
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/13721505.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Kingdom_Hearts
  Relationship:
      Axel_&_Roxas_(Kingdom_Hearts)
  Character:
      Saix, Luxord, Axel, Roxas, Xaldin, Xigbar, Demyx, Xion
  Additional Tags:
      Canon_Compliant
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-02-18 Chapters: 11/11 Words: 5384
****** 48 ******
by Phaerlax
Summary
     "Gonna be away for a while, starting tomorrow."
Notes
     eu esqueci que você não jogou 358/2 days ;~; Isso não vai fazer
     sentido asdfhasdjf 2 LATE 2 REGRET
***** 1 *****
“If you’re looking for Axel, he’s gone.”
Saïx spoke calmly as usual as he passed by him, but the words had a weight to
them, and that weight came down on Roxas, stopping the boy on his tracks.
Oh. Okay.
Axel hadn’t said at what time he was going to leave. Roxas assumed they’d maybe
have time for the day’s “icing on the cake” later – maybe more. Or that he’d at
least have the opportunity to show the winner!stick he’d found yesterday.
But it was okay; surely Axel and the others had reasons to leave for Castle
Oblivion in such a hurry.
Castle Oblivion.The name would always cause a strange, cold sensation to creep
down Roxas’ spine. He fidgeted with the stick that he was holding. A place
called Obliviondidn’t sound like the sort of place you’d visit and come back
from so casually.
Axel didn’t say when he’d be back, just that he’d be away for “a while.”
A while was a short time, wasn’t it?
“Roxas,” Saïx voice called out, and Roxas looked up to see that he had reach
his usual spot in the Grey Area, standing with his back to the glass panes.
“You’re assigned to number Fourteen today. Show it how you operate.”
It.Roxas walked towards the petite, hooded figure whom Saïx indicated. She had
smiled at him, when the Superior introduced her Where Nothing Gathers – she,not
it,he was pretty sure.
“Hey, Fourteen-“ Roxas greeted her, very mater-of-factly, before remembering to
smile, like Axel had taught him. “Hm, what was your name again…?”
Fourteen moved her face towards him, though mostly only her mouth was visible.
The mouth didn’t move. Silence.
Okay…
A while was a short time.
***** 2 *****
Roxas woke up, but he didn’t open his eyes, and stayed quiet. He thought that,
as long as he didn’t look, didn’t check, it would be possible to pretend that
he might not be alone on the bed.
But he had other senses. No breathing was audible. He couldn’t feel another
body, slim as it might be, weighing down on the mattress. It was futile to
pretend, so he opened his eyes.
Whiteness, and nobody else. Roxas sighed as he sat up. Inside his underpants,
he had that odd, good-in-an-uncomfortable-way sensation that was frequent when
he awakened. Thinking of Axel made it worse – that usually wasn’t a problem,
because Axel himself could make it better. Way better. But he wasn’t there.
A while is a short time, he mused idly as he got dressed for the day. He’d
though that repeatedly the previous day, during the mission with Fourteen and
when he had ice cream all alone afterwards. She – it? Maybe Saïx was right –
hadn’t uttered a single word all throughout the day, despite his occasional
attempts. She reminded Roxas of himself, a couple weeks ago. A zombie.
Axel had fixed him. Maybe Fourteen needed fixing too.
But Roxas wasn’t Axel – he had no idea how to help; so, instead of giving
though to that, he just hoped not to be assigned to her again. I’ll ask Axel
when he comes back.
Just a little while.
***** 4 *****
The Organization was intent on making him and Xion a duo. They had gone
together on the last two missions.
Xion was showing her face now, and she spoke to him. She could also wield the
Keyblade. Those were all nice things, and sure beat the previous zombie-like
silence. Roxas had taken her for the icing on the cake of that day’s mission.
He reasoned that having someone to talk to and hand out with would disguise
Axel’s absence.
Her presence made it even more noticeable, in fact. The fact that Xion wasn’t
Axel was obvious and glaring. It wasn’t her fault, but it was true, and it was
true that she couldn’t take his place, ever.
