The Little Joys

By Kay

Disclaimer: ... if I owned 'em, you can be sure that Ax-chan would've gotten laid by now.

Author's Notes: You heard it-- I blame the caffiene for this. This is SLASH (m/m), a Marco/Ax pairing fic... but theoretically, a fic from a universe where Marco and Ax are attempting to live together after the war. I don't know, I just wrote the darned thing.

... it's all an excuse for damn fluffy cuteness. :D Try to enjoy it while I'm hyper, ne? Oh and YES-- warning to those who care: There IS talk/teasing in here about intimate matters. ^_^ Hence, why it's rated PG-13 or R or so.

Daisuke!Muse: No. Just ignore this. PLEASE.

Actually, I think this is the first posted AM slash I've done for FF Net... maybe I should put the others up, too...? Eh, maybe. Yeah, why not.

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"So, how's the big move going so far?" Jake asked, a hint of amusement colouring his usual calm tone of voice.

Although Marco knew his best friend couldn't see it, he rolled his eyes dramatically and clutched the telephone tighter in his hand. A large grin that spread across his face ruined the expression, though, and he announced in mock anguish over the phone reciever, "Jake, man, you were right-- this is pure, living unadultered hell on earth. It's more terrible than being skinned alive and boiled under hot iron rods! It's the worse thing ever!"

"That bad, huh?" his friend laughed.

"Oh yes." Marco nodded with a laugh-- ignoring, again, that Jake couldn't even see the gesture. "I mean, what could be worse than living with the guy I've been seeing for months now, and could possibly be in love with? I tell ya, buddy-- it's hell."

"I bet it is." Thinly veiled chuckles traveled through the telephone. Despite his earlier misgivings about the "move" in question, Jake was already relaxing. Marco sounded content and happy, which made it sound a lot easier than he thought it would be. Naturally, this meant a little teasing was in order -- "So how heated up have things gotten so far?"

"Mmm. Very heated. Passion with a capital letter, my friend," Marco bragged. "It's so hot that I don't think I have the energy to keep up with the constant demand for attention."

"Riiiight. Let me guess, you're to busy unpacking his stuff to really get any make out time in?"

"Got it in one," Marco said ruefully. His grin, however, still remained in earnest. "But s'okay, it's not so bad, we have all the time in the world to catch up on the couple stuff later. Right now I just want to get over with the moving part."

Jake paused over the phone for a second, before asking his next question. "Did you guys need any help? I mean, I know you said you had it under control..."

"I did say that, and I meant it. Ax-man really doesn't have a lot of stuff, you know." Even as he was saying it, Marco gave a quick glance to the handful of cardboard boxes laying by the living room door. Most of the necessary things had already been taken out, leaving a few empty containers scattered about the dark carpeted room, with a large amount of tape and bubble wrap joining them. Which wasn't so bad-- Marco figured his living room, while not a pigsty, was more of a laid back cluttered space anyway.

"Yeah, but it's not a big apartment either," Jake said loudly, pulling his attention back to the conversation. "You probably should have tried something bigger, instead of just asking him to live with you in the old space. Do you even have more than three rooms?"

"It's bigger than his lously scoop, isn't it? And it's four. There's a bathroom, idiot. Living room, kitchen, and bedroom also."

This brought a longer pause, and Jake coughed. "Oh, yeah..."

It only took a few moments for understanding to surface-- they hadn't been best friends since infancy for nothing. Marco fought to keep the dry, sarcastic edge off his voice as he added, "Yes, Jake. There is only one bedroom."

"Well, duh..." It was a lame response, and judging from Jake's mental cringe, he knew it. "I mean... it's just-- Marco, isn't this going a little, uh, fast?"

"Hmm. You're right. I think marriage first would be more proper, don't you think?"

"That's not what I meant..." Jake sighed heavily on the other end of the line. "What I meant was, are you sure you're both ready for this kind of commitment? Living together is a pretty big step, and there's so much that goes along with it... especially considering what Ax is. You two could end up hating each other after a few weeks only."

