A/N
Whoa, thanks so much you guys, for reading and faving my other fan fic x) it's totally awesome, thank you! I'll get back to you guys soon, I hope, but for now, enjoy a fluffy one-shot that has been sitting in my note book for a while, but I never really got around to finishing. This is rather old, but I hope it's still a fun read!
The book that Roxas here is reading is a very cute story titled "I Love You, Stinky Face." by Lisa Mccourt. The italicized snippets are her creations, not mine. I saw the book during a trip to Costco, and I completely melted when I read it. It's a fantastic children's book, and if you have kids, I totally recommend reading it with them XD
However, I didn't buy the book, so I took those snippets from the Youtube video of a little girl reading the book to her grandparents ;
Again, I want to thank you all for taking the time to read my fan fiction. I'm still learning to improve, so please, constructive criticism along with general comments are appreciated!
Disclaimer: Axel and Roxas belong to Squeenix, italicized snippets belong to "I love you, Stinky Face" by Lisa Mccourt.
Pairing: Axel/Roxas
Would You Still Love Me?
Blue eyes danced left to right as they scanned the colorful pictures on the thick pages in front of him. His unruly hair swayed gently with the small moist breeze that seeped in through the unlatched window on the wall beside him. The cool evening air caused goosebumps to prickle up on the skin of his exposed neck and collar, making him shiver. A small clatter rose from outside the room, but Roxas paid it no mind—he had been absorbed in his book for over two hours, reading from front to back, and back to front, trying to take in the meaning of the black print that were nestled in the page fibers.
The young Nobody shifted slightly on the cushioned loveseat, the thick leather of his black coat crumpling under his moving weight as he settled comfortably along the length of the couch. Gold tresses draped messily over the rounded armrest, hair still moving with the entering evening wind. Ocean orbs scanned over the childish painting of a Cyclops with a woman once more before flipping the page.
He's read this line about twenty or so times already, but still, as his large eyes flickered over the words "I love you, Mama", he felt another mild surge of confusion and wonderment. His ungloved fingers flicked at the corner of the page and smoothed it out again as he read the black letters.
There was a hum of collecting darkness, and Roxas knew his privacy had been intruded upon. He gave an exasperated sigh of defeat. He supposed the last three hours to himself was worth something. And to exemplify his correct prediction of Roxas-time coming to an end, there was a clatter of boots hitting the marble floor, weaving through the towering shelves of books, walking straight towards him.
"Reading again, Roxas?" The statement, not so much a question, was followed by a theatrical sigh that the blond was all too familiar with. "You always have your face buried in a book."
The younger organization member snorted, flipping the whole book back to the first page as he restarted the story for the umpteenth time. He could see stray strands of red spikes poking up from behind the spine, but made an effort not to lower the book. "A few of us have brains we plan to use." Tapered fingers flipped the page, and eyes were drawn to the colorful image of a ridiculous looking gorilla. "I guess you aren't part of the few who have the smarts to think before they act."
The taller male put a hand on his hip, and his hourglass frame swayed to the left. "Tch, is that so? Well, you should know that I'm blessed with a more, how you say, "productive" organ."
Roxas scoffed again, his gaze never leaving the page. Though his mouth twitched into a tiny grin, the boy was determined not to give his stupid friend the attention he was seeking.
Such kind of determination kind of faltered, however, when a lanky body clad in a familiar black caged him with long arms against the sofa, similar long legs clambering over his thin figure and straddling his waist. The blond finally lowered the hard-cover, revealing a scowl plastered onto his face as to the man looming over him with a pair of amused emeralds.
"You're kinda blocking my light, Ass." He growled, his bottom lip jutting out into an uncontrollable pout.
"Mmm, name's Axel, not Ass, you ass." The redhead gave his all-famous smirk of grandeur. His arms stayed put on either side of Roxas's thin shoulders.
Roxas gave his cheeky companion a rough shove to the chest, grinning as Axel let out a low yelp as he fumbled backwards and off his body. "Yeah, terrific comeback, Asshole." Deciding that lying down on a horizontal surface was no longer a smart thing to do now with the presence of this goon, the boy sat up, earning a disappointed "aww" from the redhead. "How the hell did you know I was here anyway?" Roxas huffed, his slender eyebrows furrowing together to form a frown.
