Hopeless

by A Realm Above

His arms shook with exhaustion as he held the blonde tight against his chest. His body whimpered, I cannot hold on- to which his mind roared, I will not let go.

I'm falling down,

I can't wake up.

I cannot hold on,

I cannot let go.

-..

Roxas was just out of reach.

Bathed in light, peaceful- as if asleep- but Axel knew better.

The fair haired youth was drowning, really. He just didn't know it yet.

Axel struggled, screaming, but Roxas slept on. He was drifting away, Axel realized, and there was nothing he could do about it. He raged and roared, and thrashed and kicked, but he was bound hand and foot. He only glanced down to see if he could chew threw his bindings, or cut them maybe, when he realized that he was ensconced in nothing but shadows.

As if they had a life of their own, they leapt to his throat, and where they touched, they suddenly started burning, scorching the skin, bubbling blisters scalding the muscle, bone and blood beneath. Axel couldn't scream for the excruciating pain, the unadulterated fear- and how, or why, his two most desperate fears becoming reality-

The bell screeched a shrill, metallic song in the barracks room.

His eyes cracked open, and he gathered his bearing from the cool, dark air while his pulse slowed in his chest.

Axel sat up with a sigh, disentangling himself from his sheets as he swung his feet to the cool linoleum floor. He was sweating in his flame resistant underclothes, but he didn't bother changing them before he swept out of the darkness. It'd probably benefit him later on, anyways. He did grab his phone, though.

By the time he reached the staging room, Demyx was already half dressed, snapping his suspenders into place as the redhead cleared the stairs, leaping over the final two.

"C'mon, Axe, everyone's waitin' on us-"

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, waving Demyx's urging away, "I know. I overslept. My bad."

Demyx shrugged into his blouse wordlessly, and together they finished dressing in silence, accompanied by the ring of the bell.

As Axel jumped into the cab of the bright red fire truck, Demyx hopped behind the wheel, flipped the rollers and honked the horn. They pulled out as the siren sounded, and began weaving through traffic.

Axel had neglected his phone up until this point- dressing having taken priority- but now he that he had a moment to check it, he found a text from Roxas waiting in the wings.

Hey babe, sorry about today. Can't wait to come home. Xoxoxo

Axel studied his phone for a moment before replying, then stashed it in the glove box. He sat back to "enjoy" the ride.

The redhead always got nervous when they were called in for a job near the apartment that he and Roxas rented. It was always tense, right up until the moment when they passed the turn-off to his street. He suspected it was a fear that all firefighters shared: being called in to fight the monster as it swarmed over your home, your possessions, and everything you held dear. The same fear held true for today, but as they rode by the exit, the redhead relaxed into his seat, breathing out the sigh he hadn't known he was holding.

Unfortunately, that was where the normalcy ended.

When they finally arrived at the scene, they pulled in behind a fire truck already waiting at the curb. The building (jokingly called the victim by some) was a squat thing, wider than it was tall, and made of red-brown brick that glowed a dull orange in the dancing firelight. There were only a few windows that Axel could see, and black smoke billowed out of each and every one- on the top floor, at least.

The fire chief was behind the first truck, bathed in the bright white light shining from the inside of the vehicle, where two firemen slouched. One was coughing vigorously, and the other stared at Axel and Demyx with sullen eyes over his oxygen mask. Both were covered in sweat and soot.

"Chief?"

The man looked up from what appeared to be a layout of the building spread across a collapsible table. "You the guys from 008?"

Demyx nodded and the chief beckoned them over. A thin, spectacled man Axel hadn't noticed stepped from beside the chief to make room.

"This here's the… CEO? Or something. He runs the company," the old firefighter began, only to be interrupted by the man.

"Not the CEO- I just run the branch. Sir." He looked like a nervous guy, fidgeting and wringing his hands. He couldn't keep from glancing over their shoulders at the burning building. "There are still people in there. Employees."

Chief grunted. "I know."

From beneath the layout, the chief pulled what looked to be a receipt. The paper was thin, the text was tiny, and Axel had to squint to read it when Demyx passed it to him.

