Title: Falling from Grace

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all of its characters are owned by Square Enix in cooperation with Walt Disney Co. Sadly, not me. :(

Pairings: Roxas/Demyx, Axel/Roxas, Axel/Roxas/Demyx, Sora/Zexion

Summary: Roxas moves to a completely new town and immediately, through the scheming of his mother, makes friends with his neighbor Sora. The hyperactive boy and his stoic boyfriend Zexion are soon plotting to find Roxas a boyfriend, as much for his sake as Zexion's friend Demyx's as well. The two seem to hit it off just fine, until a certain red head enters the picture. What will happen when Roxas's heart is torn in two different directions?

Notes: So, I found this file on my external hard drive. I remember starting it when I was on a school trip in Eastern Europe for a few weeks, but I never finished it. Let me know what you guys think, and if it gets a good response, I'll try and get out more of it in the near future. Oh, and why is Sora with Zexion you ask? Well, I'll tell you why…I hate Riku and love Zexion. So, in this universe, Riku is pulling a large boulder up some infinitely tall hill somewhere, while Zexion is smothering Sora with kisses.

Italics flashback

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Roxas was just finishing bringing the last of his boxes from the moving truck into his family's new house. Being the independent teenager that he was, Roxas had told his parents that he did not need their help bringing his belongings into their new residence, but he regretted that as soon as he realized just how much he actually owned. His parents were already working on unpacking boxes in other parts of the house while he lugged the last large box full of books up the stairs to his new room.

He placed the box down in the middle of the stark white room, empty except for boxes, and marveled at how depressing the room seemed. His first goal was to add a little bit of color to walls so that one did not feel like he was in an asylum. However, he dreaded asking his parents about painting the walls. After telling them how he was grown up enough to not need their help moving, he had realized that the job was just too big for him. Asking his parents for a ride to get paint may result in him having to walk all the way to the hardware store, wherever it is, and that was something that was just unacceptable to the exhausted blond.

All of these thoughts would have to wait as he had just heard the doorbell ring and his mother's voice call for him to go downstairs. He couldn't be sure who it was since he didn't know anyone in this new place, but he figured it would be one of the neighbor's children wanting to make friends or something. He would just talk long enough to be polite and then get rid of the kid somehow; with all of the work ahead of him, he didn't have time for trivial things like making nice with people who were now his neighbors in a town where he didn't really want to live.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs, he saw his mother talking to a boy who looked to be around his own age. He had brown, spiky hair, bright blue eyes, and was about the same height as Roxas. His mother moved aside as he walked closer to the door and said to him, "Roxas, this is one of our new neighbors; his name's Sora. You and he will be going to school together." At the rather non-enthused expression Roxas had adopted, his mother turned back to Sora and said, "Sora, this is my son Roxas." As she said his name, she placed a hand on Roxas's shoulder. "Now, you boys go–" and then Roxas realized why she had grabbed his shoulder as she shoved him through the open front door, "–play nice!" And, with that, the door was closed and locked. Roxas was suddenly very aware of the fact that his parents hadn't given him his copy of the house key yet. In other words, this meant that his mother expected him to make friends with the neighbor boy and spend a sufficient amount of time with him before she would let him back in the house.

"Uh, hi…" A voice behind him said.

Reminded of Sora's existence, he also became aware of the fact that his mother had just instructed him to go "play nice" with his new neighbor. His new neighbor that went to the same school he did. His new neighbor that was sure to tell everyone at school how he likes to "play"…and then have tea parties with a bunch of stuffed animals. Which, mind you, was not true, but in high school, who cared about the truth? Realizing that Sora was just staring at him, clearly waiting for a response, Roxas quickly tried to think up something cool and witty to say. He might not have wanted to really hang out with the neighbor kid, but that didn't mean he shouldn't try to impress him; it was never too soon to start building up a reputation at school. But, while he continued to try and think of something profound to say, Sora continued to stare at him waiting for him to say or do anything. So, finally, he just said the only thing he could think of, "Hi."

He felt rather indignant at the response he got from Sora. Laughter. Sora had burst into laughter and all he had said was "hi." Roxas felt like he had already been labeled a loser and was doomed for the rest of his high school career. Deciding that he had nothing left to lose, since his image of being the cool, mysterious new student had been chucked out the window, he asked, "What're you laughing at?"

