Chapter Three

After that incident Axel and Roxas didn't meet for five days. Axel didn't miss the boy while he was gone, but - - no, it was impossible for him to think that he felt like he missed him. He didn't feel. Perhaps Larxene wasn't the only one with fake emotions.

After five days of aimless wandering and world investigating Axel had returned to his room in a state of boredom. Pushing open the door he was surprised to see Roxas curled up on the terrace balcony.

"You're back." He called, pulling off one of his gloves with his teeth so he could pour himself a drink without the glass slipping out of his hand. There was no reply from the black clothed figure. Raising an eyebrow Axel headed over to the terrace and froze at the open doorway, noticing a familiar red substance dripping over the edge of the balcony.

"Hey."

He lightly kicked Roxas's shoulder, but again he got no response. Kneeling, Axel pulled back the hood of XIII's cloak. He was unconscious, blonde hair stained with red and blood dribbling off his chin to gather in a pool beneath his cheek. Axel frowned.

"Guess you aren't as vigilant as they say." He muttered, and paused for a moment, deciding what to do.

He could clean the boy up and dress his wounds. But, just as easily, he could leave him to either wake up by himself or die. What did Axel care?

In the end, Axel decided to be charitable, and slung XIII into his arms bridal-style. Carrying him back to his room he opened the door to a small tiled bathroom. Dropping Roxas onto the floor he leant over the large porcelain tub and twisted the handles until the bath was filled with boiling hot water.

Kneeling down he unzipped and removed Roxas's cloak, before tugging off the skin-tight boots and gloves. The pants and boxers came next, Axel grimacing at the bloodstains on all the clothing. Picking Roxas up he laid him in the tub; careful not to crack the blonde's head open on the tap.

The water soon swirled a foggy red colour, and Axel scrubbed some dry blood off Roxas's temple. The boy's cerulean eyes slowly flickered open, and he glared slightly at Axel.

"I'm naked." He said, dangerously, but also weakly. Axel raised an eyebrow and glanced at him up and down.

"What do you know!" he said, in a fascinated tone of voice. "You are."

Roxas went to stand up but winced, instead collapsing backwards, resting his head back against the porcelain rim. His fingers splayed across the right of his torso, running down the ribs. On the third there was a deep wound, and Roxas applied pressure to stop the bleeding.

"I'm bleeding…" he said quietly, eyes half lidded. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Well, your just full of epiphanies today!"

All Roxas could do in his condition was glare at him, so he did, letting the boiling hot water wash the blood off his skin. Staring at him, Axel thought the situation suited the boy, drenched with water and blood, piercing blue eyes peering out from beneath his shock of blonde hair.

"So, what did you do to shit yourself up this bad?" Axel asked casually, folding his arms and leaning back against the bathroom wall. Roxas turned his gaze forward, to the tiled wall.

"I thought I could stay for a little longer, wipe out a couple more heartless." He said, frowning slightly. "Guess there was more than a couple. I could handle 'em, but something happened and there was an explosion."

He shrugged and tried to stand again but was halted by Axel's un-gloved hand pushing down on his chest, forcing him back into the water. Roxas surfaced, spluttering.

"Piss off!" he snapped, and winced, holding his chest. Axel tapped his nose.

"Well, I could do that." He pondered. "But then who would help you out of this tub?"

Roxas stared at him for a moment, and then sighed with apparent defeat. His shoulders slumped and he looked away from the redhead.

"Help me out." He muttered. Axel grinned.

"I'm sorry, what was that? I don't think I heard you correctly…"

"I said help me out, asshole!" Roxas yelled, and splashed some of the bathwater onto Axel. The victim scowled and shook water out of his hair. Standing, he gave Roxas a look over, and then smirked.

"No."

"PRICK!" Roxas stood suddenly and his legs gave way beneath him, so that he toppled forward – onto Axel.

--

"Yo! Axel, you here?" Demyx barged into the room. "I can't find any of my freaking coats-"

His explanation was cut short as he noticed the startled Axel on the floor with the naked Roxas sprawled on top of him.

Demyx stared for a moment.

"I'll come back later…" he said, and ran as fast as he could out the door when he felt the first warmth of fire at his heels.

