CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

With Axel's head in his lap, the red eyelashes flickering against pale, tattooed cheeks, Roxas watched the sunrise, the square of sky visible from the garden lightening shade by shade. He sighed quietly, feeling a measure of his anxiety subside, melted away by those first warming rays. Night was done again, for now. It was over. He leaned his head back against the chipped, ivy-covered wall, fingers sliding absently across Axel's forehead and through his vivid hair. They'd been in this position for almost an hour, since Axel had claimed the need to 'rest his eyes'. Roxas didn't mind – sunrise was made for silence. It felt right, sitting here in the icy cold, feeling the gentle rhythms of Axel's breaths, hearing nothing but the distant whisper of air and the occasional waking bird. At the moment, with everything as increasingly complicated as it was, something right for once was a blessing. It reconnected Roxas to reality, returned the faintest remembrance to him that his wasn't the only life in existence – there were so many people out there, asleep or awake, and none of them would ever even know he existed… They wouldn't worry, or stress, or care… This was a comfort. The world didn't revolve around him – it was good to know. He was as globally insignificant as ever.

Axel murmured, shifted a little, Roxas' touch pausing until he settled again. He resumed the feather-light ministrations, Axel's head warming a slightly different section of his thighs, leaving the other parts to grow as cold and stiff as the rest of him. The stone bench was unforgivingly hard, numbing, making him feel as though the flesh had gone and left him sitting on only bone. He twitched an ankle to the side, wriggling unfeeling toes against the damp grass. A light, freezing dew had fallen across the world, clinging to his skin, his eyelids, his hair. He wondered if maybe, if they stayed here long enough, they would just become a part of the garden. And when people came to find them, they would stare at the statues the two had become, startled by the likeness, then shake their heads and keep on searching… Sitting in this vast hush, the idea of being able to melt into the wall and forever be a pair of eyes peering out was almost viable.

Axel stirred, Roxas tipping his head down, smiling at the scowl that was working its way across the redhead's features. His fingers stilled again, as Axel wriggled around onto his back, grunting and muttering nonsensically. With a deep, disgruntled inhalation, Axel's eyes opened. He blinked hazily at the sky, before ticking his green gaze slightly to the side, meeting weary, affectionate blue. "It's morning," Axel observed, sounding surprised and relieved, voice thick and slow. Roxas brushed an imaginary hair from his cheek, nodded peacefully.

"It is. Has been for about ten minutes now."

Axel squinted blearily. "…I fell asleep."

"You needed it," Roxas said with a shrug.

"You need it more," the redhead replied doubtfully. "Sorry."

The teenager shook his head. "Shut up." He bent, hunching awkwardly, and placed a kiss on the simultaneously cold but warm lips. They parted slightly, the pair of them for a moment simply breathing the other in. Roxas pulled back with a smile, tracing Axel's tattoos with his fingertips. The man took a moment to study him, eyes shifting from feature to feature. "You look – better. How in the hell do you look better than I feel, when I'm the one that just took the nap?"

Roxas raised a wry brow. "Nervous energy is my new best friend." He shrugged, lifted his gaze to the gold-touched sky, the stars momentarily pure white. "Besides, it's day again. Nothing bad happens when it's sunny, and everyone else is awake."

Axel followed his stare, joined in surveying the heavens. "Bad things don't wait for weather, Rox," he murmured. "The sun isn't going to make this go away."

Roxas sighed, flicked the end of the man's nose. "That's right, burst my bubble. My point is, I've never sleep-walked in daytime, so if I crash later, it's not a big deal. I should be safe. And if I do happen to, someone's bound to see me."

Axel nodded slowly. "Either way, I'll be there to take care of you."

Roxas smoothed the long red spikes. "What about work? You were starting again today. And I have my techie training to continue…"

Axel scowled. "Three words, Rox." He held up the matching number of fingers and counted them off. "Fuck. The. World. We need sleep, and we can't let you continue like this – you need help. I'll go see about switching my shift with someone – hell, I'll take off another week if I have to. I might not have liked last night, but I am not letting you go through that alone. You understand me? I'm not going anywhere, or doing anything, until someone has a solution to this."

