AN: This is especially written for my wonderful Broken Mushroom, for being such a lovely reviewer and writing such great fanfics and even writing me a giftfic. Go check it out: 'Temperature', it's so cute. Right, onwards. Enjoy. Hope you like it, BM!

"Um… guys…" Roxas cleared his throat nervously and his three best friends glanced up at him from their game on the floor. How they could just sit and play snakes and ladders in this heat was beyond him. Although Hayner was steadily losing items of clothing as it was an, ahem, modified version of the innocent childhood game. Strip snakes and ladders was apparently the town's new favourite.

"Yeah?" Olette was the first to speak.

"Um, well… I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but… Well…" he twisted the hem of his shirt nervously, looking down. He sighed and bit his lower lip, deciding just to come out with it. Yeah, 'come out' was definitely the best choice of words. "I'm gay. And… I'm… seeing someone."

"Ok." Pence shrugged and rolled the die, before groaning and pulling off his shirt. He'd landed on the longest snake on the board.

"So what else is new? Axel, right?" Olette asked, smiling almost sympathetically at him. He blinked and bit back a nervous laugh.

"Uh, yeah… How'd you know?" The green-eyed girl just shrugged and returned to their game.

"Not to be mean, but you were kinda obvious, Rox."

"Er… I was?" He asked, laughing softly and running a relieved hand through his hair.

"Uh huh." She smiled and moved her counter up the board. He glanced nervously at the last member of their group, who was sitting there with his mouth wide open. "Catching flies, Hayner." Olette reminded him before handing him the die. The blonde abruptly closed his mouth, still staring at Roxas.

"Wha…? You're gay?" Olette snorted.

"Wasn't it obvious?"

"Maybe to you; you have, like, the best gaydar this side of the known Universe."

"True, true…" she absently cheated by stealing the die back from Hayner and rolling again.

"And… you're going out with Red?" Roxas nodded, sighing. He'd always been worried that his best friend was a bit homophobic, but he'd never really known if that was true or not. Suddenly the older blonde burst out laughing. "Oh, I'd never have guessed it, Rox. What with all the looks and touches, not to mention I swear I once saw him start eating your ear in public. You can be such an idiot sometimes." Hayner chuckled, wiping at his eyes. "I mean seriously, man, who were you trying to kid that you were straight? It's been pretty obvious from day one that you liked him."

"Hang on, then what was with all the incredulity a moment ago?" Pence asked whimsically, looking up from the game. Hayner simply raised an eyebrow.

"You actually think I wouldn't have noticed that my best friend's as gay as a rainbow? Seriously man, why does everyone think I'm this dumb lummox who can't even understand his own feelings let alone anyone else's? It's kinda insulting." He pouted momentarily and Roxas let relief wash over him. He'd been so worried he might lose his best friend over something as trivial as sexuality. The shorter blonde shook his head and grinned.

"Well you can be incredibly dense at times."

"Hold the phone, though, cos Hayner?" Olette looked up and grinned almost evilly at said male.

"Uh… yeah?" Roxas could tell his friend was trying to resist the urge to edge away from the mischief in that smile.

"Speaking of said infamous gaydar, don't you have something you want to tell us?" she teased. Roxas was taken aback by her suggestion and glanced quickly between her and Hayner.

"Whoa, no way, Hayner?" Pence looked up, his mouth dropping open, eerily reminiscent of their unspoken leader a few moments ago. Hayner shifted uncomfortably, flushing slightly under three intense stares.

"Yo, what-up, bitches?" Axel suddenly strode in. "Watch out people; sexy is finally back!" Roxas rolled his eyes at his boyfriend.

"Go away for five minutes, Ax." He requested, his stomach lurching a little at the way the redhead's face dropped. To the insanely tall boy's evident surprise, Hayner was the one who leapt up and said,

"No you can stay; um… I'm just gonna go… to the, um… Sandlot… yeah." And with that the beet-red boy almost ran out.

"Well that wasn't weird at all."

Axel settled down beside Roxas, not quite close enough to imply anything other than close friends.

"S'OK, Ax, we know." Olette flashed him a grin before folding up the snakes and ladders board and pulling her sandals, sunhat and hair ties back on. The older boy grinned maniacally and pounced on Roxas, flattening him to the floor.

"You finally came out, huh, baby?" Roxas rolled his eyes once more and tried to lever the surprisingly strong redhead off of him.

"Yeah… Could you please get off me?" he asked petulantly.

"Aw, ok. But only because it's you." Axel kissed the tip of his nose and sat up once again. Roxas turned to glare at a shocked Pence and giggling Olette, silently demanding, Don't say anything.

"So, what's up with Attitude Boy?" Axel asked, leaning back. Olette grinned.

"Well, he has to be gay. Or bisexual. My Olette senses are tingling." Axel chuckled and stole her sunhat, dropping it absurdly on his red spikes.

"So what, Attitude just admitted it?"

"No, you came in and ruined it, darling." Roxas replied, giving him a playful shove.

"Well he severely needs to get laid, at any rate." Axel observed laconically, causing Pence to burst out laughing and splutter his soda everywhere.

"Ok, Ax, I know that look on your face. It means 'matchmaker in the failing'." Olette smirked and poked him in the side. To Roxas' surprise, Axel squealed loudly and leapt away. Now that was one thing he'd never thought to do, despite the fact that they did so many other things. Olette had collapsed into giggles. "Wow that's a weird sound to make, Ax."

"When you poke someone in the side they're supposed to make their sex noise." Pence added his two cents.

"I wondered where I'd heard that before…" Roxas grinned at his beautiful boyfriend, who pouted up at him from the floor.

"Am I the only one who's even slightly worried about the fact that Hayner ran out here wearing nothing but his shorts?" Pence enquired, holding up Hayner's shirt and shoes. Axel suddenly burst out laughing.

"Oh guys, guys…" he hissed between giggles, "I just had the best idea ever…" Roxas knew then that he should be very afraid. "Hayner likes guys, right? And he's running around the Sandlot, without a shirt on? And exactly which hot, blonde, sexy male (other than Roxie) frequents the Sandlot?" Roxas glanced at Olette in time to see her eyes widen before she grinned too widely to be comfortable and burst out laughing.

"Oh my… God, Axel, that's… The best thing I've ever heard… Talk about foe-yay." She sat up with a burning intensity in her eyes that made Roxas want to hide. "Let's do it."

AN: So, you like? It's probably going to end up being a maximum of four chapters long, I think. R&R if you please, but if not, d/w about it; the huggie monster hitmen are hiding in my closet and won't come out. Flames are welcome, but not of the pairing itself or homosexuality, thank you. ^^