The Beginning of Summer
By: Megori
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Square Enix and Disney, respectively.
A/N: Um, second attempt at the "summer" theme contest over at the AkurokuFanfiction group on DeviantArt. I failed miserably the first time around, so I'm going for round two. Haha. Enjoy.
Rating: PG
Characters: Axel, Roxas
Genre: Romance (more fluff than anything I've ever written before)
The bright rays of the sun beat down, almost angrily, onto the blond who laid sprawled lifelessly on the school roof. His jacket was a ways away from him and the top four buttons of his button up shirt were unfastened. Although summer meant freedom from the confines of school for him, he hated the heat even more. At least the school buildings were air conditioned.
"Lazing around as always, aren't you Roxas?"
Roxas' bright blue eyes shot open at the familiar voice. "You're done already?"
The redhead smiled down at his friend. "It's annoying as hell, but to get them off my back, I just wrote something quick."
"Shouldn't you think about it more seriously?"
"What's it matter? It's not like I'm a genius or anything. I'll get by however I want to. Got it memorized?"
Roxas sat up, laughing. "Yeah, yeah. So what did you tell him, Axel?"
"Work."
"What?" Roxas retorted, shocked. "C'mon, you're smart enough for M University at least."
"More school ain't my thing. Got it memorized?" Axel replied coolly.
Roxas groaned.
"C'mon," Axel stated after a little bit.
"Where to?"
Axel smiled devilishly at him. "Where else but the best place to cool off in this heat?"
"The beach?" Roxas looked up, hopeful, at his partner.
Axel's smile widened, confirming Roxas' answer.
"All right!" Roxas shot up to his feet. "Let's go!" He picked up his jacket and headed toward the door before stopping and turning around to face Axel once more. "Is it really okay though? I mean, the graduation ceremony is tomorrow after all."
"If I say it's fine, it's fine," Axel replied, placing his arm lightly on Roxas' shoulder. "Unless you'd rather not?" He turned to his partner with an inquiring look.
"I-I never said I didn't want to," Roxas stated sheepishly, blushing at the sudden contact of the two. It was rare for them to spend much time together, what with the difference in grade and distance between their homes. There was no way Roxas was going to oppose this opportunity.
"Then, shall we?"
Axel reached for Roxas' hand and lightly gripped onto his fingers. This action made Roxas blush even harder.
"Th-that..." Roxas stammered as Axel led him back into the building. "U-um...h-hands..."
Axel stopped and turned back to face Roxas. "Hm?"
"Is this really okay?"
Axel smiled.
Roxas could feel his heart ready to leap right out of his chest. The thumping wouldn't stop, much less slow down. That smile always made him feel this way and knowing that it was now directed at him, it was even worse for his heart. Before he realized what was going on, Roxas felt his hand going up. When he finally snapped back to reality, Axel's soft lips had already touched the back of his hand. Speechless, Roxas could only gape and blush wildly.
"It's fine, isn't it?"
Roxas blushed horrendously, trying his best to keep his eyes locked on the ground to calm his beating heart. There was absolutely no way he was going to be able to look at Axel like this. He nodded lightly.
"Got it memorized?"
Roxas nodded at this too. Axel tightened his grip on Roxas' hand and continued leading him out of the building. As silence fell between the two, Roxas placed his free hand over his chest. It wasn't until they reached Axel's apartment that Roxas' pounding heart finally calmed down again.
"Come on in," Axel stated, holding the door open for Roxas.
With a light bow, Roxas walked into the foyer uneasily. He'd been to Axel's apartment a few times before, but it had always been just to study. Now that school was soon to be out for the summer, that excuse wouldn't be necessary. Roxas stood rigidly where he walked in, unsure of what to do.
"Roxas?"
Roxas looked up, startled. Upon seeing Axel's emerald eyes staring back at him, Roxas immediately took a step back, hitting the front door as he did so.
"You okay?"
"I...You...I mean..." Roxas blushed furiously. Feeling his nerves leave him, he gripped the edge of his shirt tightly and kept his beet red face faced toward his shoes. After a short silence, Roxas exhaled heavily, looked up and with a strained face, said, "Can we just spend time alone here? T-together, I mean."
Axel quirked an eyebrow. "You don't want to go to the beach anymore?"
