(A/N): ...Wow. The responses to last chapter blew me away. I'm assuming it was the promise of cake. But seriously, thank you to everyone who reviewed, it made my day. As we are still struggling with an over-abundance of birthday-related junk food, reviewers for this chapter will get ice cream.

Disclaimer: La, la, la, I can't heeeaaarrr you...

Turn Off Your Damn Cell Phone

Cloud was waiting when Roxas got back to his apartment. His half-brother accosted him as soon as he walked in the door.

"Where were you?" Cloud snapped, scowling. Roxas took one look at his expression and realized Cloud was dangerously close to being angry with him – his brother rarely got mad, and Roxas knew he should tread carefully. He made an effort to keep his tone level.

"I went over to Namine's," he said quietly, pushing his hair out of his face. Cloud's scowl deepened as he crossed his arms irritably.

"I've asked you to leave me a message when you're not going to be here," he sighed tiredly. Roxas ducked his head and flushed as he realized Cloud must've been waiting and worrying for at least an hour.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I forgot." Cloud stepped forward and grabbed his arm, expression troubled.

"Roxas, what's going on?" he asked quietly. Roxas hunched his shoulders, staring at the floor.

"I don't wanna talk about it," he muttered. For a second Cloud's grip tightened. When Roxas glanced up, he caught the fleeting expression of frustration on his brother's face before Cloud released him and stepped back, features rearranging themselves into a carefully neutral expression.

"Fine," Cloud breathed. He turned on his heel and marched back to his room. "Can you make dinner yourself tonight, or do you want me to leave you some money?" Roxas raised an eyebrow as he moved away from the door, hanging his jacket in the closet.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously. Cloud poked his head out of his room briefly, a small grin on his face.

"I've got a date," he mumbled, looking both pleased and vaguely embarrassed. He rolled his eyes at Roxas's expression, disappearing back into his room. "What, you think I can't get a date?"

Roxas shook his head and grinned. "I'll just heat some leftovers," he chuckled. Cloud grunted at him from behind his half-closed door. Roxas collapsed on the couch and reached for the remote, intending to lose himself for an hour or two in mindless entertainment.

"Oh." Cloud poked his head back out of his door, buttoning up his suit jacket. Roxas raised an eyebrow at him. Apparently this was some date. "Sora called earlier. He's thinking of flying over for winter break. He wants you to call him back before he talks to his parents about it." Roxas's face split into a wide grin as Cloud crossed the living room and grabbed his jacket from the closet. "I'll be back late – you'd better be in bed when I get home, understand?" Roxas nodded, but he couldn't help smirking.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he snickered. Cloud scowled at him before he pulled the door closed behind him. Roxas couldn't fight a twinge of resentment and jealousy. At least one of them had their life in order.

---

School the next day melded into one monotonous blur. Hayner showed up halfway through the day, but Roxas couldn't muster the energy to feel more than the shallowest relief at his friend's recovery. Namine watched him at lunch, concern written all over her features, but she didn't try to get him to speak.

Roxas dragged himself home in a daze – he immediately lost himself in homework, only emerging from his room to eat. He dug his cell phone out of his backpack and placed it on his nightstand in case Sora tried to call – the brunette was still waiting on permission from his parents to fly over – and buried himself beneath the covers.

The shrill ringing of his cell dragged him out of dreams of an all-consuming fire, and he almost fumbled the phone to the floor before he managed to wrap his fingers around it and bring it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Roxas?"

Roxas's heart stopped for a second, then jumped into his throat and began beating at a frenzied pace. Axel cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Roxas could almost see him drag a hand through his mane of hair. "You there?"

Roxas blinked slowly, waiting for his mind to begin running at the proper speed. "Axel…? What time is it?" he mumbled, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Axel gave a low, uneasy chuckle.

"Uh, twelve-thirty. Somewhere around there, anyway. Shit, you've got school, don't you?" he asked with a sigh. Before Roxas could answer there were sounds of a scuffle on the other end of the line. He thought he heard Axel cry, "Damn it, Larxene, get off," before another familiar voice sounded in his ear.

