Okay, this story came from kind of a stupid source of inspiration. I was here on FFnet looking for some AkuZeku fics, so I changed it to filter fics for Axel and Zexion. I thought to myself, 'Huh, that's cool...Axel starts with A, and Zexion starts with Z. A to Z. Haha."

...thus, this story was born. XD Behold, the first Kingdom Hearts fic I've ever put up for public viewing (even though I've been writing for this series for years OTL). And instead of working on my AkuRoku fic or my two Fire Emblem fics, I wrote this one. Jeez, I'm terrible. XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. If I did...oh, the things I'd do to the Orgy XIII boys...yum.

--

From: A

To: Z

Hey Z.

You always look so cute with your nose buried in a book. What were you reading today, anyway?

-A

Zexion blinked, staring at the bright screen of his laptop. His cheeks flushed the brightest shade of pink, and he felt suddenly warm in the face. His fingertip slid across the track pad, clicking on the 'reply' button.

From: Z

To: A

A,

Why don't you just come and see for yourself? I wouldn't mind meeting you face to face.

Sincerely,

Z

The slate-haired boy clicked on another tab in his internet browser, continuing his research for his general ed history class. A light sigh brushed past his lips as he skimmed through scholarly articles, not really absorbing any information at all, his mind elsewhere.

This fall, he had begun his first semester of college, studying literature and linguistics at Hollow Bastion University. Just a few short weeks into the semester, he started receiving e-mails from anonymous being that had apparently, judging from what was said in the electronic messages, seen him around campus and somehow gotten a hold of his personal e-mail address. Zexion was a bit concerned at first, fearing that there was a stalker among his new friends that he had made--and there certainly was a large group of them. His roommate, Demyx, was definitely a social type of person--but as the e-mails continued back and forth, his supposed stalker turned out to be a very interesting man. Their conversations via typed words tended to be intellectually engaging, just the flavour Zexion liked his conversations to be.

Of course there was the occasional compliment on the short boy's appearance, and while he found the comments flattering, he felt bad for not being able to return them, considering he had never met his e-mail buddy face to face. Despite that fact, and the fact that he didn't know anything about the man's identity, Zexion was crushing on him. Hard.

A quiet ding! rang through the speakers of his laptop, signaling he had received a new message in his inbox. His heart skipped a beat.

Deciding that it was futile to attempt any research at the time, Zexion closed out of all other internet windows before heading straight for his e-mail. Much to his excitement, his cobalt eyes found a new message from his unnamed friend.

'A' was all Zexion knew to call him.

From: A

To: Z

Maybe…it is time that we meet. We've been talking for about…what is it, four months now, right? Haha.

What are you doing tonight? If you're not busy…we can meet up if you want.

-A

The pewter-haired boy nearly went into cardiac arrest.

Every time he would bring up the subject of meeting his friend, the man would try to dodge the question and change the subject. So…why would he so openly agree to finally meet, without trying to avoid the suggestion as he had done so many times before?

Just the very thought of meeting him caused Zexion's stomach to tie happy, twisted, anxious knots and his face to blush even deeper, almost the colour of a tomato.

Unfortunately, this was how Demyx caught his roommate looking when he came in the door.

"Hey, Zex!" the Vocal Performance major greeted happily, setting his sitar case down behind the door. "Whatcha do--hey, why are you all red in the face?"

Okay, if Zexion were the colour of a tomato before, now he was the colour of a freakin' fire truck.

"I…ah, uh…um…," the shorter boy stuttered, trying to organize his jumbled thoughts. His embarrassment spiked even further, however, when Demyx skipped over to Zexion's bed and peeked at the message displayed on his laptop screen.

"Ooooooh! Is that your secret admirer?!" the mulleted boy squealed, a shit-eating grin on his face. His sea-green eyes read over the text typed in dark red font--the current colour of Zexion's visage--and he promptly let loose another squeal. "YOU'RE GOING TO FINALLY MEET HIM?!" he practically screamed into his roommate's ear.

Once the ringing had muted in Zexion's ear drum, he nodded slowly and faced Demyx, his cheeks still flushed. "Y-yeah…it seems that way," he finally answered, typing back a quick response and clicking the 'send' button. As if the tummy knots weren't bad enough, Demyx's constant bouncing on the slate-haired boy's mattress was going to make him throw up. He listened to his hyperactive roommate prattle on for the next ten minutes until he heard the new message alert from his computer.

Demyx shut up immediately, leaning over Zexion's shoulder to read the new e-mail.

From: A

To: Z

You remember what my favourite food is, right? There's only one place on campus you can get it. I'll be outside there, on the bench. Meet me in fifteen minutes.

I…love you.

-A

His cobalt eyes studied the words intently, as if they'd provide him with some sort of clue as to where the hell he needed to go. A light bulb flickered on above his head as he realized something, and not even a moment later, he shot off his bed to hurriedly grab his hoodie and slip on his tattered Converse.

Demyx nearly toppled off the mattress himself. "So, where are you meeting him?" he called to the shorter boy.

"McDuck's Ice Cream Parlor!" Zexion said as he slammed the door shut, darting down the dorm hallway.

--

It was nearly dark when Zexion left his dorm, and in the eleven minutes and forty two seconds it took him to reach the opposite side of campus, the sky was inky black in colour, the sun completely gone from view. Zexion slowed to catch his breath, the flickering neon sign of McDuck's Ice Cream Parlor slowly coming into view. He picked up the pace again, but not too much--he didn't want to seem desperate. He was just excited to finally meet the nameless man he had fallen for.

…Now that he thought about it that way, the situation sounded pretty weird. But he could care less.

As he approached the parlor, he spotted a lanky silhouette seated at one of the benches right outside. His heart fluttered in his ribcage. That must be him! he thought with a grin.

The figure sitting on the bench turned its head. Even in the pressing night, Zexion could clearly see a pair of bright jade eyes that glittered with some sort of inner fire, glowing like a cat's eyes in the darkness. The figure rose and sauntered toward him, while his Converse rooted themselves to the cobblestone path.

"You remembered," a voice said…a voice unlike anything Zexion had ever heard. It sounded like music to his ears, such a wonderfully delightful sound.

The pewter-haired boy slowly nodded, a small smile gracing his typically stern lips. "Of course," he said quietly, shrugging his shoulders. "Sea-salt ice cream."

The tall, lanky man stopped right in front of Zexion, towering over him by far. Because of their closer proximity, his cobalt eyes could make out the distinctive features of the man's face--the angular jut of his high cheekbones, the small triangular tattoos beneath each of his piercing green eyes, the playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, the spiked mess of fiery red hair…

He was gorgeous.

Zexion swallowed hard, his stomach twisting into even more violent knots that before. "So…may I ask your name?" he questioned.

"…The name's Axel. Got it memorized?"

Axel.

Shortened to 'A.'

"It's a pleasure to--finally--meet you, Axel."

"Likewise…Zexion," Axel said, tilting his head slightly to study Zexion's face for the first time. "God, Zex…you're even more gorgeous up-close," he muttered, earning a blush from the shorter boy. "I…actually have…a present for you. Something I've wanted to give you since the first moment I laid eyes on you."

Even if what Axel just said sounded like something that came out of one of those stupid, cheesy romantic comedy movies, Zexion didn't care. He cocked a brow, genuinely curious as to what it might be. "What is it, Axel?" Ah, his name sounded just right rolling off his tongue.

"Well…in our traditional fashion…," the redhead began, leaning closer to the object of his affections. His fingertips brushed the slate bangs away, revealing the normally hidden cobalt eye he longed to see for months. "From A…to Z…," Axel breathed, connecting their lips in a brief, magical kiss.

It was the best present Zexion had ever received.

--

Dundundun.

So, what did you think? :D

Thanks for reading!
--Chibi