Toxin: Halloween
Part One
"Axel…!" the noise was choked from Roxas' throat as he felt a constricting bind creep up his body. He had been poisoned. The injection site began to feather out a black toxin, rushing through his veins with an ice cold quickness. The man slowly sunk to the ground, knees digging into the dark dirt beneath them, fingers gripping the charcoal grass as he grit his teeth in pain.
His best friend turned at the outburst, watching the blond buckle over, his eyes wide. "Roxas!" he cried out, but he couldn't stop in the middle of the fight to help him. Two of the three devilish children were huddled in a corner sobbing, but the third of their devious trio was still trying to outwit Axel. His trickery was confusing the redhead, and somehow in their fight, Lock had managed to inject Roxas with the very serum they were trying to retrieve.
"Whoa… that wasn't supposed to happen…" the child said, looking at Roxas as he began to convulse on the ground. "Shock, Barrell, let's go!"
Axel flung one of his chakrams at the brat, but in his grief, he missed by a long shot and the three residents of Halloween Town ran off to their safe haven at Oogie Boogie's Manor. Axel ran to his fallen partner, hoping that he wasn't too late to help him.
"Rox… Roxas, look at me…" he begged, turning the man onto his back and looking for any sign of life. A lump rose in his throat as he saw the blackened veins in his neck and face, but the faint rise and fall of Roxas' chest assured him that there was still hope. Not wanting to wait any longer, he opened a Return to Castle Portal and lifted his friend over his shoulder, picking up the syringe that Lock had used to inject him as well. Stepping through, he looked for anybody who was in the lounge that could help him.
Marluxia was sprawled over a couch reading a Home and Gardens magazine, but when Axel stepped through the portal holding the injured Organization member, he sprung up and began to panic like usual. "What happened? Is he okay?" the questions poured forth.
"Get Vexen! Give him this syringe and tell him that Roxas was poisoned with whatever is inside!" Axel yelled at him, thrusting the serum at him and laying Roxas down on the couch. He checked again for breathing, sighing in deep relief that the man still had life in him.
Suddenly Axel felt a presence behind him, and he turned to see Zexion staring at them. "You care for him, don't you?"
Such a bold question from the normal quiet teen. "He's my best friend, Zexion. Of course I care about him."
"I've been watching you two lately…" he continued. It was one of his favorite things to do. "The way he looks at you, Axel…"
This caught the redhead's attention, and he turned to the teenager. "What do you mean…?"
Zexion merely shrugged and walked out of the lounge, not wanting to say more. In truth, he was rather tired of watching Roxas fawn over Axel the way he did, without Axel being any the wiser. It was clear to everyone in the Organization that Roxas loved the fire bender, except the one man that mattered.
Axel didn't have the mental capacity to wonder any further. He just needed Vexen to come help Roxas right now. But of course, a passing Demyx spotted the two and decided to chip in himself.
"Dude, what happened?" the mulleted man exclaimed, looking at Roxas. "Damn… he looks rough…"
"As if I didn't know that… Go away, Demyx, or go tell Vexen to hurry his ass over here!"
"I'm here, I'm here!" Vexen's voice rang through the lobby. He was empty handed, which filled Axel with even more worry. "Don't fret, Axe, he'll be okay. I analyzed the serum, and it looks like Doctor Finklestein didn't get a chance to finish mixing it before those damned kids stole it. He won't be inflicted with endless terror like the potion had been intended for. Of course, I have no idea what it's going to do, but it isn't deadly! He'll wake up soon enough, probably with a big headache, and he should be… well, he won't be dead or filled with terror."
Axel stared blankly at the scientist. "Is that supposed to be reassuring?"
"I'm working on an antidote, but it won't be ready for a few days at least," Vexen added. "Just take him to his bed and let him sleep it off."
This comforted the man a little, but he still wasn't confident that Roxas would be okay. He scooped him back up into his arms and carried him to his bedroom, laying him down and pulling up a chair to watch over him. Demyx followed behind him, standing in the doorway.
"Vexen said he'd be fine, what are you doing?" the sitar player asked him, looking confused.
Axel scowled, "You wouldn't understand… you don't have a care in the world, Dem."
"Whoa whoa! I care about my music! …And water!"
This elicited another long stare from the man. "That's not what I meant, Demyx… look, just go away."
"What started all this anyways?" It was becoming apparent that he wasn't leaving.
"We were sent on a mission to Halloween Town… Doctor Finklestein had created a poison that was supposed to make a person see nothing but horrific scenes… anything they looked at would become something absolutely terrifying. He was only going to use it in Halloween Town, but then Oogie heard about it and decided that he wanted to use it to terrify all the worlds. His little minions, Lock, Shock and Barrell stole the syringe containing the toxin, and in the middle of our fight, Lock injected Roxas with it," Axel explained, his hands shaking at the sour memory.
