Title: Work and Pleasure
Author: Kayne
Rating: M
Genre: Humour/Romance
Pairings: RoxasxAxel (yes, you are reading that right. ), implied RikuxSora, implied SquallxCloud
Warnings: Spoilers for the end of KHII, er, language, yaoi.
Disclaimer: All belongs to Squeenix.
Summary: A typical day in Roxas' new life. Set before the Moomba Chronicles, so Roxas and Axel are living in Radiant Garden with Sora, Riku, Squall, and the others. Any questions regarding the fact that those two are alive and normal, see my mini-rant in the summary of the Moomba Chronicles. This is also the explanation why Axel and Rox aren't allowed to work together anymore. For romantxcide, 'cause she ordered me doujinshi.
"Hey, Roxas? Do you know where I left my pants?"
The sandy-haired teenager muttered something unintelligible and buried himself further under the comforter. He supposed he should be used to this by now; having Axel as a boyfriend tended to make one accustomed to hearing odd questions first thing in the morning, but did the redhead really need to wake him up all the time? He had been enjoying a rather nice dream, a dream that involved him stabbing Larxene with a spoon…. Of course, Larxene had been dead for years, but that little detail didn't stop Roxas from enjoying his murderous fantasies.
A bony finger jabbed into his side. "Roxas! Wake up!"
Sighing, Roxas opened one eye and pulled the comforter down, revealing a head of remarkably unruly blond hair. "I have no idea where your pants are," he rasped. "I wasn't the one who threw them across the room last night."
Axel put his hands on his bare hips and quirked an eyebrow. "Well, I'd go without, but I think Leon may have an issue with it." He sauntered over to the bed, hips swaying in his usual seductive manner. Crawling on top of the younger man, he pressed his lips to Roxas' collarbone. "Though we can always stay here…."
Roxas let his head fall back against the pillow and bit his lip to hold back a groan. Axel's thigh had slipped between the blond's as the redhead licked up Roxas' neck. Sighing, Roxas tangled his hands in his lover's hair and tugged upward gently. "Axel; we really need to get going," he mumbled. "Leon's going to kill us if we're late again."
"Fuck Leon," Axel purred, shifting his weight so his knee pressed against Roxas' upper thigh.
"I'd rather fuck you, but that's not really an option at the moment," Roxas replied dryly, kissing the older man gently.
Axel blinked innocently and shifted his knee upward slightly, grinning at Roxas' hiss of pleasure. "What were you saying?"
Shooting his lover the most vicious glare he could come up with, Roxas dug his fingers into Axel's arm and bit out, "Move your knee or start talking like Xigbar."
Letting out a bark of laughter, Axel relinquished his hold on the other man. "What? Surfers don't turn you on?" He crawled off the bed and wandered over to the bathroom, presumably continuing his search for the elusive pair of jeans.
"Not particularly," Roxas returned. He hopped off the bed and walked stiffly over to his closet. Choosing a crimson polo shirt and a pair of grey cargo pants, he turned to head into the bathroom and immediately collided with Axel. The youth barely had time to register the smirk gracing his lover's face as dangerous when he felt the redhead's mouth on him. He sucked in a breath sharply and reflexively reached down to run his hands through Axel's hair.
"Fine. You win," Roxas gasped. Leon could deal without them for a bit longer.
"Roxas, Axel; glad you two decided to grace us with your presence," Leon said in his usual monotone as the pair entered the mess hall.
Roxas raised an eyebrow at Hollow Bastion's leader. Was that sarcasm he detected? As far as he knew, Leon was incapable of things like humour and other pesky emotions. Sort of like Xemnas, only not as dramatic.
"You have my humblest apologies, Superior," Axel replied, bowing dramatically before the ex-SeeD. Fortunately for the redhead, Leon had yet to make the connection between Axel's new nickname for him and what Xemnas had insisted the Organization refer to him as.
