Chapter 4: Holiday Joy
Axel POV
I was positive that I was head over heels in love with my girl, Shelby. Unknown to the organization, I'd sneak out and go see her at her house. Sometimes, we'd exchange a few sweet kisses and lay in her bed all snuggled up. Unlike the beds at the castle, her bed was nice and cozy and big enough for three people. I wasn't a molly-coddling type of person but Saix was beginning to openly threaten so I'd sometimes spend the night in Shelby's room, just in case Saix planned to kill her in her sleep. No one really knew of my feelings for her, except for Roxas and Xion (they would be the only ones I'd tell anything to), but I had a strange feeling that Xemnas and Saix knew of my comings and goings.
Now wasn't the time to worry about those two buzz kills but I was mostly concerned of why Xigbar, Demyx, and Zexion kept popping up in my life. It seemed like everywhere I went, there they were spying on me. Did Saix or Xemnas give them a secret mission to spy on my actions? I swore to myself that if they did I would deep fry the three culprits and donate them to KFC for food—well, maybe not Zexion because he was too mature to be involved in something stupid. Xigbar and Demyx probably talked him into it but I wasn't going to do anything…for now.
After a long day of doing a mission, I gave my report to Saix, showered, told everyone I was going shopping for Christmas gifts (yeah it was coming around the corner), and snuck to Shelby's house. Twilight Town was different during the winter season because it actually snowed but it looked beautiful. The ocean got roped off though because the ice and parents didn't want their kids to fall through it. Despite the secure lockdown on things, the city looked like a Hallmark card because of the snow, lights, decorations, and everything. Sometimes, it was nice enough for me and Shelby to walk around town and window shop. Little did she know that I got her gift.
Like the fiery assassin I was, I grabbed the spare key from underneath the welcome mat of Shelby's house and unlocked the door. Her parents were totally tight on security even when they were home; must have been some sort of Italian thing. When I entered into the warm house, I wasn't welcomed with her dad holding a baseball bat or her mom wielding a frying pan but Shelby herself curled up on the couch in front of the TV in a pair of warm sweats and a long sleeved shirt taking a nap with earphones in her ears. I bit back a chuckle, knowing she probably went to sleep listening to music. It seemed nowadays she rarely got sleep and when she did she'd wake up too early (A/N: I used to be like that but not anymore since I take Ambien).
I made my way over to the couch silently and bent down to look at her calm face. It had been the first time in a while since I'd seen her that calm. Because of the Christmas rush, she and her mom were frantic preparing for Christmas Eve and then some. It seemed like she was cooking dessert or something because her hair was slightly askew and something smelled nice from the kitchen. I wanted to have a taste test but I knew Shelby's mom and Shelby herself would beat my face in if I ruined their perfect cooking concoctions.
"Shelby," I whispered, shaking her by the shoulder lightly to rouse her.
She stretched and yawned before opening her eyes to look at me. The weariness was replaced with love and I was welcomed with a warm embrace. I held her close to my chest and inhaled the sweet scent coming off from her hair. I liked her hugs because they were big, warm, chesty hugs if you all know what I mean (wink, wink). She seemed truly happy to see me but her body was tense especially her shoulders. Poor thing was probably so busy preparing for Christmas Eve that the stress went to her shoulders like it did for most women.
"Love," I said tenderly, feeling the tightness in her shoulders, "your shoulders are really tight. What have you been doing, carting around a thousand pounds on your back?" I meant to be teasing but her pretty face went serious and she looked a little uptight like she was premenstrual but that wasn't possible because she had her cycle the week prior.
"FYI, Axel," she said moodily, detaching herself from me as she rubbed her shoulders, "I've been busy cooking, cleaning, and preparing for Christmas Eve and I haven't had time to rest or relax so if you're going to joke…"
I broke her off by kissing her on the lips and I gathered her in my arms again tightly. Like it was my last day on earth with her, I held her to my chest and rested back on the couch by placing myself atop of her. A million times she said no to sex but that didn't mean we couldn't be intimate. Our lips moved together in sync and I felt her body relax in my arms. In my head I did a victory dance because I melted her heart and relaxed her. Thank God her parents or annoying little sister weren't present because I'd probably be pushing their fists out of my face right about now but I was too busy kissing the girl I loved.