That was okay; Axel would be back soon. It had already been four days.
Roxas had trouble falling asleep lately. He clung tightly to his pillow, eyes
shut, and tried to keep away the thoughts that made him hot and bothered. That
was counterintuitive and impossible, so of course it didn’t work. He’d tried
touching himself, to relieving the pressure. But it was just like hanging out
with Xion – it just made the fact that Axel wasn’t thereall the more evident.
It brought him no relief.
He tried not hoping tomorrow would be the day, because that might make it
easier to accept if turned out not to be.
That was also impossible.
***** 5 *****
“That’s none of your concern,” Saïx dismissed him, dry as always. Xigbar shot
him a look with that gleaming yellow eye that Roxas couldn’t decipher – not
that he was trying to. His focus was elsewhere, or nowhere, more accurately. He
had decided to ask around, and he had heard…
“But Axel-”
“Gone. He may have disappeared for good,” the blue-haired Nobody continued in
that monotone, and Xigbar grinned as he watched the words sink into Roxas.
“There’s no word from Castle Oblivion. But that’s none of your concern.”
“Would be, if he only had a heart,” Xigbar saw fit to chuckle at his own
comment. “At least I get to save up on condolences, eh”
True, he didn’t have a heart, but he felt cold all over, and light. His hands
shook briefly.
He didn’t believe it.
“I- I don’t believe it,” Roxas said, shaken. “Axel wouldn’t-”
“You don’t have to.” Saïx walked away, signaling he was done. “Find some other
way to play pretend or, better yet, get to work.”
“You’re with me today, kiddo,” Xigbar announced, patting his shoulder, as he
watched Saïx leave nonchalantly. “Agrabah. Let’s go.”
Roxas felt as if he had swallowed a Shadow, and it was writhing inside him; he
wanted to protest, to say that no,there was no way things were going to go on
as if nothing had happened, that he should search for Axel – but he just nodded
slowly instead, and followed Xigbar to the Dark Corridor. He felt a great sense
of detachment from his surroundings. It was the first week all over again.
Gone…
***** i *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
What’s there to leave behind? We’re not even supposed tobein the first place…
Nothing’s left of them.
That’s right.
Xigbar’s crushing words after he’d gotten himself together enough to ask, and
the blistering sun of the desert – those were his last true memories, before
the ground rushed to him and his world went white, then black, as if a window
slowly closed–
–a blonde girl, sketching, sketching–
He felt as if he was falling. Looking around didn’t work like it should. Every
blink, every shift in perspective, it was a new scene–
–a cascade of rose petals withering into dust, an ear-piercing wail–
–torn pages fluttering weakly in the wind, strangled, dying gasps–
–sparks dying out, the sound of metal blades hitting the floor–
Nothing’s left of them
–fire, engulfing a figure clad in black robes, dirty blonde hair going up in
flames, as someone said, “goodbye-”–
There was no way he wouldn’t recognize the voice, after missing if for days.
Axel, there for an instant- in a cruel play, the vision shifted as he tried to
look closer-
–white walls, black robes, hood up–
Will he wake from this?
The voice was deep and menacing, rippling through the memory, also gone in an
instant–
–the Keyblade clashing against a familiar hoop of metal, a burst of flames as
the green-eyed, grinning assailant jumped back–
I went to a new world today, Roxas.
Xion?
I hope you that can join me next time.
What was–
Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Roxas.
He couldn’t process what was happening, it was impossible to think properly in
that state; thoughts didn’t stick together like they should, as the flood of
visions never paused–
–“It was worth saving you after all…”–
Axel. Axel disappeared in a swirl of darkness. Gone, but not gone.Were the
visions true–
–the blonde girl, disappearing as his vision narrowed, a door sliding close–
I knew that I’d find you snoozing down here.
Chapter End Notes
     (você devia ter jogado Days mas lembrando um pouco de Chain dá pra
     entender mais ou menos o que tá rolando)
***** 32 *****
Roxas had slept for twenty-six days, and the Organization didn’t care. He only
knew what had happened when Xion met him the previous day, after his
assignment.