No, no, please, no, he shouldn't be here, he went to his mother's this morning…

The small man had been talking, but Axel only picked up near the end of it.

"… secretary got out first, but she managed to print the list off before she er… escaped."

"And you're sure that everyone's accounted for? Nobody else is inside?" Demyx was studying the layout over the chief's shoulder. Axel moved around them so he could get some light.

"Yes, I'm sure. We have very sensitive information and… Materials. We use access cards with individual key codes. Every level has a door that tracks the movement of employees."

This time the chief and Demyx both grunted. Roxas always said that Axel's colleagues were mouth-breathers, and made sure to remind the redhead frequently. As Axel read down the list of names and equipment, though, he found himself wishing he was as dumb as Roxas jokingly painted him.

Serrells, Johnathon

Snyder, Tyler

Strife, Roxas

His stomach was lead. How? How could he be here? His mother lives in New Jersey…

He glanced over his shoulder at the building where Roxas had worked since they had moved in together. The fire raged on the top floor, but the windows still hadn't blown out of the bottom. As he watched, a two-man team of fire fighters ducked out of a smoking doorway. One carried a victim in his arms.

"… relief for those two that just came out. Axel? Hey- pay the fuck attention. Axel."

The redhead snapped back to the table, where the chief had set a black handheld radio. "Grab your scubas, and your PASS. I want a comms check in two minutes."

"Roger that, sir," Demyx and Axel replied, before jogging to their truck to grab their gear. As they donned their breathing devices and personal safety systems, Axel watched Demyx. Better than watching the fire, he figured. But the blonde looked like he was chewing on words, and as Axel shrugged his tank onto his back, he finally spit them out. "Hey, man, are you okay?"

Axel quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. Why?"

The blonde shrugged. "I know Roxas works here man, and y'know… If he's a scientist and stuff-"

"Chemist."

"Right, well, uh… There's probably some hazmat in there. Are you sure you're good to go on this? You can sit this one out, dude." When he saw Axel's eyes narrow, he held up his hands in defense. "I'm just sayin', man. It's stupid to go in there and have your mind somewhere else."

Axel glanced away then, gazing at the dancing firelight on the pavement by his feet.

The day he'd moved in with Roxas, the week after the blonde had gotten the high paying chemist job with a firm just down the road, two months after the blonde had graduated college- Axel told him about becoming a fire fighter. He'd never had the brains for college, he reasoned, but he knew fire like he knew the back of his hand. He'd grown up with it, nurtured it- it was as much a part of him as his hair.

Roxas had gaped at him- and struck him so suddenly that Axel, caught completely unawares, had no time to avoid getting a solid black eye. And then he was on his back, and trying to hold Roxas' wrists, the blonde struggling against him, crying, calling him an idiot, saying it was the stupidest thing he'd ever done. How could he fight fire? How do you fight something you love?

But Axel answered him simply. Fire was nothing compared to Roxas; fire was fleeting, but Roxas - Roxas was his love, his life- his light in the dark. After that, he'd kissed him. Soft at first- but what started chaste soon escalated, and before they'd known it, they were naked, Roxas sucking him off and stroking his erect cock before straddling him, and then all Axel could remember was the heat. Tight, wet, and all around him as Roxas took in his fully hardened arousal, whimpering as he traced his fingers over his own length, smearing precum down his erection with his fingertips. They made love on the hardwood floor, and when Roxas came, he gasped Axel's name as though it were with his last breath.

"Delta, Alpha, radio check, over."

Axel started when the fire chief's voice buzzed in his ear. He saw Demyx jump as well. "Read you five-by, chief. How me, over."

"Lima Charlie." The chief let go of the mic, then rekeyed. "All stations, all stations. Be advised, team Delta-Alpha, going in. Team Romeo-Romeo on standby for rapid intervention."

Demyx and Axel stopped at the doorway, with smoke billowing over their heads.

They bumped fists.

And plunged in.

-.-.

The first story of the building was a haze of smoky air. Axel started sweating as soon as they crossed the lobby, through the door that had been helpfully propped open, and finally through the stairwell that led to the upper and lower decks of the building. The room beyond was open, with cubicles along the sides and white tables that marched into the murky distance, painted red and orange by the fire eating away at the walls, tables and chairs to the left of the doorway.

