well, so it was a hassle that no one believed him. He really was 25. To his relief Riku didn't seem amazingly surprised by his actual age. He just leaned back in the chair and drank some of his coffee.

"Fair enough. I'm 26, by the way."

"Really?" Sora said, raising an eyebrow. "You seem…older? I mean, not older age wise, cause you actually look like you're 26 now that you mention it. It's just, you seem more…mature I guess? I don't know."

Another gulp of coffee was taken.

"I'm just more weather worn than you, probably. And I play guitar."

"Yeah," Sora snorted. "Because knowing how to play a guitar equals maturity."

"Hey, people dig people that play guitar," Riku replied, his hands up like there was nothing he could do about the amount of people that apparently 'dug' him because he played an instrument.

"You know which instrument player doesn't get enough action? A triangle player."

"Well to be fair, there isn't much a triangle can do as a solo in a performance."

"I suppose."

Both plates and cups were empty and clear by this time, so they sat across from each other, not quite knowing what to do. They had only met each other the other day, really, and now they were sharing breakfast after having apparently shared a bed. Sora fidgeted, suddenly remembering this fact, not quite sure what to make of why he had been naked if nothing had happened between them. And since he couldn't remember, well, he may as well ask Riku who could remember the night before, right?

"There really was nothing that happened last night, you know. If you're worried about that," Riku answered for him without even hearing the question. Sora smiled sheepishly. Was his discomfort really that obvious?

"So then what did happen? I don't remember much past midnight aside from some dancing and more drinks."

Riku leaned back in his chair again, having moved his dishes aside. "Well there was dancing, and then your tall friend—Leon I think it was—decided you had too much and decided to take you home. The others stayed at the bar, and since Leon looked like he needed some help handling you, I helped." He paused and shook his head. "I don't think he liked me very much."

Sora nodded, as it was probably true. Leon wasn't the friendliest person in the world, especially when it came to new people around the younger brunette. He seemed to think Sora needed protecting, which although he appreciated, he wasn't sure he wanted happening this time. Even though waking up naked next to a man he had met yesterday was really very awkward, he liked Riku well enough to want to get to know him more. And if it happened that he and Riku became friends, well, he would have to tell Leon to back off a little.

"Anyway," the silverette continued, "we took you back here, with lots of yelling from you, and put you to bed. Leon got a call from someone and had to leave, but you wouldn't let go of my shirt, so he left me here too after I promised not to take advantage of you."

That surprised Sora. Protective Leon had left him drunk and alone with a stranger? Granted he was probably passed out by then and it was nice that he had trusted Riku's word, though he had no idea why he would make the silverette promise not to take advantage of him (he was straight after all); it was strange. Normally Leon would have stayed with him when he was drunk, and thrown out the stranger as soon as he was done helping take Sora home. It must have been something very important for Leon to be pulled away like that. But Riku continued, keeping the brunette from wondering who could have called.

"So I stayed a while to make sure you'd be okay, and when I was going to leave, you grabbed me again and told me to stay." Riku smirked. "I couldn't resist and say no to that adorable face of yours, so I stayed and slept in the bed with you like you told me to. At some point you decided it was too hot, so you took off all your clothes. I didn't really care so I let you do it as long as you didn't hurt yourself in the process."

Sora blushed hard. Well that explained why he hadn't had any clothes on. He wasn't quite sure why he had decided it was hot enough to remove all of his clothes in the middle of winter, but he would probably never know what his train of thought had been then, half asleep and drunk at the time. In any case, he needed to apologize to Riku.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused last night and making you stay here. You probably wanted to go back home, didn't you?" he said. He felt bad for having made Riku stay overnight at a stranger's without any warning. But the silver haired man shrugged.

"It's fine," he replied easily. "I'm used to sleeping wherever I can anyway, and your place is definitely nicer than where I'm staying now."

"Where do you live?"

"I'm squatting in a building not too far from where you saw me the other day. It's nice, but there isn't much hot water and the electricity is iffy some times."