"Roxas?" Judging by the way she slurred his name, Larxene was probably under the influence of a hefty amount of alcohol. "Hey, kid, what the hell happened between you two?" she cackled. Roxas could hear music punctuated by a heavy bass beat and voices chattering in the background; he thought he could faintly hear what sounded like a furious Axel pursuing the blonde, but he wasn't sure. "Axel's hardly said a word since yesterday and – and when he does, he bites yer head off. Whoops," she sang before Roxas heard another disturbance interspersed with low oaths and high-pitched laughter.

"Go get another drink, Larxene," Axel snarled. "Sorry about that," he muttered to Roxas. "She's drunk." Roxas laughed shakily.

"I noticed," he muttered thickly, turning onto his side and pulling the comforter back over him. There was silence on the line until Axel sighed deeply.

"Look, I said some stuff –"

"It wasn't your fault," Roxas interrupted, feeling his face heat up as he blushed. "I – I was the one who… who kissed you," he finished in a mortified whisper.

"Yeah," Axel sighed. "About that. It – I shouldn't have said that stuff to you, even if it was true. I just…" He trailed off uncomfortably. "I've been going crazy these last few days," he finished roughly. Roxas heard him take a deep breath.

"I know I freaked you out," he said brusquely. "And I'm sorry. But everything I told you is the truth. I do remember things about you, about us, that've never happened. And it's wrong because they keep getting mixed up in my head, and I couldn't help it after I – I saw her kiss you."

"It wasn't just you," Roxas insisted. "I – I kissed you. You didn't force me to do that. And it's confusing every time I see you, but I think – I do want to see you again," he said quietly.

Axel didn't speak right away, and when he did Roxas could hear the nervous smirk in his voice. "You've gotta promise not to jump me like that again, Roxas. I don't seem to have much, ah, self-control when it comes to you."

Roxas groaned in embarrassment, sure his face would burst into flame at any moment. "Sorry," he choked out, squeezing his eyes shut as he buried his head under the comforter. "I just – I remember things, too, I guess. It just – I was – sorry," he finished lamely. Axel's breath hitched for a moment, and he heard the redhead swallow thickly.

"Ok," Axel breathed. "So we can agree there's some strange shit happening here." Roxas nodded his head vigorously, then realized Axel couldn't see the motion.

"Yeah," he muttered hoarsely.

"The point is, I want to see you again," Axel bit out. Roxas couldn't help smiling into the receiver. "And – and I can keep my hands to myself, if it means getting another chance." Roxas laughed softly.

"Axel, I'm the one who jumped you, remember?" he chuckled. Axel was silent for a moment before he burst into raucous laughter.

"Yeah, yeah you were," he grinned, relief evident in his voice. "I've got class tomorrow night, but –"

"What about Saturday?" Roxas interrupted, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice. He could practically see Axel raising his eyebrows and smirking into the phone.

"All right," the redhead chuckled. They settled upon a time and place to meet, then Roxas hung up and returned his phone to the nightstand. His smile didn't fade until long after he'd fallen back asleep.

---

Roxas choked back a moan as Axel slid warm fingers under his shirt, trailing his hands up his sides slowly as his mouth worked feverishly at Roxas's throat.

"I – I thought we agreed to keep our hands to ourselves," Roxas gasped out, raising an eyebrow at the redhead. He felt Axel smirk against his skin before he raised his head and brushed his lips against Roxas's.

"I made every effort," Axel intoned mockingly. Roxas managed a shaky laugh.

"That was a damned short-lived effort," he remarked, reaching out and twining his fingers through Axel's hair. Axel smirked.

"Do you ever shut up?" he asked, eyes narrowing in exasperation. Roxas's answer dissolved into a hiss when Axel's hands dropped and began working at the button of Roxas's jeans. The redhead leaned in and pressed his lips to Roxas's, prying the blond's lips open with gentle pressure and sweeping his tongue inside.