That meant Axel was gone for thirty-two days.
“No,” Saïx told him when asked if they had any news from Castle Oblivion. Roxas
then explained that he saw Axel in his dreams, and the man’s only response was
to briefly close his eyes, before telling Roxas to drop the nonsense and get to
work, signaling that discussion closed. The boy got a sympathetic look from
Demyx, who was lounging nearby.
Later, sitting on the ledge of the clocktower in Twilight Town all by himself,
Roxas tried in vain to have visions like those dreams, to check if Axel was
alright.
The reality that Axel might truly be gone never come back was creeping up on
him, from inside out, and it made his body feel hollow, light, as if the wind
could blow him off the tower and away into that eternal sunset.
Roxas’ ice cream melted away untouched.
***** 35 *****
It was hard to keep his balance, straddling the flying lance up in the sky, and
it was uncomfortable. Roxas watched the castle with the binoculars, and his
gaze lingered on the lonely tower, on the window, where he could see the dome
with the rose.
He was going to move on, but a petal fell almost on cue, and along with it came
an earth-shattering rumbling noise that seemed to echo all throughout the
castle grounds, and a mournful, pained roar that rivaled the rumbling in
volume. Roxas was startled, nearly dropping the binoculars, and he might have
fallen off, if it wasn’t from the sudden strong grip on his arm.
“The point of a reconnaissance mission is to pay attention, Thirteen. Keep your
wits about you,” Xaldin scolded him as he stabilized. Following a flourish of
the man’s hand, three more of the Lindworm gathered around Roxas’ form to
better support him in the air. Unlike Xaldin, he couldn’t fly on his own. “The
heart of this castle’s lord has been overtaken by tempestuous emotions, which
makes him unpredictable and dangerous; we must pay special mind to remaining
undetected.”
“He sounds hurt,” Roxas remarked meekly, once the roaring subsided. “Shouldn’t
emotion feel… good?”
Xaldin scoffed. “Some do. But emotion is unreliable in its fleetingness.” The
Whirlwind Lancer scowled in disgust to drive his point. “The affection he held
for the girl now brings him great torment in her absence. Even as a source of
power, the heart has its weaknesses-”
Roxas was glad he didn’t have a heart, if it would make him feel worse.
“Do you think she’ll come back…?”
“I’ve yet to learn why she left, where to, or how it might ultimately affect my
designs. More surveillance is necessary,” Xaldin concluded, raising the
binoculars to his eyes. Dark gears seemed to be turning inside his head.
“That’s enough talk.”
They split up and attempted to eavesdrop on the servant’s conversations later.
Roxas wasn’t really paying attention.
Later, when he once again sat alone on the clocktower, he felt like there was a
magic rose inside him too, shedding a petal every day.
***** 41 *****
The evernight of Halloween Town was lit up as Roxas cast a Fira, the bolt of
magical flames impacting against the small, frozen heartless that charged at
him. Heat vaporized the protective ice cube that surrounded the creature, and
it came undone with a squeal, bringing the Organization one step closer to
their goal.
Roxas thought to smile, thinking that Axel would be proud of his fire magic –
then he remembered Axel wasn’t there, and that hollow sensation overtook him
for a second, more than enough time for half a dozen of the frigid heartless to
surround him and converge-
Axel would have no trouble with that, all it would take would be a spin with
his chakrams and a burst of flame–in the time it took for Roxas to think that,
it was too late to react; that was going to hurt-
It did hurt, but mostly from a few sharp shards of ice that glazed him after
each heartless was destroyed by blasts of force from above. No hearts rose from
their remains, however, as the keybearer wasn’t responsible for their
destruction.
“Damnit, kiddo, that’s six hearts wasted!” Xigbar groaned as he blew the
smoking tip of his fused arrowguns, floating upside down above Roxas. “They’re
ice cubes,just keep up the heat!”
Roxas didn’t say he was sorry, both because he wasn’t and because he knew
Xigbar couldn’t care less. He simply turned at the next charging group of Icy
Cubes and spun the Kingdom Key, attempting to focus magic into a Firaga that
would destroy them all at once.
