Kingdom Hearts 1. Chapter 1

"Roxas, we are not getting a puppy," Axel groaned, watching his blond partner admire the puppies in the local pet shop's window.

"But Axel," Roxas pleaded. His blue eyes widened and his lower lip quivered slightly. The little jerk knew that Axel weakened at that face.

Axel ran a hand through his spikey red hair, his green eyes rolling skywards. He wasn't sure they could really afford a puppy at the moment. Roxas was a full-time student and the band Axel was in was only getting small gigs right now. He blamed Demyx partially for that. If that sitar-playing hippie would show up to practice once in a while, Saix would probably have an easier time booking them shows that weren't in bars in crappy areas.

"Do we have the money for that?" he asked. Roxas's face fell and he stared longingly at the little brown lab , who was far more energetic than the others.

"Besides, who would take care of it? I have practice and a job, and you have school and a job." It was hard enough for them to find time for each other, let alone a puppy.

Roxas's lips twisted into a frown, which Axel knew was him coming up with a plan. That was almost never good.

"I've been making a lot of good tips lately. I have the money, and my schedule for school has slowed down a bit. Please Axel, I'll even let you pick it out." Roxas folded his hands in front of himself, turning on the big eyes again.

Axel stared at the shorter boy for a few minutes before groaning in defeat. "Fine, fine, lemme just call the landlord and make sure it's okay."

An hour later and Axel was watching Roxas carry the squirmy brown fluffball back to their apartment. He had been banking on their landlord to deny them the puppy. Then he could claim his hands were tied and not be the bad guy. He hated being the bad guy with Roxas. And he couldn't lie to Roxas for fear it'd come up in conversation later. Roxas was far too friendly with their neighbors.

"So what are you going to name that thing?" he asked, eyeing the furball.

"I dunno, any suggestions?" Roxas looked up from the dog to Axel.

A list of names popped up into Axel's mind; some were simple, like Trouble, and others were far less appropriate. He bit back those names and instead answered with, "Fluffy."

"Fluffy," Roxas said flatly, giving Axel a look. Axel shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You asked for a name, didn't say it had to be a good one." Axel shifted his arms slightly so that the plastic bags filled with supplies from the pet store weren't cutting into his arms as much. They'd gotten mostly basic supplies for the dog. It hadn't been very cheap even though they'd tried to stay in budget. Axel figured he could fish through the recycling dumpster behind their building for some newspaper. Those things were way too expensive to buy for just a doggie toilet.

Roxas held the puppy up to meet its gaze. The puppy just kind of stared at him while he scrutinized it. Axel chuckled at the seriousness of Roxas's expression.

"Hmm, well, I think he looks like a Rascal," the blond finally decided.

"Now that I agree with," Axel laughed, loving the way Roxas's face lit up.

"Then Rascal it is!" Roxas said, reaching up on his tip toes to try and kiss Axel's cheek. With as short as he was compared to the redhead, he managed to awkwardly reach Axel's neck just a little below his chin. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank the landlord," Axel chuckled as he leaned down and kissed Roxas softly on the lips. He was caught by surprise when Rascal leapt up in Roxas's hands and licked the bottom of Axel's chin. The redhead pulled away and stared at the happy puppy.

"Aww, he likes you!" Roxas gushed.

"He's just sucking up before he trashes our apartment," Axel grumbled even though he couldn't keep the smile off of his face. The little guy was cute, like Roxas. Maybe he'd grow on Axel...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, because I got a lot of positive feedback this week (and because I was able to build up my buffer zone for posting) I figured I could break my once a week posting schedule and put up a second chapter as a sort of Halloween present to any followers waiting for another part. So, thank you for reading and please enjoy!**

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><p>Roxas got Rascal's stuff set up when they got back to the apartment. The dog's section was a little corner in what could be considered their living area. The food and water dishes were full and next to Roxas's bookcase against the wall. Then there were also some old blankets neither used anymore bundled into a sort of nest for Rascal to sleep in. Axel contributed some stolen newspapers and hoped the puppy would know what to do.<p>

As soon as Roxas set Rascal down, the puppy got right to walking around the apartment, sniffing everything he could get near. Axel kept an eye on him while Roxas finished setting up Rascal's corner.

"No!" Axel said as Rascal squatted in the hallway. "No, no, no, no, no!" He ran over to grab the puppy.

But Axel was too late to stop Rascal. The puppy sniffed the puddle before looking up sweetly at Axel.

"No, bad," Axel snapped and grabbed the soft pup, taking him back to the newspaper. He plopped the puppy down and told him, "This is where you do your business." Rascal tilted his head to the side, eyes wide and innocent. "Don't give me that look. It works for him, not for you." He jerked his thumb in Roxas's direction.

Roxas looked up and noticed the puddle on the floor. "Oops! I'll clean that up!" he said, heading to the tiny kitchen to get some paper towels.

"Yeah, you'll need to house train your dog," Axel grumbled, in a sour mood. The puppy was cute, he could admit that, but he kinda wished the landlord hadn't let them get the dog.

Rascal hopped off of the paper and returned to his sniffing. Axel sighed and plopped onto the couch, suddenly exhausted. Roxas hopped up next to Axel, snuggling into his side, where he fit perfectly. Axel wrapped his arm around Roxas's shoulders, pulling him closer. He leaned his head down slightly to kiss Roxas's forehead, then his lips.