"You really don't have to," Roxas mumbled.

Axel's gaze hardened. "No shit. But don't you try to change my mind, Roxas, because you need this as much as I do. Don't pretend you'll be fine when it's so fucking obvious you won't."

Rather than being disheartened by the little speech, Roxas felt warmth fill him, a lift of gratitude that made him want to start kissing the man and never necessarily stop. He sent his eyes back up to the sky, the stars disappearing one by one. "It's nice, isn't it? Watching the sunrise?" He was thoughtful. "I don't know how long it's been since I was up early enough to see one. Well, except for when I was with the Committee… but it's not like I could enjoy it."

Axel watched him for a silent moment. "…Yeah. Me either."

Roxas frowned a little. "When you think about it… this is actually the first real sunrise I've ever sat down to watch."

"Since you were five, anyway," Axel murmured.

The blond sighed. "I wish I could remember back then. I wish I could remember you."

Axel shifted, directing his eyes over, lifting a hand to rest the knuckles against Roxas' chest, drawing his gaze down again. "You're here with me now," the redhead reminded him softly. "That's all that matters. I don't need you to remember us when we were kids, Rox."

The teen smiled crookedly. "Yeah. Thanks." He laced their hands together, and watched Axel's eyes close in contentment. He rocked his knee a little, saying, "Hey, no falling asleep again."

"Who, me? I'm just resting my eyes…"

"That's what you said last time."

"Just five more minutes?"

Roxas smirked, drew his feet back, and abruptly stood. He caught sight of startled green eyes, before Axel dropped with a thud. "Oww. Ah, it's fucking cold," he whined, sitting up and rubbing his head. "Some boyfriend you are."

Roxas stepped over him, kicking him with a heel. "Come on, boyfriend. Get up. I'm finally confident that the kitchen isn't scary anymore, so I want some coffee."

"But I thought you liked that little display," the redhead leered. He grabbed the bench and hauled himself up, as Roxas flipped him off and kept walking. He trotted to catch up, catching the blond in a hug from behind, pausing his steps. "You're all damp," Roxas mumbled. Axel rested his nose against the back of his neck.

"Mm-hm." He kissed the soft mixture of hair and skin at the nape, making Roxas shiver slightly, leaning back into his embrace. "Good morning," Axel whispered.

"I agree," Roxas whispered back. The man kissed his ear, and pushed Roxas gently to get him moving again. They entered the castle, the air becoming instantly warm in comparison to the frigid outdoors. They returned to Demyx's room to pull some shoes on, Axel noticing that Roxas refused to glance at the bed, gaze stoically averted. He wouldn't even sit on it to tie his laces.

They exited into the hall, pulling the door shut, Axel thrusting his hands into his pockets and leaning across to kiss Roxas on the nose. "I'm going to go rearrange the roster before anyone's awake enough to disagree, okay? Go get your coffee. I'll be there soon." He grinned wolfishly. "Who knows what you might be doing when I get there? That kitchen obviously inspires eroticism. Maybe we should claim the refrigerator instead…"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to know what you think we could do with the refrigerator."

A gleam entered the green eyes. "Good point. I was thinking just up against it, but imagine the possibilities – all that food inside it…"

"Holy freaking shit, good-bye now!" Roxas wheeled around, clutching his ears, leaving Axel to his churning thought processes, hearing the low, giddy chuckle the man gave before passing around the corner. Shaking his head, he dropped his hands, tucking them into his armpits for warmth, lonely scraping steps echoing off the walls. He rubbed his face hard for a moment, trying to stave off the incredible tiredness hovering over his head. Somehow, it was easier to stay alert when Axel was around. Even when the man had been sleeping, Roxas had been busy watching him, playing with his hair, studying the contours of his face. When he was by himself like this, it all became harder to resist, heavier. He yearned for the growing light that would be spilling through the broad windows of the dining hall, the coffee that was cold now but could be reheated. It would be so indescribably nice to just sit down and consume something hot and caffeinated.