Axel went first, being careful to remain in line of sight to his team mate. They edged along the wall, stopping every so often to look for people. Whenever they reached a window, Axel called a halt, snapping the hand held axe off his belt, and knocking the glass free. By the time they reached the far wall the room had cleared of enough smoke that they could see what they were looking for.

When confronted with fire, most people hid. What Axel and Demyx were looking for was likely hiding spots- and on the far end of the wall they'd just reached, Axel could faintly see the outlines of what was more than likely a janitor's closet, or perhaps a restroom. Either would be ideal. Water sources would prevent the fire creeping in, and the doors themselves helped with the smoke, though a janitor's closet would have the worse ventilation of the two.

Please, please, please be in there, fuck, why is his name on the list…

Axel and Demyx continued their deliberate pace around the edge of the room, Axel knocking out windows to help ventilate while Demyx scanned the center of the room, searching for victims.

When he was an arm's length or so from the door, Axel reached back, patting Demyx on the chest. When the blonde looked at him, he gestured with his hands and spoke.

"Possible victims inside," he said, pointing to the door. "You got eyes on?" Two fingers towards his face, then the door again. Demyx nodded, and buzzed in his ear, "Go ahead. I got your back."

Once, when Axel had first started firefighting, he'd been attacked by a man he was trying to rescue. He'd opened a closet door, gotten tackled, and was only narrowly saved by Demyx, who dragged the guy off so he could go and get rescued. Ever since then, he made sure his team mate always knew if Axel was about to 'rescue' somebody.

Roxas is a smart guy, the smartest guy I know, he's gotta be in here…

With adrenaline in his veins, Axel grasped the door handle and yanked.

The only other person to hear his yelled Fuck! was Demyx. The door handle stubbornly resisted Axel's attempted entry, and he thought, who locks a door in a fire? before snapping his axe off his belt. The metallic ring cut through the roar of the fire behind him as he attacked the door, the impact jarring his hand and making his fingers go numb.

Luckily, it took only a few hits sparking off the handle before it gave way, falling from the door and clanking into the dim distance.

Axe in hand, Axel wedged the door open, with a small prayer of Roxas.

Inside, a figure huddled behind a large, grimy, porcelain sink. Only his back was visible, crouched as he was, and he wore the same white lab coat Axel had seen hanging on all the pegs on the walls outside the janitor's closet.

With Demyx at his back, Axel stepped forward. "Roxas?"

Demyx heard him and growled, but Axel ignored him. His mind was right here, with Roxas huddled in front of him.

But the man who peeked over the lip of the sink was not Roxas, slate hair instead of blonde, with one cobalt eye instead of two sky blue. His face was tear streaked and dirty.

Fuck.

"Radiant Garden Fire Department. Everything's okay," Axel stated, squatting down so he wouldn't frighten the guy any further. Fuck. Not Roxas. Fuck, fuck. "Are you injured?"

The man shook his head, loosing tears from the corners of his eyes as he did so. "P-p-p-please-"

"Everything is going to be alright, sir. Will you come with me? I will take you to safety." Axel reached out his hand. He'd been taught that it was easier to save someone if they wanted to be saved, so he always made sure they had a choice- or the illusion of one, anyway, since he'd be damned if he was just going to let someone burn.

Still, it was easier to pull the man to his feet when he took Axel's hand than it would have been to drag him kicking and screaming. "Do you need help walking, sir?"

"No, I-"

"Follow him," Axel pointed to Demyx, who waved, "and stay as low as you can. I'll be right behind you."

The slate haired man looked out past Demyx, to the fire that was steadily making its way across the room, and Axel saw the naked terror rising up onto his face. If they waited much longer, the youth would go from compliant to kicking and screaming.

Demyx seemed to think the same thing- without a word, he grabbed the man's wrist and started back the way they'd come. The victim didn't have time to think about what was happening, and before he'd gotten the chance to become hysterical, he, Demyx, and Axel were exiting the doorway.

"Delta-Alpha, plus one, coming out."