Marco sighed, although his was more of an exasperated sound than his friend's worried one earlier. Twisting the white phone cord around his fingers, he said firmly, "Jake... listen, I've told you. Maybe you're right and nothing works. But I really, honestly, truly like this relationship thing, okay? I thought out it all, and I really want Ax to live with me. I care about him. Okay?"

He could almost see Jake's smile from his house. "Okay, Marco."

"And if we end up hating each other," Marco added cheerfully, "we'll know that there's no wedding involved!"

"God, I refuse to come to a wedding with the two of you," Jake groaned, although the laughter in his voice contradicted the sound. "Can't you see it? You in a tux, Ax stalking the wedding cake..."

"It'd be a classic day to remember. Don't worry, I don't count on monogamy yet! Oh no, no formal wear for me, thank you."

"Good, just what I wanted to hear." Shifting sounds were heard on the other line, and Jake said abruptly, "Hey-- sorry to call and run, but Cassie's coming over soon, and--"

"Enough said," Marco interrupted solemnly. "I will leave you to your courting, oh dashing sir. Tell your princess in overalls and boats hi for me, 'kay?"

"Will do." Jake was silent for a second, then said jokingly, "You tell your new roommate hi for me, too. Tell him that if you start getting on his nerves, he's free to stay with us for a night. I think he'll be eating a lot of instant food, considering your cooking."

"Oh, hah. Very funny."

"I thought so. Gotta go now, bye!"

Marco grinned, examining the knot of coiled phone wire now looped around his fingers while he had absentmindly talked. "Sure, see ya." A click on the other line told him Jake had hanged up, and after untangling his tanned fingers from the cord, he replaced the phone on the living room table. And proceeded to eye the boxes still left beside the door, heaped next to his leather couch.

"Where'd Ax go off to, anyway?"

Knowing he hadn't seen the Andalite for a while since he started talking to Jake, the dark-eyed man frowned and glanced around the room. It didn't take that much time to unpack the small box he lugged away, so why had he been in the bedroom for over fifteen minutes?

"Hey, Ax-man? You need some help?"

Hearing no answer, Marco cautiously walked across the cluttered room, stepping over a few magazines and odds and ends on the floor. The doors to both the kitchen and the bedroom led from the living room, but he only peered in the empty kitchen, scanning the oak furniture and yellow decor, before reaching for the bedroom door knob.

"Ax?"

He opened the door, ignoring the creaking hindges, and stepped into the dim room -- it was still to early in the day to turn the lights on, so he'd just opened all the windows instead. It was a nice bedroom, small but neater than the others, with a large bed draped in blue and a few lamps. When he came in, he yelped, feeling his foot run into an abandoned box by the door.

"Gaah... ouch. Sorry 'bout that, I didn't see it there..." Marco looked up. "Ax?"

The still form sitting on the edge of the bed looked up with a start. "Y-yes, Marco?"

Instead of answering, the dark haired boy studied the face of his new... well, boyfriend would probably be a good word for it. Really, he never tried using titles often-- not thinking about it just made it a lot easier to accept and go along with. Despite the oddness of the arrangement, he really did care about the Andalite youth.

It'd been unexpected and awkward at first, the attraction and finally the coming together of the couple. But somehow it had happened, and he wouldn't take it back. To Marco, his life was quickly shaping itself around the eccentric and alien, but wonderful and surprising, boy sitting in his bedroom.

Who obviously had no idea how much time had passed. Blinking his dark blue eyes curiously, Aximili tilted his head and gazed at Marco in slight confusion. He'd changed into human morph to get to the apartment, and seeing no reason to change back before the time limit, had started unpacking and moving a few of his things around. With Marco's permission-- although he'd said he didn't need permission anymore, though...

"Marco?" he asked uncertainly. "Is everything fine?" And as an afterthought, almost under his breath, "Veerryything. Ver."

Marco shook his head, and grinned at the last part. Despite his attempts to get Ax to stop playing around with vocabulary, nothing had been a success. It was another quirk he'd grown used to. "Yeah, everything's fine. I was just worried, that's all."