When he entered the hall, he hesitated, realising that he wasn't the first despite the early hour. The electric lights were off, the parts of the hall that the golden sunlight had yet to touch dim and cold-looking. Aerith was over at the kitchen, skirt rustling, the sleeves of her denim jacket once again pulled over her hands as she hummed quietly to herself and pulled out various ingredients from the fridges and cupboards. Roxas wondered if he should leave – she was content like this, these solo moments no doubt rare, and he didn't want to disturb that with the worry she always seemed to feel whenever he was around.

Before he could make up his mind, Aerith spotted him as she whirled away from the stove with a carton of eggs in hand. She paused, eyebrows shooting up, the peaceful smile on her lips faltering, before growing wide and warm. She set the eggs down, came over. Awkwardly, Roxas shuffled to her, meeting her halfway. She touched her fingertips to his chin, lifted his face to peer into his eyes, her own clear and bright. Her expression dropped slightly upon inspection. "It happened again, didn't it?"

Knowing full well what 'it' was, he muttered, "What makes you think that?"

She frowned briefly. "Roxas, you should see yourself. I don't know if you're going to keel over or throw up." Her cool touch moved around to the sides of his face. "You're so pale…"

He shrugged her off, embarrassed, shamed, shaking his head. "I'm really okay, Aerith. Axel's been taking care of me. It's not a big deal."

She tipped her head to the side, smiling gently, though not able to eradicate the traces of concern from her features. "Well, as long as Axel's with you…" She withdrew her hands, returning them to their warm hideouts. "Feel like something to eat?"

The blond eyed the stove uncertainly, the carton of eggs beside it, grimaced. "Maybe some… cereal." Aerith lifted an eyebrow, evidently not accustomed to people refusing a hot, fresh breakfast, but allowed him his decision. He followed her over to the counter, wondering uneasily if he should warn her… His cheeks heated up at the mere thought of what had happened here last night. He definitely couldn't tell Aerith about that – it was too mortifying to admit to. But he had to avert his eyes as she got the coils heating, placed a pan over them, cracked the eggs… What would she say, if she knew? He had to suppress a nervous giggle, as she grabbed a bowl and box of cereal, shaking some out for him, adding the milk, the spoon. "Coffee?" she inquired, to which he emphatically nodded. She got some going, a pot already freshly prepared, and slowly the scent of coffee beans filled the air, soothing Roxas back from his agitated Leon-Cloud state. At last, when she had brewed his coffee, made herself a cup of tea, and tipped the eggs onto a plate for herself, she smiled at him and they carried their breakfast over to the table nearest to the windows.

Seeming to understand his need to leave the previous night's activities alone, Aerith said, "I'm heading into town this evening for an early dinner with Marluxia. Is there anything you want me to pick up?"

Roxas stared blankly. "You're having dinner with – Marluxia?" Pink-haired, alleged-pervert? With Aerith?

The blond must have looked taken-aback, because Aerith smiled patiently, explaining, "Marluxia is my friend, Roxas. We have no romantic interest in each other, so get that look off your face."

Relief flooded through, he grinned in response. "In that case… Can I come with you?"

She paused, teacup halfway to her mouth, puzzled. "You'd like to have dinner with us?"

He shook his head, eagerness building beneath his sternum at the sudden idea in his mind. "Will you be going when the sun is still up? Will we get there by sunset?"

She frowned. "…Yes… I'll be leaving at five, he's picking me up."

Excitement bubbled up. "Then can I please come? And Axel? I… I promised him we'd find somewhere to watch the clouds and stuff at sunset. Because he really liked doing that in Twilight Town, and – and said he never got the chance to here, and…" He trailed off at the sight of her unhappy expression.

"Roxas, I think that's a wonderful idea, but it's just too dangerous at the moment. Vincent only just left yesterday to hunt down your attacker, and until he's found, we have no idea where the man might be. If he were to follow you… Neither of you is any state to be fighting. I doubt Axel can even properly lift anything yet, let alone be swinging those weapons of his around…"

The blond deflated abruptly, eyes sinking to his bowl. "…Oh."