"Roger, Delta-Alpha. Bring the plus one to truck 013, over."

As Demyx escorted the victim, Axel removed his helmet and mask, breathing in the sweet, cool night air. He was drenched in sweat.

Roxas is still in there.

The fire chief was questioning the victim by the time Axel had grabbed a bottle of water for himself and Demyx. The youth held the same oxygen mask the sullen fire fighter had had. Neither of those two were in attendance.

"So there was no one else on your floor? There were supposedly eight people in the building, beside the secretary."

"No," the man coughed. Demyx stepped towards him, but stopped when the youth eyed him warily. "There were six on the second floor, working on… On a project."

Chief glared at him. "A project."

Axel tried to be as surreptitious as possible, chugging water beside the truck in an attempt to find out what the slate haired man knew of Roxas.

"Yes, sir. A project." He started a hacking coughing fit, making a disgusted face before spitting and returning the mask to his mouth. "The project is secret. If I tell you, I-"

"Will have to kill me?"

"Will go to jail."

The chief managed to deepen his glare before he grunted. "Well, we only recovered five people from the upper story. Is it possible one of them went to the underground floor?"

Axel glanced at the youth, whose name tag hung from his left breast pocket. Zexion.

Zexion shook his head as his breath fogged the breathing mask with a sigh. "The only one working in the underground was Roxas."

Axel stood up straight. "Roxas is down there? Why?"

Demyx, the chief and Zexion stared at Axel as if he'd proclaimed he had a third testicle.

"Axel-"

"Fireman Alpha, you are out of l-"

"I can't tell you-"

But Axel didn't stick around to hear them. He begged an apology to the chief, and took off, leaving the old fire fighter and the victim in their bewilderment as Demyx followed on his heels.

"Axel, what the f-"

He wheeled on his partner. "Demyx, I'm going back in."

Ocean blue eyes widened. The now empty water bottle Demyx got from Axel crinkled as he made a fist.

"Axel, you're not thinking str-"

"I'm going back in."

"You can't."

"I am."

Demyx scowled. "We don't have enough air. Chief's policy is no less than twenty minutes reserve, and we have what? Like fifteen minutes, total? The other teams used up the last fresh cans, so we've got all we're gonna get."

When Axel didn't answer, Demyx sighed, throwing down the water bottle so he could run a hand through his sweaty hair. It stuck up in odd spikes.

"Axel, I know Roxas is important to you, but safety first, man. You're going to get us all killed if you go back in there right now. One of us is gonna have a heat stroke or we're gonna run out of air or-"

"Demyx," the redhead said, "I'm going back in there. You don't have to come with, and I'll understand if you don't, but I'd really appreciate it if you did."

The blonde seemed shocked into silence. He stood gaping at Axel for a few heartbeats before he sputtered, "But- that- you, you'd get fired if you went in by yourself," he finished lamely, glancing at his feet. He was quiet for a moment more. Then he scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot, mumbling, "You'd give it all up? For Roxas?"

Axel waited until Demyx met his eye before answering, "I'd rather die than live in a world without him, man."

The blonde frowned, and Axel held his breath. Although everything he'd said was true, he hoped that both he and Roxas would make it out of this alive. The chances of that happening depended greatly on having a partner go in with him.

When Demyx sighed in defeat, Axel knew he'd won.

"Well, if we're gonna go rescue your boyfriend, we might as well do it before the building collapses and stuff."

-.-.

Zexion was pointing to a spot on the building layout when Axel and Demyx walked up with fresh bottles of water in hand.

"It's to the far left as you're looking at it from the doorway, similar to all the other bathrooms in placement and design."

The chief was nodding, eyes fixed on Zexion's finger. "Is there anywhere else they might be hiding?" Zexion scowled.

"Roxas is the only one down there, sir. And there is one other place," he said, reaching up to unclip his badge and dropping it on the table. "My code is 0906. You may need it for the safe room."

"Safe room?"

"Fireproof, air tight, et cetera," the slate haired youth paused, hacking up phlegm. "It's used for the storage of data, but…"

Chief was nodding again. He glanced up at Axel, glared, and turned to Demyx. "How much do you have left in your tanks?"

