+:AkuRoku - Competition:+

Title: Competition
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Pairing: Axel x Roxas
Style: Romance/Angst/Drama
Warnings: AU.  BoyBoy relationship.  Don't like, leave.

I pressed a kiss to his pink lips, a grin settling on those little addictive candies as I pulled away.  His blonde hair clung to his sweaty forehead as he got out of the bed, heading to my attached bathroom.
"I have to go.  Namine is waiting for me." Roxas calls from the bathroom.  I sigh, but smile anyway.  I'd still see him tomorrow.
"She doesn't suspect does she?" I question, my voice care free.  Roxas snorted as he brushed his teeth.  His blonde hair shook back and forth as he shook his head no.
"Definitely not Axel.  She thinks that we're just really good friends.  Thank her for being naïve." He said, spitting into the sink.  I got up, nodding.  He was combing his hair when I entered the bathroom.  My smirk could not have been wider as I pressed up behind him.  He smiled, I could see his reflection in the mirror.  Tilting his head back, he pressed a kiss to my lips.  The kiss quickly became heated, for I lived off Roxas's addicting taste.  Roxas slowly pushed my hips away, licking at his lips as mine left his.  He smiled and shook his head again.  "Not now Axel.  Namine might show up here, and we don't want that do we?"  Roxas said, his hand feeling tingly against my hip.
"Hnnnnnnnnnnnnn....no, I guess not." I grumbled.  He kissed me again, but quickly drew back before anything could start.  Grinning again, he shoved me back into the bedroom and quickly shut the door to the bathroom. I pounded on the door.  "Dammit Roxas!  At least let me brush my hair!" All my yelling got in return was a loud cheerful bound of laughs.

A few hours later, I was moping over Roxas's departure.  He had left almost thirty minutes after having gotten up, much thanks to me, and I could barely stand how lonely my apartment felt.  I knew I needed cheering up, and I knew the perfect person, besides Roxas, to do that.  Picking up my, surprise surprise, red cell phone, I hit the number 3 speed dial.  I walked into the kitchen, listening to the ringing.
"Hello?" A voice answered from the phone.  I smiled, taking a can of sprite out of the fridge.
"Hey Demyx, it's me Axel.  You busy?" I asked, opening my can with a pop.  There was a small sigh on the other end, signaling I had interrupted something important.
"Actually, I am busy today Axel.  I'm sorry.  I mean, you know.  Zexion is over." Demyx said sadly.  I smiled and laughed.
"No problem Demyx.  I understand.  I mostly wanted to hang out.  Nothing really was planned.  But I'll talk to you later ok bud?" I said, sipping my fizzy drink.
"Ok Axel.  You know, you and Roxas COULD just tell Namine and you would be a lot happier right now." Demyx said.  I twitched.  My friend knew me all too well.  I was always a bit disturbed by that.  Sighing, I hung up on him.  That was the only conversation I didn't want to continue.  Sure, I'd love to tell Namine and finally have my cute little blonde for myself, but I was friends with Namine as well, and I would never do that to her.  I know how much she loves Roxas.  And honestly, I'm scared that someday, he'll love her just as much.  Groaning at my thoughts, I tossed my sprite in the fridge, giving up on being sober, and grabbed a beer.  I collapsed on my bed when I reached my room.  I smiled slightly, remembering what Roxas and I had done earlier, but frowned again when I remembered why we had to stop.  I lay on my bed for a while, staring at the blank white ceiling.  I closed my eyes, trying to hold back my grief.  I gulped down more of my beer, beginning to feel the effect.  It made me feel better.  The beer I mean.  As it killed my brain cells and liver, it made me feel better.  I drank some more, knowing I should stop, but not wanting to.  Eventually I felt better.  I always feel a lot better after a full case of beer.  Yum yum.
I was brought out of my thoughts when someone knocked on my door.  Wincing at the pounding my head retorted with in answer to the door's knocking, I shuffled to the main room.  I opened the door, a small frown on my lips.
"What?" I asked curtly as I opened the door.  To my surprise, Namine was standing there.  Her face was deadly serious and I was, for a moment, afraid she knew what was going on between me and Roxas.  Her face and the fear it brought was enough to slightly sober me up.  "Namine?  Man uhm, come on in." I stepped back letting the petite woman walk in.
"Axel, I need to talk to you." Namine said as she sat on my couch.  I raised an eyebrow and sat on the coffee table.
"Yeah?  What about?" I said, setting down my beer.
"About you and Roxas." She retorted, her face becoming even more serious.  I felt my heart stop.  Oh holy crap.  She knew.  I know she did.  She was coming here to tell me to stay away from her man.
"What do you mean Nami?" I questioned.  Oh, real original Axel.  Play dumb.
"You know what I mean Axel.  I know you guys are really close, but I never would have imagined you guys were doing things behind my back." She said, hurt flashing in her blue eyes.  I gulped and looked away.   "I mean, you guys could have just told me.  If I had known earlier I would never have asked Roxas to date me." She sighed.  "I just wish that I could tell you that I know he loves you and that I'll back off, but I'm sorry.  You guys waited too long to tell me and I'm not giving Roxas up without a fight.  And so far, I'm winning.  I'm a woman, so other people won't stare at us like freaks, I can give him children, and I'm closer to his age.  You Axel, aren't even close to any of those.  It's quite obvious who can and who can't give more.  I just hope you remember that." She stood up, the hurt no longer in her eyes.  They flashed with anger and jealousy as she began to march to my door.
"Namine...." I began.  She held up her hand as she gripped the door knob.
"I don't want to hear it Axel.  Stay away from him, Axel.  If you don't want to get hurt, you'll listen." And with those final words, she was gone.  I just sat on the coffee table, shocked.  Namine had never been that cruel to anyone, proving she was serious about keeping Roxas.  For some reason, I felt tears running down my cheeks.  I'm pretty sure why though.  I knew she was right.  I was what, 5 years older than Roxas and not to mention, male.  Curling over, I began to sob uncontrollably.  I angrily stood up, not bothering to wipe my eyes as I grabbed the vodka.  I had too much beer in my fridge, but this is what I needed.  I needed to just drink it all away.  I popped the cork from the top and began chugging it down.  When I was halfway through the bottle, I could barely sit upright.  I took another swig and that cinched it.  A soft thud of the bottle hitting the floor was the last the I heard as I fell to the ground, my world blacking out.