Desperately sympathetic, she said, "I'm so sorry, Roxas. If I'd known, I never would have… Oh, I'm sorry."

He shook his head shortly. "It's okay. I understand. It's for our own good, right?" The disappointment stung hideously. For a moment there, he'd actually thought he and Axel were going to be able to do something nice together. He thought – he'd be able to keep his promise, so easy to make on Sunset Hill, before he knew what it all would entail.

Sucking on her bottom lip anxiously, Aerith drummed her nails against the tabletop. "Look, I – I'll see what I can do. I won't make any promises, but… it's such a lovely idea… And I just know it would make Axel happier than anything… Oh, dear. Okay. I'll try my best, I promise."

Roxas eyed her uncertainly, not quite willing to raise his hopes again. "Okay. Whatever." Aerith sighed, no doubt used to, and sick of, having moody males saying, 'Whatever' in that disinterested tone, and wondering how she'd been lumped with yet another one. Roxas dug his spoon into the cereal, suddenly not so hungry. He wrapped his free hand around his mug, ignoring the burn against his skin, and lifted it to his lips, swallowing some of the hot liquid. He sighed, waited for Axel to return. At least if the redhead was around, that would make him feel better. And at least the disappointment was only his own, since he hadn't really thought about it until the moment Aerith had said about going into town… and at just the right time… Sometimes, especially lately, life was a bitch.

It wasn't long before Aerith and Roxas found themselves with company, the early risers emerging, and to the blond's absolute and utter vexation, two of said early-birds were Leon and Cloud. Oh, God. Hearing the footsteps, he had naturally turned to see who had arrived, hoping for it to be Axel. His face flamed, a little gasp hitching from his throat as he spun back around, eyes like dinner-plates. Aerith's gaze was curious upon him, frowning a little in bewilderment at his reaction. "Roxas?"

He forced a grin, managed to look manic, and started shovelling down cereal again, teeth clacking loudly against the spoon as he prayed that they'd become a cemented couple overnight and would find a quiet corner of the room to feed each other breakfast. But no. Aforementioned bitch that life was, they came ambling over to where the teenager and woman sat. They weren't touching each other, they weren't exchanging loving glances or cooing at each other – they even went so far as to take separate sides of the table… Leon taking the place beside Roxas, who sank further down, dribbling milk in distress. It felt very much like his head was going to spontaneously combust, taking his neck out with it.

"Morning," Cloud grunted, while Leon rubbed slowly at his eyes and allowed himself to wake up further before attempting speech. Aerith smiled sweetly.

"How are you two doing today?"

There was an interminable pause. Didn't she notice the pause? God, it stretched for, like, an hour. This long, long, awful pause, in which every male at the table thought, Well, sleepy, coz we stayed up all night FUCKING ON YOUR STOVE, only with Roxas it was replacing we with they, and oh, my God. This was too hard. He was going to erupt.

"Uh… are you okay?" Roxas' head swivelled, he met Leon's gaze wildly. He grinned suddenly, forgetting the mouthful he had yet to swallow. He choked, swiped his chin, nodded brightly.

"Fine," he squeaked, wondering if his eyeballs were blushing yet. Are you guys fuck-buddies now, or actually going out? Oh shit, he hadn't said that out loud, had he? No. Phew. What exactly did you do when you caught two people going at it in a potentially public arena? It's not like he'd walked in on them in the bedroom. No, they'd been dry-humping on their stove. Uh – that is to say, Axel's stove. Receiving a general round of unusual looks, Roxas decided now would be a fine time to vacate, before he said any of the things his mind was blurting, and got ready to gather his utensils and make a run for it – when Axel's voice boomed across the hall. "Oh-ho, everybody's here then, huh?"