"So you don't really have a home?"

"Nah, it's home. Just not a permanent one. I'm used to moving around anyway. I'd feel weird if I stayed somewhere for an extended period of time."

"I see…"

Well, Sora hadn't expected that. So Riku was a wandering homeless type. He didn't seem too concerned about not having a permanent residence or any reason he may have for not having one. As Sora processed this information about his new friend, Riku took the moment to study him.

"Do you believe in fate?" the silver haired man asked, leaning so that his chin was now resting in his palm while he continued to examine the brunette in front of him. Sora was pulled out of his thoughts at this question and wasn't quite sure how to answer a question like that. He hadn't given the idea of fate much thought before.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. He wondered where Riku was going with that question, as well. "Do you?"

"Within reason," Riku replied. "Did you know that if you encounter someone three times, it's considered fate?"

Sora raised his eyebrows in surprise. No, he hadn't known that. Riku smiled.

"Would you like to know what I think?" he asked, a rhetorical question he didn't expect to be answered. He continued before Sora even thought to say anything in response. "I think it was fate that lead us to meet, and that fate had a specific reason for our meeting."

"And what would that be?" the brunette asked when Riku paused for a moment. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer when the smile turned into a good-natured smirk.

"That I was brought to you to help you fulfill your resolution and become your boyfriend," he replied confidently.

Sora just stared at his guest, partly in disbelief, partly in confusion. He wasn't sure he had heard Riku correctly. Did he just suggest that he become Sora's boyfriend, that they date each other? When they had just met each other the day before? No, wait, that wasn't the big problem. They were both guys! Sora wasn't interested in guys, or at least he hadn't ever had an interest in them. He wasn't interested in Riku either. But here he was, suggesting that Sora date him because of something like a destined meeting and the fact that his resolution was to find someone to love. The universe couldn't really be that cruel, could it?

But as he looked at Riku's face, which still held the smirk, he saw no trace of a joke in his expression. So he had to ask, "You're serious?"

"Completely. I'm a big believer in fate and things like that," Riku replied. Sora blinked.

Of course. Of course the universe would send him a guy just to spite him after hearing the selfish wish as his resolution. What better way to top his horrible track record of relationships than to throw in a guy as well? He really was meant to be alone for the rest of his life, wasn't he?

With a groan, Sora let his head hit the table beside his empty plate and mumbled, "What the hell?"

Riku, on the other hand, leaned forward with concern in his eyes. "You okay?"

Sora didn't lift his head. He didn't want to lift his head and face this new disaster waiting to happen that the universe decided to give him. What was the point? He realized he was being mellow dramatic, but he really wasn't sure why he had been sent a guy. Sure Riku was beautiful, err—handsome, he corrected in his head. But Riku was a guy. If he had been a girl or vice versa, everything might have been able to work out. As it was, Sora wasn't sure how this was supposed to work. He didn't want a boyfriend.

A large hand rested on his head and ran through his hair.

"Hey, you okay?" Riku asked again. Sora groaned again, mumbling something the silvered haired man couldn't quite hear. "Sorry, what was that?"

"'m not gay!" the brunette protested quietly, cheeks burning from embarrassment. Riku's eyebrows went up and his eyes sparkled in amusement as he sat back in his chair, taking his hand (which had felt quite good going through Sora's hair, though he'd never admit it) with him.

"Don't think of it as being gay. If you go out with me, it's not like you're going to want to go be with a bunch of other guys, right? Because you'll only be looking at me that way, just like I'll look only at you this way."

Sora glanced up slowly at the silverette and caught a flash of smoldering aquamarine eyes. This only served to make him blush even more and hide his face again, not wanting to see eyes like those that made him shiver at the passion in them. It was weird! He wasn't used to a girl looking at him like that, much less a guy! And it was someone he had only just met! What did Riku even know about him anyway to make him ask Sora out?

