Title: Moped Romance [6/12]
Pairing: Axel/Roxas, background Riku/Sora
Warnings: Boys speaking Italian, language, Roxas being a whore, highly embarrassing moments, high-speed races through Roman traffic, Larxene, sex.
Rating: R.
Beta: the BetaMistress alovelysilence
A/N: Inspired by experiences had by a good friend of mine while we were studying abroad in Rome, Italy, in the spring of 2009.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I do get a kick out of writing for the fandom. I also do not own any of the songs mentioned; they belong to their respective artists and labels. In this chapter, Flo Rida.
Summary: Lost on the back alleys of Rome one night, Axel finds a savior in a young blond on a moped. A love story with subtitles.
In this chapter: Roman antics in four acts – including possibly the hottest language lesson ever recorded.
Author's Note: We're half-way kids! The BetaMistress asked for sexytimes, and luckily that was planned anyway! I've been doing a lot of writing during my downtime at work, so pieces/parts of all the rest of the chapters have been written or begun now that I'd like to see if I can get the majority of this fic done and posted before Birth By Sleep is released September 7 – because let's face it, I won't do much of any writing until that game is finished. And even after that, it'll rape my brain and muse.
Also, I listened to "Alejandro" a lot while writing this chapter XDDD
Happy birthday, muse! 3
Cultural notes:
~ 'Others' is an actual store Even I walked out of there with a pair of pants. However I didn't remember the names of the men working there, so GianCarlo and Lorenzo are completely fictional – if not heavily drawn from the men I remember.
~ The accident Axel mentions is an actual event; my Italian professor was in a moped accident like the one described early on in our study abroad. He was in a doctor-induced coma for a while, but he's ok now Roman traffic is extremely dangerous, and accidents like this happen a lot.
~ Italian curses are hilarious. They are long, and usually have something to do with pigs or cows and rarely ever make any sense.
~ As far as the 'language lesson', my main source was "Talk Dirty Italian," by Alexis Munier and Emmanuel Tichelli. I originally received it from the BetaWife before travelling to Italy last year, but things happen and backpacks get stolen from asshole taxi drivers, so I recently bought myself a new copy. It's full of a lot of good slang terms for all sorts of situations/things, so with that in mind I decided to use it for Roxas' lesson. None of them are technical terms since I don't think a teenaged Roman boy would use them at all ;)
Track 6 – Right Round
You spin my head right round, right round
When you go down, when you go down down
When Axel woke a few hours after having been tackled by Demyx, he felt mostly re-energized with only a small shadow of a headache from the three Long Island Iced Teas he'd had the night before. Once again it was Demyx who forced him out of bed, because the rest of the apartment was getting ready to head out for dinner and to watch the Lazio-Barcelona match over a couple beers. Begrudgingly Axel dragged himself out of bed, asking Demyx where they were headed for such an occasion.
"Campo de' Fiori," Demyx answered happily, clapping excitedly.
Axel had unfortunately learned that the Campo had a bit of a reputation last night upon mentioning it at dinner with Roxas' friends; it was the place where Americans went to get drunk, and where Roman guys knew they had a better chance of scoring some American pussy. 'Well then,' Axel thought, smiling halfheartedly, 'sounds classy.'
They ate in a decently-sized but crowded restaurant with TV's stationed throughout and watched the match while eating their dinners. However, with so many people packed into the place, a bought of cheering usually preceded someone getting elbowed in the head. Otherwise they were able to sit and cheer the goals made by Lazio with bottles of Peroni in their hands, all while Axel attacked his gnocchi given it was his first and only meal of the day.
Once the match was over Xigbar insisted that they stop over at the Drunken Ship, which was crowded with young American students. Axel suddenly realized why the place had such a not-so-nice reputation among the Romans; everyone was drunk or almost there, behaving obnoxiously for the sake of it and screaming on the tiny dance floor. They didn't end up staying long since Axel wanted to get up early to go see Roxas, and the guys in the architecture program wanted to head out and visit some churches, possibly even attend mass at one of them.
So instead of staying at the Drunken Ship for too long they returned to their apartment and played a rousing and vicious game of Uno followed by a nightcap of Kings before Axel called it a night – even though he'd already slept through most of the day he fell asleep pretty quickly, wondering how tomorrow was going to go and trying to decide which Lady GaGa song they'd be dancing to.
When he woke again, it was a proper morning-ish hour along the lines of eight o'clock. Of course Axel wasn't quite aware of that, since he was having a rather glorious dream involving Roxas, the blond's pert, round ass, and maybe a schoolgirl outfit. He woke up achingly hard, jarred from his wonderful dream by Xigbar's loud, snuffling, bus horn of a snore. Groaning as he rolled out of bed and hobbled to the bathroom, his erection tenting his flannel pajamas, Axel locked the door tightly behind himself and leaned back against the wall; he pushed the front of his pants down and pulled his cock out, grunting as he began fisting it. But it wasn't his hand, it was
Roxas' hands, slightly smaller and a little rough from handstands while dancing on concrete – he was covered in a light sheen of sweat, yes, from dancing and he was practically glistening under Axel's gaze, his hands moving over Axel's dick and pressing down against the slit – his warm, fuckable mouth enveloping the head, sucking wetly and fuck, he wanted to fuck his mouth so he urged Roxas' mouth down, down, down, down until Roxas swallowed around his cock and Axel could feel his throat working around the head and Roxas was moving, pulling away and taking him in, hands cupping his balls and pressing right behind them, just – right – there –
And Axel came with a powerful shudder and a quickly-repressed shout, his come hitting the shower floor. He stood there hunched against the wall, panting breathlessly and trying to get his heart rate back under control. Once he did he turned on the shower and stepped under the mercifully warm spray, washing away the remnants of his orgasm.