"You!" Sora exclaimed. He laughed a little bit longer and then tried to suppress it, continuing, "You looked like you were so deep in thought…like you were about to say something that would change reality as we know it…and then you come out with 'hi.'" He had given a few more laughs while explaining himself, but now he seemed to have a handle on it.

Reassured that his reputation was not completely lost, Roxas started to laugh at how paranoid he had been. "You weren't much better yourself!" He told Sora.

At this, Sora placed one of his hands on the back of his head and gave out a nervous little laugh. "To be honest, my mother practically did the same thing to me as yours did to you. I didn't know anyone was moving into this house…but, it was either come talk with you or she would have destroyed my PlayStation!"

Roxas brightened up at the mention of videogames, but he decided to try and play it cool. "Sounds evil…just like my mother. Why, I believe, my good man, that we have been set up!"

Sora just smiled at this comment. Roxas figured that the boy didn't really mind being tricked by his mother if it meant he had a new friend. To be honest, Roxas didn't really mind so much either. Sora seemed like and okay guy, and he liked videogames, which was a plus in Roxas's book. Remembering that he was on a mission to be independent from his parents and get his room painted, Roxas asked, "Hey, Sora? Do you know of anyplace we can get some paint from around here? Like a hardware store or something…"

Roxas could have sworn that Sora smiled a little bit at this, but it was gone before he could be sure. "Yeah, there's one about four blocks from here!"

"Oh, well, care to walk with me? I wanted to paint my room…" Roxas told the brown haired boy.

Sora seemed to consider his request for a little bit saying, "Well, I don't know…I am rather busy, you know…" and then suddenly, "OKAY!" And Sora grabbed him by the arm and was practically dragging Roxas along in his wake. While being tossed around as Sora ran with him in tow, the brunette called over his shoulder, "Hey, you don't mind if we stop at someone's house along the way, do you? It's a friend of mine…"

Roxas didn't really mind. The more people he knew before getting to school on Monday, the more secure he felt. And that only gave him today and tomorrow. "Nope! I don't mind!" But, he regretted saying that almost immediately because it seemed to only spur Sora onwards even faster towards his friend's house.

After about two blocks, they came upon a house that, to be honest, looked just like every other house in the neighborhood. However, there was a fairly nice, well-kept garden in front. It so happened that a woman, Roxas presumed it was Sora's friend's mother, was outside gardening in the front yard today. The woman looked up from underneath her floppy hat as she heard the boys approach. Kind eyes and a warm smile greeted the boys when she said, "Hi there, Sora! Who's your friend?"

Sora was completely out of breath and rather unable to respond, which was understandable since he had just sprinted for two blocks. Roxas took it upon himself to answer for the winded boy, "Hi, ma'am, my name's Roxas. I just moved in next door to Sora."

"Oh! I saw the moving trucks around here earlier. It's so nice to meet you. I'll have to stop by and welcome your parents to the neighborhood." She wiped her brow with the back of her hand, the hot sun having made her sweat. "I take it Sora came by looking for Zexion?"

At the mention of the name, Sora nodded his head enthusiastically. His breath had become regular again, and he could once more speak for himself. "Yeah, we stopped by on the way to the store…"

The woman just chuckled to herself and nodded her head. "Zexion's upstairs, Sora," she said, "feel free to go up there."

Sora started running again the instant she said this. Roxas was amazed at all the energy that the brown haired boy had. He just kind of shrugged at this Zexion person's mother and followed Sora into the house, although he walked instead of taking off at full speed. Inside, it was a fairly nice house. Not too much different from what you would expect of any other family's house: couches, a television, pictures on the walls, random little trinkets, a dining table. He followed Sora upstairs to just see him bursting into someone's room, even though the door was closed. Roxas was startled by this invasion of privacy, but he figured that Sora knew it was okay; otherwise he would not have done it. Roxas simply followed his companion and was startled when he saw the inside of Zexion's bedroom.