He’d only tried that spell a couple of times, in training (with Axel), never in
combat; he couldn’t do it fast enough. The heartless were upon him before the
blast formed.
Roxas was pretty sure that Xigbar wouldn’t save him again, so he rolled away,
taking a chilling hit to his back in the process, before ducking for cover
behind a grave. He guessed right; all the Freeshooter did was cover his retreat
with a quick barrage, not wanting to ‘waste’ any more hearts.
“Come on! At this rate, poppet is gonna surpass you, y’know,” Xigbar joked,
chuckling to himself from his position of safety. “I’ll tell Axel you still
need some lessons on fire, once he’s back-”
The impact of what he said interrupted Roxas’ healing spell, even as the
heartless advanced around his cover to engage him. He looked up at Xigbar,
confusion and shock so painfully evident that the Freeshooter saw fit to laugh.
”What, Saïx didn’t tell- oh, I see,” he rolled his eye, still grinning. ”And he
claims not to partake in pretending, heh-”
Roxas jumped up on top of the grave, using the vantage point to rain down
strikes with the keyblade, ice shattering on impact; he processed the
information, daring not hope, as Xigbar continued speaking: “Well, Flamesilocks
is ok, for better or for worse, and just needs a few more days to wrap up his
job at Oblivion, then he’ll be back, and you two can go back to doing things
I’d rather not think about; now, can you quit being useless, kiddo?!”
He’ll be back.
Roxas had stopped listening at that,and a warmth started building up in his
chest, despite how cold it was in that world, especially with the Icy Cubes
attacking him; the warmth built up, as did the frantic speed with which he was
parrying and striking at the creatures, the keyblade a blur, then a flash, the
warmth flowing out of his form and through the weapon-
Xigbar whistled as the pillars of Light manifested around Roxas, spinning
rapidly around the young Nobody to disintegrate all heartless around him, and
then expanding in a fractal dance all around, scorching several others before
they even got close enough to engage him. A myriad hearts took to the sky.
“That’ll do.”
***** 43 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Are you suuure?”Demyx asked again, smirking mischievously as he leaned his
face closer to Roxas’. His breath was minty. “You might not even miss him
anymore after you get a taste of me, Rox-”
“No! I mean, yes- I’m sure,” Roxas turned his face away, flustered. “Thanks, I
suppose?”
“Whyy? You obviously need to blow out some steam, man, you’re all cranky ever
since Axel left,” Demyx hopped around, quick on his feet, to stay in Roxas’
field of vision no matter where he turned his face. “Lemme give you hand – or
something else. What happens in Neverland stays in Neverland…”
Roxas weighed his odds of jumping down to the sea and getting away from that
conversation. Not very high, considering the control that Demyx had over water.
“I don’t want to!” He hoped to sound angry, but it came across in a way that
made Demyx giggle and pinch his cheeks. Roxas pushed his hands away, pouting.
“’course you do, you’ve been telegraphing that for a week now-”
“Not with you!” Roxas immediately regretted the words he blurted out – he
didn’t mean to offend.
But he’d rather have offended Demyx instead of making him go “ooh, so you two
have a serious thing going on, hmm? Knowing Axel, I assumed it was just
shagging casually-”
Did they, though? The thought ate away at Roxas a little. Axel had never really
said anything to that effect. He had just been there for Roxas- and mostly
because he was assigned to, right? He wondered if it had hurt Axel too, being
away from him so long.
Demyx hadn’t phrased it as a proper question, thankfully, and was still
blabbering as Roxas began paying attention again “-so special about him? Is it
the hair? The anorexia? The-”
It’s that he cares.That was the answer, but he wouldn’t say it. Demyx wouldn’t
understand; he’d say that was nonsense, because Axel didn’t have a heart – and
neither did Roxas, for that matter.
It might even be true. But Roxas felt warm and fuzzy when he thought it was a
lie. Maybe that was all that mattered.
“-even a kiss? What happens in Neverland-”
“No!”