Roxas shifted so that he was in Axel's lap, facing the redhead, arms wrapped around his neck. Roxas seized control. fingers tangling in Axel's hair, pulling him closer. Axel's arms wrapped around Roxas's torso, hands keeping Roxas's face near him.

A loud, shrill barking broke them apart. The two looked over at where Rascal stood near the door, yapping away at it. Axel sighed as Roxas got up to try and calm the puppy down.

"Hey!" Axel snapped. "Shut it!"

"Don't be so mean, Axel," Roxas said, picking up the now quiet puppy.

"It wasn't mean; it was stern." Axel shifted to a more relaxed position on the couch.

"Say you're sorry," Roxas insisted, holding Rascal out so that he was nose to nose with Axel.

"I am not apologizing for teaching the dog not to be a little terr-" Axel got cut off when Rascal licked his nose. "See? He's okay with me disciplining him."

Roxas's lips twisted in a frown and he turned Rascal around to face him. Rascal's mouth fell open and his tongue lolled out in a puppy grin.

"You wanna take him out for a walk and I'll get us a pizza?" Axel asked, pulling out his phone.

"Sure!" Roxas said, tucking Rascal under one arm like a furry little football while he went to get the leash and collar. The puppy was outfitted with his collar and led out of the apartment by Roxas.

Axel watched them go and speed-dialed the pizza place. They were regular customers and always ordered the same thing so he didn't have to do much more than say hi to the girl working. He had the money ready by the time the delivery guy arrived. Roxas got back about the same time, and appeared to have trouble reigning Rascal in as the puppy ran up to sniff his new friend.

"Sorry about that, Sora," Axel said, scratching the back of his head as Rascal took particular interest in the brunet boy's shoes.

"What? Nah, he's fine." The boy crouched down, offering his hand for Rascal to sniff. The puppy all but ignored the opportunity, bounding over to get petted. Sora laughed, scratching Rascal behind the ears.

Afterwards, Sora left and Axel and Roxas sat back on the couch to eat their pizza. Axel admitted that he was happy to have this bit of normalcy.

"Roxas," he groaned. "Don't feed him." He could do nothing but watch as Roxas handed Rascal a piece of sausage.

"But, Axel, look at how cute he's being!"

"You're gonna make him fat or gassy."

"He's behaving! Watch." Roxas peeled another piece of sausage out from under the cheese. He screwed his face up in a serious expression and said, "Rascal, sit."

Rascal's mouth fell open and he shook his butt, tail wagging happily. When Roxas didn't give him the meat quickly enough, Rascal climbed up so that his huge paws rested on Roxas's knees. Roxas grinned and gave the puppy the piece of sausage.

"You can't just give him treats if he doesn't behave," Axel said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Roxas was going to spoil this dog rotten.

"But he's being so cute," Roxas said, just barely pulling his slice of pizza away from Rascal's searching nose.

Axel sighed and sat back, keeping an eye on the two. Now he had two times the trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

Axel woke up with a furball on his face. He'd fallen asleep with Roxas snuggled against him and it appeared as though Rascal had decided that he wanted to play sleep mask that night.

He plucked Rascal off of his face, putting the puppy down on his pillow. Rascal stretched out, pushing Roxas's face with his paws while he yawned. Axel sighed at how cute the two were while he went to make coffee and breakfast.

Unfortunately, due to their work schedules, they didn't have time for anything incredibly fancy. Well, okay, Axel didn't have the cooking skill for anything fancy. So scrambled eggs it was.

While he was frying those up, he heard a soft thud followed by the soft clicking of nails on the hardwood floor. He turned and saw as Rascal loped in, brighter and perkier than anyone should be this early in the morning.

The puppy gave Axel that doggy grin and put his paws on Axel's leg, his brown eyes wide and pleading.

"Oh, no, you are not getting food from me." Axel waved the spatula at Rascal, accidentally flinging a few pieces of egg on the floor. The puppy noticed the food and grabbed it up before Axel could retrieve it from him.

"Yeah, yeah, I lied. Don't expect any more," Axel sighed, keeping an eye on the dog to hopefully prevent any accidents.

Not long after that, Roxas stumbled into the room, making a b-line for the coffee maker. Axel chuckled, putting the eggs on two plates.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Axel said, scarfing down his eggs so that he could walk Rascal before he had to leave for work. There was no way Roxas would be awake enough for that.

Eggs gone-quite a few caught by the dog-Axel grabbed the leash and got Rascal ready for the walk. Already, the puppy knew the leash meant walks and was unable to contain his puppy excitement.

Rascal practically pulled Axel out of the apartment. Outside, the puppy was quick to go about sniffing everything. Axel watched, bag ready on his hand to pick up after the puppy.

He didn't realize how tangled in the leash he was until he took a step and fell flat on his face. Rascal was there, sniffing and licking Axel's face while the redhead tried to get untangled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he said, finally getting to stand back up. "C'mon, let's just finish your business and go home."

Rascal seemed more than happy to continue their walk. It passed without much incident-well, except for Rascal getting himself tangled in his leash almost to the point of immobility. Axel had to try and free the little furball as he squirmed and whined, and a squirmy puppy was a difficult puppy. At least he didn't bite...

Once Rascal was free, they returned to the apartment. Roxas was fully dressed and almost ready to leave when they returned. Rascal bounded up to the blond, acting like he hadn't seen him in ages and covering the boy's face in kisses.

Roxas laughed, flopping Rascal's ears around playfully. Rascal's eyes closed in happiness, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

"Hey boy," Roxas cooed. "You're gonna be good today, right? We'll be back later. You be good." The blond picked the puppy up and put him on the pile of blankets next to the newly filled food and water dishes. He gave the puppy a stuffed toy, enticing him to play with it before backing away.

Once he and Axel were safely outside the apartment, the blond loked up and grinned. "He was good on the walk?"

"Yeah, little guy took me down once or twice," Axel chuckled.

Roxas laughed. "He got you too, huh." Then he sobered slightly. "I hope he's okay today..."

"He'll be fine. He has the stuffed bunny to keep him busy," Axel assured. "It's only going to be a few hours while I'm at work and then I can keep him company while you're at school." He ruffled the blond's spikey hair, laughing when Roxas batted his hand away.

"I guess..." Roxas trailed off. He was quiet for the rest of their walk to work.

The two worked at a café, which was actually where they'd met. Axel was a server and Roxas was a barista at the coffee bar inside. Axel'd had to train Roxas to use the computer system when the blond had been new. That'd been when they'd hit it off, but they hadn't started dating until a few months later when Roxas had shown up to one of Axel's gigs. Five months later, they had moved in together and had been living together for the past two years.

Once they got to the café, Roxas headed immediately for the coffee bar, adjusting the collar of his black uniform shirt. Axel smiled as he watched the blond take over the station, jumping into action. He loved watching Roxas interact with the customers, he was so good at it.

Axel sighed and headed into the back to get his notepad and clock-in for work. He did not enjoy dealing with customers, which was probably why he didn't get very good tips... Whatever, it wasn't like he planned on being a waiter forever.

He tied his hair back before he returned to the dining room to take care of his tables. On the way, he passed the manager's office, where Saix was at the desk, making the next week's schedule. The blue-haired man looked up as if sensing Axel's presence.

"Shouldn't you be taking care of customers?" he asked, raising a blue eyebrow at Axel.

"Is it wrong to say 'hi' on my way up?" Axel folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe.

"No," Saix sighed. "I wanted to talk to you anyway. We have a gig on Friday. It's a dive downtown but it's paying fairly well. Can you try and relay this to Demyx?"

"I'll see what I can do." Axel nodded. They really needed to find a replacement for the sitar player. It was always hard to get in touch with him. He was like a cat, coming and going as he pleased.

With that, Axel headed up front and started his shift. Occasionally, he'd look over at the coffee bar and Roxas would smile and wave at him if he wasn't busy. Axel admitted that they probably shouldn't have been flirting on the job, but as long as they did their jobs well, it wouldn't matter too much.

Roxas's break was about the same time that Axel's shift ended. The two met in the break room while Axel returned his things to his locker.

"So, you headed home?" Roxas asked, hopping up to sit on the table in the middle of the room.

"Yeah, Rascal probably needs a walk." And Axel wanted to do as much damage control as he could. Every second the puppy was alone was another opportunity for him to destroy something or make a mess.

"See you tonight?" Roxas asked.

""Yupp, as soon as band practice is over." Axel leaned over Roxas, kissing the blond softly on the lips.

"Looking forward to it," the blond said when they pulled away.

"Not too much, I hope. Wouldn't want you getting in troube for daydreaming about me," Axel chuckled, laughing harder when Roxas's cheeks turned pink and he stuck his tongue out at Axel. Axel ruffled the blond's spikes and left.

He made sure to get back to the apartment quickly, dreading what he would find when he got there. He hoped that, at the very least, Rascal hadn't been very noisy and disturbing the neighbors for the few hours they'd been gone. Shoot! He'd left the leash in a spot that had been easy to reach! Please let the dog be alive. Roxas would kill him if the puppy'd hurt itself.

He bolted up the stairs, cursing when his hands fumbled with the keys at the door. He finally got the door opened and burst into the apartment.

"Rascal!" he called, his heart freezing in his chest until he heard a thump from the bedroom followed by the rapid clicking of nails on the hardwood. The little brown furball ran towards the redhead, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, eyes wide and happy.

The puppy yipped happily, kind of bouncing at Axel's feet. When Axel crouched down to pet him, he was practically tackled by the puppy and covered in happy puppy kisses.

"Easy, easy, yeah, happy to see you too," Axel chuckled, pulling the puppy off of him and inspecting him for injuries. He was clean, which meant that Axel was safe for today. Tomorrow he'd be better about this and lock Rascal in the bathroom or something.

Axel walked through the apartment, searching for any destruction or messes. Rascal'd had a few accidents and knocked some stuff over-like the trash cans-but there wasn't anything too major. The puppy followed Axel around his search, looking quite pleased with himself. Axel rolled his eyes. He was quite sure that Rascal liked his redecorating.

"C'mon, let's take you out for a walk before you pee somewhere else." Axel grabbed the leash and got Rascal ready, taking him outside.

This time, he was much more conscious of where Rascal was, and managed to remain untangled from the leash. Rascal, however, was not quite so lucky. He somehow managed to get himself tangled up to the point where he gagged for air.

"Jeez, you're just a little ball of trouble, aren't you?" Axel muttered while he freed the puppy. Rascal barely paid him any attention, darting off to sniff a tree. Axel sighed. "A thank you would be appreciated."

The rest of the walk was quite, but Rascal was still full of energy when they returned to the apartment. Axel glanced at the clock, noting that he had time before band practice. Maybe he could work on some music for a new song before then...

Rascal had other ideas.

The puppy hopped up on the couch, whining and pawing at Axel before jumping back down. He repeated this until Axel sighed and gave up trying to write.

"Okay, what do you want?" he asked.

Rascal just gave him an energetic look, shifting from foot to foot. Axel stood up and immediately, Rascal darted a few feet back, still looking happy.

"Fine, I'll play, lemme get a toy..." He ran a hand through his hair and walked over to Rascal's corner, causing the puppy to dart back again.

Axel grabbed a blue, rubber ball from under the blankets and returned to the couch. Rascal ran over to him, looking confused.

"I'm gonna play with you!" Axel said defensively. "I just don't wanna chase you around the apartment." Rascal didn't look moved.

Axel held up the ball, kind of dangling it so that it caught Rascal's eyes. The puppy was entranced, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in excitement. After a second longer, Axel tossed the ball. Rascal took off, his floppy ears flying up and down as he went.

The puppy couldn't slow down quickly enough as he neared the ball, sliding into the wall with a soft thud. Axel leaned over to see if the puppy was okay. Rascal was back on his feet after barely a second, running back to Axel.

The ball was too big for the puppy's small jaws and he dropped it more than once. Every time, his face would light up and he would chase the ball, trying to snap it up again.

Finally, Rascal managed to get the ball to Axel, dropping it at the redhead's feet. Axel chuckled, grimacing when he picked up the slobbery ball. He hated slobber; it was really gross.

He tossed the ball and the cycle continued. He couldn't help the smile on his face as he watched how excited and happy Rascal looked chasing the ball all around the apartment.

When he had to leave for band practice, Axel moved Rascal's stuff to the bathroom, where he closed the puppy in.

By the time Axel got to the front door, he heard the soft whines and scratching on the bathroom door. He didn't respond, knowing it would only make things worse. Rascal would realize that he wasn't coming back and would calm down eventually.


	4. Chapter 4

Axel went to Saix's apartment across town. Saix had always been able to live comfortably, probably due to his far better work ethic than most of their friends. His apartment was spotless and organized, almost to the point of sterility. The furniture and walls were mostly white but there were small shoots of color here and there, mostly in reds and blues.

He left his shoes by the door, noting that the others had beat him there. Thinking it was best to not keep them waiting, he padded back to the practice room.

Saix was tuning his guitar before he plugged it into an amp. Zexion was testing his keyboard and Larxene was perched on an amp, messing around with her guitar. Axel once again wondered why they didn't just kick Demyx out of the band. Honestly, they were much more cohesive and porbably sounded better without him.

Axel sat down in a chair, pulling it a little closer to Larxene than Saix. Even though they were still friends, things were still weird between Axel and Saix after they'd broken up. Dating Roxas had made it weirder for a time because Axel was pretty sure Saix hadn't quite moved on. Things were slowly getting better but Axel didn't want to push his luck.

"So what's the set list for Friday?" Axel asked Saix. The blue-haired man tossed a paper over to the redhead. Axel examined the list of songs and nodded, returning it to his friend. It was easy enough and their best songs, nothing new.

Axel tried to keep his mind on the music, but he was distracted, worrying about Rascal. There wasn't much he could get into in the bathroom, but it didn't stop Axel's erratic thoughts. Because of him, they had to practice longer than usual, just to make sure they had everything down. By the time they were done, Axe was mentally and physically exhausted.

Walking home, he felt a bit dead on his feet. He still made it back fairly quickly though, looking forward to a nice hot shower, and relaxing on the couch with some-

"Peanut butter!" Roxas cheered, holding up a plastic grocery bag to show Axel.

"Um, why?" the redhead asked as Rascal bounded over to him, looking so happy to see him. Axel leaned down to pet the puppy, who licked his hand.

"Haven't you ever seen a dog eat peanut butter?" Roxas chuckled, taking the jar out of the bag and cracking it open.

"Can't say that I have..." Axel watched Roxas dip two of his fingers and kneel down. Rascal ran over to see what Roxas was offering him.

Roxas pried Rascal's mouth open and smeared the peanut butter on the roof of the puppy's mouth and stepped back. Rascal looked up, seeming confused as he flicked his tongue out over and over to try and clean the peanut butter from his mouth.

Axel chuckled as he watched. Roxas joined in the laughter as he put the jar away and washed his hands off.

Rascal continued trying to get rid of the peanut butter for ten minutes before finally succeeding. He padded over to Roxas, searching for another treat. Roxas chuckled and patted Rascal's head, ruffling the puppy's ears.

"So, how were classes?" Axel asked, grabbing the rubber ball and getting Rascal's attention. He wanted to tire the puppy out before they went to sleep.

"They were fine," Roxas said with a shrug. "Y'know, classes. How was practice? You usually beat me home."

"It was fine; we just wanted to get everything right for Friday." Axel watched Rascal chase the ball and once more struggle to bring it back. His lip curled when he retrieved the slobber covered ball. Rascal waited expectantly, tail wagging so hard it shook his little body, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.

Axel tossed the ball again, feeling a small smile on his lips as the puppy thundered after the ball. Roxas chuckled and Axel looked up.

"What?" Axel asked, knowing by the sound of Roxas's laugh that the blond was laughing at him.

"You're warming up to him," Roxas said, nudging Axel with his elbow as he plopped on the ground next to the redhead.

"Am not," Axel scoffed, cheeks heating slightly.

"You so are!" Roxas laughed and pecked Axel on the cheek. "I think it's cute."

Axel's response was to press his lips together, even as they curled up slightly in a half-smile.

Twenty minutes later, Rascal was looking ready to fall over right then and there. Roxas picked up the puppy and placed him on his pile of blankets. Then, he and Axel retreated to the bedroom, using the time to catch up.


	5. Chapter 5

And so the routine began that week, until Friday. Axel had to admit that he was nervous for the gig later. He purposely hadn't told Demyx about it in the hopes that they would sound better without him. All he needed now were his lucky boxers-nicknamed the Hot Pants by Roxas because of the flame pattern on them-which he'd left over on the-

"Rascal!" he snapped as the puppy ran past, the boxers in his mouth. Axel managed to catch up when the fabric tripped the puppy. He grabbed the boxers, but Rascal wasn't quite done playing.

Rascal growled playfully, teeth locking into the fabric, and he tugged back. Axel moved to grab the puppy's face in the hope of prying his jaws open. Rascal shrank back, still growling, still holding on securely to the boxers.

"No! Let go!" Axel said through gritted teeth.

That's when he heard the rip. He let go, knocking Rascal over in the process. There, right between the legs of the boxers, was a large hole. Axel just stared at it, his mind going blank.

What was he going to do? Those were his lucky boxers. He needed those. He couldn't sew to save his life.

"No! Bad dog!" Axel scolded the puppy, who whimpered softly, looking apologetic. Axel sank to the ground, picking up the "Hot Pants" and staring at that evil hole. There wasn't anything he could do until Roxas got home later. It probably wouldn't be in time to save the gig. The stupid dog had just jinxed the entire performance with this. With out those boxers, Axel's stage presence would drop through the floor.

"This is all your fault," he grumbled at the puppy. Rascal padded over softly, putting his paws in Axel's lap so that his face could be in Axel's.

"Don't be so cute. This is serious business. Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Rascal's tongue lolled out the side of his mouth in that absurdly cute puppy-grin.

"Your stinky breath is not helping matters, you evil little ball of fluff."

Rascal licked Axel's face. Axel groaned and pushed him away gently enough so as not to offend the puppy.

"Don't think this makes up for anything. Roxas is the only one who gets forgiven with kisses."

Rascal stared at Axel for a second before crouching down, his butt raised in the air as he wagged his tail erratically. Axel sighed. He didn't want to play with Rascal right now, but if he had kept the puppy busy earlier, the Hot Pants may have still been intact.

He reached around the puppy and grabbed a rope toy they had gotten him expressly for tug-of-war purposes. He dangled it in front of Rascal's face until the puppy took the bait and grabbed the end of the rope. Playfully growling, the puppy tugged at the rope with all his might to try and free it from Axel's grasp. Axel just kind of sat there, holding on to the rope and occasionally tugging back to keep Rascal's interest.

It was like that, sitting cross-legged on the floor with one hand on his chin while the other held the pull rope, that Roxas found Axel when he came home. Axel looked up at the sound of the door opening. Rascal dropped the rope and darted over to greet the blond, jumping on him and licking his hand.

Roxas chuckled and crouched down to pet Rascal. The blond looked up and smiled at Axel before seeing the serious expression on Axel's face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"That little jerk killed the Hot Pants." Axel shot an accusing glare at the puppy. Rascal seemed to know that Axel's words were about him, and he bounded over to Axel happily. Axel grimaced but pet Rascal's head as Roxas picked up the boxers and examined them.

"It's not too bad," Roxas chuckled. "You're lucky I decided to request a shorter shift today. I'll have these fixed before you have to leave."

Axel watched Roxas disappear down the hallway to get his supplies. The blond returned with a small sewing kid and a pair of reading glasses. Axel loved when Roxas wore those glasses. They made him look so sexy.

Rascal headbutted Axel to regain the redhead's attention. Axel continued to pet the puppy, scratching behind his ears until Rascal laid down and rolled over onto his back so that Axel could rub his belly. Axel didn't focus too much on the puppy though. He was watching Roxas.

The blond's face was relaxed but serious as his blue eyes focused on the hole. His steady hand moved the needle through the fabric and and stitched the problem right up. What would Axel do without Roxas? The blond was always so optimistic, and even if he was a bit of a hothead, he was always able to calm Axel down.

When he was done sewing, Roxas retrieved some more dirty clothes from the bedroom in a basket. "Do you want to do the laundry or walk Rascal?" he asked.

