;xsyntheticsmile

An Axel x Kairi one-shot from a former Sokai purist
Axel's POV
Your typical story - bad boy meets his match
'Cause we all know the only fun things in life are illegal.

bang, bang, bitches

-x-

Your Kiss Is Cocaine
. . . I'm addicted.

… …

"& you can't be close enough unless i'm feeling your heartbeat."

--♥;

I don't know why people even bother asking anymore.
No shit, I remember; it's not the sort of thing you forget, even if you want to.
And they always ask about the end, too. The tragic part. The part that makes them feel sorry for me.
Well I didn't ask for your sympathy.
And yeah, I remember.
For the last goddamn time, I've got it memorized.
I'm reminded every time you fuckheads bring it up.
I know the words by heart.
But you don't even know the half of it.
You only remember one thing. The words, her words, big and black on the obituary page of the Sunday paper. That's all anyone remembers.
Except me.
I remember all of it.
But it's the beginning I miss the most.
And it's the beginning that's always the hardest part to tell.

---

The first thing I saw were her eyes, deep and blue, normally so full of life, but now twisted in anger as she yanked her wrist out of his grasp.

I never understood why, when the music around us was blasting, the club was packed heavy with sweat and smoke, and the crowd was steadily pressing in, I could still hear what they were saying as clear as day. But I could.

"Stop it," she said curtly, just as the guy next to her reached for her hand again. "I mean it."

"Aw, come on Kai," he slurred, his body shifting a little as it tried to maintain its balance. God, he was drunk; I spied a cup of beer in his other hand, and it wasn't even half-empty yet. Wuss. "I was just having a little fun."

She glared at him tiredly, but didn't do or say anything. That's when I figured he was her boyfriend. Lean, fit, the kind of guy girls always swooned over, except for his porcupine hair. Geez, that thing looked like it could blind you if you came too close. Still, no self-respecting girl would put up with that shit just for anyone, especially a girl as pretty as her.

I realized I was staring, but you can't really blame me. She was fucking beautiful. And I don't even mean the slutty kind of pretty, you know, short skirt, skimpy top, easy smile, and way too much make up, the kind I usually go for, but real classy. Like the kind of girl you'd see in magazines or on the T.V. or something. So what the hell was she doing with this sleazeball?

I guess I wasn't the only one who knew I was watching then, 'cause just as her guy started mumbling again, she looked past him, through the crowd, right at me. She cocked an eyebrow, grinning slightly as her gaze shot straight to my hair. It was always the first thing people noticed about me. Or the tattoos under my eyes. Or my eyes in general, take your pick.

She smiled.

And damn, it was gorgeous.

The way it just lit up her face, it was like she was some kind of angel or something.

No, not an angel.

A goddess.

I wanted to fucking worship her.

Or maybe just to fuck her.

Whichever.

I wasn't just saying that either, like I did with most girls, just so I could have my way with them. A lot of people would say I was cruel. I'm not arguing, some of the stuff I did back then was pretty bad. But I didn't think lady-killing made my top three. Or even my top ten. In fact, with all the shit I was into when I was seventeen, I doubt it'd even be at the bottom of my list, or whether it'd make it on at all.

And that's when I saw it. Or, rather, heard it.

It was a sound I'd heard so many times before, and as it reached my ears, I could almost feel the familiar sting creep across my cheek.

A slap.

She had just slapped him.

The music overhead had moved onto the next track, so as the crowd shifted accordingly, the two had slipped out of my line of vision. When I found them again, her boyfriend had dropped his cup somewhere near his feet and was fingering the hemline of her t-shirt before actually sticking his hand completely under to cop a feel.

He was leaning in too close for comfort, his stale, beer-soaked breath tainting her pristine face, now contorted in disgust as he smothered her in a kiss.

Another slap, and as his head faced me, I saw that his murky blue eyes were bloodshot. He wasn't taking any hints tonight, that's for sure. She'd only end up getting hurt.

I should know.

I'm not exactly sure what force possessed me to do it. After all, playing the hero? That wasn't my sort of thing. Honestly, what kind of person wears a cape and flies around pretending to be the greatest thing that's happened to the planet? Or uses an oversized house key to seal the world from darkness or some kind of shit like that? Even as I started walking, as I finally reached them and told him to knock it off, as he swung at me, missed, and told me to fuck-off-it-was-none-of-my-business, I had no idea why I was even trying.

Just that I was.

After he tried to punch me, he crashed into a nearby table and from there shot a glance at his girl, as though blaming her for it somehow.

Jackass.

"Kairi," he said, his voice vicious and cutting, "are you just going to let him do this to me?"

I scoffed, eased over, and pulled him up by his collar, whispering,

"Do you need your girl to fight your battles for you pretty boy?"

He glared, but said nothing. His eyes clearly read "fuck you," though. Not that I cared. Then I dropped him into a chair, which wobbled a little before finally steadying. I saw his face turn green.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" this Kairi shouted at my back incredulously, though it seemed more out of fear of her boyfriend than anything. Shame, the one time I decide to do something right I'm still treated like a criminal. Such a shame.

"The name's Axel," I called over my shoulder, keeping my eyes on her guy. He was one of the quiet drunks. A messy one, sure, but quiet all the same. And it was always the quiet ones you had to watch out for. "And I'm sorry," I teased, still talking to her, "I figured you'd be a little more grateful. I did just help you, you know." And then I flashed her a grin. It seemed to ease her a bit, and after a few seconds, she came a little closer.

Not close enough, I thought, but the idea was short-lived as her boyfriend tried another shot. I side-stepped, but not quickly enough, because his knuckle slightly grazed the side of my face before he catapulted from his chair and smashed into the cold plastic floor.

For a while, nothing happened. He didn't move. He didn't groan. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought the motherfucker was dead. Kairi sure seemed to think so.

"Sora!" she cried, running to his side and helping him to his knees. She had tears in her eyes. Poor thing. "Sora, please, let's just go."

But he wasn't listening. He shoved her away, and she fell to the ground with a soft thud, her expression hurt and terrified.

"Get away from me, bitch," he spat, getting to his feet and standing, pretending to be strong, but actually coming off as more arrogant and pathetic than anything else in the room. Then he turned on me. "You fucking asshole, you wanna go? You think you can make a fool of me in front of my girl and get away with it?"

I could only stare at him, dumbfounded. Didn't he know that he just did that himself, without my help? Didn't he know that his so-called "girl" was scooting away from him right as he spoke? People like him made me sick. So damn sick.

From behind him, I could see Kairi watching, waiting for me to do something. Even when she was afraid, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and right then, as the music track switched to something a little less chaotic, and the lights dimmed ever so slightly, I almost could have said I loved her. Almost.

But I did know that I had to get her out of here.

Stepping forward and past Sora the dipshit, I took her hand and began to walk out of the club. She didn't complain, it was almost like she had expected me to do it all along. As we walked, I didn't even bother looking back to see Sora's reaction. To be honest, I didn't really care. All I wanted was to take her away from here, to someplace different, someplace where she didn't have to get hurt.

I think about that moment often now. Almost all the time, replaying the situation over and over again in my mind. I think about it and think about it, until I think I'm going insane.

---

I ended up taking her back to her place, and except for when I asked her where she lived, we didn't talk the whole ride there. I wasn't going to force her to. She'd had a rough night, I understood. All she wanted was to get home, safe and sound, tucked in her bed. But as I pulled up to her house, it turned out she was the one who started the conversation in the first place.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice small, and her eyes cast downward toward her feet. She had been crying the entire time, and the edges of her eyeliner were all smeared up. I wasn't going to lie and tell her she looked amazing, because really, only girls in movies with make-up crews can pull off crying without looking hideous. But she still looked pretty good, so that had to count for something. "for what happened back there, I mean."

I waved it off.

"It wasn't your fault," I replied softly, trying to comfort her. Normally, I wouldn't really give a shit whether a girl was crying or not, but there was something different about this one. Something magnetic. And as much as I tried to stop myself, I just couldn't do it. Not care, that is.

"I know, but still . . ." she trailed off, turning her head to the bright yellow light glowing on her front porch.

It was silent for a moment.

"Thank you Axel, for you know, helping me out and all." She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, trying to clear them up, before turning back to me and smiling. She was such a sweet girl, there was no denying it. And I was happy that she actually thanked me, rather than just leaving without or word, or me doing the same to her. It was different. Foreign. I couldn't help but feel something shifting inside of me. If it was anyone else, I would have fucked them right then and there, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Still, I wanted to tell her it was no big deal, I was happy to help, but there was no way I could just out and say it without sounding like some kind of sap. And she was still looking at me, expecting some kind of response for her gratitude, from a guy she hardly knew, but now felt indebted to.

The seconds were ticking by, and I still hadn't said anything. And I felt my window of opportunity slipping away, so I did the only thing I wanted to at that moment.

I kissed her.

I could tell she was surprised.

I'm sure that a girl like her wouldn't have chosen an asshole for a boyfriend. I'm sure that when he wasn't drunk, he was really the sweetest guy in the whole damn world. And no matter what the circumstances, so long as he was sober, he would have acted differently than I did right then.

He wouldn't have done that.

He would have been polite.

He would have waited.

Or at least asked.

But he wasn't me.

And apparently, I thought, as she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, her lips parting and allowing me entry, she didn't mind that at all.

---

After a while-I didn't really know how long-, we stopped to breathe, the air around us suddenly heavy despite the near-freezing temperatures outside. I turned back to her and in that instant, she seemed different. Not that same cute and naïve girl I saw earlier that night, looking for an easy kill, but something wild. Untamed. And pacing.

The next few seconds were a blur.

I felt myself pushed back against my car door as she crashed her lips to mine. And before I knew it, we were going under again. But this time, I wasn't sure if we were ever going to come back up. But I did know one thing. Right here. Right now. Without me even realizing it, she had me hooked. Me, Axel, con artist, lady-killer, and all around badass; she had somehow ensnared me. Trapped me.

Hell, I was fucking addicted.

And I didn't quite care what happened next.

---

xfini.

---

w00t! my tenth fic! aren't you proud of me? chhyeahh. ;)

hah, so what'd you think? different, no? anyway, i hope you liked it. & that it's not too different from what i usually write. that wouldn't be good at all. XD

oh, by the way, i wrote this as a birthday gift to my readers. my wonderful readers, who have stuck with me through all my crappy writing and half-baked one-shots and are still reading my works today. i love you all. you fucking rawk :D

oh and yep, today's august 25th, and tomorrow the 26th is my birthday. so please review. it'd make my day. :D

and i might continue this. i'm not exactly sure. but if you want it continued, feel free to review and let me know. :)

oh, right, last thing. lyrics (c) leftover - your kiss is cocaine & hellogoodbye - all your love; other than that, and the kh characters of course, i own it all. buwahahah! D

support kaixel biznatches!

kthnxbai.

-hearts-
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