It had started off as such a simple, simple plan…

Find the Keybearer.

Subdue him whilst he was vulnerable.

Kill him.

Turn out his Heartless.

Get Roxas back.

Simple. Easy. Effective.

"You can do this- gonna be easy. Keep cool. Keep calm. 'S what got you this far, baby. We can do this…" Axel muttered to himself, stalking through the city streets like some alley cat hunting a wounded bird. There was a sense of indecency about what he was going to do, which was odd; Axel killed. It was his job to…but something about this…it seemed unwholesome, even to him…

He felt…dirty…

"Get it together!" He hissed at his reflection in a puddle, stamping a boot down to distort the pale, overly tense wretch who looked back at him. "Just like all the others…doing it for him…"

No matter how many excuses and reassurances he gave himself, the Flurry was still twitchy and jumping at the slightest disturbance in the tranquillity of the night. What was he doing? If Xemnas found out…if anyone found out…he'd be killed. Instantly…

…but he wanted Roxas back. Needed him back. Couldn't function properly as arrogant, cocky, know-it-all-done-it-all Axel without him…

Roxas was worth it all…

At a sudden crash from behind him- a noise which was bad enough without Axel's paranoia to amplify it to ridiculous levels- caused the Flurry to pin himself to a wall and pant- eyes wide as his head whipped around to see what had caused the noise. Had he been followed? Demyx had a habit of doing that…

…What if it was Saïx…?

He opened his mouth to speak, then swallowed. This was idiotic; Nobodies didn't feel fear or nervousness or tension…why should he be so alert if this was so? After waiting for a while, Axel peeled himself from the wall and hunched up his shoulders, glad that his cloak hid him from the eyes of others; he could be part of the scenery- the only colour about him being that pale face, little black triangle tattoos and the acidic green eyes that darted around the darkness of the alleyway.

Nothing.

No one.

…It was safe.

Axel straightened up and released a breath that he hadn't been aware that he had been holding.
"Okay…" He breathed, looking up at a flickering streetlight. "Let's get this done, then…the sooner, the better and all…"

Opening up a portal, the Flurry stepped into it from the street and emerged in a nearby room- one overlooking the spot he had just been stood in. The room was unremarkable- a simple, rented room in an inn. Nothing of note. The only thing Axel could focus on was the heap under the covers, bathed in the moonlight. Tensing again, Axel's gaze was fixated on it, to make sure that the rise and fall of the bedcovers synchronised with the soft snoring he could hear.

The two matched perfectly. Axel was surprised that he had thought that they wouldn't.

"Alrighty…" He murmured to himself, padding over. He could see soft brown spikes and peaks sticking out from under the covers, along with one pale shoulder. Axel couldn't help but to notice that Sora slept in the same way that Roxas did; curled up on his side- head dipped and knees drawn up. The Flurry had always thought that he and the blonde had complimentary shapes when sleeping; Axel liked to stretch out and curl around something else, whilst Roxas stayed a constant shape. It worked. Everything worked…

"Sorry, kiddo…You're a real nice little guy…" Axel murmured, biting his lip and closing his eyes. "But…I…I need him back…"
Raising one hand, Axel focused on bringing a chackram into existence- but couldn't manage it. He was too distracted by the sleepy murmur from Sora's lips as he turned over to face Axel. The redhead stood motionless, waiting for Sora to wake up.

Thankfully, he did not.

Axel swallowed again and took down his hood- letting his spikes free in the moonlight. His skin was almost translucent in the glow- but his eyes were as bright as ever. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sleeping boy. It was so familiar…and yet, so different. Before he could help himself, Axel was reaching out to touch Sora's hair. Once he caught himself, Axel jerked back his hand and clutched it, as if he had been scalded.
"Get a hold of yourself!" He growled, panting. He couldn't help it- Sora looked so much like Roxas…yet he was not the blonde that the Nobody craved.

…It wouldn't hurt…would it? To just…to see if it felt like Roxas…

…Because…if it did…

Axel swallowed nervously again and removed one glove- slender fingers reaching out to brush a soft, porcelain cheek. It felt like silk- soft and smooth and supple; it felt like Roxas. Almost exactly the same…
Axel moved a little closer and repeated the motion, unable to stop; a light, smooth stroke down one cheek- his finger trembling with excitement.
"O-ohh…" He whispered, biting into his lip. It wasn't Roxas. It wasn't Roxas…but it was nearly him…
Sora yawned whilst Axel was mid-stroke and pressed against his hand in an affectionate gesture. Axel was lost for breath; Roxas did that. Roxas…RoxasRoxasRoxasRoxas…

Axel's head spun.