Roxas didn't understand why, after sitting through the entire movie without so much as brushing against each other, Axel couldn't manage the short walk back to the subway. Not that he was complaining, he amended hazily.

They'd met in front of the theater, Axel's relaxed attitude and customary smirk allowing Roxas to let the tension drain from his body. They'd watched the movie in relative silence, solemnly agreeing once the credits began to roll that it had been a monumental waste of money, still decrying the loss of cash that might have been better spent as they left the darkened theater behind.

And then Axel had grabbed him and pinned him to the wall in the alley behind the movie theater, hope and fear warring in his eyes. For once, there had been no voice screaming in Roxas's head, only a quiet certainty; he'd reached up and traced one of the tattoos beneath Axel's eyes, grinning, and Axel had smirked before leaning down and capturing the blond's lips in a possessive kiss.

Roxas moaned loudly as one of Axel's hands slipped beneath the hem of his boxers, fisting his hands in the redhead's hair and arching into his touch. They both froze when the obnoxiously cheerful ring tone of Roxas's cell phone cut through the humid air.

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me," Axel groaned harshly, resting his forehead against Roxas's shoulder. "Ignore it," he whispered roughly, stroking his hand slowly down Roxas's length. Roxas shuddered, but he shook his head, panting heavily.

"Let go, Axel. Please," he whispered, running his hands through Axel's hair. Axel groaned again, biting Roxas's neck punishingly before he pulled away, turning and walking back toward the mouth of the alley.

"I'll be right back," he muttered. "Answer your damn phone." Roxas flushed and buttoned his jeans before he grabbed his phone from his pocket. Shrugging back into his jacket and trying to wrestle his hormones back under control, he leaned against the wall and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Roxas! My parents said I can come visit over winter break!"

Roxas didn't know whether he wanted to grin or groan as the exuberant brunette's voice spilled from the phone's speaker. He settled for a strangled laugh.

"That's great, Sora," he managed, his pulse still pounding loudly in his ears. "Did you tell Cloud yet?"

"No, I wanted to tell you first," Sora grinned, and Roxas could just picture his cousin bouncing in place. "Riku and Kairi might be able to come, too. Oh, but I don't know where they'd stay – d'you think there'd be room for all of us at your apartment? Or maybe we should rent a room at a hotel…" Sora's voice trailed off into silence. "Roxas? Are you ok? You sound really out of breath." Roxas fought the urge to weep hysterically.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was…out jogging," he said lamely, his breath finally beginning to even out.

"Oh," Sora said shortly, and Roxas could tell the brunette didn't know what to make of his answer. "Ok…"

"When are you flying out?" Roxas asked, straightening and pushing his hair out of his face.

"Well, I've gotta talk to Cloud about that," Sora answered cheerfully. "And I don't know if Riku or Kairi are coming yet – Kairi's really excited 'cause she's never seen snow."

"Well, it doesn't always snow," Roxas warned. He saw Axel enter the mouth of the alley out of the corner of his eye, looking decidedly more relaxed as he took a deep drag of his cigarette. Roxas flushed and turned away from him. "Listen Sora, I've gotta go, ok? Why don't you call Cloud and let him know you're coming? Then we can figure out everything else."

"All right," Sora agreed. "I'll talk to you later, Roxas."

"Yeah, bye," Roxas muttered, flipping the phone closed and sliding it back into his pocket. He turned back to Axel, fighting the heat in his cheeks as he stared with rapt fascination at the tops of his shoes. "Sorry about that," he mumbled. Axel sighed heavily.

"You're killing me, kid," he said tiredly, taking another deep drag on his cigarette. Roxas twitched and felt the heat build from the base of his neck to his hairline. Axel reached out and wrapped him in a rough hug, resting his chin on top of Roxas's head. "It was my fault, too," he muttered. "Shouldn't have jumped you like that." Roxas smirked.

"Well, I guess now we're even," he sighed, burrowing his cheek into Axel's chest. The redhead chuckled, running his free hand through Roxas's hair.