The blonde glanced to Axel before replying. "Enough, sir."

"Good. You know what to look for?"

"Yes, sir."

-.-.

It was almost as though the fire was darker underground than it was above.

Axel inched along the wall with his hand, crouched low, keeping his breathing as even as possible. He had started out this mission with around eighteen minutes of air. It wouldn't do to cut that in half by hyperventilating. To compound that, his flame resistant undergarments and the layers over that were completely soaked in sweat. Demyx's hand was a warm spot on his lower back.

The fire raged hottest down here- more than likely, this was where it had started. Axel blinked sweat from his eyes, even as dread coiled ice-cold in his gut.

Fuck, fuck, the air down here is poison. If he breathes this in…

Axel spotted a steel door in the gloom on the wall ahead. His heart leapt, and he locked his gaze on the blinking red light on the card reader. Just a few more steps-

But he wasn't paying attention.

One crouched, cautious step later- and Axel found himself falling through the floor, Demyx yelling in his ear, and the last thing he thought was Roxas.

-.-.

Fuck.

Demyx was buzzing in his ear, voice almost hysterical. He shut up when Axel groaned, but then it seemed as though he doubled his efforts to be irritating. The redhead had a splitting head ache, and something was prodding him in the back. He cracked open his eyes to find a jagged hole in the ceiling above him. Demyx leaned over as far as he dared. Everything danced with firelight.

"Dem," he croaked. The blonde stopped his babbling, instead replying meekly, "Axe? You okay buddy?"

Axel wiggled his fingers. Wiggled his toes. Everything was still attached. "Yeah, I think so," he muttered, before attempting to sit up. He hissed in a breath, but couldn't contain his grunt of pain when he jostled his leg. Fire lanced from his ankle to his knee. It was three slow, deep breaths before he was confident he wouldn't throw up in his mask.

"Uh, my leg. I think it's hurt, Dem."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."

Demyx glanced up and around, at the fire, Axel assumed, before his mask faced down again. "I'm gonna go get help-"

"No-"

"Shut up. I'll get Roxas after I get you help. I'm not fucking losing you, man."

With that, the firefighter disappeared from view, and Axel yelled with no response.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Shit. Fuck.

No time. The building groaned above the hole in the ceiling, and for a moment, Axel was certain it would fall- but it held.

With a curse, the redhead snatched his axe and a roll of bandage from his belt, and applied a makeshift splint. He was grateful Demyx couldn't hear him scream.

When that was done, he stood on a shaking leg, leaning against the wall, and studied his surroundings for the first time.

The layout of the building had boasted only three levels, but he was in a room beneath the underground. It was dark here- no fire raged, and the only illumination came from the hole in the ceiling and the ominous glowing beakers on some of the white tables. Axel had an intensely bad feeling about the room, especially upon remembering what the CEO had said about special secret 'materials'.

To his left, a ladder extended all the way to the ceiling, where there appeared to be a steel trap door. He limped to it, placed his hands on the rungs, and gingerly began climbing. Although he tried his best, he could not keep from jarring his injured leg, and every time he did, he had to stop for feeling nauseous.

When he reached the top, he found, to his horror, the door was locked. No amount of pushing budged it, and after what felt like an eternity of bruising his fists, he began climbing back down, blinking away tears.

How am I supposed to save him if I can't save myself?

Axel stopped at the bottom to catch his breath. He looked around, hoping for another exit- but the room was so small that he could easily see the opposite wall, no more than fifteen feet away. There were only four tables in a room, and a filing cabinet. No doors, and clearly no windows.

Glancing again at the tables- each of which sported some of the glowing beakers- and the filing cabinet, which reached just short of the hole in the ceiling, Axel whimpered.

This was going to hurt.

-.-.

Only when Axel crawled in front of the steel door to the safe room did he realize Demyx had the access card.

The redhead was exhausted, shaking, sweating- but he pounded weakly on the door anyway. He hadn't climbed out of the darkness just to stop short of his light.

