"I don't want you here!" He yells, though he might as well be complaining to a wall. In the end, Axel's not going to do anything -- not going to leave or apologize, etcetera. His mind both knows that and doesn't know that.
But, hell, he's just irritated.
"Why not?" Axel asks, dropping to a crouching stance as he begins his inspection, his eyes not fully just on the fireplace. Emerald eyes glance humorously back at the blond, but there's a thoughtful sheen to them, as though the pyromaniac bastard is considering the size of his penis or something. Disgusting, Roxas groans in his head, quickly trying to tear away from the thought as he feels the color drain from his face.
Roxas can only glare furiously at the redhead, both hands at either side of him pale and curled into fists. He really doesn't have an eligible answer devoid of some loophole that leads back to, "I just plain hate your guts."
Unfortunately, Axel picks up on this, and speaks anyway. "I'm really the only kind soul who will do a newbie organization member a favor and fix the fireplace."
He purposely exaggerates. Roxas mentally puts Axel a level higher on his Supreme Annoyance Meter.
Momentarily, Axel turns back around and gives an enormous, cheesy, cheerful grin. Still, despite how the blond denies it, seeing the gesture sends a surge of newfound and tingly warmth through him. Axel turns back around to fidget with the fireplace. Roxas wishes he hadn't.
"Why do you always come here, anyway?" The pyromaniac asks, delving, unknowingly, into a personal subject. His hands brace either side of the stone as his head dips inside the fireplace, tilted upwards to stare into the shaft. "Kinda gloomy area to hang-out in, especially all by yourself. I mean, at least Marly has a flower garden…heh, you might tie with Zexion and his boring-as-hell library, though."
The breath slightly catches in his throat, and it hurts a lot. A ton. Forcing to speak even through the pain in his vocal chambers, Roxas merely mumbles, "I get cold. A lot." Which, in retrospect, wasn't a lie, but the main reason he came to the old fireplace room was to think.
All Roxas can see of Axel is an abnormally skinny, cloaked length as he crawls about the expanse of the fireplace. His red hair is hidden behind the walls of the fireplace shaft. "Ahhh, I see," he responds, his voice bouncing a little in warped echo.
"Good thing I'm here, then." And at the same moment the fire-wielder says this, he a little too rapidly ducks out from under the fireplace, and a huge cloud of black soot comes swooshing down from the shaft.
Once some of the heavy dust clears, Roxas stares at the Axel kneeled before the fireplace, waiting for what next - anything next. He knows something's coming, and he's not sure what, but there's definitely something coming.
"That would be some reason as to why your fireplace isn't working. Also why it's as stuffy as hell in here," Axel comments, and Roxas figures he's counted up to at least fifty in the Axel's Unnecessary Monologue Department.
Of course, the blond is slightly unprepared when Axel wheels his head around to give a grin, and soot's covering his nose and lips. It's probably all over his hair, too.
"Ugh…" Roxas begins, the sound a mixture between a groan and a sigh, "your face." And he actually points out the soot with his index finger, and actually does Axel something kind instead of letting him walk around like a fool in the castle – that is, until Xigbar rudely and amusedly mentions it to him four hours later.
For a second, Axel's bewildered, blinking then crossing his eyes to stupidly try and find the spots. He raises a gloved finger, about to smudge the dark marks away, but then he stops himself. The finger freezes, then retreats a little. A smirk erupts across his now plum-colored lips.
Roxas is scared to death.
"What?" He indignantly demands, one eyebrow raised.
Axel doesn't say anything, only scoots around in his seated position so he's completely facing Roxas. The smirk widens, exposing perfect white against the dark lines of his mouth.
"You know…since I'm playing the inspector for now, fixing your fireplace: I'd like to offer an extra service, just to a special customer." His jade eyes glint as he leans the side of his face against his fisted hand, supported by the corner of his bent knee.
This absolutely stuns the innocent Roxas, and he shifts uncomfortably in his disorientated stare at Axel. "What? What are you talking about?"
"You know what I'm talking about," Axel instantly jeers, widening his eyes a little.
Roxas narrows his eyes as hard as he can, trying to unearth the deepest amount of anger possibly stored in his mind. The smile keeps melting his limbs, though.
A long pause resides, tension rising in the blond's stomach. Curiosity tinges Axel's devious and sensual expression. Eventually, the redhead moves, though Roxas fears for his virginity and sits on edge.
