Many of these shorts are actually ideas I might've jotted down on a train during a 6-hour journey or in a café in the heart of Helsinki (the city where I live) to keep myself from forgetting them. So it's possible some of them will in time become short stories. Maybe. One day. I had a really great time writing these, I basically laughed my way through some of them.

What can I say; I'm a sucker for the idea of reincarnation and second chances. It's both comforting and excruciating to think that if you don't find that fabled true love in this life and you feel drained, cheated and empty on your death bed, there's always another life, another possibility.

Book

The first time Zexion draws looks of disbelief and just utter confusion is when he bursts into loud laughter in the middle of the library as his long time crush and best friend Demyx accidentally throws a book at him. The magnitude of the irony hits Demyx two seconds later and he, too, doubles over in guffaws.

Have You Seen

Naminé's incredible imagination has always amazed Roxas, and he vividly remembers sitting in their secret place, simply listening to his sister's stories, spilling from her lips. The characters come even more alive when the girl takes up drawing and her skills develop to allow her to literally show Roxas what she sees in her head. For Roxas' 18th birthday, Naminé draws a new character she calls Axel and as Roxas holds the gouache painting with shaking hands, Naminé explains she actually went away that weekend to Hollow Bastion to find the exact right shade of red for the hair.

The next morning Naminé doesn't find Roxas, only a bed that hasn't been slept in and a note of "I don't know when I'll be back." Miles and miles up north, Roxas is stopping everyone on the street asking if they've seen the man in the painting.

The Cool Guy

The only time Roxas gets to see Axel lose his cool is when the redhead's eyes grow as large as saucers when the smaller boy tells him he kind of might be in love with him. The enormous and cat-like green eyes blink uncomprehendingly for almost ten seconds before Axel blushes like a girl and reaches out for his hand.

D

His eyes skim over the meaningless names in a practiced, fast pace. Every thousandth page or so he falters and backs up, thinking he's finally found it, but when he returns to it, he realizes it just says Dean, Dylan, Derek, Demetri – oh fuck – a stormy look comes over his face and is gone just as quickly as he turns the page to find it's the last one with no trace of the letter D. It was the last new phonebook for the year and Zexion lets his hair fall over his eyes, bracing himself for the tears that he knows will come.

Plane Trip

"Fucking finally," Axel scoffs, the seriousness somewhat ruined by the fact that he's flat on his stomach, probably crinkling his pilot's uniform after tripping on the last step. He can blame the new steward for standing at the door of the aircraft, welcoming the captain and, effectively, causing him to lose his balance.

Roxas just laughs and offers a hand to help him up, murmuring: "Think we'll get fired if we stole the plane right now?"

Hallucinate

Roxas has always been a lonely kid, never relating to any of his peers and keeping all social interaction to a bare minimum. So when he enrolls in Twilight College and starts talking about this red-haired guy Axel who has the most beautiful, expressive eyes he's ever seen, Naminé, twin sister, is over the moon to hear her brother has finally found someone.

Almost a year later the deathly pale blonde lies strapped down to a hospital bed, eyes bloodshot and hazy with tranquilizers, still asking for Axel, and Naminé sobs next to him that Axel doesn't exist.

Music

In 9th grade, he suddenly breaks his pen in class and blames it on the music he can hear coming through the window. He gets detention for slamming the window shut. He's hated music all his life, especially the kind that is produced by plucking strings. So naturally, twenty years later, he's quite baffled to find himself irresistibly drawn to a downtown all-night café where a strange-looking young man plays the guitar from midnight to 4 am.

One day or night he'll pluck up the courage to tell the guy he plays the first music Zexion's ever liked.

Explosion

Axel works for a company that cleans up after traffic accidents, explosions, murders and whatnot. It's sometimes hard, but when you're used to it, you're able to focus on getting the job done instead of getting upset over a mangled child in the backseat of a totaled car. Over the years, Axel's found that it's a bad idea to look in their eyes if they're open because then he'll lose sleep and be a little upset for a while.

On August 14 a train explodes for an unknown reason in Twilight Station and Axel is one of the men who go clean up after the medics and investigators are done with their part. Axel stops in his track, screams fuckfuckfucknonoNO and starts hyperventilating so violently he's taken into one of the ambulances. He doesn't tell anyone that the sight of a dead young man with blood-spattered golden hair and wide open blue eyes makes him feel like he should have been dead as well, like he suddenly doesn't see a point in living a day longer.

Caught

Zexion's career as an Ivy League college professor comes to a spectacular and very public end when his colleague walks in on him fucking a student across his desk. The way Demyx is expelled is far more hushed and secret as he's called to an office on campus and politely told to pack his things and leave the premises. What comes over Demyx isn't a feeling of horror but of liberation and with a perfectly straight face he thanks everyone in the room and wishes them good luck with their stupid, boring lives 'cause he's going to Zexion's for some gay love galore.

Sand and Stone

Huh? Demyx studies the roman numerals – XIII and VIII – drawn on the sand just beyond the reach of the waves that lazily lap at the shore. He thinks he should remember something just from looking at the figures but doesn't and wonders idly who stuck their forefinger to the sand and got tiny grains under their fingernail.

The beach isn't crowded and Demyx's spots a couple far off to his left. The other is blonde and has hooked a finger through one of the belt loops on his taller companion's jeans. But then Demyx gets very distracted when his eyes fall on a young man who seems to be taking notes and watching the bright red and yellow craps climbing on the biggest rocks on the beach.

Demyx finds himself aching to carve into stone his – their – very own set of numerals.

Deceit

Roxas cheats on his wife Olette once, only it doesn't actually happen during the marriage but as a finish to his last night as a free man. "Just this once," Roxas whispers frantically, already unbuckling his pants, eyes on the best man's chest. "'Fore it's too late."

The next day at the church, Axel's the only one whose tears are not those of happiness.

Mismatch

While Demyx won't learn to stay, Zexion can't leave, so when he watches the musician stalk off for the last time – he knows because Demyx isn't looking back – Zexion stops looking forward.

He becomes the angry bitter man of his hometown.

His Light

"What light through yooonder window breaksss?"

The butchered line of Shakespeare pushes Roxas over the edge and he sticks his head out the window of his second story apartment to scream that he doesn't give a flying fuck it's Friday fucking night and that everyone within hearing range should fuck off because he's trying to fucking sleep –

Roxas sees a tall man, probably in his early twenties, staggering a little at the furious gone shocked look on the blonde's face. Then the redhead laughs happily and sounds perfectly sober as he recites breathlessly: "It's the sun."

Lucky Numbers

Demyx puts his genius plan into action at 6.09 in the morning by walking nine miles along the side of the freeway before sticking out his thumb and waving off five cars before finally deciding to take the sixth.

He peeks inside, shading his eyes with his hand and as he sees the familiar stranger, his smile stretches from ear to ear.

Secret

For a regular 14-year-old boy holding hands with their crush should be exciting and fun and new, and it is all that for Roxas, but it's also something more. It's more than a little scary and risky. So that's why he's sitting on a fallen tree in the forest, waiting for his high school junior boyfriend to join him.

Axel arrives, moves to stand in front of Roxas and their hands touch in the silence, in the one place they're safe.

The Next Wedding

When Demyx kisses a flustered Zexion silly at the altar, Axel whispers to the blonde next to him he's going to make sure Demyx throws a bouquet, who gives a shit they're all guys.