Roxas could barely keep his focus on his homework, his textbook propped against his legs. His mind couldn't help but think back to his previous dates and just how understanding Axel had been about his boundaries.
During their second date, Roxas got the courage to tell Axel about Vanitas. He hadn't gotten too in-depth about their relationship, just that he ended it after being hospitalized. His heart broke a little when he had seen how upset Axel had been upon learning about this.
It was during that date that he discovered Axel's love for sea salt ice cream. Roxas himself had never tried it before, but he definitely saw the appeal when he tried it for the first time. He also really liked the look of Axel's tongue darting to lick at drops of ice cream that had started to melt away. He also remembered how badly his cheeks flushed with heat.
Roxas made sure to make a mental note to always have sea salt ice cream popsicles stocked at his apartment.
A buzzing from his phone pulled him back to reality. He dug it out of his pocket and opened the message.
"Festival of Lights is tonight, wanna go? Riku and Sora invited us." the text message read.
Biting his lip, Roxas thought it over for a moment. Did he really want to spend his evening with Axel, while Sora and Riku were close behind?
"Can we ditch them?" was his response.
About a moment had passed when his phone buzzed again.
"Duh. Don't need them impeding on our romantic night together ;)"
Roxas rolled his eyes but that didn't stop the blush on his cheeks.
"Cool. What time should we meet? What's the dress code? D:."
"Hm. Riku says about 6? Just a few hours before Night settles in and we can visit some of the vendors. Casual, but a light jacket? It's supposed to be cold."
"Sounds good to me. I could ditch the jacket and you could keep me warm ;)"
"I could think of a few ways I could do that. :p."
Roxas looked at the time on his phone. 4:30. He had some time to maybe put a little dent in his homework before he need to get ready.
As time grew closer, Roxas got up and started getting ready, trying to decide what he wanted to wear.
Casual was something he was usually good at, but with how his and Axel's relationship was developing, he wanted to at least impress him, while still being comfy.
Finally settling on a pair of jeans, a plain tee and his favorite hoodie, back with checkered sleeves, Roxas gathered his things and hopped into the shower.
Meanwhile, Axel was in a similar, but deeper dilemma.
"Why are you so nervous?" Riku questioned as he sat up on Axel's bed, leaning back on his hands.
Peaking out of the bathroom with his vibrant red hair wrapped in a towel, he glared at Riku. "You know why," he replied.
"No, I don't. Are you gonna kiss him or something?" Riku teased.
A travel-sized bottle of shampoo came flying from the room and Riku groaned as it made contact with his head.
"Fine. But this is like what – your fifth date? There's nothing to be nervous about. He's gonna say yes." Riku stated.
Axel emerged from the bathroom, a burgundy sweater on his torso and a gray knitted scarf wrapped around his neck. His hair was brushed back and a gray beanie was atop his head.
"It's still nerve wracking. He's so cute and sweet. Plus, he told me about Vanitas so I imagine relationships are hard after something like that." Axel ran his hands down his shirt to make it flatten out.
Riku nodded knowingly. Sora had informed him of the controlling, abusive relationship Roxas had been in with Vanitas. It had gotten so bad that Vanitas threw drugs into the mix and Roxas was hospitalized due to an overdose.
"What happened between Roxas and Vanitas was three years ago. You guys met, two months ago and have gone on how many dates now? You know he talks about you all the time. I think he's willing to try, for you. You shouldn't give up now because he has a dark past." Riku looked at his best friend.
Axel shrugged. "I'm not giving up. I haven't even asked him yet. I'm just nervous. 4 years in an abusive relationship can really take its toll on someone and he may not feel comfortable or want to be tied down in another relationship."
Riku watched him. He went to say something, but his phone interrupted any thoughts he may have had. "Sora and Roxas are heading to the festival. You about ready?" He asked the redhead.
"Yeah, let's head out."
The car ride to the fairgrounds was a quiet one, aside from the random music that was being played on the radio.
Riku drove and Axel scrolled through his phone looking at various social media as well as texting Roxas, letting him know they would be there soon.
