EPIC REWRITE TIME!

Hey, followers who wanted more, here ya go! In the end, I couldn't let this go. XD This whole thing's being 110% re-written. Most scenes are going to remain the same in essence, but three years improved. You'll also get a few more chapters between the old ones (hence the extra 10%) to fill out things that I lazily skipped over in the old days, so you'll be getting even more AkuRoku! Certain things are still going to be as questionable as ever because what is reality, but the writing's going to be much better, and hopefully it's going to be more coherent on the whole. We'll still have the same old grumpy!Roxas, flirty!Axel, fluffy fluffy "you're an asshole" funstuffs! All existing chapters will be deleted (though still exist on my computer because I got smart), and you'll have to wait just as long as ever for new chapters. :D

Enjoy, and happy AkuRoku day if you're on the eastern side of the world, or happy AkuRoku day tomorrow if you're like me and live where it's still 8/12, or if you click on this on some other day, enjoy that day instead!

It was a monthly ritual for Axel; the first day of the month with decent weather, he'd call in sick to work, regardless of the shit-storm he inevitably faced when he got back, and went out alone to people-watch. When asked why, he'd clim it was an excuse to get out of work. He would barely even admit to himself that he was hoping to meet someone without the hassle of re-entering the bar scene. Not that he was lonely or anything. Not at all.

The park that day, though, was turning out disappointing; though the sun was out, winter was prematurely tainting the autumn air, and the chill seemed to be keeping people away. Axel watched disinterestedly as a young mother pushing a fussing toddler in a coy-looking stroller gave him a perhaps over-interested once-over.

Guess it's time to stay inside, he mused, shifting the newspaper in his hands and turning the page to pretend he was reading it

"Hey! Look out!"

Looking up in time to see something only a second before it collided with his head, Axel yelled out a curse and uselessly flinched back. A model airplane flopped onto the newspaper in his lap and fell still. He clasped a hand to his brow and felt blood ooze onto his fingers and felt himself scowl.

"I'm so sorry! It's my friends and I've never flown it before, and… Oh, god, I'm sorry!" a panting voice blurted as rapid footsteps approached him.

Axel lifted his face, a pissed remark poised on his tongue, but stopped short when he saw the boy trying to catch his breath in front of him: short, attractively tousled hair over wide-horrified sky-blue eyes. "It's okay, kid," Axel said, feeling his mouth form into a grin. "I sure hope you have a bandage or something, though."

The blond took a step back, looking even more terrified. "Uh… I-I'm sorry…"

"I have one!" Axel suddenly noticed the young mother had turned back around, reaching into a bag hanging from the stroller and pulled out several bandages in her fist.

"Thank you!" the boy exclaimed, sagging with relief, taking a couple from her and thrusting them towards Axel.

Axel put the newspaper and plane on the ground beside his foot. "Mind giving me a hand?" he asked as casually as he could, not bothering to restrain the widening of his grin, leaning his elbows on his knees to get closer.

The boy's eyebrows cocked for a second and he faltered. "Uh, sure." He kneeled to put the air plane's remote on the ground and carefully opened one of the bandages. Moving his hand away and absently licking the blood off his fingers, Axel let the boy carefully put the bandage on his forehead.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the woman still standing where she was before, looking at the blond boy with something between irritation and jealousy. Well, this is old. Axel had to make a deliberate effort not to roll his eyes as he turned his attention back to the boy. "So, you got a name, kid? Mine's Axel. Got it memorized?" he purred, grinning.

The blond paused and one eyebrow raised again, immediately looking far less freaked out. "Uh, sure. I'm Roxas."

Letting his mouth twitch into a smirk, Axel leaned in as close as he dared. "Sexy name." A measure of satisfaction filled him as Roxas flushed.

"Thanks," he muttered, focusing his eyes back down and fumbling with the next bandage.

Axel vaguely noticed the woman fidgeting. "Really? I think Axel's a much better name. By the way, I'm-"

"Yeah, thanks," Axel cut in. he figured it was way past time to cut off her interest and hopefully pique Roxas'. "You know, you're pretty cute, Roxas."

Roxas froze with the bandage half-open, eyes raising, and Axel watched with amusement as his face turned bright red. He didn't need to look to see the woman's reaction.

"Homo," she grumbled under her breath, lower lip curling out into a pout.

He looked up at her and winked. "And damn proud of it, princess." Flushed and pouting, she look a hold of he stroller again and marched away.

Looking back at Roxas showed the blond still stunned still. Amused, Axel slipped his hands around the boy's narrow hips and settled them on his rear. "So, Roxas, you wanna hang out sometime?" he asked casually, eyebrow raised.

Starting violently, Roxas turned wild-eyed to the hands behind him. "What the hell are you doing?" he nearly shrieked.

Axel just grinned and leaned his face closer to the blond's. "Just one little date?"

Roxas' face become completely, remarkably red as he coughed and spluttered, seeming unable to make coherent words. Axel smiled cooly and waited for him to compose himself, enjoying the reaction he'd elicited. "No way!" Roxas finally snapped. The bandage was ripped open and slapped onto Axel's sore forehead. Scowling, Roxas jumped to his feet, shaking off Axel's hands, picked up the airplane, and stomped away to a group of others across the grassy field who were watching him and talking to each other.

"I'll see you around, Roxas!" Axel called to his back, amused. "Definitely." All of a sudden, he felt the need to take more sick days.