"Sit down and shut up," Leon snapped, glaring at the insolent Axel. The ex-SeeD took his seat between Cloud and Aeris and passed a stack of papers to his left. "Everyone take one of these; they're the new assignment listings and schedule. I expect everyone to show up on time for their assigned projects," this was said with a glare at Roxas and Axel, "and if you have any issues, come to Aeris or me."
Absently passing the stack to Kairi, Roxas studied the schedule. He and Axel were assigned to the demolition team with Cloud, Leon, and Cid at the east entrance to the castle. After the Heartless War, Hollow Bastion's east entrance had been completely blocked off with debris from the war; massive chunks of rock had been put into place as a barricade from the Heartless, but now that the threat was over, the east wing needed to be reopened.
After quickly scanning the rest of the schedule, he folded it in half and stuffed it into a pocket of his cargo pants. The castle chefs had set the morning's breakfast out on the buffet table and the Restoration Committee had already begun to dig in. Roxas grabbed two plates and began heaping food onto them; he could eat even Leon or Cid under the table, though Sora provided fierce competition.
Kairi blinked in surprise as Roxas took his seat between her and Axel. "Hungry, Roxas?" she asked with a laugh.
The sandy-haired youth shrugged. "Not really. Don't want to stuff myself before work," he mumbled around a mouthful of waffles. Across the table, Cloud raised an eyebrow and snorted before taking his empty bowl over to the sink.
"Who pissed in his Froot Loops this morning?" Axel muttered, emerald eyes tracking the winged man in annoyance.
Roxas grunted noncommittally. "He seems to be acting normally to me. Leon's the one who's in a mood today."
"Yeah, but Leon's bad moods are usually the same as his good moods. We can usually get some sort of a smile out of the one-winged wonder."
The blond shrugged and swallowed another mouthful, cobalt eyes darting back and forth across the room. He knew there was no danger inside the castle walls, but he couldn't seem to stop his instinct to be constantly on the lookout for danger. One could take the Nobody out of the Organization, but not the Organization out of the Nobody.
Roxas shifted his gaze to Sora, who was chatting animatedly with Kairi as Riku looked on affectionately. He often wondered how they could have ever been the same person; Sora was perpetually cheerful and optimistic, whereas Roxas was cynical and had a slight sadistic streak. It was only in their unconscious actions that they were similar; little things, such as the way they laughed or gestured. Personally, Roxas was glad there was a big difference between them. It allowed him to believe that he had always been his own self, rather than the manifestation of Sora's dark side.
A gentle touch to his thigh drew Roxas' attention away from his Other. Axel's viridian eyes held a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Having one of those moments?" he asked quietly, fingertips tracing light patterns on the outside of Roxas' thigh.
Roxas drained the last of his coffee, grimacing when he realized it had gone cold. "No, I'm just thinking," he replied, feeling the familiar heat begin to build as Axel's hand moved to the inside of his thigh. He glanced at his lover and quirked an eyebrow. "You're gonna get us in trouble," he warned.
"I'll take my chances," Axel murmured, leaning in close to brush his lips against the smaller male's. He was only millimeters away when he abruptly pulled back with a startled yelp.
"Save it for later, you two," Leon growled, aiming a stony glare at the pair as he walked toward the exit, Cloud trailing behind him like a blond shadow.
Axel rubbed the back of his head ruefully and shot Roxas a sheepish grin. "Man does he need to get laid," the redhead muttered.
"I think Cloud's taking care of that," Roxas replied as he shoveled the last of the waffles into his mouth. He stacked his dishes and grabbed Axel's arm, hauling the taller man to his feet. "Come on; we'd better get going before Leon castrates us."
The bright Radiant Garden sun was not making the task any easier for the demolition team. Roxas wiped his brow on his discarded shirt and surveyed their progress wearily. It was two hours past midday and over three-quarters of the rubble still needed to be cleared out, but even the indomitable Leon looked exhausted. The ex-SeeD sat in the shade of Cid's earthmover and sipped at a cup of water as Cloud fanned him slowly with his wing.