Axel stood up and took the basket. "I got the laundry, thank you." He leaned down and kissed Roxas softly on the lips. The blond wrapped his arms around Axel's neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. Axel chuckled and pulled back. "You're going to make me late. And then Saix will have my butt."

"Wouldn't want that," Roxas laughed. "Cuz your butt is mine." He pecked Axel on the cheek and went to get Rascal suited up for his walk. When the puppy was ready, the two went their separate ways.

Two hours later, Axel was waiting for the dryer to finish. He was going to be cutting it close to the wire. He didn't wait for the dryer to turn off. As soon as the first bell sounded, he had the door open and was shoving the clothes in the basket.

Hot Pants in hand, he dropped the clean laundry on the couch in the apartment, grabbed his stuff and ran. He made it two steps out of the building when a sleek red convertible pulled up next to him.

Saix glanced over the top of his sunglasses, giving Axel the barest hint of a smirk

"Running late as usual, I see," the blue-haired man said. Axel hopped over the door and into the passenger seat, not needing an invitation. Saix wouldn't have driven this way if he wasn't going to offer a ride.

"There was a minor altercation," Axel said as the car sped off. He didn't miss how Saix's interest piqued at that. Perhaps he wasn't as over Axel as Axel'd thought. "We got a puppy and the little monster ripped my lucky boxers. I had to wait for Roxas to mend them and then for the laundry to be done." Axel gave Saix a pointed look, hoping to convey that he and Roxas were doing just fine.

"I see," Saix said, lips curling ever so slightly in a frown as if he were contemplating. "Well, hopefully you're fine to perform tonight. I got word that a talent scout may be coming." Saix's gold eyes slid sideways so that he met Axel's gaze.

"Pfft, I'll be just fine. I only hope that the rest of you can keep up with me." Axel kicked back in the seat, hands behind his head.

Saix laughed. "We'll do our best."


	6. Chapter 6

By the time they got to the bar, Larxene and Zexion were almost completely set up. The blonde girl looked up as the two approached, scowl affixed to her face.

"What took you two boneheads so long?" she demanded, arms folded over her chest.

"Axel had issues with his boxers," Saix said as he went to get his guitar set up.

Larxene grumbled something Axel didn't hear, but he didn't need to hear it. It was probably something along the lines of Axel being a superstitious idiot.

Axel changed his underwear in the bathroom and did a few vocal warmups before he headed back to the tiny stage. After a few sound checks, the band was ready to perform for the steadily filling bar.

"Helloooooo Twilight Town," Axel said into the mic. He noticed the door open followed by the mess of spiky blond hair that wove through the crowd. Axel smiled when Roxas took a stool at the bar so that he had a perfect view of the stage.

"We are the Organization and we are here to rock you!" Axel picked up his tambourines for the first song as he heard the first few chords from Saix's bass.

Axel always got such a rush from performing in front of an audience. And with his lucky boxers repaired, he felt like he could take on the world.

By the end of the first set, he felt like every cell in him was buzzing with energy. Roxas made his way to the stage with water bottles for the bandmates. The blond smiled as he handed the drinks out before he approached Axel.

"You guys are great tonight!" Roxas said, holding out the bottle.

Axel accepted it, taking a drink before replying. "Well, don't tell anyone I said this, but I think the lead singer of the band has a crush on you."

Roxas snorted. "I don't believe you."

Axel leaned down so that his lips were against Roxas's ear. "I bet he's even going to invite you backstage after the show." With that, Axel stuffed his underpants in Roxas's pocket. He snuck a quick kiss onto Roxas's now red cheek and pulled back.

The blond mumbled some form of encouragement to the band as he returned to his seat at the bar.

Axel returned to his position for the second seat. He didn't miss the glare Saix shot his way just before they started. He resisted the urge to roll their eyes. He still considered Saix his best friend. It just hadn't worked out for them. It seemed almost fitting that the song they began with was a love song.

The tune started off a bit faster but about halfway through, it slowed down. As Axel sang, banging one of the tambourines slowly, rhythmically, against his hip, he locked eyes with Roxas, singing only for the blond now.

Roxas held his gaze until the song was over. His face looked red, even in the low light of the bar. Axel winked at him and continued on with the rest of the songs.

By the end of the show, Axel felt pleasantly exhausted as he helped the rest of the band pack up their equipment. Roxas helped, smartly avoiding Saix when he could. Axel would have to talk to the blue-haired man later.

Once everything was packed up into Zexion's van, Axel and Roxas headed home. The redhead wrapped his arm around the blond's shoulders and pulled him close. Roxas snuggled into his side against the cool night air.

They didn't talk much as they walked home. It was a comfortable silence.

When the two arrived at home, they were greeted by happy barking. Roxas let Rascal out of the bathroom and the puppy almost tackled the blond. Once he had finished, the puppy ran to Axel, giving his favorite redhead plenty of kisses.

Axel chuckled, picking up the puppy, who slobbered all over his face.

"Alright, alright, I forgive you for the boxers," Axel said and set Rascal back down. "Just don't let it happen again." Rascal ran around Axel's feet, tripping over his own paws.

"There is no way he'll be tired enough for bed later," Roxas laughed as he cleaned up the bathroom. "Wanna go for a walk?"

