HAPPY FREAKING AKUROKU DAY! This didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to, but I still kind of like it.
WARNING: The following story is just about the cheesiest thing you will ever read.
Enjoy~
I.
Axel laughed at the look of absolute befuddlement that was currently gracing Roxas' face.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Roxas looked at him, seemingly even more confused. Apparently he'd never heard the expression before. Axel chuckled again.
"What's on your mind, Roxas?"
"Oh." Roxas looked down at the blue popsicle in his hands. "I was just wondering about something that I heard about on my mission today."
"And that is...?" Axel prompted.
Roxas turned and looked straight at him. "What is love?"
Axel was taken aback. "Love?" He asked, confirming that he'd heard him right.
Roxas nodded. "Xaldin says it's a bad thing."
Axel laughed and took another bite of his ice cream. "Xaldin is crazy, Rox. You shouldn't listen to a word he says."
Roxas frowned. "Well then, what is it?"
Axel stared into the sunset, trying to think of a suitable way to explain it. "Love is...well, it's when you really, really care about someone. Kind of like friendship, but more. Different." He scratched his head, trying to find the right words. "When you love someone, it's hard to imagine life without them. You want to be with them all the time, and when you are, you're filled with a warmth that is...indescribable."
He looked at the blonde. "Get it?"
"Maybe..." Roxas replied hesitantly.
Axel looked away and casually, offhandedly, threw out there, "For example, I love you."
A tiny frown flitted across Roxas' face, and his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Oh...I guess I need to think about it some more."
Axel merely laughed at the look on his face and ruffled his hair.
"Let me know when you figure it out."
II.
Axel looked down in disbelief at his feet, which were currently hovering several feet off the ground.
"I...I can't believe it! I'm flying!" He exclaimed, still not quite believing his eyes. He waved his arms and legs about, awkwardly trying to figure out a way to control his movement through the air.
Roxas laughed in delight and zoomed in a circle around him, already having mastered the technique before Axel even knew about it.
"Come on, Axel! Bet you can't catch me!"
Axel raised an eyebrow at the challenge and grinned. "Probably can't. At least, not at this rate." He flailed helplessly, raising a few more feet and wobbling a bit, but not really doing much else. After a few minutes, however, he seemed to have figured out an effective way to fly, and found himself soaring through the open air after his laughing partner.
The two played air tag for what seemed like hours, laughing giddily as they soared over the beautiful island of Neverland and entirely forgetting about their mission. Roxas finally came to a stop, panting heavily as he hovered in the air.
"Isn't this absolutely amazing?" He remarked, grinning at Axel.
Axel nodded vigorously. "It really is."
Roxas sighed happily and leaned back, assuming a laying down position in midair and staring up at the fluffy clouds. "I love it."
Axel stared at the boy, a smile automatically forming on his lips. "I love you."
"What?" Roxas turned his head and asked, raising his voice slightly over the rushing wind.
Axel hovered closer to Roxas and assumed the same position next to him, smiling up at the blue blue sky.
"I said I love it too."
III.
"I can't believe we're finally here!" Roxas exclaimed, scampering about like a little kid.
It was a little hard to believe, but after talking about it for ages, they had FINALLY made it to the beach. It was a small beach just outside of Twilight Town, not quite as pretty as the one Axel had seen on Destiny Islands, but it seemed to be enough for Roxas.
It was nearly the perfect temperature, hot but not TOO hot. The pair quickly found themselves removing most of their standard uniform—the heavy black cloak, the gloves, the boots—and Roxas ran about happily on the warm, soft sand, quite unlike the harsh sand of Agrabah.
Axel sat down contentedly, a laugh escaping his lips at the younger boy's antics. He laid back and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the feeling of the sun's rays on his skin. Somewhere to his left, Roxas collapsed to the ground in a heap and began to construct a sand castle.
Axel opened one green eye and peered critically at the hastily-made model. "That looks nothing like our castle." He commented, chuckling slightly as one of the turrets collapsed and Roxas attempted to fix it.
"It's not supposed to!" Roxas retorted as he tried to make a gate, which really just looked like a big lump.
"Oh? Then what is it?"
"It's the Beast's Castle!" Roxas exclaimed proudly, then cursed as the east wing fell.
Axel just laughed and closed his eye. "Whatever you say, Rox."
"Aw, forget this." Roxas complained, standing up and kicking what remained of the castle. "Let's go swimming!"
Axel's eyes opened at that, and he sat up slowly. "But we don't have anything to swim in..." he started, but he soon found himself being dragged to his feet and pulled to the edge of the water.
Roxas gasped as he stared out at the view before him. "Look at that ocean..." He breathed, and his eyes—which Axel couldn't help but notice were the exact same shade of blue as the water—shone with wonderment.
A wave crashed at their feet, and Roxas nearly jumped a foot in the air.
"AH, that's cold!" He exclaimed. "Okay, maybe let's NOT go swimming."
Axel was laughing again, throwing his head back and laughing, irrationally, unnecessarily, uncontrollably laughing. He clutched his stomach and doubled over, trying and failing to regain control of himself. It was no use; the laughter bubbled out of his lips, and he could barely even breathe.
Roxas frowned, his hands on his hips as he stared at the redhead. "What the hell is so funny?"
Axel managed to control himself, the laughter dying as he slowly pulled back up. He looked at Roxas and grinned, a face-splitting, ear-to-ear grin.
"I can't remember the last time I felt this alive." He said simply.
Roxas blinked at him, then a smile slowly stretched across his face. "I always feel alive when I'm with you." He replied truthfully.
"I love you." Axel thought, internally screaming at himself to say it.
Instead, he just smiled, hoping that Roxas could read it in his eyes.