"Worried?" Ax stood up, glancing down to the floor in search of the box he'd set down earlier. "Why?"

"You've been in here for a while," he explained, and reached down to grab the box. Not bothering to give it to him, Marco set it on the bed, and reached for his boyfriend teasingly. "I was thinking maybe you changed your mind after seeing the state of the closet."

Looking embarrassed, Ax allowed himself to be tugged into a hold, relaxing into the feel of Marco's arms curled around his waist and torso. "I was merely thinking. Inkiing. Ing."

"About what?" Marco gently kissed the smooth skin where Ax's shoulder met his neck, taking advantage of where the t-shirt had slipped down slightly. "If you think too hard, you might get brain freeze, you know."

"Brain freeze? Eeze?" He paused, considering that phrase, before continuing. "This place is so different..." Awkwardly, Ax shrugged, squirming under the attentions currently being placed on his neck. "Where will I sleep, may I ask?"

"Umm... well, you know, there's a bed--"

"Andalites are not a species which uses your method of... sleepware. Species... cies, iees." Ax smiled widely, winding his own slender hands into Marco's dark mop of hair, which was growing steadily longer once again. "Specieess. I like that word."

"Yeah, it's not that bad." Suddenly, Marco frowned and stopped the small, light kisses he'd been placing on the boy's neck, and winced. "... you're right about the sleeping thing. I guess I thought... well, there's always the floor, we could make a sort of nest-scoop thing- and..."

"Ah." Looking faintly bothered, Ax lowered his head to rest on Marco's chest, feeling the steady pulse of heartbeat thud against the delicate skin and tough cartilage of his ear. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sound. "And... where will I go to eat? Eaaat. Tuh."

"Tobias already scoped out a place close to here, a small meadow he says isn't visited a lot," Marco said immeadiatly, pleased to have thought out at least one important detail beforehand. "You can get up and go whenever you feel the need to, uh, run or... eat grass and stuff. I told you this already, didn't I? I could have sworn I explained--"

"You did, I was merely distracted... rack. Ted. Sorry." Ax peered up at him again, blinking almost owlishly. "Were you expecting me to listen? While you were--"

"Wha-- oh, no, not really, I mean," Marco stammered suddenly, face flushing as he recalled himself the activities they'd discussed this during. Or, he'd discussed while Ax obviously paid no attention and took for granted that it'd all been worked out. "... I didn't think-- well, jeez, you could've at least made an effort to listen to me."

"I tried. Riiieed."

"... it was kind of a bad time to bring up living arrangements," Marco admitted. He sighed obliviously and tightened his hold on his lover, absently running his tanned fingers over the back offered to him. "But I really wanted this to work. And not in a freaky, confusing way, either. Last thing I want is to be the next Odd Couple, y'know?"

Ax's breathe was warm on Marco's chest when he answered. "The next what? I'm not familiar with that term..."

"With all the television you watch? I'm shocked. I think we're in for a marathon now, to celebrate your moving in," teased Marco, watching the amusement and pleasure grow in the Andalite youth's features.

"I would like that. Tha-tuh."

"Well, cool enough, so would I. Loveseat or do we cuddle on the recliner?"

Hesitantly glancing up at Marco, the blue eyes flashed a surprised, almost pleased colour, and Ax said shortly, "The recliner? I would like to... to..."

"Yeah, I know. Me too." The kiss shared next was short and sweet, but filling in ways that not every relationship can ever achieve. Warmth similiar to dusted sunlight rays painted on their lips, and promise in their embrace. So even if it didn't work out, there were the moments it really would, really had to, because of that feeling drifting lazily between them in golden threads.

And the words Ax almost said drifting between them, glancing in wonderment at the half-emptied moving boxes, the rearranged items, and general sharing of this home.

I would like to... to be together with you. Close to you like this.

Always...

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THE END: ... really, I need to stop making sappy, fluffy idiot fics with no plot or meaning like this. It's getting to be addicting. And I want to write more.

-_- ... sheesh. *bangs head on computer* Ah-- well, please review if you want. Honestly, I don't like this one very much. Although it might be interesting to continue...?

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