…it would cause fewer repercussions if he sated himself this way…

Removing his other glove and stuffing them into his pockets, Axel licked his unbearably dry lips and pulled back the covers slowly. Soft, milky skin was exposed to him as the covers slipped away far too easily. The body that lay in a loose fitting, sleeveless pajama shirt and a pair of boxer shorts was slender, pristine and youthful and…familiar…

"…Roxas…" Axel whispered softly, eyes closing tightly. Was this any better than killing him? …It made him just as desperate, but involved less blood…depending on whether or not Sora was going to try to resist…
Sora's lips turned down slightly at the cool night air on his bed-warmed skin. With a soft grumble, he reached out a hand to locate the missing covers, finding them out of reach.
"Hnnn…" he mumbled hopelessly. Axel nearly laughed; it was almost exactly the same as Roxas…when the redhead used to steal the covers in bed…and Roxas would curl up closer to him for his unnatural warmth…

Sora gave a soft sigh of satisfaction as the covers were returned to him, rolling onto his other side, back to Axel once again. Snuggling back down into his nest of pillows, the Keyblade Master yawned widely and settled down. A light frown danced on his face as the bed sunk from extra weight; if he had been less of a heavy sleeper, then he would have noticed something, anything…but Sora had grown up on a tropical island with Riku and Kairi and could sleep through tornados, sleepovers and hurricanes. Axel swallowed and slowly swung his legs up onto the bed, underneath the covers.
"What the hell…" He hissed at himself, gripping the covers tightly. "This is fucked up…"

Fucked up, it may have been…but desperate times called for desperate measures…

Sora gave a quiet murmur as a delightfully warm hand rested on his side, wiggling closer to it; even under the quilt, the air was cold. He turned over again, searching for the source of that warmth in his sleep; Axel remained frozen in place as Sora's hand smoothed across his stomach. The Flurry had removed his jacket, but kept his boots and trousers on for the sake of common decency…for now…
"Mmmn…" Sora mumbled, smiling inanely and tugging at Axel to pull him closer.

Axel bit his lip…was he really, really going to go through with this…?

Sora tugged a little more firmly, with a light frown. Why this source of heat wasn't coming to him was a mystery that he couldn't fathom in his comatose state. He gave a happy mumble as it drew closer to him, then smiled as he pressed up against it.
"Mm…"
Axel stared down at Sora, who was practically demanding that the Nobody should be lying down with him. With an invitation like that, how could he say no? Biting his lip again, Axel squirmed down fully under the covers as Sora settled next to him. The soft, smooth skin that pressed to the Flurry's chest made his breath hitch…
"Oh…Ohsweetkingdomheartsyesss." Axel whimpered in one breath, watching Sora for any sign of the boy waking.

Slowly, trembling fingertips slipped over Sora's waist and an emaciated torso pressed to the not-yet muscular body of the brunette's. Axel released a slow breath; it was so similar to Roxas…but there were obvious differences; for one- there was a heartbeat against his chest that was strong and steady…
Whether or not it was a combination of mental fatigue, warmth, comfortable bedding and a small, pliant body in his arms once again, or just the overpowering sense that it was somehow owed to him and therefore perfectly acceptable that made Axel drift into a half-doze didn't matter. He wasn't aware of anything but the rise and fall of the body beside him.

Roxas…

Ohhh…Oh, Roxas…

In time, Sora's body began to respond to the comfort and pleasant feelings of someone else holding him. He had been a late starter; wasn't quite finished with everything yet…his body still liked to embarrass him in the mornings- it was why he always, always woke up before Goofy and Donald to sort things out. Axel, in his sleepy state, was only aware of a hard, uncomfortable lump pressing into his upper thigh and shifted accordingly to move away. When the body beside him released a soft moan of enjoyment, the shifting stopped. Axel didn't open his eyes.

…To hell with morals. Life was for living.