"W-well," Roxas began, looking downward again, "I'm fine anywhere, so long as you're there too, but being alone is nice too, r-right?" With much courage, he managed to peek a look upward to see the redhead's reaction. "I-I mean, we can go to the beach later too, if..."
"I'm fine staying here," Axel stated, interrupting the blushing blond before him. "I bought a new game recently, if you'd like to play with me."
"Of course!" Roxas' reply came out a little too quickly and excited, startling himself. He blushed again.
Axel reached out his hand, his long slim fingers gently brushed Roxas' cheek as he began ruffling the blond's hair. "You really are cute."
Several hours passed quickly as the two engrossed themselves in the game. Axel put his remote down and stretched, sighing heavily.
"I give, Roxas," Axel stated with another sigh. He had just lost over ten games in a row and wasn't quite feeling up to increasing that number anymore. "You're just too good at this."
Roxas turned to the redhead, trying to hide the goofy smile plastered on his face behind his best puppy, begging expression. "Aw, just a little longer?"
"Aren't you getting hungry though?" Axel asked curiously. It had been quite some time since their last meal, so it wasn't as if he said that simply to get out of playing anymore.
Roxas mulled the possibility over a bit. The adrenaline he had gotten from playing video games made him totally oblivious until his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud growl. "Ah..." His face burned a bright red. "I-I guess I am hungry."
"What would you like for dinner then?" Axel asked, trying his best to stifle his laughter.
"Anything's fine."
"Mm..." Axel looked through his cupboards curiously. "Well, I have ingredients for carbonara, but I can order out if you'd prefer something else."
"No, no! That's fine," Roxas replied quickly. There was absolutely no way he was going to pass up getting to eat Axel's cooking. "I'll help too, okay? Just let me know what I should do."
After several minutes and a small cut on Roxas' right index finger, their food was finally ready. Axel heaved a sigh as he placed their plates of food on the table. Roxas kept his head down, dejected.
"I'm sorry," Roxas mumbled.
Axel sat down across from Roxas, smiling as he reached over to pat Roxas' head. "Don't worry about it. You were only trying to help."
Roxas nodded ever so slightly. He had cut his finger against a knife as he was washing it. Roxas had taken the knife from Axel against his wishes, claiming washing a knife wasn't a big deal. In the end, he had nicked himself on his right index. After Axel disinfected and bandaged it, Roxas planted himself in the chair and hadn't moved since.
It had taken a bit of convincing from Axel before Roxas finally looked up again and started eating. During their meal, Axel regaled Roxas with stories of his own stupid past mistakes. Roxas reeled with laughter, completely forgetting how depressed he was just moments ago.
"Did you still wanna go to the beach today?" Axel asked, placing the last of the dishes onto the dish rack. He put the towel down and turned to Roxas.
Roxas thought it over a bit. He looked up from the table he was cleaning and turned to the still open window. It had gotten darker, but it wasn't fully night yet. However, this had meant that the beach would be mostly empty now. Turning back to Axel, he beamed happily. "Yeah, but can we drop by the convenience store first?"
As the beach came into view, Roxas ran ahead enthusiastically. Even with the chilly breeze, Roxas showed no sign of giving in. The plastic bag on his arm swung around vehemently as Roxas twirled to face Axel once he had reached the cold waters.
"Come on," Roxas shouted back to Axel, who continued at his normal pace. Roxas waved his arms excitedly, his big childish grin plastered across his face.
"It's not too cold?" Axel asked. He quickened his pace, but just barely. Watching Roxas was, after all, a fairly entertaining pastime for him. He couldn't help but smile as the blond boy squatted down just above the water, splashing about as he saw fit.
Roxas looked up from the water as Axel stopped a few steps before him. "It's not cold at all." He looked up, still smiling. "The water's cool, but not unbearable. I like it like this."
Axel laughed, taking a seat next to the convenience store bag, just a little ways away from the water, where Roxas had tossed it earlier.
"Come on Axel," Roxas whined as he looked up to see the redhead seated on the sand. "Come play with me."
"Just watching you have fun is enough for me."
Roxas' smile went sour at this. There was absolutely no point in coming to the beach if he was just going to sit by and watch. There was no way Roxas was going to stand for this.
"Come play," he demanded, pretending to kick a stream of water up toward Axel. The water barely made it pass the receding waters.
Axel laughed, shaking his head.
"Augh," Roxas pouted. "Fine. You leave me no other choice."
The next thing Axel knew, water came splashing at him. Axel looked up, thoroughly surprised.