Roxas pretty much wanted to die. He knew, without looking, exactly the way the light would be glinting in those eyes, the twisted curve of the grin, the hint of lasciviousness that informed Roxas that, if he was ready, Axel was ready. He wondered if he could drown himself in the half-inch of milk still swilling about in his bowl before someone stopped him. Even if they resuscitated him, he could always blame the sleep-walking… and at least it would serve as a distraction…

A moment later, Axel was there, hanging all over him, hands brushing subtly over his chest. "And how are we all today? Leon? Cloud? Momma Aerith?" Roxas' eyes slid shut, teeth squeezing together in horror. Axel was not this chipper first thing in the morning. No. The bastard was enjoying this. Great – Roxas blurts out one little thing while he's faintly lust-clouded, and he's doomed for a lifetime. "Everybody get good night's sleep? Hmmm?"

Roxas could tell Cloud was getting suspicious. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the blond's expression, coupled with Axel's eerily happy mood. "Just fine, thank you."

"That's gooood."

"Speaking of sleep," Roxas cut in desperately, "we didn't get a whole heap last night, so I'm thinking bed is a good thing. Definitely. I'm tired. Roxas is sleepy."

"Well, Axel is hungry." The redhead grinned wickedly. He reached forward, flicked a nail against the mostly empty cereal bowl. "You got to eat already, but my tummy is rumbly, Roxie."

"Can I get you something?" Aerith asked generously. "I've just made some eggs, and – "

"Jesus, no! Nothing cooked!"

Leon stiffened slightly, exchanging the faintest flickering glance with Cloud. "He's got an upset stomach," Roxas whispered.

"What're you talking about, Roxie? I feel great! I just don't want to catch offuck that hurt." Elbows to injured shoulders tend to have that effect. "I mean…" He squinted sideways at the blond. "Yeah. I'm not feeling fantastic."

Cloud had paled a little, his eyes fixed on Roxas, searching for a sign of confirmation. Aerith was baffled by their behaviour, but chose to merely raise an eyebrow and ask, "Well… is there anything you'd like me to get you? For your… stomach?"

"Oh, no, that's fine," Axel assured through his teeth, beads of sweat appearing from the pain. "Roxie'll take care of me. We'll just go get me something to take back to bed. I've arranged it so we can sleep for most of the day, anyway, so we might as well get started on that."

"Sleep-walking again?" Leon asked. The blond and redhead hesitated, glanced at each other.

"Yeah," said Roxas softly. "Some bad dreams, some weird stuff… we've been up for a while. We're tired."

"You think it's getting worse?"

The blond lowered his eyes. "Hard to tell."

"We're going to get him help, though," said Axel, calm for the first time, an element of sobriety in his speech. "Aerith, I wanted to talk to you later about it."

She frowned, nodded. "Of course. Come find me, I'll be around."

He inclined his head in thanks, stood to allow Roxas to rise. When the blond wasn't looking, he winked slyly over at Leon, glancing meaningfully at Cloud, who paled far more significantly this time. Barely able to keep the evil giggles in, he slung an arm around Roxas and grabbed his bowl off the table, taking it over to drop onto the kitchen counter. He grabbed a half-filled box of cereal, yanked the bag from the cardboard and rolled it up, tucking it under his spare arm. "You really are an asshole," Roxas muttered, as they waved briefly and left the hall. Axel grinned broadly, didn't respond. "What do you think Aerith can do for me?"

The redhead shrugged, smile dying slowly. "Something. Anything? I don't know. She's just the logical kind of person to go for. I mean – she's momma Aerith." He tried for a smile from the blond, instead found himself watching what little blood had been restored to the teen's cheeks drain away at the mention of anything to do with his mother, a mother, any mother at all. He sighed. "Sorry."

Roxas glanced up sharply. "Forget it." They returned to Demyx's room. Roxas felt more confident this time, with the sun a little higher, the castle more awake… He listened to the click as Axel locked the door, for real this time, and tucked the key into his pants pocket. "So you got the day off?"

The redhead shrugged as he toed off his sneakers, kicking them into the corner. "Told you I would, didn't I? I'm taking the week." He grinned a little. "Let's just hope DiZ doesn't catch wind of it. I can only imagine the lecture I'd get for slacking off."

Roxas frowned. "You should keep going, then. I don't want you getting in trouble because of me. Again," he added, as an afterthought. Green eyes rolled.