Sora just knew Riku was going to say something else outlandish, but luckily the doorbell rang just then and saved him from further embarrassment and ridiculous situations pertaining to gorgeous silver haired men. So he jumped up quickly, hitting his shin on the table as he tried to maneuver around it, and ran for the door to thank whoever his savior was. Without checking who it was, he threw open the door and was faced with Leon and a smaller girl he hadn't met personally, but recognized from photos he had rummaged through at Leon's. She had brown hair just like the older man that was cut short and wore a yellow dress under a puffy dark blue coat. She looked curiously from beside Leon at Sora who offered them both a grin.

"Uh, hey…guys…what's up?" he asked. Leon raised an eyebrow and then walked in without invitation, the girl following close behind, flashing a grin of her own at Sora.

"How are you feeling?" the older brunette asked as he walked in, and then paused, seeing Riku sitting at the table lazily leaning back. The silverette waved to Leon with a smirk.

"Yo," Riku said. Leon didn't respond, but turned back to the owner of the apartment.

"What the hell is he still doing here?" he asked harshly. Sora laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um…I wouldn't let go of him last night I guess, so…yeah."

"So you made him breakfast?"

"I can cook!" Sora protested. Leon gave him a flat look saying, that wasn't what I meant, idiot. "Well…I mean, why not?"

Leon sighed, a mix between exasperated, frustrated and tired. There were light smudges of purple beneath his eyes, so Sora could tell his friend hadn't exactly had the best of nights.

"You really need to learn when to kick people out who have overstayed their welcome," he muttered, though Sora heard him. The smaller brunette frowned.

"Riku's fine. He can stay if he wants. He's a friend."

Before Leon could explain exactly why Sora shouldn't be trusting strangers especially since they lived in the city, the sound of a chair scrapping against the floor sounded. Riku had collected the dishes from the table and was putting them in the sink. He then turned to both of them and headed for the front door. He paused by the two and threw a smirk at Sora.

"Think about it, okay? I have to go now, but I'll come back later to hear your answer," he said. Sora just blushed bright red and refused to look away from Leon, who was glaring at the silverette. Riku just shrugged and gave a little wave as he continued on his route for the door, pulling on his coat, which he had draped over his arm. "Later."

The door opened and closed, and then all was quiet in the apartment. Sora shifted awkwardly in front of Leon, now looking at anything but the brunette, who was now scrutinizing him for some reason. Riku really wasn't serious about it, was he?

"Who was that? He was hott!" said the young girl who had come in with Leon. She was on the couch, leaning forward over the armrest. A sly grin was on her face as she waggled her eyebrows when both boys looked over at her. Leon frowned.

"He's too old for you. Go watch TV for a little, I need to talk with Sora right now," he said, giving a meaningful glance to the younger boy. Sora still refused to look at Leon and shuffled in place again. He saw the girl stick out her tongue at his friend, but turned and slumped back onto the couch to do as she was told. Leon, meanwhile, pulled Sora closer to the kitchen and sat him down at the table while he glared down at the younger boy.

"Tell me again why he was here?" he growled. Sora pouted.

"I told you, he stayed the night because I was drunk and wouldn't let go of him," he replied, leaving out the parts where he woke up naked with a very nearly naked Riku next to him. "Besides, he's a nice guy and I think he needed a place to stay anyway."

"You just met him yesterday. At a bar," Leon said, scowling. "You need to be more aware of your actions and people around you. And what was he talking about, coming over later?"

Sora blushed all over again. "U-um, it was nothing! He was just—just asking my opinion of something and then you came before I could give him an answer. That's all!" he stuttered, grasping for an excuse. He could tell his friend wasn't buying it, but he needed to distract Leon for now until he figured some things out. And he didn't want Leon disliking Riku anymore than he apparently already did.

"Um, so who's that?" he asked quickly, pointing to the couch, before Leon had a chance to say anything else against Riku and Sora's decision making skills. The taller brunette didn't even look back and knew Sora was trying to redirect the conversation, but he could let that go for now. Sora was obviously flustered for some reason, and Leon would find out sooner or later. So he decided he could answer that question for now instead.

