Happy Valentine's Day folks!
So, I meant for this to be a short, little, fluffy piece, but then it turned into eight pages. …Oops…?
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this sweet little story!
There are no KH3 spoilers in here, as I have yet to finish the game myself, so if you are leaving a review, please make sure that it is spoiler free, both for me and for another reader who may not have finished the game and may look at the reviews. Thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is owned by Disney and Square Enix.
He blinked at the rose in front of him, not quite sure what to make of it.
The rose itself was beautiful (he was heartless, not blind), the petals a bright red, and not the dark shade he was used to seeing. The color looked familiar, but Roxas couldn't quite put his finger on it. Because of the color, the other half of the flower almost looked out of place, the green, thornless stem seemingly from an entirely different plant. Yet it also seemed to merge so well with the soft foliage.
He'd say it again. The flower was beautiful. Roxas was just confused why it was currently being held out before him.
Starting at the hand holding the flower, Roxas's eyes followed the arm attached to that hand and up to the face of the culprit. Axel refused to meet his gaze, instead focusing on the sunset in front of the two. His hold on the rose never shook, though.
They stayed silent for a while, Roxas watching Axel and Axel watching the sun, neither one sure what to say. However, a voice did break the silence eventually.
"So, are you gonna take it, or is my arm gonna be staying like this all night?"
The words seemed to jerk Roxas out of his reverie and, turning back to the rose, he slowly took it out of Axel's hand, holding it gently. It wasn't that he was afraid he would break it, he couldn't feel fear in the first place, he just thought that this was something he should handle with care, though he wasn't sure why. He sent that word Axel's way.
"Why...?"
There was silence again, thankfully not the awkward kind. Roxas just relaxed in his position on the ledge and let Axel take his time. He only ever got quiet when he wanted to talk about something important, so the Keyblade wielder knew to just wait. Axel would speak up eventually.
And he did.
"You said you loved me yesterday."
Roxas's face heated up and he nodded, remembering their conversation from the day before.
They had been dating (or at least the closest they could get to dating while working with the Organization) for the past couple of months. It had been nice, comfortable. Not much had change from how they acted before, just some more hugging, intimate moments, and kissing (oh, Roxas lived for the kisses), but that's what they wanted. They still wanted to be best friends, but also be...more.
And then yesterday happened.
Roxas didn't know why he said it, and he didn't regret saying the words, but he did say them. The sentence just came out of his mouth.
"I think I love you."
He knew it was impossible; he was a Nobody, he didn't have a heart. Axel said so himself right afterwards.
"You're a Nobody. You don't have a heart, so you can't love."
This was one of the rare times Axel's face was blank, devoid of anything resembling emotions. Roxas knew that it meant he was thinking, but whether it was good thinking, or bad thinking, the boy had no clue.
And Roxas knew that Axel was right. He didn't have a heart, so there was no way he could love. Whatever they currently had, well, it couldn't possibly be love.
But, even so...
"I know. I just think that, if I did have a heart, I would be in love with you."
Silence overcame the two. Roxas couldn't tell what kind of quiet it was and that wasn't making the situation any better from his perspective.
Finally, Axel did speak up again, but not about what Roxas had proclaimed. Instead, he changed the subject, relaying to the boy about a sparring match he had with Saïx earlier that day. Love wasn't brought up again that afternoon, and Roxas didn't know what to make of that fact.
And now this.
"...Yes," Roxas said slowly. "I did."
"Well, this is my response."
Roxas quirked an eyebrow at this, gazing down at the rose. "A...flower? I think I'm missing something here."
Axel sighed, running a hand through his hair, something the blonde had quickly categorized as a nervous tick. It was quiet again (something that seemed to be happening a lot) before the fire wielder spoke up. "We can't love."
Hearing nothing else after those words, Roxas nodded. "Yes, I know that," he said weakly, eyes never leaving the rose.
"Love means that you willingly give your heart to someone else to care for and treasure. You trust them with your most valuable possession, you trust them with everything." He paused. "We don't have a heart, so that's impossible."
