As Axel lay in his bed, idly stroking soft silver hair with one hand, he couldn't help but wonder how it had started. He really didn't understand it, but he could bet it had something to do with Sora finally getting it on with Kairi. The Nobody had woken up to find a silver haired kid wandering aimlessly through Halloween Town, blue eyes blank in a way Axel understood too well. It was the same look he got when he was brooding over Roxas.
The red head rolled over a little, watching his lover. Riku was pretty, no one could deny that, but when he had changed sides in some hope of saving his friends he had destroyed any hope of going back to Destiny Island unchanged. He had been shunned when he returned, the people's trust in him destroyed.
It was only then that he realised what Riku must have felt for Sora. The kid had been in love with him. That was what had kept him on that spec of land, his love for a straight guy he had watched go after someone else. That had to hurt. At least with Roxas there hadn't been someone else in the equation... he had left by himself. And if he had left for a chick, Axel was pretty sure he would have torched her. Or done something that ended up with fire and pain on someone's account. But Riku was better than him that way. Nicer. Or at least a little less sadistic.
When Riku spotted the pyro he hadn't jumped up, hadn't gone for his key blade, in fact, he hadn't even moved. He just bowed his pale head and stared at his shoes.
"If you're going to kill me for being a traitor, hurry up and do it." The teen's voice had been monotone, but Axel could hear the pain behind it. His body moved without his consent to stand almost chest to chest with the obviously broken hearted boy, and he swore to this day the hole where his heart was supposed to be had filled with empathy. He reached a gloved hand up to brush a stray lock away from Riku's eyes with a sigh.
"He fucked you up pretty bad, huh?" Axel watched as Riku's head snapped up, those cerulean eyes narrowing in confusion. He gave the teen what he hoped was an understanding smile in return. "I can see it clear as day on your face kid. You're a pretty high level suppresser, but I can see it."
Riku jerked, tearing himself away from the touch. "How do you know?" He hissed. "How the hell do you know about that?"
"Come on, gossip travels over oceans and through barriers pretty easy. I heard that spike head got with the pink thing. A few hours later spike's best friend shows up at my haunt looking like his puppy's just been eaten by a heartless." He stopped. "And don't point out how I can't talk about Sora's hair being spiky. I can rip on whoever the hell I want too."
He received a half smile for that, but it faded quickly. Oh nice Axel, way to distract him. He rubbed the back of his head. This was going to get deep pretty fast.
"Look Mr Silver and Cold, I don't know why you came here of all places. Doesn't seem like the place I'd go to cheer up, but you're here and I can't change that." He sighed again. "Well...you just happened to stumble on the one guy who can relate and doesn't think you're a head job for joining the Organization. So, spill little dude." Axel smirked at Riku's half hearted glare.
"How can you relate to me? You have no heart and therefore, no broken heart." Riku spat in retaliation. The flame thrower was about to snarl something back when he realised what he was trying to do. Cunning little s.o.b this Riku was...
"No changing the subject of this here talk buddy. This is about you and mini-Leon, not me and Roxas. I'm not going to argue with you about heartless feelings or lack thereof."
Axel glanced around before sitting down, deciding to pull Riku down with him. He was surprised by the lack of fight once again, the teen slumping down next to him with a slight grunt. As soon as he touched the ground his body seemed to curl in on it's self, hiding his face behind a curtain of hair.
"He meant a lot to you?" Axel tried softly. He noticed the sniffle as Riku tried to compose himself.
"He was everything to me. I thought...I thought he loved me back, but when I tried to tell him...he thought it was just...a friend thing...he didn't understand what I meant." Riku rasped. He wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Shit. I'm not crying." He choked out.
"I know that." Axel lied. The kid was trying to be strong. He respected that. And Riku did not need to be beaten down any more tonight by the looks of things.
"...And then, he went with Kairi...Kairi of all people!" Riku's head suddenly snapped up. "What's wrong with me damn it! What does she have that I don't? It's not like I can grow breasts for him!" Riku looked him right in the eye, the tears coming quicker now. "I would if I could, I would do anything for him. I-I went into the darkness for him! I made everyone else hate me!" He began sobbing in a broken way. "Why'd he go with her?" He whispered, looking down at his hands as they fisted in his lap.
Axel let out the breath he had been holding through the kid's little speech. Riku was seriously hurt here, maybe mortally if he wasn't careful. The Nobody looked up at the Halloween sky and began to speak quietly to the distraught boy.
"Do you know why I came here after The Organization was defeated Riku?" He asked. He continued without waiting for an answer. "You've probably heard the story behind this place already, huh? The guy made one mistake and the whole world was against him. But, in the end, he found love even though he screwed things up and thought he was never going to make it up to everyone." Axel glanced over at Riku, who followed his gaze up to the ever-full moon. "I came here because I believed in that. People can't define their lives by one mistake, be that mistake stealing Christmas or... going into the darkness."
"It doesn't matter what I define my life by. Without Sora, it's meaningless anyway." Riku hissed through clenched teeth, more tears falling from his eyes.
For the first time when Axel looked at him, he actually saw Riku. Before he had seen Sora's little heart broken friend, but now he saw Riku. The way his silver-white hair glinted in the Halloween moonlight, the vulnerability in his stance, and the way the tear tracks down his face shone as his beautiful blue eyes looked for some answer in the night sky.
The teen jumped as he felt Axel's glove covered hand against his cheek, forcing him to meet the Nobody's green eyes. "A-Axel?" He whispered.
"It's not meaningless Riku." Axel told him firmly. "With or without Sora, your life's not meaningless. You're a fucking beautiful angel who saved that little, naive bitch from himself. If he can't see that, he's not worth your god damn time, you hear me?"
"But I love him..." Riku whimpered. "It's me that isn't good enough..."
"Not it's not!" Axel snapped. He stood up to tower over the smaller figure. "Look at yourself! You're beautiful and an angel to boot! You tried to do what was best and made a damn mistake, that's all! You're not evil, you're not ugly, you're not fat or whatever people have been telling you, you understand me?! You're perfect."
And with that, he knelt and pressed his lips to the younger boy's. Nothing more than that. There was no way he was going to try and take advantage of someone like Riku, not at a time like this. As he tried to back down Riku wrapped his arms around the red head's shoulders, sobbing softly.
"P-Please don't go. Make m-me forget. Please." Riku whispered in his ear.
Axel sighed. "I can't do that doll. No one can. I'm not going to do anything 'cept hold you, okay?" He murmured, rubbing circles into Riku's back. "But I'm not going to leave you." Axel promised. "Not for anyone or anything."
Axel picked Riku up gently and carried him to where he had been staying in the town. The good thing about Halloween Town was that no one asked questions about the fiery red head or the broken angel crying in his arms.
Axel lay Riku down on his bed and climbed in behind him, wrapping his arms around the pale teen's waist in the hope of offering comfort. The silver haired boy rolled over and buried his face into Axel's neck, and Axel felt the wetness of his tears against his own skin. He rested his cheek against the top of Riku's head and waited patiently for the boy to cry himself dry.
Axel had looked out the window that night and smiled despite the sadness in the room. He nudged Riku to get his attention and pointed toward the sight.
"Look, it's snowing." He whispered, showing Riku the glittering flakes as they fell from the cloudless sky. "It looks like the world is ready to give us a second chance."
That night, something beautiful had been created. It had been small, and fragile, but it had refused to be beaten down or run away in the face of the overwhelming odds against it. It was the love of two heartbroken creatures who found that everyone deserves a second chance.