He feared the steel would be too thick for Roxas to hear him, if indeed he was even in there, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. Almost half the room he was in was consumed by fire. Even on the floor, in his gear, he could feel the heat like a sunny, summer's day.

Suddenly, the door slid open, and Axel crawled into the darkness without a second thought.

As the door closed behind him, the firefighter glanced over his shoulder. The light in the safe room was dim, but it was enough. Axel caught sight of flaxen hair, smooth, sun kissed skin and Roxas's black and white checkered shoes, and sighed in relief. He was so overwhelmed with the feeling that for a moment, he just lay there, soaking it in. One step down, one to go.

It was only on a second look did he notice something was wrong.

Those sky blue eyes he loved were dull, his face pale, body slack. Axel scrambled over and pulled off his mask, and immediately started coughing. The air was stale with sweat and fear, and smelled distinctly of Roxas. When Axel pulled a flashlight off his belt and shined the light in front of the blonde's eyes, the youth scrunched up his face, but his pupils dilated sluggishly, and his pulse was quick and fluttery beneath Axel's fingertips.

"Rox? You okay in there?"

"Unnnngh," the blonde shook his head clumsily, putting his shoulders into the effort. "Shorry 'bout… Today."

Axel tried his level best to be professional as he pushed his mask onto Roxas's face, but he doubted he kept all the panic from his voice. "Can you tell me what day it is, Rox?"

The boy coughed as oxygen started flowing. "Shhhhhure." The blonde paused, and Axel feared he wouldn't answer. There was a complete lack of ventilation in the safe room, and Roxas had been breathing his own breath for quite some time, judging by the taste of the air. More than likely, he was hypoxic by now. "S'our anniversary." He paused again, then said, "Sorry."

Axel sighed, ignoring the itching in his throat that made him want to cough. "No, stupid. The date. What day is it?"

The blonde groaned again, shrugging weakly. "I dunno. Our anniversary. Cause I'm here." Axel coughed, and noticed a pack of water and a first aid kit in the corner next to Roxas. He was desperately thirsty.

"Hold this," he said, letting the blonde hold the mask in place as he reached over and grabbed a bottle, gulping the contents and coughing when he couldn't gulp any more.

As he drank, he contemplated his next step. Roxas was on the verge of hypoxia, meaning he would be uncoordinated, disorientated, and probably unhelpful in every way. Axel was exhausted, overheated, and probably running dangerously low on air. He took a look at the indicator gauge on his tank and found it to be broken. He sighed.

Roxas was a little more alert now, watching the fire fighter through the mask.

"You came for me."

Axel glanced up from his fourth bottle of water, meeting the blonde's gaze. He finished drinking and wiped his mouth. "Well, duh. I wouldn't have had to if you'd just gone to your mom's house like you said you were," the redhead scowled, but he couldn't help but return the grin the blonde gave him.

"Yeah, well," Roxas huffed a laugh, "this is what I get for trying to be a good boyfriend and surprise you for our anniversary. Death and destruction everywhere. It will never happen again, promise." He laughed again, and Axel relaxed. If Roxas was cognizant, he could probably get himself to the exit.

Then Axel had an idea. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Roxas nodded for him to continue. Axel felt lightheaded. "You put on my outfit, and um…" There had been more to this plan. "Uh… " Axel realized he was getting hypoxic when his vision started dimming. There was really no air in the room. "Lemme see that real quick…"

Roxas handed him back the mask, and Axel breathed deep. The lightheadedness passed, and he retraced his steps in his mind. "Okay," he started, breath fogging up the mask. "You put on my stuff, and help me out, and-"

"I can't."

That brought Axel up short. "Huh?"

"My legs… They're cramped up. I can't move them at all."

The redhead frowned, and reached towards the blonde. When he poked his thigh, the muscle was as hard as rock. Shit.

"Okay, well…" he could carry him. Axel considered back packing the blonde- but if his legs were cramped, they'd get in the way. Over his shoulder would be easier, but Roxas would be more likely to inhale smoke and super-heated air. Hm. Well, fuck.

Bridal style would be the middle ground of the two- Roxas would at around waist height, and his legs wouldn't interfere, but that would leave Axel with no hands if something happened. Then Axel remembered his own leg was fucked.

