Rating: M
Summary: His doubts about Vexen and Zexion's abilities faded away as he approached it. It looked as perfect as, "…Roxas?" Axel breathed. The look alike opened its ocean blue eyes, giving Axel a questioning stare.
A/N: I'm using an idea/bit from Birth by Sleep, involving Ven. It made me fall in love with him instantly.
… Love at first 'scene' –badumpsh-
haha (:
Trick or Treat?
Chapter 4
xXx
After much pestering over the course of the next few days, Axel finaly caved, deciding to show Ven another 'magic trick'. Axel had found the blond to be more like a child than Roxas had been. He supposed that it was because Ven seemed like he could feel, and had he really existed, Roxas himself would have been about fourteen, so that's what Ven would have been. While at times, he found it to be cute, at others, it was extremely annoying.
"Alright, fine, I'll show you another trick," he muttered.
"Finally!" the blond replied enthusiastically. Axel sighed.
"You have to close your eyes and keep them closed, otherwise it won't work." Ven nodded in agreement.
"Okay," he replied, readily closing his eyes. When he was satisfied and certain the blond wasn't peeking, Axel summoned a pathway through the darkness. Then he took the clone's hand, hesitating for a moment as he did, wishing that this was a moment he was spending with Roxas… then he pulled Ven along, through the portal. He didn't speak until they'd arrived.
"Alright, open your eyes." Ven did and then gasped. The red-head had brought him to Destiny Islands.
"Axel… is this a different world?" he asked, staring up at him, wide-eyed.
"Yes, why?" the nobody asked just before getting the wind knocked out of him from the huge hug he received. It took him a moment to realize that the blond was crying. "What's wrong?" Ven beamed up at him and he froze, blown away by the beautiful expression.
"Thank you! Thank you so much… This' my dream." Axel stared after the blond in shock, even as he proceeded to explore. He'd never seen someone with so much emotion before and it was completely foreign to him.
xXx
Axel kept his distance as Ven explored for a good hour. Then when he was ready to go, he approached the blond. Ven stared up at the red-head questioningly when he paused at the beach, refusing to enter the crystal clear water, which the clone had been playing in.
"What's up?"
"Let's get going." A pouty frown came across the blond's lips.
"Can't we stay just a little longer?"
"No, Ven."
"But Axel… it's almost the best part of the day!" The red-head blinked.
"Why is that?" Ven came out of the water and took the red-head's hand, turning him around and pointing at the setting sun. Axel blinked again. "Alright, fine." He was rewarded by that enthusiastic smile that could light up anyone's day.
"Let's go around the cove and find a good spot!" Axel smiled a little.
"Okay." The happy blond pulled him along effortlessly, to a tree that had fallen over centuries ago, probably due to a storm, but was still attached to the ground and growing. They sat on it and Ven dangled his legs, kicking them back and forth contentedly. Axel, who had never seen any skin exposed on the real Roxas, watched silently and a bit curiously as Ven took off his outer shirt, stripping down to his tank top. The blond had already halfway exposed his legs earlier when he'd rolled his pants up to play in the ocean.
As if he sensed he was being watched, Ven suddenly looked up, smiling at the red-head sheepishly. "Uh what's up?" Axel looked away.
"Nothing." Ven tugged at the red-head's sleeve and beautiful emerald locked with sapphire. "What?"
"Don't you get hot, wearing that jacket all the time?" Axel blinked.
"Uhm, well, not really."
"…oh." The red-head thought about it for a long moment.
"Well, sometimes, yes, why?"
"Curiosity… and well, it's not cool here by any means." Axel shrugged.
"I suppose." After a moment, he removed his gloves and then unzipped his jacket, shrugging it off of his shoulders. Ven watched him as he did, noting his high boots, black leather pants and dark blue form fitting t-shirt that contrasted beautifully with his pale skin and fiery hair. He glanced down at the perfect pale hand that was beside his and blushed a little at the proximity in which it was to his own tanned hand. He resisted the urge to touch it, gazing instead at the setting sun.
"Ven?"
"Hm?" the blond asked, gazing up at Axel. His breath caught as he did. The setting sun brought out all of the different hues in the red-head's fiery hair and brought a soft glow to his skin, making those breathtaking eyes stand out even more. Axel looked absolutely perfect.
"Thanks for asking to stay… I'm glad we did." Ven smiled, forcing himself to look away and back at the natural wonder that was occurring. For some reason, Axel had made it much less exciting. He hadn't even had to do anything either.