"That's what you get," Roxas replied, readying himself for another attack. "Come play!"
"You!"
Axel shot up and ran toward Roxas. Within moments, the two were splashing water onto one another, laughing uncontrollably. The night drew closer and the breeze chillier as the sun fell below the horizon. The two fell with a light thud against the soft sand, soaked to the bones. Axel hovered above Roxas, who was still laughing playfully.
"Roxas..."
Almost instantaneously, Roxas fell silent. Axel took the opportunity to brush Roxas' cheek and remove the strand of blond hair covering the boy's forehead. As Axel brought their faces closer, Roxas's cheeks burned a light pink. He held his breath, waiting for his partner to fully close the gap and fill him with warmth. Unsure of what to do, the blond closed his eyes in anticipation.
When nothing came after several seconds, Roxas reopened his eyes to see what had gone wrong. Upon seeing Axel just staring at him so intently with a smile, and merely centimeters away, Roxas' blush intensified. Seeing this, Axel let out a light laugh.
"You're too adorable."
He leaned in again, finally about to close the small gap between them. Just as Roxas felt Axel's breath on his lips, Roxas quickly turned his head to the side and let out a sneeze.
"Ugh," Roxas moaned, utterly disappointed at himself for having ruined the moment. Of all the timing in the world, the stupid sneeze just had to be now. He gave himself a mental slap.
Axel surpressed a laugh, seeing Roxas' expression. He lifted himself up and rolled over to sit next to Roxas. "We ought to head back, huh? If we stay like this too long, we'll catch a cold." He stood up and reached a hand down toward Roxas. "Shall we?"
Upon reaching Axel's apartment once more, Axel had instructed that Roxas immediately take a shower to warm himself up. Scrubbing the sand out of his hair, Roxas's flushed at the thought of the kiss he'd just missed. Not only had the chance of a kiss slipped by, he totally forgot about the fireworks they had just bought from the store. He had been looking forward to that as well. With a heavy heart, he sighed and continued his shower. When he finished with his shower, Roxas tumbled out of the bathroom with a towel hanging loosely around his neck and only his boxers on. A sweet, chocolatey aroma filled his nostrils immediately and he followed the smell into the kitchen.
"Axel?"
Axel turned to him from the stove. "Ah, Roxas?" He walked toward Roxas, but just before reaching him, Axel placed the mug in his hand on the tabletop. "Your hair's still wet." With the towel around Roxas' neck, Axel began patting down Roxas' soft blond locks. "You'll catch a cold if you don't dry it properly."
"Th-thanks."
"I made some hot cocoa for you. Drink it while I shower, okay?"
Roxas nodded, still too embarrassed to look the redhead in the eye after what he had done. "I-I'm sorry..."
"Don't worry about it," Axel replied, laughing lightly. His hands stopped moving, now simply holding Roxas' head gently between them. "It's fine."
Roxas looked up, still not entirely assured everything was fine. In all the five months they'd been together, this was, after all, going to be only their third kiss. Roxas hated himself even more, having reminded himself of how rare that opportunity was. "I..."
Roxas was cut short when he felt Axel's soft, warm lips press against his forehead. They remained that way for several seconds before Axel finally pulled away.
"It's fine, really. Now, warm yourself up so that you don't catch a cold."
"Mmkay."
Soon after Axel's departure into the bathroom, Roxas headed into the living room with his drink. "Augh, I'm so stupid!" After placing his mug on the side table, Roxas flopped onto the couch. With his head stuffed into a pillow, he let out a groan, mentally telling himself how much of a moron he truly was.
"Five months," he had reminded himself. They had been together for five months, but because Roxas had confessed so adorably innocently, or so Axel claimed, along with embarrassingly admitting, at the same time, that he had never dated before nor been interested in anyone else before, Axel had said they would take the relationship slow. Slow was one thing, but the pace they were at, along with the fact that both of them were supposed to be healthy young men with insatiable needs, this was just all wrong. Surely no one with Axel's experience could be satisfied with such a platonic relationship.
After several more minutes of self degradation, Roxas slowly succumbed to the exhaustion creeping over his heart and body. He heard the running water in the shower stop, but before he knew it, sleep had won over him. Surely, he was still a mere child, allowing this opportunity to slip by as well.