"You're so cheesy, Roxas."
IV.
Axel lay in his bed, propped up by multiple pillows and peering down at a worn paperback. He had gotten it from a used book peddler in Agrabah on his last mission, and seeing as he had nothing better to do, he decided to give it a shot. It wasn't very interesting, though, and he was about to put it down when he heard a soft knock.
"Come in," he called, putting the book down on the nightstand next to his bed.
The door opened to reveal Roxas, drenched from head to toe and shivering like mad. There were several gashes in his cloak, and he looked absolutely awful.
"Shit Roxas, what the hell happened to you?" Axel jumped out of bed and quickly strode over to him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.
"Land of the Dragons. It was awful. There was this giant dragon heartless thing, and—" He sneezed, and Axel shushed him.
"Nevermind, you can tell me later. For now, we need to get you out of these wet clothes. Why haven't you changed? Don't you have any other clothes?"
Roxas mumbled something incoherent, though Axel thought he heard something about "stupid Dusks". He turned and began rummaging through his dresser, pulling out a plain white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants.
"Here. They're going to be a little big, but it's better than what you're wearing now." Axel said, handing them to him. He disappeared into the bathroom and re-emerged holding two fluffy white towels, handing those to Roxas as well. Roxas thanked him and began to peel the soaking wet clothing off his shivering body. Axel politely turned around, giving the boy some privacy.
"Uhm...what should I do with these?" Axel turned around to see Roxas gesturing at the heap of wet clothing at his feet.
"Just leave 'em, the dusks will take care of it." Axel walked back to his bed and resumed his earlier position, then patted the bed next to him, gesturing for Roxas to join him. Roxas obliged eagerly, still shivering as he curled up next to him. With a wave of his hand, a fire began to roar merrily in the fireplace, and Roxas sighed in contentment.
"Do you wanna tell me about it?" Axel asked.
"Nah. Tired." Roxas mumbled. He buried his face into Axel's side, and within minutes he was fast asleep.
Axel smiled warmly and planted a kiss on his head. "I love you," he whispered into his hair. "Don't you forget it."
V.
The silence was painful. Axel stared out at the sunset, the sky painted all different shades of red and orange and yellow. It should have been beautiful, but right now it only seemed to be mocking him.
"I'm going to miss you," he said, his voice cracking.
Roxas looked at him, a similar pain evident in his eyes. "I'm gonna miss you too, Axel."
Axel bit his lip and looked away, suddenly unable to meet those blue blue eyes. There was so much he wanted to say, so much he needed to say, but there was no time left. This was it.
There was one thing that he knew for sure. He didn't know why he did, or how it was even possible, but it filled him to the brim; he was overflowing with it. He turned towards Roxas, slowly, and his impossibly green eyes met those beautifully blue ones for the very last time.
"I love you, Roxas."
Roxas' eyes filled with tears. "Goodbye, Axel."
And then there was nothing.
I.
Axel leaned back in his chair, slowly perusing the menu. He was torn between an egg sandwich and a stack of chocolate chip pancakes, and began mentally weighing the options.
"Just coffee, thanks," a voice said from somewhere nearby. Axel didn't pay it much attention, though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but think that he'd heard that voice before.
Ever since he was a kid, he'd had visions of a boy. A boy with blonde hair and incredibly blue eyes, blue like the ocean. He was on the shorter side, but anybody who underestimated him because of his size was quickly proven to be very wrong. He could be stubborn and moody, but he could also be silly and carefree. He was fiercely loyal to his friends, and stood up for them no matter what. Axel wasn't sure how, or why, but he loved this boy. His name was Roxas.
Demyx told him he was crazy, with his talk of Organizations and Nobodies and heart monsters, laughing as Axel told him about all these visions he had. Secretly, though, Axel could tell that Demyx believed him, and had seen the same things.
Axel mentally pushed these thoughts to the side as the waitress came over to take his order. "What can I get you, honey?" The older woman asked, smiling pleasantly.
Before Axel could answer, he heard a glass shatter, and he looked up. His eyes landed first on the broken mug, coffee splattered on the floor all around it. His eyes then travelled up to the previous owner of the mug, a blonde kid with eyes like the ocean that were currently staring straight at him, his mouth slightly agape.
"Honey?" The waitress asked, waving a hand in front of Axel's face. He stood up slowly, ignoring her and stepping forward, eyes never breaking contact with the blonde's. The world around them seemed to disappear.
The other boy stood up slowly as well, stepping around his chair to meet Axel halfway between their tables. His mouth moved as if he were trying to say something, until he finally managed: "Axel?"
"Roxas." Axel breathed, still staring unbelievingly at him. They stood there for a moment, still in shock, until Axel grabbed Roxas and pulled him into a tight embrace, holding on to him as if his life depended on it.
"I found you. I can't believe it, I finally found you." Axel whispered, burying his face into Roxas' soft blonde hair.
Roxas gripped him tighter in response, before pulling back and holding him at arms length. "Axel, I need to tell you something. After you died, after I went back to Sora, I was absolutely filled with regret, I wished more than anything that I could've gone back in time and fixed it, not only stopped you from sacrificing yourself for me but telling you what I needed to tell you, which is that—"
Axel shut him up with a kiss, a sweet, chaste kiss, a mere brush of the lips, but one that was filled with two lifetimes of built up tension and need.
Roxas' eyes met Axel's one more time, and he smiled. "I love you, Axel."
A grin slowly spread across Axel's face, and he responded with another, deeper kiss.
"I know. I love you too, Roxas."
Yeah. Like I said, absolutely, unbearably cheesy. I know. Once again, happy happy AkuRoku day!3
(psst. you know what would make this day even more fantastic? Reviews! :3)