The anticipation was getting to him.
Feeling infinitely more confident after his morning shower session and the date two nights prior, Axel made a nice breakfast for himself Sunday morning with some eggs, spinach and tomatoes. He had earned the approval of Roxas' friends, now it was time to hang with them some more and get to know them – and Roxas – a lot better. Once he was done with his hearty breakfast Axel went back into his room to get ready to meet Roxas on Via del Corso. Dressed more simply since it was a day out and he wanted to be comfortable if they decided to head out somewhere, he hopped on the closest bus to the city center and got off on the shopping street. Via del Corso was crowded for the middle of the day, and Axel started making his way up towards the squares where he knew he'd find Roxas.
Of course, it always helped when Lady GaGa was playing obnoxiously loud to the accompaniment of animated clapping. Axel grinned and followed the sounds of "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" playing down the block.
He arrived right at the tail end of that particular song, the dance ending with the group's usual flare and bravado. Olette had been at the forefront for that number, and she surprised Axel immensely. She had said that Roxas had learned everything from her, and only now did he truly believe her; their styles and movements were incredibly similar, only hers seemed more refined with years of dancing instruction rather than a photographic memory. From what little he remembered of dancing from one of his brother's ex-girlfriends, she'd probably had ballet and maybe some form of ballroom dance given the way she was moving through the steps. It was much clearer now that Roxas had indeed been trained in dancing by Olette.
Axel had seemingly arrived at the end of their dance time; after "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" they performed a familiar dance to the Pussycat Dolls song "When I Grow Up." He figured they had to recycle some dances since they didn't really have all the time in the world to develop and perfect new dances every week.
Once "When I Grow Up" concluded Olette began passing around the hat for donations, while the boys gathered together their dance mat and music equipment. The crowd that had surrounded them began dispersing, returning slowly to their intended routines or destinations; Axel chose that moment to approach Roxas and the others. Olette and Pence greeted him happily while Hayner remained cordial at best. Roxas, meanwhile, abandoned his task to pull Axel down in a one-armed hug and kiss him – much to the joy of some women (and men) still milling about in the area.
"Nice to see you, too," Axel teased once Roxas broke the kiss. Roxas smacked his arm playfully and released him.
Once they were finished packing up Hayner, Pence and Olette went off in another direction, towards the metro stop behind the Spanish Steps.
"Where're they off to?" Axel asked.
"Hm?" Roxas responded, looking expectant and slightly confused.
"Dov'é vanno?" Where are they going?
Roxas smiled proudly. "Ah. Vanno a loro case. Visitano le loro famiglie." They are going to their houses. They're visiting their families.
"Oh. Cool," Axel said. "So. Dov'é andiamo?" Where are we going?
"Andiamo a mia appartamento. Ho molto fame." We are going to my apartment. I'm really hungry.
"Cuciniamo pranzo?" We're cooking lunch?
"Si. Facemo Panini, va bene?" Yes. We'll make Panini, sound good?
"Sure," Axel said, nodding. They began walking down one of the side streets, where a couple dozen mopeds and bikes had been parked. Axel was able to pick out the old silver moped easily, since most of the vehicles were a bit newer. Roxas pulled out the helmet from the compartment where Axel usually sat and handed it to him, while Roxas hid the speakers and sound equipment in there. 'I really have to get my own, he really shouldn't be driving this thing without one,' Axel thought. He had already heard that one of the professors from another school – a native Roman and moped user – had gotten into a terrible head-on collision with a van last week, and he was still unconscious at the hospital. Axel didn't want Roxas getting hurt if they got into an accident because Axel was wearing his helmet.
Once they had both mounted the bike Roxas revved up the engine and backed out of the spot carefully before getting back out onto Via del Corso. Of course any moped ride with Roxas at the helm was bound to be a heart-attack inducing adventure through Roman traffic. It was also Sunday, so not as many cars were out fighting for space on the road – and consequently Roxas only shook his fist and cursed at a few drivers. There was a near-miss with a city bus, but that was normal. Roxas was a frighteningly aggressive driver; Axel feared the day he ever attempted to drive in Chicago or Boston, never mind New York City. He shuddered at the mere thought.
But anyway, three shaken fists, one "Porca puttana vacca troia!" (filthy whore cow sow!), and one near miss later they arrived at Roxas' apartment building, all in one piece. After locking the moped up at his spot in the courtyard they made their way up to the apartment itself.
Roxas immediately went over to the refrigerator in the kitchen and started pulling out different ingredients – whole tomatoes, heads of lettuce, deli bags of prosciutto, a plastic bag of fresh mozzarella in water to keep it fresh, olive oil, some spices, and ciabatta rolls.
"Planning a feast?"