God damn it. This is fucking hopeless.

He handed the mask back to Roxas and leaned over, mashing the heels of his hands into his eyes. How could he have let this happen? He should never have let Roxas go that morning.

They'd stood at the door to their apartment, Roxas with a duffelbag by his feet. He'd been in Axel's arms, voice muffled in Axel's chest. The redhead had buried his face in soft, blonde hair, and thought, I could stay here forever.

And now this.

No way out, limited air, with fire prowling at the door like a hungry, red wolf. And it was his fault-

Roxas lay a hand on his leg. When Axel met his eye, he smiled weakly and said, "I love you."

That was it. Three words. That was all it took to harden Axel's resolve- if he never did anything else in this life, he would get Roxas out alive.

The firefighter released a sigh through his nose, studying Roxas's blue, blue eyes. This might be the last time I see them.

He shrugged out of his scuba tank, and unbuttoned his blouse. "I love you too, ya know. Stupid." Roxas grinned, even as he a raised an eyebrow at the redhead stripping. Axel gingerly removed his boots, hissing when pain lanced up his injured leg. It was a futile effort to try and blink back the tears of agony. When he regained his breath, he crawled backwards out of his trousers, and pulled the layers of flame resistant under shirts over his head, piling them next to his legs. "Put this stuff on over your clothes," he said, tossing the sooty yellow blouse and trousers onto Roxas's lap. The blonde frowned.

"No. You need those."

Axel rolled his eyes. "I have boxers that will keep my junk at a cool 61 degrees Fahrenheit," he lied, grabbing a few unopened bottles of water and pouring them over his undergarments. "Your clothes are like kindling. Trust me, I know what I'm doing." He winked, pulling his lips back in what he hoped was a cocky grin. "I practically went to college for this stuff."

Now it was Roxas who rolled his eyes, even as he put down the mask and started dressing in Axel's clothes. They were outrageously big on him, but that would probably be for the better.

By the time the both of them were dressed, Axel was dripping water from all the clothes on his body, and his boots were back on. He drank the last bottle of water as Roxas handed him the scuba.

"What now?"

Axel glanced at him, then rolled over, supporting himself with the wall as he struggled to his feet. "Now it's time to go."

The unadulterated terror in Roxas's eyes left a bitter taste on the back of Axel's tongue, though he tried his best not to show it. Roxas had good reason to be afraid, and Axel even more so. He tried not to think about what third degree burns looked like. More than likely, he was about to get unflinchingly familiar with a number of his very own. "Ready?"

The blonde took a few deep breaths from the mask before nodding, and Axel waited until the blonde had donned his helmet before leaning down and carefully scooping him into his arms.

The exhaustion was overwhelming. His arms shook, and he had no choice but to put weight on his injured leg. He breathed slowly, deeply from the mask, but still felt the pain stabbing, unsettling his stomach, threatening to make him retch. He held the blonde tight to his chest. His body whimpered, I cannot hold on- to which his mind roared, I will not let go.

"Axel?"

Roxas looked like a child, swimming in Axel's uniform that was several sizes too big, but it was the look on his face that gave Axel the impression. Fear, and hope, and trust. Everything Axel did, he did for Roxas.

The blonde reached up then, tugging off the mask and tugging down the redhead's face, stealing a kiss. When he tried to pull away, the firefighter wouldn't let him- this might be the last of these, too - and only when he was lightheaded for lack of air did Axel release his lover. Roxas came away with eyes suspiciously bright, but Axel didn't remark on it. Instead, he shook his head as Roxas tried to replace the mask. "You put that on. You're gonna need it." The blonde didn't argue. Axel's heart pounded in his chest.

Roxas curled as small as he could against his chest, and Axel thought he heard him mumble, "I love you" again, before he hoisted the blonde up for a better grip.

And with a deep breath, and "I love you, too-" he slapped the button marked open.

And stepped into the inferno.

-.-.

It's over now,

There's no way out,

I cannot hold on,

I will not let go.

-.-.

The image for this story is from deviant art, called "Smoke." by ~boing-boing.