"Guess so," he murmured, giving Roxas a quick squeeze before he pulled away. "C'mon, I'll take you home." Roxas frowned at the note of finality in Axel's voice.

"Can I see you again tomorrow?" Roxas asked. Axel turned and looked at him, expression unreadable. Roxas stared back, striving to keep his expression just as impassive.

Axel dropped his cigarette to the pavement and ground it beneath his shoe. "You sure that's a good idea?" he asked softly, running a hand through his hair. "Things are getting a little out of hand here, Roxas. I was ready to fuck you in a back alley. You would've let me fuck you in an alley."

"Please," Roxas said quietly, surprised by his own boldness. "One more time, and then if you never wanna see me again, I won't bother you. I just don't want things to end like this." He ducked his head. "If you get uncomfortable, I'll leave. Just dinner, conversation, and I'll leave, I promise."

Axel tilted his head to the side, studying Roxas narrowly. "You're lying," he growled. Roxas didn't answer him, staring back impassively. Axel walked back up to him, gripping his shoulders tightly. "You're fucking lying, Roxas," he grated out harshly.

Roxas reached up and brushed a stray piece of hair back behind Axel's ear. The redhead shuddered and groaned, and for a moment Roxas thought he would kiss him again, but Axel shoved Roxas away from him and retrieved a pen and scrap of paper from his pocket. He scribbled something furiously, then flung the paper at Roxas. Turning on his heel, he marched back to the mouth of the alley, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Roxas waited until Axel had disappeared around the corner to bend and retrieve the scrap of paper. Axel's address was scribbled across it in an uneven hand. Beneath it was a terse note: Turn your damn cell phone off before you come over. Roxas smiled softly as he tucked the paper into his pocket.

---

Roxas stared up at the plain apartment complex and double-checked the address Axel had scribbled. Confirming he was in the right place, he stepped up to the stairs and pressed the buzzer for apartment 3C. The intercom crackled and Axel's voice filtered through the static.

"Hello?"

"It's me," Roxas said quietly. Axel was silent for a moment before the intercom crackled again.

"You should go home, Roxas," he said tersely. Roxas scowled at the speaker.

"I won't," he said flatly. The intercom remained silent, but the buzzer sounded and Roxas pushed through the door and headed for the stairs. As he drew closer to the third floor he coughed, wondering vaguely why he smelled smoke.

The answer presented itself when Axel answered the door – the redhead's face was covered with streaks of what looked like soot, and he was gripping a fire extinguisher in one hand. Roxas winced as what sounded like a small explosion erupted from the direction of what he assumed to be the kitchen.

"Roxas," Axel said blandly. "How do you feel about pizza?"

---

After helping Axel clean the worst of the mess in the kitchen and dumping the blackened carcass of something in the outdoor trash, Roxas headed to the bathroom to wash up while Axel called out for the pizza. Rinsing the mess from his hands and arms, Roxas caught and held his gaze in the mirror. Wiping a hand distractedly across his cheek, Roxas started when Axel banged on the door.

"C'mon Roxas, I need in there. I smell like a dead animal," he groaned. Roxas grinned at his reflection before quickly drying his hands on a towel and opening the door. Axel pushed past him, muttering, "It's about time." Roxas's grin just widened as he rambled back into the living room and took a seat on Axel's couch.

Axel wandered back in a few minutes later, running his hands through his hair in a distracted manner. "I don't know what you like on your pizza, so I got cheese," he muttered, throwing himself into the armchair adjacent to the couch. Roxas smiled.

"Cheese is fine," he said. Axel grunted and stretched his legs out in front of him, reaching for the remote and flipping through the channels blindly. Roxas fidgeted uncomfortably, but Axel didn't speak again until the buzzer rang.

After he'd paid the delivery guy and brought the pizza to the coffee table, he smiled for the first time since Roxas had arrived. Grabbing two slices for himself, Axel gestured at the pie. "Dig in," he said with a grin.