"É talmente allupato!" Roxas growled, pulling a large knife from one of the drawers.
"What?" Axel asked, having never heard the expression.
"Hungry," Roxas translated. "Very hungry."
"Starving?" Axel supplied, which earned him a vigorous nod. "I see."
"I had only espresso this morning, and I had mass!" Roxas said defensively; Axel decided that his Italian-accented English was very endearing. And he'd mentioned mass, hadn't he? Of course growing up in the recognized home of Christian Catholicism Roxas would have probably been raised Catholic, but didn't the Church have a pretty strong stance on homosexuality here? Axel mused. Apparently not enough of a stance to frighten Roxas, who seemed completely unaware of Axel's current mental tangent. The blond went to work slicing the rolls open and cutting the tomatoes and mozzarella into slices.
"You were going to dance on the street and you didn't eat?"
"Non mi prendi in giro quando ho un coltello nella mano!" Roxas said, mock-threatening. "So che usarla, puttana." Don't make fun of me when I have a knife in my hand! I know how to use it [ ].
Axel blanched; he understood most of that, just not the last word. "Che cosa hai detto?" What did you say?
"Puttana," Roxas repeated, but the redhead still didn't understand. "You do not know?"
Axel shook his head, feeling vaguely out of the loop.
Roxas smirked, but still struggled with the correct way to translate it for him. "Ah. Bitch," he said, his grin widening.
'Larxene?' Axel's mind immediately offered. Then, "Wait. You just called me a bitch."
"I did," he answered, sounding immensely satisfied with himself as he gestured vaguely with his knife; Axel shied away from its intended trajectory with a snort.
"Careful there Don Corleone, that's not a sword."
Roxas cackled. "Sono il Signore, e sei mia puttana." I am the Godfather, and you are my bitch.
"No such luck," Axel chuckled, moving in to build his sandwich with the parts assembled now.
Roxas also started making his sandwich, and brought out some of the mismatched plates for them to use. He took the top half of his ciabatta roll and drizzled olive oil on it, followed by a pinch of the spices before pressing the top half back on. They ate in relative quiet until Roxas finished his sandwich and turned on Axel.
"So, you did not learn to say 'puttana?'"
Axel shook his head, chewing on a bite of his sandwich. "Wasn't on the vocabulary list, sorry."
"Do you know these? Succhiotto, cappella, brodo, impalare, mettimelo dentro?"
Axel shook his head again; all of those words had sounded very sexual to him, but he'd never heard them before so he had no idea. Roxas, meanwhile, looked devastated.
"I will teach you," he said suddenly, nodding decisively.
"You'll teach me naughty Italian?" Axel said with a sly grin.
Roxas nodded again. "L'italiano dal letto," he winked. Bedroom Italian.
"I am at your mercy, Master."
"The basics," Roxas said, swiveling in his chair to face Axel. "'Toccare," he intoned, putting his hand on Axel's arm.
"To touch," Axel recalled. That one was on their vocabulary list.
"Good. Now . . . toccami."
Axel paused. "Touch me?"
"No, me!" Roxas chuckled, taking hold of Axel's wrist to guide his hand to Roxas' bicep.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Axel said, rubbing his thumb idly over the skin on Roxas' arm. His skin felt incredibly warm and was still a little damp from sweating during the morning dance routine.
Then Roxas pulled aside his shirt collar to reveal the mostly-healed hickey left by Axel not two nights before. "Succhiotto," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Succhiotto, hickey," Axel repeated under his breath.
Roxas made a show of thinking about the next word to teach him, then leaned in close, his palms on Axel's thighs. "You should know this. Bacio," he said, breath ghosting over his lips.
"Well that's an easy one," Axel whispered, closing the distance between them and kissing Roxas on the lips. The blond responded enthusiastically, returning the kiss.
"Now," Roxas breathed, breaking their contact momentarily. "The deep kiss, like this," he murmured before sealing their lips again and slipping his tongue into Axel's mouth to tangle with the redhead's. Axel curled his tongue around the blond's and moaned into the kiss, hand caressing Roxas' neck and jawline. Then Roxas broke away again. "La slinguata."
"La – what? Is that even a word?"
The blond chuckled heartily. "Una altre parola per 'bacio con la lingua," he explained. It is another word for 'kiss with the tongue'.
"Ah," Axel nodded, tugging Roxas closer. "Mi baci?"
Roxas snickered; Axel then realized he'd probably said something in a completely stupid way due to his poor understanding of articles and whatnot. However Roxas dispelled his anxieties, climbing smoothly onto Axel's lap and straddled him, reengaging in the kiss and deepening it again as he pushed the redhead to submit. Suddenly he reached between them and cupped Axel's erection firmly, rubbing him through the denim of his jeans. "L'erezione," Roxas said, almost purring while Axel let out a strangled groan.
"More," he grunted, pushing his hips up into Roxas' hand to achieve more friction.
"End lesson one," Roxas said, his voice abruptly devoid of any traces of lust that were there not seconds before. Axel blinked up at him, mind confused and lacking any and all decision-making power. "Toccami."
Axel paused to clear his head and remember what the word meant. Once the haze had cleared he put his hands firmly on Roxas' hips to demonstrate his understanding. "Toccami," he repeated, swallowing.