"Yes," the boy's voice was softer and slower this time, talking almost as if the words hurt to say. "I know."
More silence.
"...I can't give you my heart because of the fact we're Nobodies, so I have to settle for the next best thing." His head inclined towards the rose, emphasizing his point.
Roxas's head shot up and he turned towards his boyfriend when he heard the words. His eyes were wide. "What?" he eventually managed to force out.
Axel couldn't help but smirk at Roxas's expression. "That rose. I can't actually give you my heart, so I decided to give you something that represents it instead. Or, what it would represent, at the very least."
Roxas didn't think it was possible for a person's eyes to get so wide, but he was proving himself wrong. His blue orbs quickly darted back down to the rose, taking it in once again.
He finally realized why he recognized the color. It was the same shade of red as Axel's flames, the very power that made up who he was both inside and out. He should have realized it sooner (he couldn't count the number of times he had just sat and watched Axel's fires burn, slightly awed, or the closest he could get to awed, by how chaotically beautiful his boyfriend could make it), but he figured it out eventually and that's all that mattered.
They slipped into comfortable stillness, Axel taking in Roxas and Roxas taking in the rose and words that were said to him. But then, one sentence put everything said before to shame.
"I think I would love you, too."
Roxas's breath caught in his throat and he slowly looked up, meeting a pair of bright green eyes. A soft smile accompanied it. "Wh-What?" the Keyblade wielder stammered.
"You said yesterday that, if you had a heart, you think you would love me. Well, I'm the same. If I had a heart, I think I would love you."
Roxas's mouth was agape, all the words clogged up in his throat. What was he supposed to say after hearing something like that?
He knew it was impossible, but he swore he felt something warm in his chest. It was a nice feeling, one he wanted to cling to and never let go off, but it was gone before he could even comprehend it was there. It was probably nothing anyways. Shaking his head slowly, Roxas gripped the rose in a slightly tighter hold and smiled towards Axel, whose own smile only grew at the sight.
Holding the rose to his chest, Roxas leaned over and slumped against Axel's side, turning his gaze to the sunset in front of them. Axel couldn't help but laugh, his hand finding a home in Roxas's hair and his eyes following the boy's example.
Heart or not, they both knew this was love.
"Axel..."
"Let's meet again in the next life."
"Yeah. I'll be waiting."
He blinked at the rose in front of him, not quite sure what to make of it.
It was a beautiful rose, anyone who saw it could understand that much. The petals looked soft and were a light red, reminding Roxas of fire, unlike the usual dark red color he usually saw in gardens or in bouquets. Because of that color though, the bright green stem attached to the main spectacle almost looked out of place. Yet, it also seemed to merge so perfectly with it, creating a beautiful image.
He'd say it again. The flower was beautiful. He was just confused as to why it was currently sitting in his locker.
Carefully taking the rose out of its metal prison, he held it gently in his hands and twirled it slowly around. He couldn't help but lift a finger to stroke the bright petals. He was right in thinking that they were soft. But that fact still didn't answer his question of why there was a flower in his locker.
"Oh, nice flower! Did Axel give that to you?"
Startling slightly at the voice, Roxas turned around to see his brother, Sora, now standing behind him with his regular dopey grin on his face. Riku was right beside him, his and Sora's hands held together in a loose, but comfortable, grasp. Finally registering the question, Roxas could only shrug and gaze at the rose. "I mean, I guess. Maybe?"
"I guess? Maybe?" Sora frowned and, removing his hand from Riku's, placed both hands behind his head in a relaxed position. "He's your boyfriend and it's Valentine's Day. Why do you think he wouldn't give you a rose?"
The blonde shrugged again. "I don't know. We already have plans for tonight, and I never really considered Axel as a flower person, so..."
His brother rolled his eyes. "Again, it's Valentine's Day. People always act cheesy and overly romantic this time of year."