Axel's leg shifted again against Sora's budding erection, pulling another soft whine from the boy, then another as a warm hand slid up and under his pajama shirt to thumb at a nipple. Sora flushed and Axel opened his eyes in time to catch the way the blush spread across the bridge of Sora's nose. The Flurry chuckled; now there was a trait that was exactly like Roxas…

"Roxas…?" He hazarded as Sora pouted at the lack of motion from Axel's hands. "…Roxas? Can you hear me, buddy?"
Leaning into to press his forehead to Sora's, Axel sighed quietly.
"Buddy…I came to find you…" He murmured, removing one hand from the boy's shirt and stroking Sora's cheek slowly instead, his words heavy with emotion that couldn't possibly be there. "…Now look where I am…resorting to this…"
His eyes closed as he set his lips by Sora's ear.
"You're a real pain…you know that? Whatever you did to me, Roxas…" The redhead whispered. "…You poisoned me…you ruined everything…everything I was and everything I ever had, you prissy little bastard…"
He took a deep breath and smiled slowly.
"I wouldn't change it for the world, you know…? I'd give everything to have you back…to keep on killing me the way you were…Oh, Roxas…"
Axel bit his lip and bowed his head in a portrayal of the ghost of an emotion of shame.
"…I guess…that's why I'm…why I have to do this, yeah?" He murmured. "Hold on, baby…I'm coming…"

Sora only awoke when Axel's hand paused in its stroking of his desperately needy cock and the warm lips at his collarbone pulled away. With a groan, the Keyblade Master opened one eye blearily and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "That's a cushion", before meeting acidic green eyes that stared at him, unblinking.
Sora blinked enough for both of them as he tried to understand the scene before him. He registered several things at once- Axel's hands, Axel's nudity, his own nudity (hadn't he gone to bed wearing clothes? He couldn't remember), the way he was pressed against the older male…and how the older male was not the person he had been dreaming about…

"…A-" Sora began, but Axel narrowed his eyes.
"I was wondering when you'd notice, kid." He growled. Sora hated to admit it, but he was terrified and turned on in equal measures…it had been such a long time since anyone had touched him properly…
"Here's how this is going to work; you're gonna lie back and let me be with Roxas, or I'll kill you dead now and rip him straight outta you. I might even do both if you fuck me around." Axel snarled, in a frighteningly quiet way. Sora's breath caught in his throat.
"You got that?" Axel hissed, glaring down at him with such intensity…Sora didn't know how someone without a heart could be so…expressionate…and passionate…
"I said…" Axel hissed, nose pressed to Sora's. "You got that? Got that memorised?"
Sora nodded desperately. He was too afraid to call his Keyblade now- if he did, he knew Axel would have taken him down before he could move.
"Glad you're on my wavelength, kiddo." Axel commented, voice thick with cynicism and pulling back a little. "Kingdom Hearts knows no other fucker is these days."

Sora released a whimper that was entirely involuntary. Axel laughed.
"Relax." He replied to it, letting his hand resume its previous activities. "I'm not gonna hurt you unless you try to pull anything…best thing for you is to go back to sleep. Pretend it's a dream. Think of someone else if I don't do it for you, huh?"
Sora took the advice and restrained a small noise of pleasure as Axel's fingertips teased at the head of his arousal. For a Nobody, Axel was skilled in this sort of thing…Sora supposed that it was practise or something; Axel looked like the type…

Soon enough, his eyes were closed and a name was leaving his lips as he bucked and arched into Axel's sinfully skilled hands. Why was the Flurry so heavenly-hot? Ohhh…
"R-rikuuu!" Sora cried out, clutching the bedsheets. "Aaa-Aaah! Ri…Riku!"
"Riku?" Axel snorted. "That's who you want? Fuck, kid. Talk about irony."
Sora either didn't hear him, or ignored him. For him, it was Riku's lips and Riku's hands and Riku's body that drew such cries from him. How he missed Riku, of all things…

…He would go to the ends of the earth and back for Riku…

Axel had come prepared for all eventualities; he had already brought Roxas' favourite lube in another pathetic attempt to draw the Nobody from the Somebody. Sora hadn't been prepared for a long time, so there was pain and sudden coolness inside of himself at the scissoring and the tiniest trickle of blood before Axel was fucking him. It was hot and heavy and merciless. Sora whimpered and gave dry little sobs for Riku as he clutched at Axel, who was in turn whining and keening for Roxas. Sora grew accustomed to the pain after a while and as Axel shifted to strike viciously at Sora's sweetspot, the boy was soon howling with need. Sora was almost exactly like Roxas during sex- slight differences in the tone of his cries and the movements of his body highlighted the difference.

Axel's eyes were screwed shut as he pounded Sora; it was almost Roxas…it was almost enough.

