Written for the community springkink on LJ.
Disclaimer: If I laid any claim to these characters, I would be a liar.
Playing with Fire
It didn't take long for The Land of Dragons to become one of Axel's favorite worlds to visit. Not only was the food sometimes spicy enough to burn your tongue—just the way Axel liked it—but they had fireworks. Better fireworks than the ones he remembered from his time as Alex, which was saying something. Alex had watched any fireworks display he could find, and Axel, carrying those memories, was drawn to them just as his Other had been—not that he'd say as much out loud.
And Alex had loved fireworks. He'd loved them not simply for the flash of color but for the rush of seeing what were to him a thousand small fires, none of them lasting long but all the more beautiful because of that. Even if he knew he wasn't supposed to be there, he'd find a good place to watch from the moment the first rocket went off until the last shower of sparks faded, sometimes hours later. So, for a reason he couldn't, or wouldn't, name, Axel began going to watch whenever he knew there would be fireworks in The Land of Dragons. Just as Alex used to sneak out of the house and lie about where he'd been, Axel would slip away from The World That Never Was, or hurry through whatever task had been set for him. After Roxas showed up, it had seemed only natural to take his best friend with him whenever he snuck away to enjoy a show.
Roxas had grumbled the first time, saying he didn't see what the big deal was about a bunch of lights in the sky, and if Axel was going to drag him out for something it had better be good. Axel had laughed, saying Roxas would thank him later. The kid needed to get out and have more fun, anyway. After the first few rockets had gone up and exploded in showers of red, green, and gold, he turned to Roxas to ask if it really wasn't such a big deal, but the question died on his lips.
Roxas's eyes were open wide in something like awe, his mouth a small "o" of surprise, which changed to a smile as Axel watched. It was a genuine smile, too, not just the corners of his mouth quirking up or a smirk. For a moment he looked almost like any other boy his age—a normal boy, with a heart, watching the fireworks from a shadowed corner because he'd snuck away to see them. Looking at Roxas, seeing the fireworks reflected in his friend's eyes, Axel felt something in his chest tighten and a twinge where his heart should have been. Alex would have recognized it, been able to name it for what it was, but Axel wasn't paying attention to that part of himself.
Then the moment was gone. Roxas looked at him, the smile still on his face, and Axel let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Then he grinned. "So, worth it after all?"
Roxas snorted and turned back to the show, but he was still smiling. The two stayed where they were until the fireworks had ended and the crowd mostly dispersed. Before Axel could create a portal to take them back, Roxas put a hand on his shoulder, looking up at him. "How often do they do these things?"