Roxas nodded, satisfied with his response. "Bacio," he said, moving on to the next word. Axel immediately kissed him, jerking him closer by his hips and grinding them together. The blond groaned into Axel's mouth as they kissed, and Axel took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and slide his tongue along Roxas'. Then Roxas pulled away once again, glaring playfully. "Quello?" That?
Axel groaned, not only from the loss of Roxas' mouth and his inability to remember in a situation like this but also his increasingly hardening erection, which rendered thinking almost completely impossible. "Er. Pass?"
Roxas smiled knowingly. "La slinguata," he said insistently, poking him in the chest. "Ricordarla!" Remember it!
"Sure, sure," Axel said quickly, pulling the blond back in.
Roxas ground their hips together again, rolling his own down against Axel's as they continued making out feverishly. It wasn't until they heard a tell-tale squeak of the wooden chair legs burdened by two young men thrusting against each other that Roxas stopped again and contemplated another route. Still nipping at Axel's lips Roxas whispered huskily, "Vuoi andare alla camera?" Do you want to go to the bedroom?
Who knew that an Italian lesson could almost double as foreplay? Axel nodded and the blond slid off of him, pulling him up and into his bedroom.
Axel tumbled back against the mattress, his back pillowed by sheets and blankets, as well as a thick pillow he used to prop himself up on his elbows. Roxas crawled over him, unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans and pulling them down his legs while the redhead watched hungrily. Once he was completely naked Roxas lay down, propped over Axel's legs and lower body.
"Fai attenzione," Roxas said clearly, his palm curling around the hard, twitching shaft. "Il cappello," he continued, his hand tightening around Axel's erection and beginning to pump up and down, earning a hiss from the redhead's mouth. Axel arched his hips into the touch, biting out a repetition of the word. 'Ok so, cappello is cock, pretty much,' Axel's brain supplied. Then his cock was enveloped in a warm, wet mouth, Roxas' tongue teasing the slit; Axel moaned at the sensations, reaching down with one hand to thread into the hair on the back of Roxas' head. After a moment the heat was gone and Roxas released him, demanding his full attention again. "Un bocchino," he said clearly before going down on him again.
'Bocchino, blowjob. No way I'm remembering these.'
As predicted moments later Axel couldn't have come up with the word for 'blowjob' if his life depended on it. All had been reduced to Roxas' amazing mouth, lips wrapped around his shaft and sucking gently, his tongue moving over the vein and up to tease the crown. Both Axel's hands had wound their way into Roxas' hair, holding him in place and guiding his head as the redhead writhed beneath him. He lost track of time under his ministrations, until he felt a slick finger probing at his entrance; Axel's eyes flew open and he tilted his hips to allow for better access. It had been a while since he'd been fucked, but he knew the blond would make sure he was ready.
"La cula," he heard Roxas murmur, lifting his mouth away from his cock as he twisted his finger inside him, smoothing lube against his entrance and inner walls. Axel didn't even try to respond that time, since immediately after Roxas took him in deeply, humming around his shaft, drawing a choked cry from Axel's throat.
Roxas kissed and nipped a trail up from Axel's groin to his jawline, dragging his tongue along various parts of skin. Axel shuddered, at the mercy of the blond's tongue as he bit Axel's lower lip gently, tugging on it. "Want to put it in you," he whispered hotly, thrusting his hard length against Axel. "Want to fuck you," Roxas whispered again, this time into Axel's ear, his tongue playing with the lobe.
"Fuck me," Axel groaned, as the blond's teeth nipped the skin of his ear. Roxas moved away, presumably to get more lube; when he reappeared his mouth descended on Axel's cock, one hand cupping the underside of his upper thigh while he began working more fingers into him.
With all of the combined sensations Axel was starting to get close, and he tried to warn Roxas of his impending orgasm by attempting to guide his head away. The blond must have got the picture because he released Axel's cock, leaving it hard, twitching, and covered in saliva while he continued to work, with Axel hissing in frustration and lifting his hips into nothingness.
Then Roxas' fingers were gone, pulled abruptly from him; Axel lifted his head to see what he was doing and nearly came on the spot. The blond made for such a sexily sinful tableau, his body naked and quivering as he rolled a condom on his obviously achingly hard cock. He caught Axel watching him and smirked, putting on a show as he slicked himself with lube as well.
Axel snapped. "Come on," he urged, reaching for him. The blond shuffled closer on his knees, his cock jutting from his body proudly, and pulled a pillow from the side of his mattress to slide underneath Axel's lower back and give him some support.
"Adesso," Roxas growled, leaning in close and teasing Axel by rubbing the head of his cock against his entrance. "Mi dici, 'mettemelo dentra.'"
Neurons in Axel's brain fired, working absurdly well to translate given his condition. Now say to me, 'put it in me.' He looked up at Roxas, eyes dark with lust as he pushed again, almost breaching him but not quite. "Mettemelo dentra," he whispered, spreading his legs just a little more.