Axel padded over to where Roxas stood and handed him a paper cup. The fire wielder's red hair was plastered to his neck and face with sweat and the remainder of his water was slowly making its way down his bare chest in small droplets. Nodding his thanks, Roxas gratefully sipped at the water, resisting the urge to down it in one swallow.
"How are you doing on magic?" Roxas asked, using the last of his water to bathe his neck and face.
"Running low. If Leon wants this halfway done by sundown, I'm gonna need an ether or two." He ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the cool stone wall. "I suppose we could still get lucky and have Leon pass out from heat stroke."
Roxas sniggered at the thought. "He'll probably call it a day pretty soon, especially if Cloud keeps rubbing his back like that," he gestured to the oblivious pair. "I give it five minutes before Leon's sleeping like a baby moogle."
"Good point. Where's Cid?"
Shrugging, Roxas leaned against the wall next to Axel. "He's not in the earthmover; I think he went back to the warehouse to grab something."
Axel arched a crimson eyebrow. "Really?" His emerald eyes twinkled mischievously. "Then we're all alone for the time being?"
"If Cloud keeps rubbing Leon's back and Cid doesn't return any time soon, then yeah." Roxas replied with a grin. Axel's perpetual need for sex was getting downright contagious. His hand found the older man's. "Shall we take advantage of that?"
"Hell yes," Axel growled, tugging Roxas around the corner with a quick glance toward Leon and Cloud. The leader's eyelids were drooping and the blond seemed to be on autopilot as he slowly stroked the other man's back. Neither man would be a problem.
Roxas found himself pinned to the wall with Axel's lithe body pressed firmly against his. The youth let out a low growl and yanked Axel's head down, crushing their lips together with enough force to bruise. Teeth clashed almost painfully against each other as the pair fought for dominance; Axel's short nails dug into Roxas' bicep as the younger man tugged at his belt urgently.
"Condom," Roxas rasped, biting at Axel's neck as he smoothly reversed their positions. "And lube."
Pressing both items into the blond's hand, Axel let out a frustrated whine and arched his hips against Roxas'. The cool cement against his bare back was a wonderful contrast to Roxas' heated body pressing against his front. The taller man let out a noise that was somewhere between a snarl and a purr as he felt Roxas' hand worm its way inside his pants.
Roxas hissed as Axel's nails clawed at his back, one hand moving to clench almost painfully on the blond's tattooed shoulder. He swore and bit Axel's lower lip sharply, his own free hand digging into the tattoo on the fire wielder's shoulder. The marks were a perpetual reminder of their time in the Organization; Xemnas himself had personally applied the numerals to each of the Organization members' skin.
Ripping open the condom packet with his teeth, Roxas absently noted that the height difference between Axel and him had shortened. The youth had grown over the past two years and now stood only a scant three inches shorter than his lover. It was just as well; the last time they attempted to have sex against a wall, Roxas had ended up standing on a wooden crate with Axel cursing the younger male's refusal to bottom.
Their pairing was fast and almost brutal as Axel continued to fight Roxas for dominance, the redhead finally submitting as Roxas grabbed him by the scruff and sank his teeth into the juncture of his neck and shoulder. The younger male panted and rested his head on Axel's shoulder as his legs trembled in the aftershocks of pleasure. Apologetically, he brushed the angry red bite marks on his lover's skin with his lips. He hadn't meant to be quite so rough.
Axel chuckled weakly as he caught his breath and unhooked his leg from around Roxas' waist. He tilted the youth's chin up for a gentle kiss. "I forgot how aggressive you can get," he mumbled against Roxas' lips.
"Sorry," Roxas whispered as he saw Axel wince as they separated. He ran his hands through Axel's damp hair and kissed him as softly as his could in apology. "Didn't mean to hurt you."
"No worries," Axel purred as he pressed his forehead against his lover's. "Love you, Rox," he said quietly, closing his eyes and breathing in the younger man's scent.
Roxas smiled as he leaned into the embrace, allowing himself to feel the emotions he had lacked for so long. "I love you too," he whispered, caressing Axel's cheek with his fingertips – only to have a damp piece of cloth smack into the side of his head.