"That's Selphie. My cousin."

"At your service!" the girl said, popping up from behind Leon and making Sora jump. When the hell did she get behind Leon? She gave him a grin and a salute. Sora just settled himself and returned the grin as well as he could after that little fright.

"Hey. I'm—"

"Sora right? Leon said we were gonna visit you so he could explain why he had to leave you alone with 'that bastard'," Selphie said, cutting in. Leon glared down at her as she prattled on, muttering about language. "He didn't seem like such a bastard though and pretty easy on the eyes too. Wouldn't mind that guy staying the night with me, if you know what I mean?"

She waggled her eyebrows again but stopped when Leon's glare turned into a glower. She laughed nervously, poked him quickly in the stomach, and then rushed back to take cover behind the couch. Leon just sighed.

"She ran away last night. Hopped a bus to New York trying to find me, so I had to go look for her because she was lost and crying about being alone in the big city," he explained. Selphie blew a raspberry over the back of the couch, but squeaked and resumed hiding when Leon gave her another glare. Sora smiled.

"That's fine. She's safe and sound now, right? I wouldn't want you to stay with me if it meant she had to be alone at night. It's not safe, especially for girls," he replied.

"I still should have made sure that bastard got kicked out before I left," Leon said, a frown on his lips once again.

"…Were you worried about me?" Sora asked sweetly.

"I didn't want you doing anything stupid. That's why I came back to check on you," Leon replied with a roll of his eyes. Sora grinned.

"Well thank you for worrying about me. You're such a good friend!"

Leon grunted. "Whatever." He turned and went to the couch, pulling Selphie up. She allowed herself to be pulled and then used the momentum to pounce on him. She giggled while Leon simply looked very unenthused. Then he looked back over at Sora.

"I have to finish some things back at home with this brat, so I'll see you later. Naminé wanted us to have lunch with them later," he said, and headed toward the door, Selphie hanging from his shoulders, still giggling. "You better have a better explanation for what that bastard was asking too."

Sora laughed nervously. "Right. See you later then," he said, not looking forward to making up another excuse that Leon may actually accept. Selphie waved to him as the pair got to the door, falling off of Leon in the process. She picked herself up quickly enough and followed her cousin.

"Bye Sora! We'll talk more next time, 'kay?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, see you later," Sora replied, waving back. Leon gave a little wave and then shut the door behind them after pulling Selphie out of the way.

The apartment was quiet, now void of people except the owner. Sora let himself slump a little bit, not needing to hold himself up while around others anymore, head hanging forward as he sighed. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Meanwhile, in another apartment not too far away…

"Hello sunshine!" a voice called from the couch, surprising Roxas who had been innocently walking into his kitchen to rid himself of the mild headache that came from drinking as much as he had the night before. The voice belonged to one who most certainly did not live there, and one he vaguely remembered being a pain in the ass drunk who didn't know left from right the night before. Hence the reason for it being in his house. The red head grinned lazily over the back of the couch and took a swig of coffee from a mug in his hand. Beside his regular patron was his twin, holding her own mug of coffee. She offered him a smile and a soft good morning. Roxas just scowled because his head hurt and Axel had overstayed his welcome in the blonde boy's mind. He would have kicked Axel out last night if the idiot had been able to stay conscious, much less make it back to his own place.

So he ignored the red head and continued into the kitchen where he would be out of sight and able to get rid of his hangover. Why had he let Sora talk him into drinking more than usual again? Right, because he was already drunk and Roxas tended to do stupid things when he was drunk. At least he could remember most of it. He wasn't so sure how well Sora was fairing now, though. He just hoped Leon had gotten that idiot home safely. He'd have to call and make sure later. For now though…

"Hey Roxy."

…he'd have to deal with this red-haired idiot before he could deal with the brunette. Turning, Roxas scowled over his recently poured coffee.