Demyx sighed heavily and leaned against the door frame. "Man, that's rough… But hey, dude, it's time for dinner. You should come eat."
"I can't leave him right now, Dem…" Axel choked out, a rush of emotion shooting through him.
Demyx backed up, feeling a bit awkward now, "Uhm… all right, I'll go eat and… I'll bring you a plate… okay?"
Axel sighed and nodded, "Thanks, Dem…"
The sandy blond closed the door, leaving Axel and Roxas alone. His hand wouldn't leave the younger man's chest, needing a constant reminder that he was still alive. The slow, steady beat of his heart pulsed through Axel's fingers and each thump made him relax a little bit more. It was lulling him into a trance, and then into a calm sleep, with his head resting on Roxas' chest.
Demyx didn't have the heart to wake him. He took the plate back down to the fridge, leaving them to their peaceful sleep. It almost pained him that the two weren't together… as much as Axel thought Demyx had no cares in the world, he longed for that type of bond with somebody. And those two have it without either of them realizing it…
Hours later, Axel felt a stir beneath him. It woke him immediately, and he kept his eyes trained on the man.
"Axel."
It was such a strong sound that it made Axel jump a little. "Rox…?"
"Dude, what's wrong with you? You look like shit."
Roxas sat up rather easily, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing, walking to his floor length mirror and checking himself out. He looked… surprisingly normal. The black in his veins was gone, and the only noticeable change in his appearance that he could see was his eyes. Instead of the normal bright blue color, they were deep black.
"Roxas, you're okay!" Axel exclaimed, incredibly happy that his friend was all right. "I was so worried, man…"
"Worried about what? I feel great!" Roxas said, stripping off his torn jacket and t-shirt and tossing it into the laundry basket. Axel gaped at him… his muscles had somehow become insanely defined… In short, he was ripped. Something about him just seemed more …manly, all together.
Roxas was normally a very meek, timid person. All of this that Axel was seeing was completely out of character for him. "Uhm, Rox…? Are you sure you're okay?"
"Never better, Axe. I feel like I could run a marathon!" he stretched out, his black jeans riding low on his hips. "Wait, we were on a mission… what happened?"
"You were poisoned by Lock," Axel told him, worried that the man couldn't remember. "We should get you to Vexen so he can look you over…"
The blond waved him off, checking himself out in the mirror. "Damn, I look good… I don't need to see Vex. I feel fine, really. I do need a shower, though… I'm fucking covered in dirt!"
Axel was shell-shocked. What on Earth had that toxin done to his best friend…? "All right, Rox… but tomorrow, promise you'll at least let Vexen draw some blood to test?"
"Yeah, whatever man. Hey, you can go now if you want. You don't have to hover over me. I'm fine."
He didn't want to go… he wanted to know more about this new Roxas. His new body alone was enough to keep Axel interested for hours…
"Seriously man, I'm gonna go hit the shower. Maybe you should too… you're a bit charred in places."
Axel looked down and noticed that hit coat had gotten a bit burnt on the edges, and he was covered in soot. This happened a lot after his fits of rage, and fighting Lock… it had been been rage than he'd ever felt in his life. That trio really did know how to push buttons.
"Yeah… I probably should," he agreed, standing up and heading towards the door. He turned back to Roxas one last time and looked him over, "You do look good, man…"
Roxas couldn't believe his new appearance, nor his new confidence. He looked… sexy, and he felt sexy, and for some reason, he just wanted to jump Axel in the doorway. But the redhead was gone before Roxas' thoughts were, and he had no time to act on them. He grabbed a black towel and slung it over his shoulder, picking up his shower kit and heading down the hall to the bathroom.
Axel wasn't far behind him… as Roxas stepped into his shower, he could hear Axel undressing in the one right next door to him. He tried to ignore the burning desire that was bubbling up inside of him, but it was becoming more aggressive each time he heard a garment hit the floor. When the sound of his pants being unzipped hit Roxas' ear, the blond was done for. He was completely aroused, and something in him was pushing him to act on it.
He tried as hard as he could to fight it, battling with his new personality, trying to suppress the aching need for Axel. He'd always loved the man… but it was a boyish crush, nothing this… hungry before. The toxin in his veins was taking over, turning him into a heated animal.
Somehow his feet had taken him out of his own shower, naked and soaking wet, still slick with soap, and put him behind Axel's curtain, waiting for his moment to slip in. He peeled back the steamy shower curtain and stepped in, wrapping his arms around Axel's waist from behind and pressing his lips against the back of his neck.
The startled redhead jumped and turned his head to look at Roxas, but didn't fight his hold. "Rox… what are you doing…?"