Roxas heard Namine enter the door.  He leaned out and smiled at her, but it quickly faded as he saw her grim face.
"You aren't going to see Axel anymore Roxas." Her blue eyes were cold as she glared at him.  Roxas's jaw dropped, shock on his face.
"Wait...what?   Why?!  Namine-"  Roxas stood up, but Namine pushed him back down.
"WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST TELL ME BEFORE I GOT SERIOUS?!" She screamed.  Roxas just stared up at her, confusion and fear on his face.
"Namine....How did you find out?"  Roxas asked.  She glared at him, then sat next to him on the couch.
"I....I saw a letter in your sock drawer when I did laundry." Namine said.  "I know it is incredibly cliché but it was a letter to Axel, from you, about a night you two spent together.  At first I thought it was from a while back but, it was only from a week ago." Namine's sentence became garbled as tears streaked down her face.  Roxas hugged her, not knowing anything else to do.  She cried into his shoulder, sobbing violently.  Sighing, Roxas pulled away.
"Namine, will you at least let me talk to Axel about what's going on?  Maybe if we all talk together we can figure out what will happen." Roxas suggested.  Namine nodded.
"T-That's fine.  I need to apologize to him anyway.  I said such mean things because I...I was so mad." Namine shook her head in shame.  Roxas nodded and stood up.  Though outside he looked calm, inside he was fighting a huge battle.  He loved Axel, but he didn't want to hurt Namine anymore than she was.

When the two arrived at Axel's apartment, they could sense something was wrong.  There was no music, no noise at all, coming from the redhead's apartment.  Axel was always sure to have something on, even if he wasn't home because he hated silence.  Roxas grabbed the key from under the doorbell pad and unlocked the door.  The two blonde's burst in and were completely shocked at what they found.  On the floor was Axel, unconscious, and a half empty vodka bottle next to him.   Namine gasped and ran over to him, following Roxas who was already by the redhead's side.
"Holy crap Axel!" Roxas shook Axel, tears forming in his eyes when he saw Axel's chest barely rising and falling.  Roxas could feel the tears begin to leak as he hugged Axel close to him.  "Axel!" Roxas cried, now sobbing.  Namine watched him, sudden realization washing over her.  She pulled out her cell phone and called an ambulance.  Reporting Axel's condition, she ended the phone call by kneeling next to Roxas.  Roxas was still crying when he looked over at her.  She smiled at him, confusing the blonde.
"I give up Roxas.  Even if I am closer to your age and I am female, I don't stand a chance against Axel.  You love him.  I should have seen it earlier but I was blinded by love to see the connection between you two.  I mean, you two have been together since you were kids.  I should have seen it." Namine shook her head, relief suddenly washing over her.  She smiled at the ceiling, tears of joy and sadness falling down her cheeks.  Each drop was illuminated in the light of Axel's apartment.  When the ambulance arrived, the small jewels were lit up even more.  Roxas gripped Axel's form, crying as well.

*-*-

Axel lay in the hospital bed a few weeks later, fully recovered.  He was frowning, glaring at the food on his tray.  Roxas sat next to him, a smile on his face.
"I don't know why they had to keep me here so long, it's not like it was that bad." Axel said, poking at the mush with his fork.  Roxas gasped and lightly punched Axel's arm.
"You nearly drank yourself to death!  LITTERALY!" Roxas said, a small grin spreading on his lips.  Axel just smiled and rolled his eyes.

Though everything had worked out in those few weeks, Axel and Roxas knew there were still going to be hard times coming towards them.   But, this time, they were completely together to face them.