This Zexion was lying on top of a bed, with black sheets and a black comforter strewn with stars, and on top of Zexion was a very energetic brunette, their lips pressed together and little noises escaping from the pair. Roxas was surprised to say the least, but he thought that Zexion seemed even more surprised when she caught sight of him standing there watching her and Sora. She sat up and pushed Sora off a little bit. And that's when a decidedly male voice said, "Who're you?!?"

Zexion had sat up and Roxas could see him a bit more clearly now. Although, he still may have mistaken him for being a girl had he not heard the voice. The boy had silver hair, a bit long, that swept over one eye, which, from what Roxas could see, was a light lilac. He wore tight fitting, light-colored jeans, which clung to his legs and showed how thin he was, and a sleeveless, black turtleneck shirt.

"Sorry," Sora's voice broke into his mental inspection of Zexion, "I should have introduced you. Zexion, this is my new neighbor Roxas," he told the boy that was now next to him on the bed. Looking back to Roxas he said, "This is my boyfriend, Zexion. He goes to school with us too. He's a junior though."

Zexion seemed to calm down a bit. But, the look of shock was apparently still evident on Roxas's face as Sora, with a look of concern, asked, "What's wrong, Roxas? Are you okay?"

It wasn't every day that Roxas walked into a room and saw two people making out on top of a bed, and it was even more infrequent that those two people were both boys. In fact, the more he thought about it, he realized that this had never happened to him. He didn't really have a problem with Sora having a boyfriend; it was just a bit surprising to him. He had never given any thought to other boys in that respect. To be honest, he hadn't given girls much thought either. Dating just wasn't a priority with him.

He realized that the two boys were waiting for him to respond. "No, no, I'm just fine. I was just a bit surprised is all," he told them. He held out a hand to Zexion, "It's nice to meet you…"

"Surprised?" Zexion asked, his one visible, graceful eyebrow lifting slightly.

Roxas gave a nervous laugh and replied, "Well, it's not everyday that you meet someone with another person lying on top of them in bed kissing them."

Zexion smiled a little bit at Roxas's explanation. "True enough." Now, he took his hand and shook it firmly.

"Hey, Zex," Sora said, "Roxas needs to go to the store and buy some paint for his new room. Wanna come with us? Maybe we can get some food afterwards…?" At his last statement, he looked to Roxas questioningly. After all, Roxas did just finish moving his boxes and hadn't even started unpacking. Sora didn't know that exactly, but he assumed that Roxas must be busy with things having just moved.

Roxas smiled, though, and said, "Food sounds great to me!"

Zexion seemed okay at that point as well since his stomach decided to growl loudly at exactly that moment. "I guess my body's answered for me," he said.

They decided to get food first, since Zexion seemed to be rather hungry, and then head to the hardware store. It didn't really make much of a difference since the store was in a plaza with plenty of places to eat as well. On the way, Zexion seemed rather eager to know everything about him. Well, eager wasn't exactly the right word, as Zexion seemed to be a rather sedate individual, but he was quite inquisitive and asked Roxas a series of questions.

His first question, "What grade are you in?"

Roxas recalled that Zexion was a junior, but he had no idea what grade Sora was in, though he did know that Sora went to school with them. "I'm a sophomore," he said simply.

At this, Sora seemed to brighten up even more, if that were possible. "I am too!" he exclaimed. "Maybe we'll have a class together!"

Somewhat hopeful at the prospect of sharing one of his classes with someone he already knew, Roxas said, "That would be great." Simultaneously, he wondered if Sora always acted this hyper. And, is so, what would he be like with sugar or caffeine? The idea was not a comforting one, though it did make him grin.

"Okay, second question," Zexion began. "Ever had a girlfriend?"

Roxas thought that seemed like a rather personal question, but it didn't hurt to answer. "No, I've never had one."

Zexion smirked a little bit at this revelation and then, in an almost knowing voice, asked, "What about a boyfriend?"

"Never had one of those either," Roxas replied. He didn't mind admitting the fact that he was quite inexperienced when it came to dating. The fact that he had not dated anyone before meant that he had more time to devote to his studies. It also gave him time to do the things that he liked to do like play video games and such. At his last school, everyone seemed to be rather disinterested in him, if they noticed him at all, but he was actually rather thankful for that.