Both men looked up sharply to see an amused Cloud Strife leaning against the wall behind them. Roxas picked up his polo shirt from the ground and glared at the other swordsman. "How long have you been standing there?!"
Cloud smirked and handed them both clean towels. "Not long, don't worry. Get yourselves cleaned up; Squall's decided the heat's too strong to continue with the excavation for today." He shot them both a lingering glance. "Of course, that didn't stop you two."
"When does anything ever stop us, Strife?" Axel quipped, grinning at the older man. "You should try it sometime, maybe take Leon back here…." He let the sentence end unfinished, his leer providing his implications more than any words could.
To Roxas' surprise, the enhanced warrior didn't seem embarrassed or try to strangle Axel. Cloud merely quirked an eyebrow, a small smile gracing his normally blank features. "I'll have to catch him in an exceptionally good mood then. Or get him drunk." He and Axel shared a knowing look. "Anyway, you two can thank me later for convincing Squall to let you finish. He had half a mind to turn the hose on you both about five minutes ago." With a small wave, Cloud sauntered off back to the castle.
Roxas glanced over at Axel and chuckled quietly. He never would have guessed Cloud Strife of all people would come to their defense. The pair cleaned themselves up as quickly as they could, rearranging clothing and stuffing the soiled towels into a duffel bag Axel had left by the earthmover, before heading back toward the castle.
"So let me get this straight," Sora managed to say between fits of laughter, "You two decided to have sex against a wall while still on duty only a few yards away from Leon?"
Roxas aimed a kick at his "twin," only to have his foot firmly caught by Riku before it hit the blond's intended target. The former Nobody shot Riku a withering glance before turning his attention back to Sora. "We didn't plan on it; it just sorta happened," he muttered, wishing the Keyblade master would just drop the subject.
"That was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid," Riku said with a smirk. "I'm leaning more towards stupid."
Roxas sat up and glared venomously at the silver-haired male. The two teenagers had never gotten along, even after Roxas and Sora had been separated. "At least I've got the balls to take a risk!" he spat, cold blue eyes staring contemptuously into narrowed aqua ones.
Riku let out a loud curse and launched himself at the other man, rage etched into his proud features. Scrambling forward, Sora managed to grab his lover by the waistband of his pants and haul him back before he reached Roxas. "Enough, you two!" Sora yelled, glaring at both his twin and his boyfriend. "Hasn't this undeclared war between you gone on long enough?"
"Rox and Riku fall victim to testosterone poisoning again?" Kairi commented as she joined the trio in the castle's main lounge. She shook her head in mock sadness. "I've said it before: we need more women around here to keep you guys in line!"
Handing a sheet of paper to Roxas, she studied him with an expectant smile. "Here's the new schedule; I think you'll notice a significant change, Roxas."
Roxas scanned the schedule, finally locating his name near the bottom of the paper. "I'm still on the excavation team with Leon, Cloud, Cid, and – Yuffie?!" He looked up abruptly and glared at the hysterically laughing Kairi and Sora. "Why is Yuffie on the team? Where did Axel get reassigned to?"
"He's on the ravine trail project with Tifa and me now," Sora replied with a broad grin. "After yesterday's little escapade, Leon decided it would be best to separate you and Axel."
"So he's separated Axel and I, as well as you and Riku?! Yet I see he and Cloud are still together," Roxas said, a slight edge creeping into his voice. "How is that fair?!"
Riku smirked and took the schedule from Roxas. "No offense, but I doubt Leon and Cloud would end up fucking against a wall while on duty. I'd like to think they have a bit more self-control than that."
A thought occurred to Roxas that brought a smile to his face. "I don't know," he said casually. "Something tells me Cloud's got a surprise in for Leon the next time they're near that alleyway when they're off duty."
Riku raised a silver eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"Cloud's more similar to Axel than one would think. In fact, I think they're at the Seventh Heaven treating Leon to a drink as we speak…
-Finit