A/N: Inspired by a picture on DeviantArt entitled "It's better this way" by neofox, and "Prelude 12/21" by AFI on their Decemberunderground album. Uh. That's about it.
Lullaby
Roxas likes music boxes. Or, he likes breaking them.
He likes seeing what makes the pretty melody loop over and over again, likes shoving sharp things in the middle of the gears. He likes hearing the springs snap, likes watching the gears fly wayward into the air. He likes to see the mechanics squeak with an inhuman pain, the melody slowing, slowing only to beat faster like a faraway heart he once had.
He is driven by it, and when the melody goes high in a whine and then fades forever he only laughs, and brings the entire mechanical mess to Axel.
"This is what I brought you," he says brightly, his smile askew, but he sounds as if he's just offered Axel the world. "This you can keep."
"Thanks. It's great," Axel says, and his smile is full of squirming lies. He does his best to keep his distance from Roxas, who doesn't seem to be his usual self.
"But I don't have anything to give you."
Roxas pauses for a moment and then looks up.
"Sing me a lullaby?" he asks, with that same askew smile, his bright blissful eyes almost too beautiful to look at.
Axel only smirks, halfheartedly, not even trying. Fighting the urge to bring Roxas closer, he breathes out a lie: "Don't know any."
"Just try," Roxas insists, coming closer, running Axel's cloak clasp between his skinny young fingers. "For me?"
It is now. Now when Axel realizes this could end perfectly. And that all his problems would be over.
It would be better this way. The memory wouldn't be ruined.
You would always be perfect, always be mine.
You'd never leave me.
Leave me the way you know you will. The way I know you will.
The way everyone does.
It is all done so fast, whirring music-box fast, gears turning and turning and the gears freezing; the world stops when the chakram pierce Roxas through, right where his heart once was.
The chakram slides so easily through Roxas, like he's a doll, just a little doll that needed to be cuddled and loved and tucked into a small porcelain world. The blood spills against the blonde's black cloak, pools around his ankles.
It's so beautiful. Roxas is so beautiful, beautiful and belonging to Axel, only Axel, now and forever.
Roxas looks at him with wide eyes, struggles to breathe. His lips form words that nobody really hears, whispered away by the wind. He is falling limp against Axel's shoulder, looks like he's falling asleep.
Axel sighs, and begins to sing.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word."
And he kisses Roxas' cold dead beautiful eyes, and lays him to sleep.
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