Once they arrived and the car was parked, Axel jumped out and stretched; looking around for a familiar head of blond hair.
"Where did he say they'd be?" Riku inquired looking through his text messages.
"Uh." Axel hummed, grabbing his phone to provide an answer.
"Ur ass looks amazing in those jeans."
Looking around, Axel's eyebrows furrowed when he was unable to locate his date.
Before he got the chance to respond, arms wrapped around his waist from behind and he recognized the black and white bands that wrapped around two of the fingers.
Turning around, Axel pulled Roxas into a hug before attacking his sides, tickling him.
Roxas smacked Axel's hands away as fits of giggles and squeals escaped his mouth. "Stop it!" He drawled with a playful pout, finally grabbing onto the redhead's hands and interlacing their fingers.
Biting his lip, Axel felt the sudden urge to lean down and kiss him, as sapphire blue eyes met his.
"Can you guys get a room? You're giving me a stomachache from how cute you're being." Riku joked, still looking for his own boyfriend.
"This is petty revenge for having to listen to you and Sora through the walls all these years." Roxas teased right back. He tugged on Axel's hands before dropping one and leading them off further into the festival, the smells of churros and hot cakes filling the air.
Since it wasn't going to be dark for at least two more hours, children ran around freely, despite their parents best efforts.
Squeals of children could be heard as they chased each and occasionally an irritated, yet tired mother would try make them stop.
Roxas pointed to the Giant Ferris Wheel. "I went on one with Sora and he puked when we got to the top. I think I almost peed myself from laughing so hard."
Axel smiled as they looked around the vendors, stopping by ones that piqued their interests. There were vendors that sold specialized soap, mood rings, some had games to win prizes and more.
"Ax, look." Roxas grabbed his attention and pointed to a booth that looked to have a goofy dart game. Balloons lined the back and each person got three darts.
If they could pop three balloons, they got a prize. Axel looked over at the booth and instantly knew why Roxas was so intrigued. There was a giant stuffed white tiger that hung from the top.
Biting his lip, Axel dragged Roxas along to the booth and took out some money to play the game. The gentleman that was hosting the game handed him 3 darts in exchange for his money.
Taking aim, Axel threw a dart at one of the balloons and smirked when it popped. He heard Roxas clapping next to him, as he prepared to aim for another balloon.
Another pop was barely heard over the rustling of the festival-goers.
"Alright sir, just one more." The vendor grinned at Axel, as the redhead took aim at the final balloon.
Pop! The sound was drowned out much like the previous ones.
"Yes!" Roxas threw his hands in the air.
"Which one would you like sir?" The vendor asked, motioning to all the stuffed animals.
"The white tiger, please." Axel requested, pointing to the one that had first caught his eye.
The vendor nodded and stood on a ladder to get it down for him. He handed it to Roxas, whose blue eyes shined with excitement as he wrapped his arms tightly around the white tiger.
Axel chuckled as he took Roxas's hand once more and they started heading down the rows of vendors again, stopping at ones that looked mildly interesting and pointing at things their friends and families may enjoy.
"At this rate, I could probably get my Christmas shopping done right now, if I wanted to." Axel picked up a soap to see what it was made of and to give it a sniff to see if he liked the smell.
Making a face he set the soap down. He turned to Roxas who was busy on his phone.
"What's up?" Axel asked continuing to move down the table finding scents that he liked. He came across one that smelt like sea salt ice cream with hints of vanilla and caramel. He picked 3 up and asked to pay for them.
"Oh, sorry, Sora's texting me, wants to know if we're hungry. Personally, I'm starving. What about you?" Roxas asked, pocketing his phone.
Axel thanked the vendor before taking Roxas hand. He felt his stomach grumble and he shrugged. "I could go for something to eat."
Roxas rolled his eyes playfully before texting Sora that he and Axel were hungry and would meet him and Riku by the food trucks.
"What kind of food trucks do they have?" Axel asked, taking Roxas's hand as they walked.
"Honestly, I don't know. It varies each year. Last year they had a taco truck, a burger truck, a hotdog place called Doggiestyle." Roxas elbowed Axel's arm jokingly, which in turn made Axel roll his eyes before he started tickling Roxas.
Roxas cracked up, smacking Axel's hands and hitting him with the stuffed tiger.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop," Axel said.
Roxas held his stomach as he calmed down. They continued to make their way to the food trucks, pointing out booths they wanted to visit after they ate.
Spotting Sora and Riku, Axel and Roxas walked up to them and waved. "Do you want to put your stuff in the car?" Sora asked as he pointed to the bag and tiger.
Roxas looked down and shrugged. "Yeah, we can make a trip to the car after we eat," he said.
"What are you guys in the mood for?" Riku asked as he looked at the different food trucks that were lined up.
Axel bit back a smirk as he replied. "Doggiestyle sounds good."
Roxas let out a fit of giggles that left the other two confused.
"Well, it's right down here." Sora pointed to the hot dog food truck.
The four men made their way to the decided food truck and stood in line chattering amongst themselves. Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas's waist and buried his face into his hair. Roxas leaned against Axel, smiling contently as the line slowly drudged along.
Once they all got their food, they found a bench to sit at, the four men sat down and ate their food. Sora whipped out his camera and started showing them the things he had taken pictures of.
"Someone was dressed in those inflatable dinosaur costumes." Sora laughed showing the picture to Roxas, who in turn, joined him in his laughter.
After dinner, they continued to walk around, stopping at the vendors they wanted to visit and once it started to get dark, they meandered to the grassy area where everyone would release the lanterns.
"Here ya are." Axel said presenting the lantern to Roxas and then holding out several markers.
"What are the markers for?" Roxas asked, taking a blue marker and the lantern.
"To decorate the lantern. We can find it and take it home." Axel said with a red marker. He quickly signed his name and drew a couple hearts and little flames around.
Roxas chuckled as he did the same, drawing music notes, stars and putting a "+" and his name under Axel's. Once they were content with their handy work, Axel pocketed the markers.
"When does the ceremony begin?" Roxas asked, looking at his phone.
"In about two minutes, I believe." Axel answered, pulling Roxas to his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of his hair before looking around.
Axel looked around, watching other couples and families prepare their lanterns. Some were posing for pictures while others were snuggled up on blankets in the grass.
Roxas leaned up against Axel's chest, playing with his hands idly. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and relaxed as he took in Axel's scent; sea salt and sand wood. The scent calmed his racing heart.
"We should take a picture." Roxas stated, moving to pull his phone out of his pocket. Pulling up the camera app, he held up the phone and snapped a photo once he and Axel were ready.
As he lowered his phone, lanterns started to be released in the sky.
"You ready?" Axel asked, resting his chin on Roxas shoulder.
Roxas bit his lip and nodded taking the lantern, igniting the flame and giving the lantern a little momentum and watched as it started floating away.
"Wow." was the only thing out of Roxas's mouth as he watched their lantern slowly join the others.
Axel watched for a moment before turning to kiss Roxas on his cheek. He felt Roxas's hand cup the back of his neck as he leaned into the kiss. Pulling away, Axel took a free hand and pulled Roxas's face to his.
Blue eyes met green eyes and Roxas's brow furrowed in confusion.
Axel's breath hitched in his throat as the lights from the lanterns above them reflected off Roxas's eyes making them sparkle.
Shadows danced across his face, enhancing his features and Axel made a mental note to memorize how Roxas's features looked in this lighting; the lights flashing over his blue eyes, showing their depths and the small flecks of silver that swam in his eyes. Running this thumb over Roxas' cheek, Axel leaned down and pressed their mouths together in a soft kiss.
A soft gasp against Axel's mouth made him grin and he kissed Roxas again, hoping the younger male would get the hint to kiss back. After a few more moments, Roxas moved his mouth to kiss back and his body shifted so they faced each other.
Axel's hands found Roxas's waist and pulled him closer to his body, tilting his head to the side and deepening the kiss. It wasn't until they saw a flash and the sounds of Riku and Sora whooping and cheering that the pair separate, Roxas buried his face into Axel's chest, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Axel chuckled and flipped off his friends, who only jeered louder when the saw the gesture.