Rascal perked up at the mention of a walk, barely sitting long enough to allow Axel to get him collared for the walk. Roxas emerged from the bathroom just as Rascal was tugging Axel to the door.

The two allowed the puppy to lead them out of the apartment. Outside, Rascal went about his usual business of sniffing everything and bounding back and forth.

"So I was thinking, there was a flier for some free obedience training at one of the pet stores," Axel began. "Wanna take Rascal next weekend and make it a date?"

Roxas grinned up at Axel. "Sure! Then we can take him out for ice cream after."

"Only if he's good," Axel smirked, squeezing Roxas's hand. The blond leaned against Axel's shoulder as they enjoyed their walk.


	7. Chapter 7

The next week flew by and in almost no time at all, Axel and Roxas were walking Rascal to the pet store for training. Roxas's hand was warm and comfortable in Axel's, Rascal's leash in Axel's other hand.

Rascal trotted ahead of the two, his tongue hanging out of his mouth happily. Axel had decided that the puppy didn't have any state other than happy.

The pet store was not the one they had gotten Rascal at and was much larger. Rascal noticed the other dogs there for the class and ran over to them, excited to make new friends.

Both men laughed as they were led by the puppy to the group of dog-owners gathered in the back of the store. Rascal went about sniffing the other dogs and hugging Axel with him. When it was time for the class to begin, Axel picked Rascal up and took the squirming puppy to a different spot in the circle so that he wasn't distracting the others.

The instructor was a friendly looking woman with blue hair. With her was a large Rottweiler. Axel had to admit that the dog would have seemed intimidating, if not for that same happy-puppy look Rascal was always wearing.

"Good afternoon, how is everyone?" the woman asked. She was met with a variety of mumbled positives. She smiled. "That's good to hear. My name is Aqua, and this is Bear." She scratched her dog's, Bear's, head, which made his happy look intensify.

"When I first got Bear, he was completely untrained and a bit of a monster, so I will tell you that it may take a while to fully train your dog. But it can be done and it is worth it.

"First I want to talk about rewarding good behavior. There are a variety of ways you can do this, from using treats, or a clicker, or even just petting and encouraging your dogs." She stepped back. "Bear, sit," she said.

Bear plopped down, tail thumping on the tile floor. Aqua clicked a little device and told Bear to stay. she walked away, paused and returned to him. She gave him a small treat and pet his head.

"Okay, so I would assume everyone has brought some small edible treats for your dogs. Let's get those out and we can work on teaching the command 'sit'."

Roxas pulled the treats out of his pocket and Axel put Rascal down. The puppy looked excited as he stared up at the two. He knew what was in the treat bag and apparently that was more interesting than Bear at the moment.

Aqua demonstrated how to start teaching 'sit' and then encouraged the class to practice with their dogs. Axel and Roxas took turns trying to get Rascal to sit. It took them each a few tries because Rascal kept turning around to get at the treat. This dog was too smart for his own good.

After that lesson, Aqua showed how to do a few more simple tricks and gave a very brief explanation of how to discourage negative behavior. With that, class was over. Aqua encouraged the members to come in for the intermediate course-which wasn't free but it wasn't expensive either-as they left.

Axel told Roxas that he was going to get some more supplies for Roxas while the blond went to talk to Aqua. Axel got some more kibble and treats for Rascal, as well as some dental treats that advertised fresher dog breath. With as much as Rascal liked being in their faces, Axel figured they could make him smell better.

On the way to the register, he passed a display with grooming supplies, including shampoo and costumes. Axel examined everything closely. Did Rascal need baths? Roxas brushed him almost daily. It probably wouldn't be too hard to bathe Rascal. Weren't labs supposed to love water?

He grabbed a bottle that said it would help with eliminating and preventing fleas and moved onto the clothes. There were sports jerseys, sweaters and actual costumes. He figured Roxas would love to dress Rascal up but didn't want to pay for something that Rascal would outgrow in a few months.

After paying for the items-including a large clearance sweater for Rascal during winter-Axel returned to where Roxas and Aqua were still talking. Bear was laying on the ground, letting Rascal tug on his ear playfully. Axel couldn't stop the smile on his face at the sight of the puppy and his new friend. He walked up to Roxas and put his arms around the blond's shoulders.

"So do you two think you'll take the intermediate course?" Aqua asked.

"Maybe," Axel said and looked down at Roxas, who shrugged. "Depends on how well we can tame Rascal. He's a bit too clever."

"So I noticed," Aqua chuckled softly. "Just keep at it and you'll get it. He's a good dog, just young." She crouched down and ruffled Rascal's ears. The puppy forgot about Bear for the moment and leaned into her hand.

"Thanks for the class," Roxas said when Aqua was done petting Rascal. "We'll see about that next one."

"Alright, I hope to see you there," she said. Bear stood up, sensing it was time to go, and followed Aqua out of the store.

Axel and Roxas took their leave as well, Rascal trotting happily between them.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken so long to get this up! I don't even know why it took this long but I apologize. Thank you for your patience.**

Rascal liked ice cream. Axel had gotten him a small bowl of vanilla so that the puppy didn't feel left out while he and Roxas had their sea-salt ice cream. The puppy had licked the bowl clean before Axel or Roxas had even finished half of their bars. Then he stared at the two, begging silently with big puppy eyes while they finished.