Roxas took a slice, but instead of eating, he surreptitiously watched Axel. He cringed when he noticed the tightness in Axel's shoulders, the way his throat clenched when he swallowed his food. The redhead tore through his two slices in no time, only noticing when he reached for a third that Roxas had barely touched his food.

"What's wrong?" he asked, brows drawing down over his eyes. "Don't you like it?" Roxas shook his head miserably.

"It's fine," he said. "I just – I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry, Axel. You were right. I'm – I'm gonna go, ok?" He stood abruptly, placing his half-eaten slice back in the box before he began to brush past Axel. The redhead snared his arm as he tried to walk past.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked stiffly. "You said you wanted this." Roxas closed his eyes, clenching his hands into fists.

"I know," he whispered. "I know. I'm sorry, I just – you were right. This thing is just – just too weird, and I'm sorry, but I can't sit here and pretend that I – I –"

"You what?" Axel demanded softly, his fingers tightening around Roxas's arm. Roxas swallowed thickly, uselessly tugging his arm against Axel's grip. He knew he'd pushed Axel into letting him come over, and it was killing him that Axel was so uncomfortable – and damn it, he knew things were happening too fast between them, but he didn't care, because –

"Don't lie to me, Roxas."

Roxas ran his free hand through his hair savagely before he turned on the redhead.

"That I don't want to do this!" he cried desperately before pressing his lips to Axel's in a bruising kiss. Axel gasped, his lips parting slightly, and Roxas shoved his tongue into the redhead's mouth. For a timeless second, Axel didn't react, staring up at Roxas with wide eyes; then he groaned in the back of his throat, grip tightening around Roxas's arm before he dragged the younger boy down on top of him.

Roxas grunted in surprise as he collided with Axel's chest, but he scrambled up to capture the redhead's lips again, sitting up and straddling his lap. Axel moaned as Roxas began to grind against him, biting at the blond's lips as he wrapped his arms around him. Axel reached up, fisting his hands in Roxas's hair as he slipped his tongue past his lips. Roxas moaned desperately as Axel slid down in his seat, wrapping an arm around Roxas's waist and pulling his hips forward, keeping the other hand fisted in his hair as the redhead's tongue wrapped around his own. Axel bucked upward sharply and Roxas dug his nails into his shoulders with a groan.

Roxas pushed downward, moving against Axel in abrupt, deliberate motions as their tongues continued to slide over and against one another, silently begging the redhead to understand – he wanted, he needed –

Axel sat up, grabbing the back of Roxas's thighs and wrapping the blond's legs around his waist as he stood. Roxas cinched his arms around Axel's neck as the redhead stumbled toward his bedroom. Roxas groaned in protest when Axel broke the kiss to fumble with the door, biting at the redhead's neck impatiently as Axel swore softly above him.

Axel finally got the door open and stumbled over to the bed, Roxas unclenching his legs from his waist as he was pushed down against the sheets. Axel gazed down at him, face flushed. "Are you ok?" he asked. "We can stop." Roxas shook his head desperately, trying to drag Axel's face back down for another kiss, but the redhead's intense gaze didn't waver. "Roxas, have you ever done this before?" he asked, panting softly.

Roxas flushed and looked away, scowling. Above him, Axel froze, then let loose a harsh bark of laughter before he sat back and turned away from him, tangling his fingers in his hair. "God, Roxas, what the hell are we doing?" he whispered desperately.

Roxas drew himself up and wrapped his arms around Axel's shoulders. "We're doing what's right," he muttered, smoothing a few stray strands of hair back from Axel's cheek. He closed his eyes as fragments of his dreams washed over him. "I have done this before – with you." Axel groaned and wiped one hand tiredly over his face.

"We're insane," he muttered shakily. "You know that, don't you? We're both fucking insane." Roxas didn't answer, only tightened his hold on the redhead's shoulders. Axel laughed harshly, the sound perilously close to a sob, before he turned and pushed Roxas back down onto the bed.