Zexion decided to stop dancing around the subject and finally asked, "Well, then, are you straight? Or gay? Or maybe bi?"

"I haven't actually given it much thought," Roxas said honestly. "If I meet a girl I like, then I may try and do something about it. But, if I meet a guy I like, then that's fine too."

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" Sora suddenly interjected. "Not planning on leaving me for a sexy blond, are you?"

Roxas blushed at the way Sora had referred to him: a "sexy blond." To his knowledge, no one had ever called him sexy before. But, Zexion interrupted his reverie, "No way! Why would I ever want to leave you?" And then he put an arm around Sora's shoulders and pulled him close, burying his face into Sora's hair inhaling his scent, before he leaned down a bit and placed a kiss on the brunette's cheek. "But, you are right about one thing," he continued, "He is sexy. That's why I asked those questions. People at school are going to be interested. I was just curious as to what his type might be is all."

"Oh…" was all Sora could say.

Then Zexion leaned closer to Sora's ear and whispered, "And I thought he might be perfect for Demyx. But we'll keep that between ourselves, okay?"

Sora grinned at this statement, but nodded his head. He would keep his boyfriend's plans between them. Demyx had been Zexion's best friend since before he met Sora. They were in the same grade and shared a couple of classes together. Sora thought that Demyx was a pretty cool guy once you got to know him. However, both he and Zexion had noticed lately that whenever they were together in front of Demyx, he seemed to act a little strange. After discussing the matter, they had figured out that he must be feeling pretty lonely and seeing the two of them together like that could only be making it worse. After all, Demyx didn't have many friends at school aside from Zexion and Sora. And, Zexion happened to know that his friend fancied boys. Maybe Roxas and Demyx were perfect for each other. It couldn't hurt to introduce them and see what happened.

Roxas simply dismissed their whispering as something best left between lovers. They continued walking to the plaza where the store was located, still talking along the way. Zexion and Sora told Roxas how they met each other when, at the beginning of the previous year, a freshman Sora accidentally tripped and practically threw all of his food on his lunch tray in Zexion's face. Sora commented that he was lucky that Zexion had a sense of humor and hadn't simply beaten him to a pulp. They had quickly become friends after that. After hanging out for almost two months, they finally became a couple. They had been in Sora's room, Zexion reading a book for school while Sora played videogames. Sora had been meaning to ask him about something, but he hadn't quite worked up the courage to do it until that point. He decided he should just come right out and ask.

"Zexion?" Sora asked.

One light purple eye looked up from the textbook. "Yeah, Sora?"

Sora fidgeted around nervously on the floor before finally blurting it out as fast as possible. "Whatdoesitfeelliketokisssomeone?"

"Huh?" Was all Zexion could say. "Wait a minute, Sora, slow it down and say it again…"

Sora took a deep breath before he said, "I said, what does it feel like to kiss someone?"

Then he looked up right into Zexion's one visible eye. Zexion wasn't quite sure what to say. He had been kissed before, so it wasn't as if he couldn't tell Sora, he just hadn't been expecting his friend to ask him such a question. "Why do you want to know?" He asked, trying to stall for time before he had to answer.

Sora looked slightly embarrassed and ashamed. "I was just wondering is all…" he said.

"Oh," was all Zexion could come up with. Well, that sufficiently put an end to his stalling. He considered how he would answer the question. "It's kind've hard to explain…and it's different with each person."

Sora looked a bit disappointed with Zexion's answer. "Oh, well, that's okay then," he said. He just turned around and started playing his game again.

Zexion felt bad for not being able to answer him with more details other than "it's different with each person." But, he couldn't think of what else to say other than that. Then he had an idea. He could kiss Sora. That would tell the boy everything he wanted to know. But, he didn't know how Sora would feel about kissing another boy. Zexion hadn't told him everything about his kissing experiences. He managed to leave out the somewhat important detail that the only people he had ever kissed had been boys, unless you counted his mother, but he was sure Sora hadn't meant that sort of kissing.

"Hey, Sora?" he asked. The brown haired boy looked up from the now paused videogame. Suddenly, Zexion's mouth felt rather dry. "I…um…I could…that is–" and suddenly Sora was laughing at him.