"You never got me into trouble in the first place, remember?" He puffed up, fists on hips in a heroic manner, chin lifting. "That was all me, the great and mighty Innuendo-Boy!"

"Oh, jeeze." Roxas ran a hand through his hair. "Why the hell can I picture you with your underwear on the outside of your pants? Bad mental image, very bad."

"Bad like Leon and Cloud bad? Because I can handle you thinking of me that way." Big, wicked grin, the blond cringing and shooting over a dark look, pointing a finger.

"We're both shutting up about that. Forever."

Axel lifted his brows in a carefree way, shrugged languidly, peeled off his shirt and threw it after the shoes. Roxas stared for a moment, caught sight of the smirk and scowled. He tugged off his own shirt and shoes, went over to the bed, crawling in first so that if he decided to get up and wander without his conscious mind present, he'd have to clamber over Axel to get anywhere. Axel came over to slip in beside him, curled himself happily around the teen's half-bare body, nuzzling his nose into his spine. "Is this going to become a permanent thing?" Roxas asked sleepily, eyes already beginning to slide shut despite the flicker of anxiety winking awake in his solar plexus. "Us sharing a bed?"

Axel leaned over his shoulder, planted a kiss on his cheek. "It is if you want it to be," he replied hopefully. When there was a pause, he hastily amended, "But I totally understand if you want to keep your space. You know, personal and all that. I know you like solitude sometimes…"

Roxas yawned, shook his head. "I'm happy," he said hoarsely. "This is fine…"

Axel gazed down at him for a minute, watching the blinks growing slower. "Just make sure to kick me out if it gets too much." Roxas laughed a little.

"Oh, right, like I could do that without hurting your feelings." He shrugged. "You'll know if I don't feel like being touched. Elbows are great inventions."

The redhead snorted. "I noticed. That was bitchy. Do I poke you in your cracked ribs? No – no I don't."

"You were being an ass. They totally suspect us now."

Axel licked his shoulder. "They deserve to squirm, as far as I'm concerned." Smirking at the predictable shiver the action drew, he lay down, satisfied with himself, carefully pulling the boy closer. There was no more talking. Roxas' exhaustion reared its head, sank teeth into him, dragged him down, past the mists of dreaming, deep into the darkness beneath. Axel didn't sleep. Yet again, he spent the next several hours simply watching the blond, occasionally munching dry cereal, waiting to see what would happen, heart confused between the incredible lightness it felt whenever the boy moved, and the heaviness that hung like smoke at the thought of what might happen next.

.o.O.o.

Some hours later, late afternoon by Axel's weary reckoning, there was a knock at the door. He closed his eyes, cursing silently, glanced over at the slumbering figure of the blond, who had yet to stir in any unnatural way. Although the time in bed had been fraught for the redhead, Roxas had been peaceful the entire way through, much to his relief. It was moments like this that made him think that maybe things just felt worse at night – no one likes being woken up at three in the morning by the catatonic tears of their loved one. But then, all he really had to do was picture the teen's face again, an image burnt into his retinas, to realise that no, things weren't being thrown into perspective – it was – it was misleading him. This was a false calm, one which the blond's track record so far would shatter no doubt the next time, or the time after that.

Carefully, praying that whoever was on the outside wouldn't knock again and wake the teen, he pushed down the covers, swung his bare feet out onto the stone, hitched up his sagging jeans and shuffled over. He rattled the handle, realised it was still locked, hissed, "Hang on!" and started digging through his pockets. He retrieved the key, undid the latch, and opened the door a crack, revealing a sliver of his face. He frowned at seeing the visitor, not who he was expecting even slightly. "Yuffie? What's up? We're sleeping."

"Well, you need to wake up!" she replied cheerily, making him wince at the volume. He shook his head fiercely, stuck it out a little further.

"Roxas is sleeping. Don't you know how badly he needs it?"

"Oh, hell, Roxas needs a lot of things badly – speaking of which, have you two done the dirty yet? Oh, never mind." She stiff-armed the door, smacking the redhead in the face, making him wheel away whispering savage curses, clutching his suddenly throbbing forehead. Yuffie marched into the room. "Besides," she added, tone not altering to the dim environment, "he'd want me to wake him." She leapt onto the bed before Axel could stop her, bouncing it violently, startling the blond awake before sitting down sharply on his back. "Hiya, Roxas! Just like old times, huh?"