Climbing on top of him, Axel pulled Roxas's shirt up over his head before discarding his own, leaning down to capture Roxas's lips in a long kiss. Roxas arched and moaned as Axel's hands moved across his chest, long fingers splaying over his ribs and stroking along his sides. He rubbed a thumb teasingly across one hardened nipple, smirking against Roxas's lips when he gasped into his mouth.

Roxas let his hands roam freely across Axel's chest and stomach, memorizing the feel of the redhead's skin beneath his hands, the bunching and shifting of muscle as Axel began to rock against him in a slow, deliberate rhythm.

"A – Axel…" Roxas threw his head back as Axel continued to grind against him, squirming when the redhead grazed his teeth along his throat. "Please…"

Axel pressed a warm kiss against his neck before he sat back. Roxas scrambled to discard his jeans and boxers as Axel slipped out of his own, coloring slightly when Axel pressed a hand against his chest and gently pushed him back to the mattress. Axel pressed a kiss to Roxas's lips before he reached for a jar of lotion on the bedside table. He crouched between Roxas's legs, gently shifting them out of the way. He glanced up at Roxas.

"You sure you're ready?" he asked softly. Roxas nodded, swallowing thickly. Axel kissed the inside of his thigh before he carefully pressed a lube-covered finger into him.

Roxas closed his eyes and groaned, trying to decide whether he liked the new sensation or not. Axel watched him closely, waiting until some of the tension had drained from his expression before slipping in a second finger.

"I'm ok," Roxas gasped. "I'm ok, Axel, please." Axel leaned forward, carefully draping Roxas's legs over his shoulders.

"This is gonna hurt," he murmured, biting at Roxas's neck gently. "It's gonna hurt, but the pain doesn't last, ok? Just try to concentrate on something else."

Roxas clenched his teeth as Axel pressed into him, a thin hiss of pain escaping before he could stop it. He closed his eyes as Axel kissed his shoulder in silent apology, digging his fingers into Axel's arms.

Roxas gave an involuntary start when Axel bit down on his earlobe. Axel groaned harshly at the movement and rocked against him, but stilled himself at Roxas's cry of pain. "Fuck," he whispered raggedly. Roxas could feel him trembling. Axel took a deep breath, lifting his eyes to meet Roxas's. "You've gotta try to relax, Roxas," he murmured hoarsely. "It won't hurt for long, I promise." He lowered his head and pressed warm kisses against Roxas's taught throat. "I won't move until you're ready, ok? Just relax."

Roxas reached up and buried his hands in Axel's hair as Axel continued to press soft kisses along his throat and jaw, occasionally biting or sucking at the sensitive skin below Roxas's ear. As the pain faded to a dull ache, Roxas pushed Axel's head away and traced the tattoos on his cheeks with trembling fingers. "Ok," he breathed.

Axel pressed a fierce kiss against his lips before he began to move inside him, drawing back and locking his eyes with Roxas's, watching his expression intently. Roxas threw his head back and began to moan as they found a good rhythm, lifting his hips to meet Axel's thrusts. Axel shifted his position and hit something inside of Roxas that caused him to jerk and scream, his nails biting into Axel's shoulders as the same spot was assaulted again and again.

Roxas couldn't help the broken cry that tore its way out of his throat as his world went white. He shuddered, falling away from himself, barely feeling when Axel sank his teeth into his shoulder as he came.

When Roxas could form coherent thought again, Axel was carefully lowering his legs from his shoulders and rolling off of him. The redhead grabbed his discarded shirt and gently cleaned the mess from Roxas's stomach and chest before pulling the blond into a tight hug. "You ok?" he asked softly.

Roxas reached up and ran a hand along Axel's cheek, planting a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. He sighed, wrapping his arms around Axel's waist as he laid his cheek against Axel's warm chest. For the first time since he'd seen the redhead, he was completely at peace.

"Yeah," he whispered, smiling softly as Axel ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I'm ok." He drifted to sleep with the reassuring beat of Axel's heart beneath his ear.