Roxas had lost count of the months he spent with the Organization, drowning in the pondered questions and the massacres of black-bodied heartless that took up his time. The sights of the worlds he visited swirled together in his memory into a disgusting colored soup, black, red, yellow and green streaks of objects he couldn't half remember the shapes of. It was smells he remembered better; like the rain, acidic and cold, on tangy asphalt with the vague undercurrent of rubber, recent and fresh. And if he thought about it long enough, Roxas could just barely conjure up the sharp scent of salt on the air.
Ironic really, Roxas knew he hadn't visited any worlds with an ocean nearby.
Boredom was the order of the current day, one like any other in the castle deep inside The World That Never Was: wet, dark and raining, lit only by neon lights from the city and the eerie glow of the castle walls. Roxas, inside his room, swung his keyblades in sets of intricate movements, stepping neatly across the room as the fancily designed weapons flew about his lithe body. There was no harm in keeping his skills sharp and while living in a castle full of killers, there was somewhat of a need. It was not as if Roxas ever felt threatened by the likes of Xigbar or Saix, but the knowledge of how dangerous they could be was not something Roxas would allow himself to forget.
So he practiced.
"Do you have any idea how stupid you look, swinging those things around with nothing to hit?" Axel's voice said from the doorway. Roxas kept his back turned, his movements fluid and uninterrupted.
"Are you volunteering?" Roxas said, still weaving the keyblades in and out about him. Axel snorted as if he had been presented with something utterly ridiculous and flamboyant.
"Of course, Roxas, I'd love to be smacked around. I'll stand over here and you'll smack me until I'm dead, sound fun?"
Roxas, knowing Axel was being sarcastic, came to a halt with Oblivion and Oath-keeper resting threateningly on either side of Axel's thin neck. Amused, Roxas watched as the taller boy's eyes flickered wide in surprise and then annoyance.
"Still can't take a joke?" Axel sneered, acting snobbish to cover his surprise. Roxas, stony-faced, pressed the keyblades closer together and Axel's body stiffened between the two weapons.
"Of course I can," Roxas said evenly, allowing a smirk as he stepped closer and looked Axel square in the face. "Guess you can't." Axel's face curled into a snarl as he shoved Roxas back, the smaller boy barely loosing balance on nimble feet.
"Your sense of humor blows, Roxas." Axel said, waving his hand in dismissal. Roxas snorted, willing the keyblades to disappear as he flopped down on the single bed in the sparse room.
"Not as much as your asinine hair…"
"Hypocrite." Axel fired back as he sat down on the floor next to Roxas' hanging feet.
"Dumbass."
"Ouch, who'd you learn that one from?"
"You, dumbass."
Axel laughed loudly, irritating Roxas enough to shove his foot into the older boy's face. The red-head sputtered indignantly and pushed the smaller boot away from his nose, fingernails scratching on smooth leather. Axel had once said that he would not allow himself to be stepped on, Roxas remembered, fighting the urge to laugh.
"Do that again, I dare you." Axel spat menacingly, scooting further away from Roxas' dangling feet with an audible sound of annoyance. Roxas grinned wickedly, and kicked his foot out again, solidly connecting with Axel's cheekbone. The older boy yelped with a sharp curse and leapt to his feet, pale face blood-red with irritation. Roxas had planned to sit up and say something smart, but the short-lived plan was murdered by the weight of the lanky older boy slamming down on top of him. Roxas blinked, quickly masking his surprise with his usual stony-faced expression. Now that was unexpected, but Roxas knew he should've made a good guess anyways. Axel bent close enough for Roxas to catch the heavy scents of smoke and leather clinging to the redhead like an invisible cloak.
"That wasn't a challenge, idiot." Axel snarled quietly, pulling one of his hands away from Roxas' collar to call forth one of his circular weapons in a flash of flame and light. "Now I'll have to kill you, what a damn waste…" He said, almost apologetically, though Roxas knew better; Axel never gave second chances to anyone. Roxas decided that it was time to act before Axel had more time to exact his revenge and summoned both the keyblades into his hands. Axel blinked.
Without a sound, the smaller boy shoved Axel away with the handles of the weapons, Oath-keeper's sharp points digging painfully into Axel's ribs. Axel was propelled off the bed and landed awkwardly on his feet, terribly off-balance. He glanced up as Roxas shot toward him, keyblades flashing in the stark white light. Axel's back hit the floor before the count of two with Roxas' knees pressed tightly on both sides of his torso, his weight keeping the taller man securely in place. The keyblades whirred above his head briefly before coming to halt on both sides of his head, deeply embedded halfway into the stone floor. Axel visibly gulped, scowling furiously up at Roxas' smirking face above him.
"What was that about killing me?" The younger boy said coolly, leaning down a bit. Axel rolled his eyes, allowing a smirk to stretch his thin mouth.
"Oh come on Roxas, you really can't take a joke?" Roxas snorted imperiously and leaned further down toward Axel. Axel's mouth froze halfway between a smirk and a scowl at the sudden closeness in proximity, surprise bubbling inside his stomach.
"Of course I can, yours just aren't very good." Roxas said, his grin predatory, as he moved closer. Axel froze with shock as the smaller boy's breathing barely brushed against his sharp cheekbones.
"H-hey Roxas, this is a joke right?" The red-head said hurriedly, his eyes darting about the room nervously. Roxas smirked as he watched the older boy's pale face turn red once again, pale rose to darker blood.
"Nope," the blonde simply said and pressed his lips firmly against Axel's. Axel jerked in surprise at the unexpected touch, but relaxed as Roxas' gloved hands gently placed themselves against his cheeks. He opened his mouth and fell into the abyss.
Roxas would remember little of what happened that day in his room, aside from the scent of smoke and leather that was Axel. What he would remember was that the smells of smoke and leather were stronger than usual and that Axel had been close enough to steal a kiss from.
But soon enough, he would remember nothing at all.