And James did. He told tales, some that Axel found funny because they were dumb and silly, just little jokes but some took a sinister turn every now and again and left Axel uneasy. He was very unsure what to think, he was torn. James was an awful person but he spoke to him so nicely, he praised his art, his looks, his genius. He talked about wanting to hug Axel and Axel wished he could have that.

But he sensed Leonard on edge behind him and certain things stuck in his head. Axel had an idea and suddenly, he just went for it. "Hey, so, when's my birthday?"

"Well. Today's your unbirthday."

"Yeah... but when's my birthday?" Axel asked, frowning a little with his head tilted in the side. "You said you're sad you missed all my birthdays but do you even know when it is?"

Well, that one had James stumped.