Axel grabbed her, dragged her off, snarling, "He's injured, you goddamn idiot! Don't fucking jump on his back!"

She jerked free, scowling, straightening her shirt. "No shit, techie – I do know my human anatomy. I didn't hurt him at alldid I, Roxas?"

Wide-eyed, the teen sat up, blinking. "I – uh – no – what?" He rubbed his face. "What's going on? Did I sleep-walk again?"

"No," Axel snapped, hands on hips, hunching angrily to tower over the ninja, who was utterly unaffected by it all. "You were sleeping quietly, and this bitch had to come and screw it up!"

"Hey, now!" She turned on him, expression darkening. "If you're going to start calling me names, I'll leave right now, and neither of you is getting into Hollow Bastion."

"Hollow Bastion? Why the fuck would we want to – "

"Hollow Bastion?" Roxas exclaimed breathlessly, suddenly alert. He pulled up the blankets quickly. "Wait, what? We can go?"

"Go?" the redhead echoed in confusion. Yuffie nodded happily.

"Yep – that is, if you don't mind having me tagging along. At a distance, that is." She winked. "Aerith told me what you've got planned. You guys are way too insanely cute. One of these days, I'm going to have to gut you and stuff you, just so I can spend a few hours each week gazing upon the cuteness."

"Okay, and now I'm scared," Axel protested. "What's going on? Somebody, please?"

"What, you don't know?" The brunette raised an eyebrow, looked him up and down. Roxas scrambled from the bed.

"No, he doesn't! Shut up, it's a surprise!" They were both surprised, Axel more than Yuffie, to see the blond beaming. It had been… a long time, since Axel had seen him looking that bright-eyed and happy. It made his heart skip, a soft, goofy grin forming on his own features in response. "A surprise?" he asked. Roxas nodded quickly.

"Yeah, so – get dressed! Now!" He turned to Yuffie anxiously. "What time is it?"

"Marly's gonna be here in ten minutes, so move your keisters."

Excited, Roxas did as bidden, snatching his shirt as Axel held it out to him, slithering into it, jamming his feet into their respective shoes, dragging his hands through his bed-hair in an attempt to appear vaguely well-groomed, singing praises in his mind to Aerith and her wonderfulness. Studying him with amusement, Axel did the same, and within a couple of minutes, both males were ready. Yuffie sent the blond a grin, tossed her head for them to follow, and exited into the corridor. Roxas seized Axel's hand, squeezed it hard, heartbeat ragged. A fine sheen of sweat appeared across his forehead and upper lip, which he quickly swiped away, licking his lips nervously as they trailed Yuffie out to the front of the castle, down the ramp, out onto the packed dirt to where Aerith patiently waited. Her face lit up as Roxas came into view, and it was all the blond could do to not go racing over and hug her tightly in thanks.

Axel scratched his head, feeling a little dazed from lack of sleep and the blinding quality of Roxas' smiles, not sure what the hell was going on, but willing to go along with it as long as the teen kept gripping his hand like that. He was kind of – side-swiped by this sudden display of enthusiasm. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Roxas like that. Probably – no, definitely, long before he left Twilight Town. Axel had never had it – right in front of him this way. Right where he could see it, and touch it, and bask in it, and… Giddy. Yes, Axel was feeling giddy from the intensity, the sheer, unadulterated pleasure of it all. The blond may as well have slapped him several times around the face, his head was ringing in the exact same way.

Some small talk was made in the minutes waiting for Aerith's ride, but generally it was stilted by the need to skirt around the purpose of their involvement in the trip. Yuffie was standing to one side, rubbing a small cloth over the edges of her Wutai weapon of choice, distracting Axel from time to time, making him frown. At last, the large white florist's van arrived, and the redhead sucked in a breath. "Oh, man – Marly as in, super-ass-perv?"