"But isn't cheesy Axel every day of the year?" Riku countered with a slight smirk on his face. The other two couldn't help but laugh at that, knowing it to be partially true (much to Roxas's embarrassment).
"Yeah, but he's allowed to be extra cheesy today," Sora replied with a grin, nudging Riku in the side lightly. "Someone should take a hint from him."
Roxas chuckled again while Riku rolled his eyes. "See what I have to put up with?" he asked the blonde, although his eyes revealed the annoyance was anything but.
Sora fake frowned and hit his boyfriend playfully on the shoulder. "Hey, you knew what you were getting in to. This is your fault."
"Yes, and I believe I am regretting my life choices."
"Hey! Then why are you still here?"
"Because Roxas and Kairi would kill me if I broke your heart."
Roxas smirked. "True."
Sora tried to put on an angry face, but a grin was still breaking through. "Well then, I guess I'll just find someone else to date. I hope you have a nice life without me."
Riku laughed as Sora jokingly turned away. He quickly grabbed his boyfriend's wrist before he could take a step and pulled him into an embrace. The two grinned at each other. "Hmmm. On second thought, I think I like being stuck in this contract. Having a cute boyfriend does make up for all the fine print."
Sora quickly pressed his lips to Riku, ignoring Roxas's eye roll (although, he was smiling too). "Love ya, you freaking idiot."
Riku softly smiled. "Love you too."
Roxas couldn't help but break the moment. "And you call Axel the cheesy one." He shook his head. He didn't understand why people called Riku cold and unfeeling. Sure, he could seem like that at first, but all a person needed to do was see how he was with Sora and they'd understand who he truly was in seconds.
Riku rolled his eyes at the comment, muttering, "Shut up." He and Sora turned back to Roxas, the two of them holding hands once more. Then, taking out his phone, he glanced at the time. "Crap. We should probably head to class now."
The brunette glanced over at the phone and nodded. "Yeah, good idea." Turning away, Sora waved goodbye to Roxas, his brother returning the wave, before heading off to class with Riku in tow.
Roxas, now alone, sighed as he gazed at the flower again. Well, he couldn't deny that the gift was appreciated, but...
When he entered his second period, Roxas placed the rose down on the desk that Axel already occupied. Smiling, his boyfriend looked up at him. "Hi, Roxas."
"Hi, Axel. Care to explain the flower?"
"Well, it's a red rose within a bright green, thornless stem-"
The blonde punched the redhead on the arm, although he did so with no intention to hurt him. "That's not what I meant. I mean, why did you give it to me?"
Axel's smile faltered the slightest bit. "Do you not like it?"
"No!" Roxas's eyes widened at the accusation and he waved his hands everywhere in front of him in response. "No, no, no, no! That's not it at all! It's beautiful! It's just..." the teen looked away for a second and shrugged. "You don't seem like a flower person, especially not after the gardening incident-"
"Hey, I saved that garden!"
"You burned it down!"
"In my defense, all the plants were dead and it saved my mother from having to weed it all."
Roxas rolled his eyes (which he seemed to be doing a lot of today). "Anyway, as I was saying, you don't seem like a flower person and we already have plans for tonight, so why the gesture?"
Suddenly, Axel's features schooled and he got quiet, and that's when Roxas knew that something about this was serious. Axel getting quiet wasn't something that Roxas had never seen before, but it was a rare event. So, without another word, he sat at the desk across from Axel and just listened.
After a moment, the redhead finally spoke. "Look, I know I'm not good with expressing my feelings, that's why I end up saying something cheesy most of the time, and yes, I am aware of the fact that I sound like some cliché character from a movie when I say those things." He chuckled softly before quieting down again. "But, well, like I said, I'm not exactly good with feelings, so I don't really ever say anything truly...meaningful a lot. It's not that I don't mean those things I say, it's just...anyone can say those things and end up having it mean nothing. However, know that everything I'm saying right now...I mean every word."
Roxas couldn't help but lean a bit closer.