"Sure."
xXx
When his next bi-monthly report came up, Axel made Ven seem very much like… a nobody. He didn't know if telling the truth would make Vexen and Zexion take the blond away from him, and he was rather starting to enjoy the company. Especially since Roxas was making no progress at recovering whatsoever and his visits were becoming more and more disheartening. He was pleased when they bought it time after time after time after time.
In actuality, Ven was thriving, especially when the red-head would surprise him by taking him to another world. They'd been to over a dozen so far. Axel had purposefully failed to mention that he'd been doing such a thing. He already knew that it wouldn't go over well if the two researchers found out.
One day, Zexion mentioned that a meteor shower would be occurring in a week. Axel immediately found himself plotting out how to surprise the small blond that he was becoming rather close to. If nothing else, he merely wanted to see Ven smile. The boy's emotions were quite fascinating to him.
xXx
The week came to a close and, as they watched the sun set at Destiny Islands while eating sea-salt ice cream, which Axel had newly introduced to the blond, Axel smiled slightly, looking forward to the surprise that was in store for Ven. He was planning to take the blond to his favorite world so far. The red-head was sure he might like a few others better, but he hadn't taken him to them yet. One of the worlds he couldn't ever see himself being able to bring him to, for example, was Twilight town, since that was his and Roxas' place.
The sun finished setting and Axel grasped the blond's hand, startling him. "A-Axel?" he questioned. The red-head could've sworn his face was a light shade of pink, but brushed that to the back of his mind.
"I have a surprise for you."
"O-okay," Ven replied.
"Close your eyes," the red-head whispered. The blond did as asked and the nobody summoned a pathway through the darkness, pulling the smaller boy up and along.H When they stepped through the other end of the portal, Axel led the blond forward, making him step out into the Pride Lands.
"Open your eyes." Ven gasped.
"A meteor shower!" Axel smiled at the blond's reaction and Ven smiled at him gleefully. "C'mon Axel! Let's find somewhere to sit!"
Soon Axel was finding that he was the one who was being drug along, but he didn't care much. Ven's enthusiasm was catching and the red-head's smile widened as he was sat on the edge of the King's Den- the highest point of Pride Rock. He'd brought them there on purpose of course, because it was the highest point in the savannah.
Ven was amazed by the sight… it was so breathtaking.
"Thank you, Axel."
"Any time, partner." Ven couldn't help but smile. His eyes remained locked on the red-head, his smile beginning to fade a little. Axel was just as breathtaking and wonderful.
"Axel… I…" The red-head looked down at the blond and hummed. Ven flushed as those startling eyes studied him. "I… I think I love you." The nobody's jaw dropped. He stared for a long time, making the blond shift uncomfortably and look away.
"Wh-what?" the red-head finally managed. Ven shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and wishing he could take it back.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have told you…"
"Why not?" Ocean blue locked with emerald.
"I… don't want you to disappear from my life, Axel. Your friendship means the most to me." Axel swallowed then scratched the back of his head, unsure of what he should do. He'd grown to like having the blond around and didn't want that to change either. He'd also noticed that Ven was starting to have more of a priority than Roxas. He was conflicted.
"Why do you think you love me?" Axel asked carefully.
"I love everything about you… and I want to spend every day with you, for the rest of my life. I never want to be with anyone else… I want to grow old with you." The red-head scratched the back of his head once again.
"I… really don't know what to do or say, Ven." The blond's smile faded completely.
"Tell me how you feel about me."
"I… I'm not sure."
"I see…" Ven replied, sounding disappointed. Axel closed his eyes remembering all of the wonderful new memories the two had made together, weighing his options. He also reminded himself that if Roxas never woke up, Ven would be the closest thing he'd ever have to him.
"Ven," he said quietly, reopening his eyes.
"Yeah, Axel?" The red-head's hand found the blond's neck and surprise flickered across Ven's face. Axel hesitated, wanting to remember this moment… The smooth, cool, touch of Ven's skin under his warm palm, the way those beautiful blue eyes glistened under the meteor shower, and how he wasn't wishing that Ven was Roxas for the first time. Then the red-head closed the space between them, pressing their lips together. Ven made a small noise of surprise and pushed the red-head away.
"What?" Axel asked confusedly.
"D-don't… unless you mean it."
"Of course I do, Ven." The blond closed his eyes, shaking. "Can I kiss you?" he asked quietly
"Only if you're sure you want me too," he whispered. Axel tightened his grip and pulled Ven closer.
"I'm sure," he whispered before crashing the other boy's lips into his own once again.
xXx
-TBC-
A/n: Thoughts? I'd appreciate hearing them (: