Author's Note: Zombie-slaying AkuRoku; references to a game and a movie you might recognize. ;3 Why? Cuz I did. XD
The Drabble Series turns 50 with this. Holy shit. O.o
Safe House
Roxas was running, running, his feet slamming the pavement and his finger on the trigger, arms numb from the recoil as he just kept spraying lead into the horde in front of them. Smoke and dirt and darkness clouded his eyes and corpses littered the ground, but through deafening noise of gunfire he kept his eyes on the door and his ears on the sounds of the shotgun right behind him.
Sudden silence from his gun – out of ammo. But the next moment, Roxas slammed full-force into the door. He whipped around as soon as he was inside, throwing his last pipe bomb behind Axel to finish off the last of the horde in the fiery second it took him to slam the door shut again. Axel was already straining to shove a huge metal chest against the door. Roxas scanned the room in an instant, assuring himself that there were no other access points and no infected in here. The room was small, an above-ground concrete bunker. It was empty.
They were safe.
The next second, his face was buried against Axel's chest, the taller man pulling him hard against his hot, sweaty body with his good arm. He grabbed the torso in front of him without thinking, squeezing tight for the briefest moment as he gasped for air. Axel's heart pounded against his forehead. He felt a hard kiss planted on top of his head, right in his filthy hair. His face cracked in a grin and he pressed a little harder into Axel's chest, not even noticing the smell. "We made it." He almost couldn't believe it.
Axel released him and moved to sit against the metal chest. "That was nothing," he panted, grinning. "I was more worried when that Hunter almost got you."
Roxas knelt at once, pulling out his first-aid kit and smiling tightly. "Says the guy who was almost flattened by a Tank." He ripped the kit open as Axel shoved the sleeve of his once-white t-shirt up, revealing his bloodied arm. Roxas began cleaning the blood away and sanitizing the wound with practiced speed. Axel grit his teeth and focused on reloading his pistols. His jaw was tight, but he didn't flinch. Roxas wrapped gauze around most of Axel's bicep to cover the clawed gouges.
When he was done, they both popped back some pain pills before scouring the room for weapons. Axel picked up a Molotov cocktail with a grin. "This should come in handy." Roxas gathered up ammo, but was the most relieved to find more first-aid kits. Axel had a tendency to get himself hurt. He was far too reckless when it looked like Roxas was in danger.
"We're not far from the extraction point now, Rox," Axel said as they sat on the floor, reloading every weapon they carried. "We'll be there before dark, at this rate." He dropped fresh shells into his shotgun.
"As long as we don't meet a Witch," Roxas answered wryly, replacing the clip in his assault rifle and then reloading his handgun. Axel snorted his agreement. They both filled their pockets with as much ammo as they could.
Roxas finished reloading first and leaned back against the metal chest, breathing and feeling the pain pills kicking in. They didn't have long, only a few minutes to rest with nothing trying to kill them. Roxas had learned to make the most of every second.
Across the back wall of the bunker, someone had scrawled in large letters: We're going to die here. He stared at the ragged words, left behind by another survivor. He wondered if the prediction had come true for them already.
Axel's shoulder bumped his own gently. He glanced over to see his friend grinning wearily at him, his face streaked with dirt and sweat. "You've got red on you."
Arching an eyebrow, Roxas glanced down at his blood-spattered jacket, then over at Axel's dirty, stained shirt. "You too. A little spot. Right…" His finger searched for a particular speck among the numerous dark splotches of blood. "…There." He pointed to a tiny spot. Axel chuckled.
Leaning against his partner's shoulder, Roxas sighed. "I miss showers."
Axel's cheek rubbed his hair. "When we get out of this, we'll share one."
His face cracked with a smirk. "Fuck yeah we will." There was silence for a moment as they both rested, breathing and slowing their heart rates back down as the minutes of safety ticked away. "Axel?"
"Mm?"
Blue eyes glanced up at the scrawl-covered wall. He nodded at it. "Think they did?"
Axel straightened, read the words. Then he lurched to his feet with a grunt. "Who knows." He reached down and pulled Roxas to his feet as well. "But fuck that. We're getting out of this alive. You're immune and I'm immune. That's all that matters. We're fine."
Axel's certainty unraveled the little knot of doubt that had been congealing in his gut, and Roxas smiled. "Fuck yeah we are." He picked up an extra pipe bomb to throw in front of them as soon as the door opened – they would need to blast a path out of this safe house. Axel grabbed an extra Molotov with a small, delighted glint in his eyes.
"Time to go, Rox." He stepped close, and together they shoved the chest aside. Then Roxas straightened and looked up at his partner; Axel looked down. A hand grabbed Roxas by the back of his neck, and he was dragged forward into a sudden, hard kiss. It was rough and bruising, deep and quick and hot. A promise of what they were living for.
Then it was over just as fast, and Roxas was grinning into green eyes and bracing himself for another face-off with death and seeing the same determination in Axel's answering grin. He hefted his assault rifle, ready to use it as soon as he threw the pipe bomb. Axel slung his shotgun over his shoulder and grabbed his pistols. Roxas' hand was on the door handle, just about to yank it open.
"Let's kick some ass."
Axel glanced over at him, grinning as he pointed both barrels at the door.
"Let's."