Roxas looked shell-shocked for half a second before the expression was replaced by a predatory grin. Axel fisted his hands into the sheets as Roxas rolled his hips, pushing into him in slow, even strokes while the blond moaned loudly above him. Once Roxas' cock was buried to the hilt he stayed there, grinding his hips in a torturous cyclical motion while Axel writhed. After a few moments of this, as he waited for Axel to adjust, Roxas grabbed Axel by the hips and held them tightly, pulling out ever so slowly until just the head remained. Color staining his cheeks, Roxas got Axel's attention again. "Impalare," he said, waiting for recognition.
'Wait. 'Impalare' sounds a lot like 'impale,' does that mean -' Axel's thought process cut off abruptly when Roxas thrusted forcefully, effectively impaling Axel on his cock. "HO-ly fuck," Axel choked, adjusting his position as Roxas began pistoning his hips; hard, deep strokes stimulating his prostate insistently and making sparks fly behind Axel's eyelids, jolts shoot up his spine.
"Scopare," Roxas muttered, hands gripping Axel's hips tighter as he thrusted. "To fuck," he translated, his lips quirking up into a satisfied smirk.
Axel might've chuckled if he was listening to Roxas' lesson anymore; his focus was more on the hot, hard length impaling him and abusing his prostate. The blond hunched over him, his hands sliding up to get a handle on Axel's slim, slick waist as he gave short, forceful strokes that slapped skin against skin. Axel arched his back against the pounding thrusts – for such a small guy Roxas certainly could pack a mean punch and thrust.
The atmosphere in Roxas' room quickly became humid and heady, the squeaking mattress and low moans and grunts giving away their activities. Axel much preferred an empty apartment for hot, vigorous sex anyways.
"Sborrare" Roxas grunted as his thrusts became more erratic as they continued, with Axel now rolling his hips up to meet Roxas' thrusts better. "Stai sborrando?" When Axel didn't answer the blond growled out, "Are you coming?" and accentuated the word by pulling out almost completely and shoving his cock back in.
"Oh God," Axel gasped. "Yes, oh God."
Roxas paid a great deal of attention to Axel's cock as they approached their climaxes, stroking his shaft feverishly while thrusting deeply. Axel came first, his back arching up against Roxas' body and clenching around his still-hard cock. Roxas himself came with a sharp cry moments later, riding out his orgasm with increasingly shallow thrusts while Axel shuddered beneath him. Finally Roxas stilled, sighing deeply, and began pulling out while holding the condom in place. After tying it and throwing it into the trash, Roxas flopped beside Axel, laying his head contentedly against his chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath under his ear. Then Roxas casually reached down to where the remnants of come pooled on Axel's abdomen, rubbing his finger in before bringing it back to his mouth and sucking on the finger. "Brodo," he murmured, still sucking on the digit.
"You know I'm not going to remember all of those, right?" Axel said tiredly, shifting to accommodate Roxas and hold him close beside him.
"That is what practice is for," Roxas said cheekily, sprawling over him. "You should try to speak Italian when we are together," Roxas said after a few moments of contemplation."You will speak it better with practice."
Axel nodded. "I'm game."
"And you can help me with English, too," Roxas said contently.
Axel chuckled, breath ruffling Roxas' hair. "Want me to teach you bedroom English?"
"Why not?"
Axel rolled them over, pinning Roxas to the mattress by his wrists. "Well to be honest, 'I want to fuck you into the mattress' doesn't sound all that sexy in comparison," he said, nuzzling Roxas' neck and laying kisses on his abused collarbone.
"Of course!" Roxas said brightly, smirking. "Italian is a sexy language. All words sound sexy."
"I'll say," Axel murmured against the base of his neck. "You made a language lesson hot, that's what I call an achievement."
"We can do that with anything," Roxas answered, his voice muffled by Axel's hair. The redhead felt him release a deep breath, probably to get strands of Axel's hair out of his face.
"I noticed, Romeo."
Roxas' lip curled. "Romeo was a pidocchio, a cockroach. Idiot."
"Why is that?" Axel asked, snickering at Roxas' indignant expression.
Roxas paused and adjusted himself to stare at Axel. "Juliet," he said, raising an incredulous eyebrow.
Axel burst into laughter, burying his face against Roxas' neck. Meanwhile, the blond continued on a rant. "Why marry Juliet when there is Mercutio?"
"Mercutio was his cousin!" Axel said through hearty chuckles.
"And?" Roxas demanded.
"And nothing I guess," Axel muttered. "I don't have a comeback for that."
"Good," Roxas said, shifting beneath him and Axel rolled off to the side to let him breathe. The blond eyed him critically as they got comfortable again. "You should go shopping. I will take you."
Axel raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
"Via del Corso," Roxas answered with a shrug.
"And why?"
"So you will look troppo sexy when I take you out to dance!" the blond responded cheekily.
"Won't argue with that either."
Axel and Roxas agreed to meet a few days later to go shopping since Axel had a big test to study for on Wednesday. Once he was done with that Roxas would stop by to pick him up and they'd head over to the shopping district for the afternoon. With the test completed – and Axel was sure he'd done really well on it since he had a personal Italian tutor he hung around with all the time – Axel packed up his stuff and walked out to meet Roxas on the ever-present moped, and after a short trip they were parking and walking up Via del Corso.