"Man tonight was a lot of fun." Roxas said as he fell on Axel's couch, the white tiger pressed against his chest.
Axel chuckled as he stood in the kitchen, grabbing out two mugs and putting a kettle of water on the stove. Once the mugs were filled with the packs of hot chocolate and the kettle was heating, Axel removed his sweater and tossed it into his bedroom before returning to the living room to join Roxas on the couch.
"I would have to agree. What are gonna do with the lantern?" he asked pulling Roxas against his chest.
"I'll take it. Maybe hang it up in my room or something." Roxas said, taking Axel's hand and lacing their fingers together.
"Sounds good to me." Axel rested his chin on the top of Roxas's head. They sat in silence and Axel's mind was racing and his heart was starting to thump with how nervous he was. Why was he so nervous? He kissed Roxas with no issue, why was asking him to be his boyfriend making him feel like his heart was gonna beat out of his chest?
Rubbing his thumb over the top of Roxas's hand absentmindedly, he jumped when he heard the kettle start to whistle in the kitchen.
Roxas started to laugh and Axel glared at him playfully. "You must've been deep in thought if that scared you." the blond teased.
"Yeah." Axel let out a breathy sigh before getting up to stop the kettle and to make their hot chocolate. "Do you want any milk or marshmallows?" he asked pouring water into the cups and stirring them until the mixture was completely dissolved.
"Just milk, please." came Roxas's reply.
Axel nodded to himself as he poured a little bit of milk to cool off their drinks and mixed them up again. He could just ask him. How hard was it just ask, 'Wanna be my boyfriend?' Easy. Or at least it was that easy.
Walking back into the living room, he set their drinks on the coffee table. Roxas was in the middle of taking his hoodie off. "Here, I'll hang it up for you." he said taking the sweater and hanging it on the coat rack behind the door.
Axel took a seat next to Roxas, grabbing his drink in the process and took a tentative sip. His eyes looked over the tattoos that adorned the younger man's arms. There were two that were readily visible to him, but he knew he had more.
The first was on his right wrist, a checkered pattern that wrapped around as if it was a permanent bracelet. The other were lyrics that read 'You never could control me." which he recognized from one of Panic! At the Disco's songs.
Shifting a little, Axel took a sip of his hot chocolate as his mind went to some of the details that Roxas had informed him of regarding his last relationship. He didn't go into too much detail, but there was an underlying story there. Why else would his ex put him in hospital? Looking at the tattoo, which covered some old scars, Axel's heart dropped into his stomach. He knew it was too soon to ask him. He didn't want to scare Roxas away.
"Ax?" Roxas pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked at Roxas who appeared concerned for a moment before laughed. "What's gotten you thinking so much? Am I that bad of a kisser?" he asked feigning hurt.
Coughing, having drank just as Roxas made the joke, Axel sat his drink down and shook his head. "No, you're a great kisser." he said pulling the blond into a kiss, smiling against his mouth.
Roxas kissed him back, a content sigh leaving his mouth. He pulled away after a few more kisses were exchanged and smiled up at Axel. "Seriously though, what's on your mind?" He asked setting his mug down and leaning against Axel.
He wanted to ask Roxas to be his boyfriend. But he had to make it special. He needed Roxas to know how badly he wanted to start a relationship with him.
"What's your schedule like this week?" Axel asked looking at Roxas.
"Umm," his eyebrow furrowed as he tried to remember what his schedule was. "I have class until 4 all week, but I'm at the Zoo until 6 tuesdays and Wednesdays. I'm off Friday's though, why?"
"Let me cook for you." Axel said, playing with the hairs on the back of Roxas's neck.
Roxas looked up at him and a smile spread across his face. "I would love that." He said excitedly.
Axel gave him a smile before pressing a kiss to his forehead as they settled into the couch. He grabbed the remote and changed it to a random movie, which they watched until Roxas started to feel like he was going to pass out and decided to head home.