"Rikuuuu!" Sora whimpered "Rii…! Rikuuuu! Rikuuuuuu! A-aaaa…"
Axel's brain did not register the change of name until it was breathed softly against his ear. His whole body shut down and froze for that voice.
"…Axel…"
"R-Roxas…?" Axel whimpered- buried into the quivering Sora (who was now, somehow, pressed against him), sweat-slick and aching.
"Keep your eyes closed, Axel…" Roxas whispered. It was Roxas. Somehow…somehow, Axel's plan had worked…this was Roxas…Roxas…
Axel's hands moved up to stroke through hair…that was Roxas'; it spiked in all the right ways. Panting with an excitement he shouldn't posses, the Flurry's fingers followed the perfect, familiar curve of a body he dreamt of every night. Gone were the imperfections of Sora…here was Roxas…Roxas…

…Roxas…his Roxas…

"R-Roxassss!" Axel cried out, mouth searching frantically for those vanilla-flavoured lips and a warm, willing tongue. He found them swiftly- claimed them as his own again with a deep, lewd kiss. Oh…Oh, yes…Oh yes- Roxas! The Flurry made to open his eyes to see the boy he could feel so perfectly, but a sharp noise from Roxas and a touch to his cheek made him stop.
"…No…if you look…I won't be there…" Roxas whispered, cupping Axel's face- his own voice thick with the emotion that Axel wished with every fibre of his being that he could return. "I want to stay for as long as I can…I can…I can still see you…through his eyes…Axel…Axel…I want you…"

Axel was too caught up with everything to speak- simply adjusting his thrusts to the speed and rhythm and angle that Roxas had always adored. Everything and anything for his Roxas…always…
"T-take…Mm!…your ti-time.." Roxas whined, thrusting back. Axel complied. The pounding of the body beneath became a smooth, slow, sensual dance between their two bodies and their mingled cries an angel's choir to their ears.
All too soon, it was over; Axel felt a sharp stab at his chest when the waves of ecstasy that only Roxas could provide him with died down to a warm glow. It was a heart that ached and wrenched and tore, although it was not there…

"D-don't…Ohh...G-go…Don't l-leave meeee…Puh-pleeease…" Axel implored, cuddling the boy close to his chest and curled tightly around him, covered in sweat and saliva and semen and smelling of sex.
"H-have to…" Roxas replied sorrowfully. Axel released a noise that was a combination of a sob and a furious growl, his eyes still shut, but his mind piecing together pictures instead.
"A-Axel…" Roxas breathed. "H-have to..mmn..g-go…but…b-but…"
"No!" Axel cried out, digging his nails into soft skin in his effort to keep Roxas there with him, by his side…like it should be. "No!"
"…I-…I'm always…nn…th-thinking about…y-you…" Roxas whispered. Axel could feel hot splashes on his arm; tears. Roxas had a heart now…of course he could cry…

"Please…" Axel implored one last time. "I…I need y-you more…than him…"
"I…I a-always loved you…" Roxas confessed. "E-even without…mmn…m-my heart…"
Axel said nothing; it hurt to speak or move or breathe.
"Axel…" Roxas whispered- lips against Axel's as the blonde slipped away, leaving his lover. "Axel…Axel…Axel…"

A change of tone of his voice. Sora's voice once again.

"A-Axel…Axel…Aa…R…Rikuu…" Sora's body. Sora's smell. Sora's soft noises. Sora's need for affection. Axel opened his eyes and stared down at the vulnerable boy…he could kill him now and take Roxas and run forever…

…but to deprive Roxas of his heart…?

…No.

Never.

Axel detached himself from Sora's arms- leaving the brunette to quake and weep silently on the sheets as he dressed. Axel felt…so much lighter, now…like the weight of the world on his shoulders had been lifted, just for a little while…
"Buddy…just you wait…Gonna get my heart back…coming to find you." He murmured, pulling up his hood again once he was dressed. Turning back to the darkness of the room, he glanced over as he caught the prickle of the darkness from another source. A wry smile danced over his lips.

"I figured you'd come to make sure I didn't hurt him." He commented. The figure in the corner said nothing- but Axel knew he was being glared at. "Relax. He called for you the whole damn time."
With his usual cockiness in place, Axel called up a portal and nodded at the figure. "He's all yours."
With a grin, Axel left the room as silently as he had entered it, but left Sora weeping for someone to hold him…not just someone…

…Riku…

The cry was answered.

"Sora…"
Sora's soft sobs were quietened by soft shushing and a pair of warm, forgiving arms around him.
"Sora…don't cry…I'm here…I'm right here…"
"R-riku…"
"Go back to sleep, Sora…You were dreaming…you won't remember this in the morning, I promise…just a dream…Go back to sleep." Riku whispered, petting the soft brown hair over and over as Sora clutched at him.

"I'm here Sora…I'll always be here…"