A wave of distorted cushions made the boy bounce as the tattooed man flopped into the now-empty seat beside him.
"Rox, you're always in the library, either reading or hiding from Xigbar—"
Roxas rolled his eyes, "Oh, sure, Axel. I'm normally hiding from you," he sneered.
"Yeah, anyway, as I was saying, you're always in the library." The redhead cocked his head vivid green eyes scanning over the immense, pale library. Even though there were books scattered all over the place—obviously Roxas isn't the organized type, however proper he may think he is—and thick books stacked atop one another in little clumps in the aisles between the colossal shelves and on the other empty loveseats, the room was so spacious that it still looked rather neat. Or maybe it was because Axel could care less about messes—his room normally looked like it had been ransacked by a band of Heartless.
Long fingers raked through flaming hair. "What's so special about the library anyway? All these books are close to becoming cremated." He gave a small kick to a rather thick brown-covered book, and the pages cracked like dried leaves.
Blue orbs glared up at him. "This is why pyromaniacs aren't allowed in places like this, so go away, Axel—I'm busy."
Axel failed to hear his demand, but Roxas was pretty sure he was acting like his usual stuff and being a big leachy irritant, and leaned considerably close, popping the blond's imaginary personal bubble. Roxas's upper body maneuvered away as Axel's hair began tickling his ear and neck. Short, red eyebrows rose as the redhead struggled to comprehend the book that was clenched in Roxas's hands. Green eyes examined the strange looking image of a skunk before flipping the book closed. He gave the glossy cover a quick look-over before his eyebrows again quirked up in mild wonder.
"'I love you, Stinky Face'?" Axel's eyes rose to meet blues, another delighted smirk tugging on his thin lips, "'Stinky Face'?"
The thin book was yanked from the redhead's hold, and was flipped open to the first page.
"Love seems so malleable," Roxas began, shuffling just a bit further away from the tall redhead, who was half draped on his shoulder. He tried to ignore the long fingers that were playing with his hair. "Whoever wrote this makes it seem like anyone—anything—can love another, no matter what."
"No matter what?"
"No matter what." Roxas repeated. He flipped the page and pushed the right half of the book into Axel's lap, letting the remaining left sit on his own legs. He suddenly felt like he was one of those happy-go-lucky teachers with a story book in their arms in Twilight Town, surrounded by a gaggle of small children who were oh-so eager to listen to whatever tale was going to be told. "This kid asks his mother some weird questions, to see just how far her love for him will go, like, he wonders if she would still love him if he were a big ape, or a skunk."
Axel let out a chuckle, nuzzling his jaw snuggling into the crook of the boy's neck. "I always knew you were weird."
"And I always knew you were annoying—get off." The blond used his weight and pushed the man's chin off his shoulders, giving a small huff as he tried to settle into the couch once again.
"C'mon, Rox," Axel asked in a sing-song tone, "read me a story."
"What are you, five-years-old or what?"
"Aw, take pity on those who "don't have a brain to use", Rox." The redhead knew just what buttons to push with the blond, and he inwardly celebrated when the boy gave a pleased laugh.
"Fine, I'll be nice, but just this once. Now brainless child, listen carefully to a story I have to tell…" He paused dramatically, ocean gems sneaking a quick glance at the smirking face beside him.
"Mama, what if I were a big, scary ape? Would you still love me then? And his mother replies "If you were a big, scary ape, I would comb your whole hairy self to make sure you didn't have any tangles. And I would make your birthday cake out of bananas, and I would tell you, 'I love you, my big, scary ape'"
Turning his head once again, he found the red hairs of thin eyebrows distorted, giving the man a rather muddled look. "That is…um…alright…?"
"There's more," Roxas said before continuing, "But Mama, but Mama, what if I were a super smelly skunk, and I smelled so bad that my name was Stinky Face?"
The redhead snorted, and Roxas's pink lips were snagged into an automatic grin.
"If you were a big smelly skunk I will give you a bath and sprinkle you with sweet powder soap and make sure you don't smell bad, and if you still smell bad," Roxas turned to his friend, staring him right in the face with a teasing grin and only returned his attention to the page after he received a confused "Whaaat?" from the tattooed male. "If you still smell bad, I'll hug you tight and whisper in your ear, "I love you, stinky face."