"Just spit it out already!" he said in between laughs.

Zexion gathered up his courage and said, "I could show you."

And then Sora looked confused. "Show me what?"

At this, Zexion let out an exasperated sigh. "I could show you what it's like to be kissed, you simpleton!" he said.

Sora looked a bit surprised at his offer, but then he said, "You would do that? For me?"

Zexion gave little laugh and replied, "Yes for you. I'd do anything for you…" Wait, had he just said that?

His friend smiled a little bit at this, and Zexion could swear he could see a slight blush grace Sora's cheeks. He put his textbook down, marking the page so that he could find it once more, and then patted a spot on the bed next to him, signaling to Sora to come sit up on the bed with him. When Sora sat down next to him, he reached out a hand and touched the brunette's hair, letting his hand fall down to lightly brush his cheek. He let his hand travel down to Sora's chin, and grasping it lightly, he titled Sora's head back a bit, and leaned closer to the younger boy. He lightly brushed his lips against Sora's, reveling in their softness. He felt his friend shudder under his touch, and he took that as a positive sign. He reached his other hand around behind Sora to pull him closer and leaned down once more, this time his lips pressing fully against Sora's.

Sora felt warm and giddy all over as Zexion's lips pressed against his own. In fact, he felt like it was getting a bit hot in his room. He could actually feel Zexion's lips smiling against his own, the hand on his back pulling him closer still until he didn't think they could be any closer unless they were fused into one person. Suddenly, he felt something warm and wet slide against his lower lip, and when he gasped at the contact, he felt it slip into his mouth. Realizing it was Zexion's tongue, he felt it begin to explore his mouth. But, Sora felt that almost as soon as it began, it was over. Zexion was pulling away and he wasn't sure what to say except for, "Wow."

"Yeah," he heard Zexion whisper.

For a few days after the kiss, the boys were awkward around each other. But, eventually, Zexion decided that it was time for them to discuss what had happened. When had tried to talk to Sora about it, he found that the boy had wanted to do something about it as well. But, Sora's solution was a bit more radical than Zexion's idea of talking. Zexion had been pinned underneath the brown haired bundle of energy and he found himself on the receiving end of another one of those mind-blowing kisses.

While reminiscing and telling Roxas their story, they had all been so caught up in it that they hadn't realized that they had arrived at their destination. Now came the problem of where to eat. Roxas was surprised by the variety of choices. Cho's Chinese Deli sounded quite good, but so did Sophia's Italian Pizzeria. There was also a place that appeared to sell gyros, some kind of restaurant specializing in various soups, and, of course, the obligatory burger joint.

"Where would you like to go, Roxas?" Sora asked, leaning forward slightly to be seen as he was standing on the other side of Zexion from the blond.

"Er…" Roxas began. He really didn't know. After all, these places were all quite new to him. He did have food preferences and all, but he wasn't going to close himself off from trying something new. And besides, he didn't know the quality of each restaurant. He decided to absolve himself of the responsibility of making a decision. "Well, Zexion's the one who's really hungry. Why don't we let him decide?"

Roxas didn't see the scheming smirk that crossed Zexion's face. "Okay, well, then my vote is for pizza! How does that sound?"

At Zexion's suggestion, both boys agreed and they all entered the restaurant. After being seated, they took some time to look through the menus they had been given. Sora and Zexion mostly looked through the menu as a formality since they were leaving the final decision up to Roxas. Some time passed, and a waiter eventually wandered over to take their order. However, he was like no one Roxas had ever seen before.

"Hey guys, what can I get for ya?" He asked. The man had dirty blond hair that was styled into a tall mohawk, blue-green eyes that seemed to sparkle, and a warm smile. When Roxas looked a bit closer, he could see that he also had two thin, silver hoops in each ear.

He was staring at the waiter so intensely that he nearly did not catch it when Sora said, "Hey, there, Demyx! We're leaving the ordering to our new friend here."

Roxas blinked, coming out of his reverie, and looked down at the menu in his hands. "Uh…" was all that seemed to come out.

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A/N: What do you guys think? Axel will be showing up soon, so don't worry! Remember, reviews help keep the author happy!