When they walked into the first store on Roxas' list, Axel began to feel an overwhelming sense of dread. Both the employees were gorgeous to be sure, but they were decked out in fitted shirts and cardigans that were a little too feminine for Axel's taste, and skinny jeans. One was wearing the exact same scarf that Roxas sometimes wore, just in yellow. Axel's brain screamed 'Mayday, abandon mission!' as Roxas greeted each of them, exchanging kisses on the cheek. Then he heard Roxas say, quite clearly, "I have a project for you."
Axel knew his hips made it difficult to find jeans that fit him well – most that could accommodate them (i.e. women's pants) couldn't accommodate other things. So when he did find a pair they were usually bought in multiples to keep him clothed. The chances of finding the perfect pair in a tiny shop on Via del Corso? Highly unlikely. Axel was not optimistic.
Unfortunately he didn't have time to express his lack of optimism, since the two men – who Roxas introduced as GianCarlo and Lorenzo – were on him, measuring his hips and inseam and not-so-subtly touching his ass once in a while as they chatted excitedly about the challenge before them. All while Roxas giggled in the background and made himself look busy looking at their stock of denim. Once they were done the employees shoved Axel in a dressing room and commanded that he take off his pants. Being that it was three against one anyway Axel saw no other choice but to strip down to his underwear; as he did that Lorenzo pulled the curtain aside, several pairs of pants on his arm, and tilted his head to get a better glimpse of Axel in his underwear. The redhead took the pants and glared, and Lorenzo left him in peace.
He tried on pair after pair, but none fit him well-enough to earn Roxas' approval. Those that fit his hips well were baggy in the groin. Those that might've fit better didn't make it far up his leg. Others were skinny jeans that made him look like he had chicken legs and was wearing a ridiculous codpiece. Too short. Too ugly. And Axel was getting more and more frustrated with each pair. 'Why am I doing this again?'
As yet another pair was passed through the curtain Axel protested. "No more, I'm done," he said, pushing them back out. Then he heard Roxas' voice, and seconds later the blond slipped into the dressing room, holding a dark blue pair of jeans and looking sympathetic but determined.
Axel sighed. "Let's just go, they don't have anything for me," he said, uncaring that he stood there in a t-shirt and boxer briefs with Roxas less than a foot away in the tiny dressing room, surrounded by a mine field of Italian denim.
"Just this one," Roxas said, placing them in Axel's hands. "For me?" he asked coyly.
"Fine," Axel growled before pushing him out through the curtain.
"But I know what you look like naked!" Roxas protested, laughing – a comment that certainly got a reaction out of GianCarlo and Lorenzo.
"Beside the point!" Axel shouted back, pulling on the newest pair. He zipped up the fly and did the last button . . . and stood there for a moment in shock. "Huh."
"Yes?" Roxas said expectantly, shoving the curtain aside. The blond too stopped and stared for a few moments, his eyes glazing over just slightly. Then Roxas grinned devilishly – it wasn't rocket science figuring out what he was thinking.
Axel had to admit he agreed with that assessment; the jeans fell right and perfectly on his hips, hugging his lower body nicely without being too constricting. There were some unnecessary zippers, but he didn't mind them that much.
Roxas abruptly dragged him out by the belt loops to display the result for GianCarlo and Lorenzo; he began speaking animatedly with the other two, slowly moving in a circle around Axel's body as he explained why this was perfect and what made it even better. He pushed the hem of Axel's shirt up just slightly to demonstrate the proper fit around his hips but of course taking advantage of the possibility for a little molestation, his hand on Axel's ass or a finger trailing over the hair below his belly button. Axel narrowed his eyes and scowled at him for his teasing maneuvers that could be clearly seen by people roving Via del Corso given the clear glass doors and windows at the entrance.
"Oi, come on now," Axel said defensively after a particularly obvious and overt touch; he shied away and back towards the dressing room. "I'll get these," he informed Roxas. "No more, I'm done trying things on!" With that he pulled the curtains of the dressing room over sharply, hopefully forcing the other occupants to realize that he didn't need an audience to change.
"Perhaps -" GianCarlo or Lorenzo, Axel wasn't sure which one, attempted to begin suggesting something else before Axel cut him off with a resounding "No!" These jeans were already going to set him back sixty Euro.
Once the pants were purchased and bagged they continued to shop, with Roxas pointing out the stores with the best deals (or salespeople willing to make said deals) and little places to eat. Eventually he led him into a giant shoestore, complete with a wallfull of Converse. After ogling some of the more expensive and customized pairs Axel walked away with a pair of bright green Converse; eventually he found Roxas ogling his own pair of dream shoes and had to forcibly drag him out.
"Bisogno un caffé," Roxas said a little while later with a sigh. I need an espresso.
"Dove voui andare?" Where do you want to go?
"Hm. Il bar di mio fratello," he said, nodding. "Vieni." My brother's bar. Come on.
"Your brother owns a bar?" Axel asked incredulously.
"Si, si chiama Cloud," Roxas answered, leading them back to where he had parked the moped for the day. They drove down back alleys and dodged pedestrians until they came out on Via Governo del Vecchio – the same road as the school. There weren't that many bars on the street, though, so it would be curious to see which one his brother owned.