To my intense joy, I felt her little hands grip the lapels of my coat as if pulling me closer (if it were even possible given to the position we were in). She seemed like she was happy because I heard happy coos come from her smiling lips and she held onto me tightly. God, did I love this girl. The subtlest things she did turned me on but I didn't want to push that on her because if we had sex I knew her parents would probably neuter me and then send me to Timbuktu.
It seemed to get heated but as soon as I lifted her shirt hem up a bit she broke it off and pushed me back by the shoulders. "Axel, stop," she gasped, blushing heavily from well, you know. "We can't do this right now. I wanna do it right." Even though her statement sounded hokey, I knew she was right—she was always right when it came to things like that.
"Sorry," I said, scooting back a bit to give her room. "So how are you—I mean, how have you been?"
"I've been all right," she said, smiling finally. "I'm in love with my baby cousin. She makes the cutest little noises when she's sucking her thumb."
Suddenly an idea hit me. "Hey, Shell-Shell," I said, "maybe I can go with you to your family get-together for Christmas Eve." My eyes lit up with my smile but she looked a little disheartened. "What's wrong?"
"Axel," she said, "I have a crazy Italian family, and won't Xemnas get suspicious?"
"But baby, you're so delicious," I purred out seductively—yes, I used my skills to negotiate my way.
I saw her squirm but her eyes didn't look nervous—just one little push. "My parents would pace floor," she stammered nervously.
"Mind if I move in closer?" I purred again, stroking her cheek gently enough to make her a trembling mess.
Oh, yeah she was trembling all right and she looked completely off guard—score one for me. "Okay, fine," she said as if she'd regret it. "You can come but just don't act like an idiot."
"But, baby," I said innocently, "I wouldn't do anything to embarrass you, got it memorized?"
Unlike Roxas and Xion, she rolled her eyes irritably at me catchphrase and turned away from me like saying "really".
"Babe," I said, stroking her hair gently, "you know I'm serious, just look in my eyes."
I grabbed her gently by the jaw and angled her to look in my eyes. She looked into my eyes gently as she ran her slim, long fingers through my spiky hair lovingly. I had never loved my hair as much as I did right now and her touch was so damn gentle that I felt like I was going to explode with joy. When I was around her, I felt more like a somebody than a nobody. How cliché…
"Baby," I said huskily, causing her to look at me more, "when I'm around you, I feel like a human rather than a nobody. I know it sounds cliché but it's true."
She smiled tenderly and leant forward to give me a kiss. As usual, she intended it to be short and sweet but I couldn't help grasping her small face in my hands and kiss her passionately. She seemed to be surprised at first but then she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back with all that she had. I loved feeling her gentle lips on mine because it made me feel like I was an ordinary human in love.
After we finished kissing, I rested on the couch with her and held her on top of me. Her light fingers sleepily caressed my coat but I could feel her touch easily. Like the gentle person I was, I began rubbing her back tenderly and felt her beginning to fall asleep. I began to hum a gentle lullaby I heard when I was a kid and it made her fall sleep quicker. After I was finished with the lullaby, I closed my eyes and fell asleep, feeling her gentle heartbeat on my chest.
This was heaven, I was sure of it.
A/N: Hi everyone, I finally got a muse to write another chapter to this! I hope you like it! The next one will feature the holiday party and the reaction of her parents. Poor Axel will be in for the ride of his life. Read and Review please!
Songs listened to while making this:
Halo-Beyonce
Only You Can Love Me This Way- Keith Urban
I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes-Dierks Bentley
River Flows in You-Yiruma (the song Axel hums)