"Have you been in the library for the past three hours reading this since I left?" Axel asked, both brows raised.
"Shut up, Teacher Roxas is still reading." The blond cleared his throat with an obnoxiously loud grunt. The red head made a quiet comment, something along the lines of 'ooh, kinky', and the boy fought hard to hide his reddening face. Axel's gloved fingers helped flip to the next page, this time displaying a picture of a green crocodile. Axel remained quiet, waiting for Roxas to continue.
"But mama, what if I were a big giant crocodile that can bite your head off?—"
"Can I bite your head—"
"Shut the hell up, Axel—If you were a crocodile, I'll buy big toothbrush and make sure your teeth are healthy and clean and strong, and if you had a sore throat, I'll put my head right inside your mouth and make sure you're okay." Another flip of the page.
"But Mama, if I were a—Give it back! I wasn't finished!"
The blond lunged like a possessive child for his lost book that was held captive in the redhead's long reach. "Don't be an ass! I wasn't finished reading!"
"So improvise, Roxas." Axel tossed the hardcover like a Frisbee away from them, restraining the feisty boy by his wrists and preventing him from chasing after the white cover that was skittering across the hard floor. He managed to pull Number Thirteen down back on the couch, but not without some colorful insults spilling from his pouty mouth. "C'mon, let's see what that 'big brain' of yours can come up with." The man poked the boy's yellow hair, and earned a nice slap on the wrist.
"Fine," Roxas huffed, much to Axel's surprise. "Um, would…" Roxas scrunched up his brows, thinking hard at an impromptu scenario. "Would you still love me if I turned into a gruesome, slimy, muck-sucking, garbage-eating sewage monster with gross purple slime oozing out of my hair?"
There was a short pause, before Axel burst out laughing, his hand shooting out to ruffle the boy's blond hair, much to the younger Nobody's displeasure. The long diamond tattoos on his face distorted with his laughing visage.
"If you became a muck-sucking monster, I'd come visit you everyday in the pipes and bring better food for you to eat. I'd keep you warm in the cold sewers during the winter, and even if you have damn gross hair, I'd still comb my fingers through it while telling you 'I love you, you disgusting brat.'"
And as if on cue, gloved fingers ran smoothly through the forest of yellow, gently tugging Roxas's slender face towards his own before planting a soft kiss on the corner of the boy's lips. The tall man let out another laugh when the petit keyblade wielder blushed an embarrassingly dark shade of red and pushed his face away from his own.
"Oh, you would, would you?" The boy challenged, attempting with futility to keep his distance from the redhead.
"Please," Axel scoffed, giving the boy's nose a light flick, which earned him a new scowl, "I've seen and done worse with the Superior's stupid missions. It took me a week to clean my chakrams of this Heartless's guts after this mission in the Deep Jungle—that place has the weirdest Heartless, so you being a slimy monster? That's nothing." Another sly grin stretched onto his lips as he tried to steal another kiss from his best friend. The blond dodged his incoming face easily.
"Really, now. What if I wake up one morning as Larxene's evil twin Xarlene, with twice as much bitch-power and heels that were three times as sharp as Xaldin's spears? I could do what she does and give you a good side-kick now and then too. Oooh, and let's add in perpetual PMS just for kicks too." The blond smirked evilly at the redhead, who seemed unfazed by the boy's glinting eyes.
A long finger pressed against a temple as Axel cocked his head to the side, knocking gently with Roxas's. "Hmm," he hummed, softly nuzzling his head against soft blond hair, "Wow, I can't imagine anything rougher, but I'd probably live through it. I'd stick with you through your bitchy moments, and even let you scream at me when you get your panties—make sure they're black and lacy, too—in a knot. And I'd slice off the heels of your boots, but only to make sure you don't hurt yourself, and put up with your female moments. And when I grow tired of your bitchy moments and end up punching you in the face, I'd help sooth the bruise while hissing in your ear 'I love you, bitch.'"
Roxas gave a short snort and gave Axel another weak push. "Your turn, Axel."
Green eyes lit up in excitement, "me? Why? You always give in to my sexy charms anyway, Rox." Axel leaned in closer to the boy, staring at him with half-mast bedroom eyes while giving his own white teeth a seductive lick with a pink tongue. A low masculine chuckle emitted from his throat as the blond ended up draping his upper body over the arm rest, another attempt to set his distance, and turning his reddening face away from the playful smirk of Number Eight. The teen's chin was caught in two fingers and was turned back to face green eyes. Axel just grinned. "See, told ya."