"Don't call me that."

A shrug. Axel slinked further into the kitchen, closer to Roxas who stood his ground stubbornly and continued to scowl. The blonde twin cursed his height as Axel approached, easily a head taller than the twin, even slouching as he was. This man had to be some kind of giant!

"Hey, no need to be hostile," his guest said casually. A casual grin tilted his lips and he leaned a little too comfortably against the counter beside the blonde. He acted confident, like he owned the place. Although Roxas had always thought the red head had acted confidently before at the bar when they used to talk when the woman would leave, he hadn't seen it this clearly until now. And it was damn annoying.

Deciding to be at least a little courteous, he gestured to the coffee maker. "You want some more coffee?"

"I'm fine thank you. Besides, I know how to hold my alcohol so my hangovers aren't all that bad," Axel replied with a wink. Roxas flushed and glared at that. He could hold his alcohol too, he was just getting egged on by an already drunk Sora to have more than he could handle.

"Then what do you want?" the blonde asked, scowling again.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing. You drank a lot last night," Axel replied with a shrug, his voice at once teasing and concerned. Roxas raised an eyebrow. Was this guy…worried about him?

"I'm fine. I just drank more than usual so now I have a headache," he said. "Don't you have things to do?"

Axel's hang fell back. "Not really. I'm free until work starts again on the third, so I've got some time to myself." He looked over at Roxas. "Entertain me?"

"No thanks," was the swift response. "I think I had enough of you last night."

"Aww," Axel said with a wounded look, "but I have nothing to do! And what better way to waste time than following around a cute blonde that can make me drinks?"

"I'm not a woman so don't call me cute, and I won't make you drinks unless I'm working, where it's required. Besides, I don't appreciate people following me around. Especially ones with bright red hair," the blonde told him. Axel thought for a moment

"Hmm…maybe I should change my hair color then…"

"Stupid, that doesn't change anything if you do that," Roxas said with a frown. He actually liked the bright red hair. He just wasn't sure how he felt about the man that owned it. Axel was nice enough, but he was cocky and liked to mess with the blonde on occasion when the two were alone. And then the night before they had gotten to talk more without a bar and other customers between them. Axel was the same as he was behind the bar, but there had been more touching and they had been closer than before. Roxas wasn't sure how he felt about that barrier being removed. He hadn't hung out with a customer in his time off before, let alone a regular like Axel.

"So you like my hair then?" the red head asked, a smirk appearing.

"No, I'm just saying that dying it wouldn't make you any less annoying," Roxas replied, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, so cruel Roxy. And after all that time we spent together…" A loud vibrating went off and, thinking it was his, Roxas wondered where his phone had gotten. He didn't remember setting it down anywhere, so it was probably still in his pants back in his room. But Axel pulled a sleek black phone from his pocket and checked the message. He was silent and the joking, teasing attitude had gone away. And then, after putting away his phone, Axel walked out of the kitchen. Curious, Roxas followed.

"Unfortunately, I need to leave now. Something came up," he said, pulling on his shoes that were left near the doorway, followed by his coat. He looked up and back at Roxas and Naminé, who could see the red head from her place on the couch.

"Thanks for letting me stay overnight," he said, and then shifted his attention solely on Roxas. "I'll come back and bother you later," he said with a wink.

Roxas felt his cheeks heat a little and glared at the man who simply smirked and left the twins apartment. Now that Axel was gone, Roxas wasn't sure what had just happened. Obviously something important came up, causing him to leave. But he was certain that the red head would be back soon enough. Roxas wasn't sure how he felt about that either. But he could hear Naminé giggling softly in the background.

"He seems fun," she said.

"Fun, my ass," was Roxas's reply.

Author's Note: Yep. That's it. Well, I'll try to get my stuff together and get this done so I can get back here and you can all read the rest of this! In the mean time I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what ya think. Thank you very much and please be patient! Until then!