Axel groaned and banged his head back against the floor.

"Well done," he said scathingly. "I'm not going to be taken seriously again for the rest of my life."
Roxas glowered down at him. "You were never taken seriously." He pointed out, and rolled off of Axel, sitting up with a wince.

"Where are my clothes?" he asked, seemingly unfazed by the awkward even which had just unfolded. Axel jumped to his feet and placed his hands on his waist.

"Wet, with blood. Because you're an idiot." He taunted, grabbing the dropped garments from the bathroom and showing the boy the stains.

"Well what the hell am I meant to wear?" Roxas asked, also placing his hands on his waist. The two had a glowering match, vaguely dampened by the fact that Axel held a handful of dripping clothes.

"You're naked." Axel suddenly pointed out, smirking. Roxas jumped, blushed, and shot to the other side of Axel's bed, crouching down and hiding himself behind the mattress.

"Screw you." He mumbled, snatching a pillow from the bed and covering himself with it. Axel shrugged and dropped the clothes to floor with a squelch sound.

"If you want," he teased. "But I bite."
"SHUT UP." Roxas yelled. Axel raised an eyebrow and folded his arms.

"You know, this is my room." He drawled. "I could kick you out into the hallway if I wanted to, naked."

The blonde's eyes widened, and Roxas tensed – like a cat preparing to attack.

"You wouldn't dare." He hissed. Axel leaned forward, grinning with sharp teeth.

"Wanna bet?"

It took a whole minute of Roxas yelling, Axel striding across the room, legs and arms flailing outward – (But at the same time trying to hold the pillow in place) – long arms scooping the smaller boy up, and a booted foot kicking the bedroom door open – before Roxas gave up.

"ALRIGHT!" He yelled, his bare legs halfway out the door so that any unfortunate Organization member walking down the hallway could only see a pair of dismembered naked legs.

"Alright," he repeated, folding his arms and keeping the pillow in place. "I surrender, okay?"

Axel made a 'thinking' face and leant against the doorframe, still holding Roxas.

"Now, I don't remember surrender being an option." He pondered out loud, and was interested to see a furious pout on Roxas' face. It was cute, in an I'm-going-to-kill-you-while-you-sleep way.

Axel grinned to himself. No matter what Roxas did, no matter how serious or nonchalant he acted, he was still a kid. So that meant --

"HEY!" Roxas clung onto Axel's arm as the Flurry of Dancing Flames started swinging him forward. "I surrendered!"

Axel paused, and blinked. "So?"

"So put me down!"

"No."
"AXEL!"

"No, I don't think that was an option either…"

Roxas let go of Axel's arm with one hand and aimed a fist towards his face. Axel easily dodged the attack, and made a tut-tut noise.

"That's not really a smart idea if you want me to put you down, or drop you." He added dangerously, and Roxas flinched. He wouldn't like to admit it out loud, but Axel was tall and he was, well… not. Plus, the injuries he already had, (The wound near his rib was still bleeding, damnit.) would hurt worse if he were to be dropped from this height.

"Would you put me down?" He asked through gritted teeth. Axel grinned.

"Say the magic word…" he teased. Unfortunately for him Roxas didn't know it, so he guessed.

"Avadacadabra?"

Axel blinked, and sighed. "Good enough."

He lowered Roxas back onto the ground, trying not to laugh at the sight of Roxas trying to cover himself with a pillow. Shutting the bedroom door he noticed the boy had shuffled his way over to one of the cabinets, searching through the clothes inside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Axel asked, folding his arms. Roxas threw a glare over his shoulder at him.

"Getting some dry clothes," he made a face. "Got it memorized?"

Axel rolled his eyes.

"That was a bad imitation, but I'm flattered."
Roxas muttered something in reply.

He pulled out a black cloak, and tugged it over his head. It was too big for him; the throat was too low and pooled over his chest in fabric waves, as well as the bottom of the cloak – which lay in folds around his feet. Roxas looked down at himself in despair, and then back up at Axel, whose shoulders were shaking silently.

"What?" He asked impatiently. Axel waved a hand, tried to answer, and then burst into laughter. Roxas glared at him for a moment.

"It's not that funny…" he mumbled, but then a few seconds later, he was laughing too.