Axel makes to a crawl on the floor, his upper torso slightly arched upwards as he begins to creep toward him - like he's a lioness slowly approaching, slowly wanting to pounce.
"You really don't know," he muses, more a statement than a question. Roxas swears the pounding pulse in his ears is not him, no-no, because there's no way.
In fact, Roxas observes that Axel's already at a foot or so distance to him, and even though Roxas can't take his eyes off the redhead, he unfurls himself into a crab-walk position and begins to scramble backwards.
"Information I would not like to indulge in," he tells Axel, trying to make his voice sound sure.
Axel slinks closer still, seeming to catch up, even with each other's sluggish pace. "You sure?" The tease comes, dissolving the threat Roxas had on the tip of his tongue. "I was just thinking that you seem a little devoid of soot, Rox."
Roxas scuttles farther away. "I-I'm fine," he stutters, feeling Axel spiral way, way downward on his Supreme Annoyance Meter.
The space is closed up once more as Axel moves closer.
"Maybe you'd like my tattoos? Temporary, of course."
"N-n-no," The blond counters, though the strictness of his voice is dwindling fast, turning into an unpersuasive whimper.
Every joint of Roxas's body is frozen via some invisible force, and he swears Axel must be using his powers somehow to make the air too hot to bear – yes, that simply must be it. The redhead reaches out and strokes the underneath of Roxas's eyes. The touch sends electricity through his skin, following a rush of heat to his crotch.
"There." Squinting a little, Roxas attempts to focus and realizes the strokes had been in triangular patterns. He must really look like he has Axel's tattoo marks.
It made him uncomfortable.
He hopes Axel doesn't notice, but he does – which he apparently has a knack for.
"Hmm, don't want them?" He fake-pouts, the edges of his mouth trying to withstand a smile. "I think they look kind of cool."
Roxas is unable to say anything, as Axel's hands place themselves at either side of his hips. The pyromaniac's body temperature radiates everywhere like an inescapable net.
"They can come off, right?"
Despite the normally pleasing sound of this, there are connotations to Axel's voice, and Roxas knows it's certainly not over. Sure enough, he watches in terror as the older man's face leans in, swarmed in shadow. A shiver runs through him as a wet tongue makes contact with the soot-stroked area.
He feels the tongue caress the skin expertly, teasing the surface of his cheek. Roxas attempts to hold onto his hatred with dear life, but in the end, his body can't take it anymore. A low moan escapes his throat, wreathing across the atmosphere. He feels Axel's burning laughter against his face, and helplessly Roxas soaks in as much of that heat as he can. It's irresistible to him.
"I see that you like me more than you would care to express," Axel teases, and Roxas steals a glance into those furtive eyes and wants to swim in their essence forever.
He knows Axel thinks Roxas's behavior is over, but the kid is stubborn and won't lose so easily.
Tearing through the feverish, romantic cloud of the encounter, Roxas sits up more on his elbows. The vulnerable, saliva-slickened expression of his face hardens to a determined, impenetrable stare, his brows a narrowed line. "I don't," He declares.
The change of events intrigues Axel, and he kneels back a moment to look speculatively at Roxas. "You don't?" He inquires, then sharply grins again. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Roxas replies, though his voice almost stammers.
He hopes Axel doesn't notice a falter in his lie, but of course the pyromaniac knows him too well – even after a few days. Just when Roxas thinks he's about to win, that he's really tricked Axel, things hit him in the face again.
"Let's test that theory," he suggests, like it's just another day at the bakery, and he's throwing out a flavor of cake for them to try. However, Roxas is no simpleton, and he certainly knows where this is going.
Unfortunately, all he does is give Axel that cold, snake-eyed stare, and the redhead in turn ignores it, moving his face in a couple of inches.
Roxas blushes, even with his anger. "You wouldn't dare," he hisses, his tone dripping with fury just waiting on edge to be unleashed.
"You realize who you're dealing with?" Axel mocks after a while, and their breaths become closer, pumping against the other's skin in unsteady, long pulses. Roxas, feeling his anger slip, begins to struggle as the fire-tamer's lips become less and less distant, closing the gap between them. Axel's prepared for this. His strength, though unexpected, is impressive, and he snatches and holds down Roxas's arms to the floor in an instant. The rest of his skinny body presses the blond to the floor, shifting his weight against him.
Axel's lips meet his in one downward swoop.
Roxas is reminded of Axel's powers of fire.