When they entered the tiny café Axel immediately recognized it as the one he, Larxene and Demyx sometimes stopped at before class – the one where he thought he recognized the bartender with the tribal wolf tattoo. This time however there was a young woman behind the counter; tall and voluptuous with long dark hair, she was busy making a customer his espresso when they arrived. Once he was taken care of she brushed her hands off on her apron and turned to Roxas and Axel, a wide smile breaking out over her face.
Come! she said, gesturing to the open spots at the bar. Who is this, Roxas?
Axel, Roxas answered. His name is Axel, and he is a good friend.
Only a good friend? she asked, her tone suddenly much saucier as she grinned widely for the blond.
None of your business.
You're so like your brother, the woman groused. All serious, no fun at all.
And yet you're still with him, Tifa.
What Cloud lacks in a good sense of humor he makes up for in other areas, she said lightly, and in response Roxas made a face.
Did not need to know that.
Quiet, you, Tifa growled, smacking Roxas' forearm with the wet towel she was using to clean the espresso machine. So. What do you do, Axel?
Uh oh. I'm a student, he answered. At the Leonardo da Vinci school.
You are American, correct?
Axel nodded. Yes, I'm here for the semester.
At that Tifa looked over at the blond, scrutinizing him carefully for several moments – as if asking him 'are you sure about this?' Then she shrugged and turned back to Axel with a wan smile. Sounds good. What do you study?
Political Science. And I hope to have enough to minor in Italian.
Tifa nodded again, seeming to accept his answers as she moved around the bar into the customer area, and began circling Axel, examining him from all sides. It was then that a tall blond man – the one Axel thought he had recognized a few weeks before – pushed aside the dark curtain behind the bar and entered the café, stopping abruptly to stare dumbfoundedly at Tifa. The dark-haired woman smiled brightly at the older blond, and quickly introduced Axel to him, though she referred to the other man as Cloud.
'Cloud' muttered something vaguely indifferent at his introduction, and moved out of sight into the storage closet behind the bar.
Seeing an opening in their supervision, Roxas snuck over to the glass case where the cornetti and other treats were kept, leaning over the glass to reach in and steal a nutella cornetto. With lightning speed Tifa whipped off her red apron and snapped it out, effectively whipping him on the ass with the end of it. Roxas yelped, recoiling from the glass case to cover his ass protectively and give Tifa a look of sheer, unadulterated death.
Her response, also in the form of a facial expression, was far more frightening and Axel really didn't want to be on the receiving end of that. Do you want to get up at five every morning to make cornetti fresh? Will you come work for us? she was snapping at him, cornering Roxas near the case. Roxas kept muttering 'no' as she demanded answers, which kept Axel close to bursting into laughter for a bit.
Finally Tifa let up and stalked away from Roxas, leaving the blond almost cowering in the corner. Once the blond recovered he rejoined Axel at a table. She's so scary, he whispered hollowly.
Axel chuckled. Don't try to steal their cornetti then, I guess.
I'm family! I'm entitled! Roxas pouted, scowling off to the side.
Are not, Cloud grunted, coming back into view and placing himself at the espresso maker, awaiting the arrival of customers. Roxas' pout deepened.
Fine, he said with a dramatic shrug, standing from his chair. Axel made to follow him, but was abruptly stopped by Tifa.
Tifa pulled him in for a one armed hug, looking up at him with a sickly sweet smile as she whispered in absolutely perfect English, "Hurt my little brother-in-law and I'll tear off your cock and choke you with it – then Cloud will cut up your body and feed it to our dogs." Then she patted his arm happily and pushed him out the door.
A few weeks into their tentative relationship Roxas decided that they were going to go to the Ice Bar for a night. Axel had heard of it, but he also heard it was ridiculously hard to get in to. When he mentioned this to Roxas, the blond just grinned. "Not if you know the bartender," he said cryptically.
So Axel put on his new Italian-made jeans and a nice shirt, for once getting dressed at his apartment for one reason or another. Over the course of several weeks Axel moved a generous portion of his clothes and belongings over into Roxas' apartment. He was staying over with greater frequency, and since it was a hassle to try and get back to his own apartment then race to the school in time for class, he just started keeping some of his more important things there. He really only saw his fellow American classmates during class or on scheduled trips he barely remembered to go on, as well as the few occasions he stayed at the apartment. Axel sipped wine and Peroni instead of absinthe, and was able to speak Italian more fluently as a result of his extensive lessons and 'practice sessions' with Roxas. Hell, when they had gone to see "The Watchmen" together he'd almost understood all the dubbed Italian.
It was here that Demyx caught him off-guard.
"Where are you headed looking so snazzy?" his friend asked on this particular day, a hint of jealousy in his tone.
Not even paying attention to the subtle – or not-so-subtle where Demyx was concerned anyway – nuances in his friend's voice, Axel answered distractedly as he adjusted his collar. "The Ice Bar," he said, turning to glance at Demyx and grin at him. "Roxas knows the bartender there tonight."
"Must be nice."
"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Axel gushed.
"You're a first-class dick, you know that?" Demyx hissed, and finally Axel paused and looked over at his friend.
"Huh?" Axel blanched.
"You've gone fucking native," Demyx said. "Seriously. You do know you were born in Chicago, right?"
"S-I mean, of course," Axel said, catching himself before he answered in Italian and affirmed Demyx's accusation. "I know where I'm from."
"Good, just checking. Because really - this is almost scary."