The graduation ceremony had ended on an excellent note. Those who were graduating had gathered in the school's front yard, discussing plans to get together before departing for university and bidding one another farewell. As Roxas was waiting for Axel, he simply stood by the front gate.
"There he is!" A nearby girl squealed to her friend. "Go oh and ask him before it's too late."
Looking in the direction the girl pointed, Roxas caught sight of Axel. Although he had always known Axel was popular, seeing the large crowd around him only made Roxas feel more distance between the two of them. It felt petty to him, being jealous of those people around Axel, but Roxas simply couldn't help it. After all, Axel should be his and his alone. He looked down and gripped the small box in his hands tightly, trying to fight the urge to shout and tell everyone to leave his Axel alone.
"U-um, Axel!"
Roxas looked up again. The two girls who were squealing a second ago were now in front of Axel. Roxas felt his heart tighten as Axel smiled sweetly at the two of them. It wasn't fair. That smile was supposed to be his alone.
"I-if you don't mind, c-could I please have your second button?"
"Ah, I..."
Before Axel could reply, the crowd of boys and girls around him roared with laughter and jealousy. The other boys were oohing and awing at their friend's accomplishment while the other girls were arguing over who had been there first and who rightly should be given the button.
Feeling utterly torn, Roxas resigned himself to defeat. With the sheer number of beautiful girls flocking to him, begging for his button and affections, Roxas knew there was nothing left for him. Surely, graduation meant the end of their relationship. After all, surely Axel had only agreed to his confession for the sake of amusement. That was the only reason for the last five months that Roxas could think of. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Roxas turned to leave.
Looking up from the crowd growing wild around him, Axel caught sight of Roxas' retreating back. He had tried to call out to him, but all of the noise from those around him drowned it out. He couldn't help but smile, seeing how defeated Roxas looked as he turned the corner and disappeared from view.
"I'm sorry," Axel stated to the few girls in front of him who were awaiting his reply. "I can't give it to you." With that, Axel pushed passed the crowd and out of the courtyard of the school.
"Roxas! Wait up!"
Startled, Roxas stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around. Axel was walking toward him, diploma in hand and a smile plastered on his face. Against his own will, Roxas' eyes fell to the location of where Axel's second button should have been. He felt himself tense up.
"Why'd you leave without me?" Axel questioned, feigning ignorance as he walked up to Roxas.
Roxas forced a smile, twitching slightly as he did so. "Ah, well, I just thought..." He pondered for a second for the right words. "I just thought you'd like to hang out with your friends for a while, you know? It is your graduation, after all."
"I'd rather be with you," Axel replied without hestitation.
Roxas felt all of the tension and frustration leave him as he stared at the redhead smiling at him.
"It's summer now and you're my lover, right?" Axel continued. He took the last final steps toward Roxas to close the gap between them. "Of course I'd rather spend it with you."
Roxas blushed, trying to comprehend what was going on. Axel had given away his second button, but here he was, saying such korny, but touching things to him. Something just wasn't right. However, to hide his flustered face, Roxas shoved the small box forward.
"H-here," Roxas stammered, looking down. "C-congratulations on graduating."
Axel took the box from him. "Roxas."
Roxas looked up hestitantly. The gap between them disappeared as Axel's lips met with Roxas'. Startled, Roxas stood rooted to the spot. The sensation of Axel's tongue in his mouth made him weak in the knees. Moments later, Axel pulled away and reached out to take Roxas' hand.
"W-what?" Roxas looked up at Axel inquisitively. There was something in the hand with which Axel had taken Roxas'.
Axel smiled at him pleasantly, pretending not to have noticed Roxas' inquiring looks. "Let's go to the beach today too. Or, if you'd like, we can go everyday all summer."
Roxas twisted his hand free from Axel's to see what the item was. "T-this..." He looked back up to Axel upon seeing the button. "But didn't you..."
"I'll be expecting yours next year too, so don't give it to anyone else, okay?"
Roxas blushed, looking down to hide his face. He nodded lightly. "Y-yeah, of course."
~ END ~
Well, that's it. I've near killed myself for two weeks trying to finish this fanfic. It's not great, I admit. I'm horrible at writing fluff, especially considering how my specialty is typically angsty type fics. However, feedback would be greatly appreciated. Critiques on writing, grammar, plot, whatever else (you don't really have to mention OOCness though, I'm totally aware of it and I tried not to have it, but my brain has been slowly dying, so I gave up trying). Thanks guys!