"Sorry Rascal," Roxas said, petting the puppy's head. "But you can't have this kind. I don't think you can have this much salt." The puppy whined softly, pawing at Roxas's knee.

"I'd get him another bowl but I don't know that so much sugar would be good for him," Axel said around the chunk of ice cream he'd just bitten off of the bar.

"Yeah..." Roxas nodded in agreement, scratching Rascal behind the ears, working his way down the puppy's back to the base of his tail.

Rascal laid down before rolling on his back for a belly rub, completely subdued by Roxas.

"Roxas!"

The blond looked up at his name as a young girl with dark hair and blue eyes approached them.

"Xion, didn't expect to see you here," Roxas said and stood, embracing her. Rascal noticed that he was being ignored and rolled back onto his feet. The puppy bounded over to the girl, Xion, trying to gain her attention and make a new friend.

Xion crouched down to say 'hello' to Rascal, petting him. "I was just in the area and saw you sitting here. You didn't tell me you got a puppy."

"Yeah, he's a load of trouble," Axel piped up from where he was sitting. He wasn't sure why he was getting so defensive–or maybe it was possessive–around her, but for some reason he felt mildly threatened.

"Oh, you must be Axel," Xion said with a soft smile, holding her hand out. Axel took it slowly, scrutinizing her. "Roxas has told me so much about you. You're practically all he ever talks about."

Axel looked over at Roxas and raised his eyebrows. Roxas shrugged and grinned. "All good things I hope," the redhead said warily.

"Only the best!" Xion said. She turned back to Roxas. "So, I'll see you Monday, right?" Axel didn't miss how her hand brushed against Roxas's when she said it.

"Yeah, see you," the blond responded quietly, hugging her before she left.

Okay, maybe Axel was being irrational, but he could have sworn he saw something going on between those two. He shook it off. He wouldn't get jealous that Roxas had friends at school. Roxas didn't get jealous of Axel's friends–especially Saix–and Roxas had done nothing to prove he was untrustworthy. These reactions were the exact reason Axel had broken up with Saix.

"She seems, friendly," Axel commented, unable to help himself as she left.

Roxas shrugged, seeming rather indifferent to her affection. "Yeah, she's nice. We have a few classes together." He seemed to notice the look on Axel's face because he frowned. "Do you not like her?"

"It's not that... She seems fine. Just... really friendly."

"You know you don't have to beat around the bush with me, Axel. If you don't like her just say it."

"It's nothing, Roxas," Axel almost snapped and regretted it. "Sorry, okay, maybe I'm just jealous of how affectionate she is."

"Oh, that? She's like my sister, Axel, you have nothing to worry about." Roxas leaned over the table to press a kiss to Axel's cheek. "Are we okay?"

"Yeah... Sorry for being a dummy," Axel said, kissing Roxas back slowly.

"As long as you're still my dummy," Roxas grinned.

A stubborn sounding bark came from Rascal and Roxas chuckled, lifting the puppy up so he could give Axel kisses too. "Okay, he can be your dummy, too."


	9. Chapter 9

"Rascal, no!" Axel all but screamed as the puppy splashed around in the tub. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to fill the tub with water before putting the puppy in it, but it wasn't his fault that Rascal seemed to be having too much fun in the tub.

"Axel, are you okay?" Roxas called from outside the bathroom.

"No I'm not! Your dog got me soaked!"

"I'm sure it's not that ba-" The door opened and Roxas cut off. Axel turned to give him a grumpy look, only to see the blond barely holding back laughter.

"It's not funny. I feel like a drowned cat."

"You look like a drowned cat," Roxas snickered. Rascal chose then to notice his favorite blond. The puppy began yipping happily and splashing even more than before.

"No, no, no!" Axel cried, trying to wrestle the little puppy back into the tub, but that proved to be more difficult than wrangling a greased pig. Soon, Rascal was out of the tub and slipping and sliding his way over to Roxas.

"Hey, buddy, did you like your bath?" Roxas asked the puppy, grabbing a towel and trying to bundle the squirmy puppy up.

"Yeah, he liked it more than he should've." Axel pouted just a bit, more than a little frustrated that he seemed to have gotten more of a bath than Rascal did.

Roxas laughed and walked over to kiss Axel's cheek. "Next time I'll give Rascal a bath," he said, putting a dry towel on Axel's head.

"Damn straight you will." But even if he was still a bit put out by the whole ordeal, Axel couldn't help but smile just a bit. Roxas had that effect on him.

Rascal whined and wiggled in Roxas's arms, managing to squirm out of the towel and plop into Axel's lap. He barked and then shook off, looking up at Axel with that happy puppy grin.

"Guess I can't really get any wetter, can I?" Axel sighed, petting the puppy's head, and scratching behind his ears like he liked. At least the experience was over and it wasn't likely he'd have to repeat it soon.

"C'mon, let's get you dried up and then we can order a pizza," Roxas said with a grin, grabbing Rascal again and giving Axel another cheek. "I'll call in for the usual."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few," Axel said as Roxas got up to go take care of Rascal in the other room. Axel shook his head, smiling in spite of himself. Well, at least his life wasn't boring.


End file.

Kingdom Hearts, Humor