"Why?"
"Two words: red wine, Axel. Since when do you drink red wine?"
"Since we got here," Axel said defensively. No, wait, that was a lie. "Or, ok, since I started going out with Roxas."
"It's like you've become a different person!" Demyx said.
"Well I, unlike you, have found some Italian friends and am immersing myself in the culture," Axel snapped back. "That's what we're supposed to do."
"You mean a Roman fuck buddy," Demyx scoffed. "Some culture, man. We don't even see you anymore."
"So? Fuck off," Axel said, making sure he had everything he needed before trying to muscle his way towards the door.
"What the hell – "
"Axel," Zexion said seriously, coming out of nowhere and forcing Axel to stop walking with a palm in the middle of his chest. Other students in his apartment – including Larxene, who had been talking with Xaldin, peeked out of their rooms to see what was happening. "Listen to us. You are putting too much stock in Roxas and your relationship with him. You know how this is going to play out in the end. Don't do this to us."
Axel just glared down at him in response, not saying anything at all.
"Let him go," Larxene said icily from her leaning position by the first bedroom door. "Let him do what he wants, there's nothing you're going to say that'll stop him." With that Zexion released him, still staring impassively as Axel stalked away and out the door to catch the next bus.
After confirming the outing with Roxas one more time he headed out and took the bus to the particular stop the blond mentioned. Once he arrived he saw Roxas and his friends waiting for him. He approached them, and with Roxas and some of the blond's friends made their way up to the Ice Bar. With help from a man Axel recognized as Sandro from the Abbey Theatre Pub, Roxas got them into the bar through a back door. Axel couldn't help but stare all around him in awe as they walked in; the walls were all sheets and giant blocks of ice, and with the lighting the bar was filled with an ambient glow. Patrons were sitting at tables and in booths all made of ice, and most were drinking out of shot and wine glasses all made of ice.
And all Axel could say was, "This is so cool!" He felt like an idiot afterwards, but he just couldn't think of anything else to say. Roxas agreed heartily, and they proceeded to get well smashed.
The bar closed at two, and most of the patrons left. Roxas and his friends, however, stayed – happily welcomed by Sandro to drink after hours, which they took advantage of. By three-thirty Roxas was feeling very friendly again and was sitting in Axel's lap, with Axel's hands resting on his abdomen beneath the plastic protective coat he was wearing as they sat at their ice table with their friends.
Friendly, but never drunk, Roxas was saying, leaning back against Axel's chest comfortably. Drunk is not sexy.
I was drunk when we first met, Axel pointed out unnecessarily. But you still think I'm sexy, right?
You were not sexy when I found you, Roxas said, laughing at him and the memory. You were gone.
Absinthe, Axel said in way of explanation.
Roxas continued to laugh. My funny American, that's why I keep you around.
Good, I'd rather be here anyway, Axel said quietly, still slightly bitter about his fight with Demyx earlier. The things Demyx had said really hurt deeply, not that he was about to admit that as a self-assured young man – that wasn't what men did, they didn't feel that kind of hurt. Instead Axel rubbed his palm along Roxas' thigh slowly.
What will you do about them? the blond asked, twisting slightly in his seat to look Axel in the face.
Don't know, Axel answered. I have more fun with you though, Axel said, leaning his chin on Roxas' shoulder while the younger man twisted back to look forward again. They're a bunch of dicks.
We're a lot more fun, Roxas affirmed.
Axel hummed in agreement, his body warmed by the presence of alcohol in his bloodstream as well as the warm body sitting in his lap and against his chest. He was vaguely aware of someone taking pictures and of someone doing something idiotic in the background, but he really didn't give a shit.
You succeed where many others fail, Roxas said suddenly. It's like Enlightenment. He'd also had about two and a half of Sandro's best Cuban Beach recipe – not to mention a few 'Blowjob' shots they'd gotten for free to make out against the ice wall earlier. Someone had even slipped a few Euros in his pocket; Axel thought it might've had something to do with their session getting so intense Roxas' legs had wrapped around his waist and his hand had slid into Roxas' jeans to cup his ass – and with the way their hips were grinding together it probably looked like they could have been fucking.
Axel thought it was appropriate that after that – since they'd been forced to stop for reasons not entirely too clear to him at the moment – Sandro allowed them exclusive use of the employee room to finish up. After Axel fucked the blond he gave Roxas a blowjob, even feeling kinky enough to let Roxas come a little on his face, if only for the blond to lick it up later.
Huh? Axel said, the most accurate verbal representation of his present mental capacity. He felt heavy and comfortable and pliant, ready to fall asleep with the blond seated on top of him.
The secret, Roxas continued, his concentration and comprehension growing exponentially, to truly getting the most of living in a foreign country.
So what's the secret? Axel asked, shifting and readjusting his grip around the blond's waist.
An American saying, Roxas said, pursing his lips as he thought. It says, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans?' That is the secret.
To do as the Romans? Axel clarified, his brow furrowing slightly. At Roxas' nod he grinned; he was finally being recognized as a friend of Roxas' and an honorary Roman.
You are not so much a foreigner now, Roxas said proudly. Welcome to our Rome.
A clue pertaining to track 7: girls who are boys, boys who are girls :DD