Axel ran a hand through his hair, pink appearing on his cheeks, before continuing. "I don't know how I could ever explain to you how much you mean to me. I can try, though. You're...well, by this point, you're everything to me. You make me happy, you give me a reason to smile and laugh. That's something I didn't think I'd ever have before meeting you. Thanks to you, I have friends who care about me and actually like me. It's so...refreshing. I don't know how I ever survived without this feeling, this happiness.
"And it's all thanks to you. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you weren't in my life, I'm just so grateful that you are." He took a deep breath. "And, well, I wanted to give you something that showed just how much you mean to me. So," he pointed at the rose, "I got you that. It's all my feelings in one place. It's my-"
"Heart."
Axel froze for a second at that, before shaking his head in disbelief. "What?"
"It represents your heart, right?" Roxas repeated, a gentle smile on his face.
"Yes. Yes it does. But how did you know I was going to say that?" The older teen tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "Did I tell you this already?"
"I..." Roxas tired to think of why he said that, and how he knew that's what Axel was going to say, but his mind came up blank. To be honest, the word just blurted out of his mouth without any rhyme or reason. A frown now on his face, he furrowed his brow in confusion. "I...don't know. I think I just know you well enough by now to know your thought process."
The redhead leaned back and frowned, too. "Well, then, I'm going to have to change how I think. It's worrisome how well you know me."
"You're the one who told me to get you memorized," Roxas countered, a laugh gracing his words.
Axel's own laugh joined in. "Yeah, but not that well. What's the point in surprising you if you know I'm going to do it?" They both continued laughing for a moment, earning a look from some kids entering the classroom, before quieting down again. Axel's face morphed back to his serious one. "But it's true, that rose represents my heart. It represents my feelings, hopes, dreams, fears, it symbolizes everything that makes me who I am." He grabbed the rose from off of his desk and handed it over to Roxas. "And I'm giving it to you."
Eyes wide, Roxas could only look between the flower and his boyfriend. "Axel..."
Axel's green orbs flicked down to the ground. "Unless you don't want it. I understand that this is really-"
"No! Of course I want it!" Gently, he lifted the rose out of Axel's grasp and into his own. "Axel, what you're giving me is so important, both to me and you. But, are you sure you want me-"
He was interrupted by Axel leaning over and enveloping him in a familiar embrace. Roxas couldn't help but melt into the teen's arms. "Of course it's you I want to give it to. Roxas, I love you."
At those words, a warm feeling filled his chest and he couldn't help but smile. Somewhere, in the very depths of his mind, he could help but think the word finally, but he had no idea where the word came from, so he ignored it. There were more important things to worry about.
Placing the rose on his desk, he put his hands against Axel's cheeks and moved his head so that they were looking at each other. Staring into his boyfriend's bright green depths, those eyes he fell in love with, Roxas couldn't help but smile. "I love you, too."
Roxas and Axel didn't care who was watching their kiss. Their kiss could have been displayed on national television for the whole world to see and they wouldn't care. All that mattered to them was that they had each other and that they were happy, so blissfully happy.
Whether or not it was directly stated, or whether or not it was directly known, the two held each other's heart in their hands. Even when the rose withered away that fact would still remain.
No matter the time or place, they both knew this was love.
Well, there's the story! I hope you enjoyed it! I loved writing it! I have gotten so into this pairing (and also RikuxSora) lately and I just love them so much! And yes, I know that everyone was a little OOC in the second half, but they grew up in a different universe and have different lives in that part, so I believe I should be able to take a few liberties. Also, I do head-cannon that if Axel were to ever date anyone (preferably Roxas), he would give roses that represent his heart to show his feelings. I also head-cannon that he would be a cheesy boyfriend.
That's all I have to say. Thanks for reading my story! If you liked it, I would really appreciate if you left a review and/or favorite. Those always make my day! And if you have any constructive criticism and/or ways to improve my writing, also let me know. Happy Valentine's Day, and I'll see you in the next thing I write! Until then…
Peace! GamerFan369