"Axel," Aerith hissed through her teeth. "Don't you embarrass me in front of Marluxia, or so help me, I will tell DiZ to put you on kitchen duty for a month, and clean the bathrooms again, and you know he'll do it." Eyebrows rising, Axel mimed zipping his lips together. She squinted at him. "And I intend to find out what's so wrong about the stove that you two won't eat from it. Don't think I didn't notice that this morning."

Roxas glared as the redhead started chuckling. Yuffie came over, suspicious. "Hey, what's wrong with the stove? What'd you do to it?"

"Oh, we didn't do anything," Axel leered. "The opportunity was stolen from us."

"Shut. Up," Roxas commanded, momentarily forgetting his happiness. Chagrined by its loss, Axel nodded obediently. The pink-haired man was climbing from his vehicle, smiling broadly as Aerith went to meet him. The woman was flushed and cheerful despite her assurances it wasn't a date, making Axel screw up his face. As the man caught sight of the redhead, he faltered slightly, recognition entering his expression for a brief moment. Something sly slid through it. "You three can ride in the back. Nice to see you looking a little better, Roxas."

"Thanks," the blond mumbled. As Aerith and Marluxia hopped into the front two seats, Yuffie slid aside the long door to the cabin of the van and ushered the two males in. As she joined them, the motor rumbling to life to dull their conversation to the ears of the driver and passenger, she murmured, "Okay, is it me, or did he totally just get creepy on Axel?"

The man threw his hands up. "See? I told you! He's all – gross!"

She regarded him sceptically. "You didn't do anything with him, did you?"

Axel nearly inhaled his tongue in objection. "God, no. Seriously – even back in the day, I had some decorum."

"He's not that bad, is he?" Roxas asked doubtfully. "I mean, should we be worried for Aerith?"

Yuffie snorted. "Please. The man is more gay than you two, and you're like the 'it' couple of the castle."

Axel brightened. "We're the 'it' couple?"

"Luxord's trying to get bets going for when you guys finally have sex. Larxene reckons she'll be able to tell just by looking at Roxas."

The blond turned a steady shade of crimson, while Axel, panicking at the realisation that this was something that would no doubt hinder their physical progress further, blurted, "Leon and Cloud had sex on Aerith's stove!"

Yuffie stared.

"They what?!"

"A little too loud there," Roxas moaned, covering his eyes as Aerith spun, jaw dropping, eyes impossibly wide.

"That's why? That's why you wouldn't eat anything I cooked?"

Yuffie punched Axel in the uninjured shoulder hard, a stunned look in place. "Don't be lying, now. If you're lying, I'll kill you while you're sleeping. Now, think very carefully – did you actually see this, or are you making shit up?"

"Oh, no, we saw it," the redhead reported merrily. "Both of us – isn't that right, Roxie?" He threw an arm around the blond, tugged his mortified face into his shoulder and patted the flaxen spikes comfortingly. Yuffie transferred her shocked gaze to Roxas, taking in the ruby blush of his cheeks and throat. She twisted to meet Aerith's eyes, the pair of them beyond startled. Then, almost by telepathic agreement, they started squealing, threw their arms around each other in delight. "Wait til I tell Tifa!" the ninja crowed.

Aerith bounced in her seat, shoved the girl away, demanded, "Did they at least clean it afterward?"

Axel stared in disbelief. "Uh – I don't know? They weren't like, full-on doing it, they just – "

"Oh, no, don't tell me they were just arm-wrestling or something?" Yuffie asked, horrified. Roxas shook his head wildly.

"They were doing it dry," he exclaimed, before clapping his hands over his mouth. The two woman burst into fresh peals of joy.

"I knew it!" the ninja declared, punching the air. "I knew those two were hot for each other!"

"I wonder if it was the shoes that did it," Aerith said excitedly. The females started chatting animatedly, hands twisting through the air, comparing moments that they'd intruded on some deeper undertone between the new couple, and Axel and Roxas looked at each other.

"Okay, I'm starting to feel mean," the redhead said. Roxas nodded. Marluxia simply kept on driving, bemused, eyes touching on Axel every now and then with a smirk.