Roxas batted his hand away, trying to hard to fight the grin from creeping into his face. "Touch me and die, freak," the blond warned, but not without the embarrassing hitch in his voice, "now make one."
"Persistent, aren't you? Alright then," the crimson-haired man lowered his body onto the blond's, his stomach pressing lightly on the boy's folded legs, propping his head in his hands while his elbows rested on the couch under Roxas's armpits. He stared up at Roxas, a silly grin painted onto his own face. "Would you still love me if I transformed into this giant, hideous ice-cream stealing raccoon—stop laughing, damn you—and went out every night to eat up all the sea-salt ice cream in Twilight Town? Oh, and just to rub salt in the wound, I dump all the cleaned popsicle sticks in your room. Wouldja still love me then?"
The blond gave the redhead's forehead several jabs of his pointer finger. "If you became this giant, hideous—oh look! Half way there already!—ice-cream stealing raccoon that stole all my ice-cream, I'd personally hunt you down, tie-you up and deep-six you. Oh, but all the while telling you 'I love you', of course."
"'Deep-six' me, eh Roxas?" The smaller boy let out a small gasp when a strong hand rubbed up his side, "Is that what everyone calls it these days?"
"You sick, perverted bastard, I meant deep-six as in 'I want to KILL you', but obviously your brain, or whatever you have, is else where, now take your hands off me before I slice them off!"
"Why, Roxy!" Axel gave the teenager's hip a hard squeeze, eliciting a breathless huff from the blond, arms coming up to wrap around the redhead's neck, "I was talking about the violent, blood-shedding "deep-six"! You dirty boy, thinking the nasty, and trying to pin your perverted nature onto me. Shame, shame."
"Shut up! You ruined the game!" Roxas frowned, unknowingly shuffling his body lower into the couch and letting Axel's weight settle between his legs. It wasn't until Axel let out a small chuckle and intertwined his own gloved fingers above the blond's head did he realize that he was lying directly underneath his friend.
"No I didn't, you can keep going. It's your turn anyway—I've used up all my brain-power for tonight. I'm listening." Axel smirked, his glowing emeralds still shining in amusement.
Roxas hummed, thinking what other ferocious monster or animal he could become. His eyes were drawn to the glowing heart-shaped moon hanging in the dark cloudy sky outside the window. Another breeze entered the library, but he didn't feel the cool air this time.
"If I turned into a ruthless heartless and found a way to steal all the hearts that you've collected and eat 'em up, would you still love me?" His eyes returned to the face looming over his, waiting for an answer. Roxas knew his little scenario wasn't as imaginative as before, but he couldn't really think spontaneous-creatively when Axel's face was inches away from his. He could smell the familiar scent of cinnamon spice as the redhead lowered his grinning lips to his ear.
"Of course I will," Axel began, his hot breath soothing over Roxas's ear and neck. The blond shivered, but it wasn't from the cold.
Green eyes drowned in blues, and Roxas suddenly forgot where he was, and what time it was. A hot mouth pressed down onto the young boy's. The kiss was slow, full, and possessive, but at the same time, passionate enough to make Roxas experience an eruption of butterflies in his stomach and a wild display of fireworks behind his closed eyes. He felt it every time the two of them shared this secret.
Roxas didn't understand what it was. Whatever it was, it made his body warm up in a brilliant sensation, a feeling emitting hidden messages that the boy couldn't read. He wanted to know what was written underneath all these physical motivations, yet, right now, he didn't want to question it. He just knew he wanted more, knew he wanted this to last.
No matter what.
"And I wouldn't worry about the hearts…"
A breathy moan left Roxas's throat as Axel's tongue took a delicate sweep of his accessible mouth before migrating downwards to suck tenderly on the boy's neck.
"A-and why wouldn't you?" Roxas asked, using whatever energy and sense of reality he had left to finish the question, vaguely remembering what he and Axel were discussing before diving head-first into a heady kiss. He found his hands buried in the bouncy scarlet locks as Axel kissed his way up back to the blond's ear. The smaller male could feel the redhead grin against him.
"Because you've already stolen mine."
--oOo--