Chapter End Notes
     fuckboi Demyx is the only true Demyx, look at his fuckboi face
***** 47 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
It had already been five days since Xigbar told him it would only be a few
days. How many days were a few? How long was a while?
Roxas swung the keyblade with reckless abandon, thwacking heartless around or
blasting the flying ones with magic, as he obsessed over those thoughts and
other worries that had festered within his psyche along the last days. He
poofed one creature after another, blitzing through the seemingly endless
hordes that plagued the Queen of Heart’s garden. Luxord beckoned him to slow
down, but Roxas just wanted to get through the days as quickly as possible so
that-
Pain flared on his side as one of the flying heartless dove to ram him with its
conic head. Roxas winced, but grit his teeth and immediately struck back – on
empty air; it was a Sapphire Elegy, and it had warped away an instant before
the keyblade connected. Roxas ran to give chase, but some soldier-type
heartless clawed him on the back; as he turned to engage it, his shoulder
burned from a Scarlet Tango’s blast. Frustrated and hurting, Roxas raised the
Kingdom Kay up with a two-handed grip, ready to jump the Tango-
“My, that’s quite enough, timeout!” Luxord’s voice called out, exasperated yet
still posh as always, and it was followed by an audible snap of his fingers.
Roxas heard a sound like that of cards being rapidly dealt, and it was exactly
what was happening; Fair Game scattered in the air, the cards shifting around
and enlarging fast whilst everything else devolved into slow motion, except for
Roxas and Luxord, who approached him. “You’ll get yourself killed at this pace,
Roxas, what are you thinking?”
The cards moved into position around the pair of Nobodies, forming a large box
that cut them off from the nearly-still world outside. Luxord used his lighter
to dimly illuminate the sudden darkness.
“We’re wasting time!” Roxas complained, his grip on the keyblade strong. The
older Nobody smiled, probably at his choice of words, while fidgeting with the
few cards still in his hand. The only audible sound inside the box was their
voices and a constant, distant ticking.
“I wouldn’t say we have all the time in the world, but it’s bloody close,” he
chuckled. “But what’s with this hurry of yours? You’ve been barging though this
mission like that rabbit with the pocket watch…”
Roxas breathed in and out, frustrated that Luxord was adding minutes to his
day. He used a couple of healing spells to cure his recent wounds, because he
might as well. “I just want to get these chores over with,” he grumbled.
“This is about Axel, isn’t it?” The Gambler of Fate smirked, idly flourishing
his cards. “You’re staring at the clock until he’s back, so to speak.”
Gossip traveled surprisingly fast in the Castle That Never Was.
“So?” Roxas crossed his arms. “What should I do, fall asleep for two more
weeks?”
“Such sass from someone who barely grasped the concept of language two months
ago. I’m proud.” Luxord chuckled, threw his cards up, and caught one between
each finger, without looked. Roxas wondered if he even realized what he was
doing. “Let me impart some wisdom upon you, neophyte. Time is relative, not
only in terms of physics, but also our perception of it. Chores will drag on
forever, yet time you spend enjoying yourself seems to fly away-”
“So I should skip missions?”
“No! Have you seen Saïx’s claymore- and it would somehow be my fault…” He
raised one hand defensively, nearly dropping a card. “No, Roxas, all you have
to do is find a way to have some fun during mission. A game, if you will…”
Roxas narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t naïve enough not to know that when Luxord
played games, people ended up penniless and sometimes in their underwear or
less. The Gambler noticed it and laughed. “For sport, of course – not that I
wouldn’t take a bet, but still. Let’s say, how about seeing who can off the
most heartless of a certain type? That ought to give you more to think about
than mindlessly hitting whatever’s next to you…”
“But if you destroy a heartless, the heart won’t-” Luxord interrupted him with
a sssshhand a wink. “No one has to know if you don’t tell.”
Roxas nodded. The whole thing sounded a little silly, but there was no harm in
giving it a shot.
“Also, let’s take a gander at your future...” Luxord smiled and shuffled the
cards he had on him still. “Wouldn’t you like to know if Axel’s coming back
soon?”
The boy’s eyes went wide. “You can do that?!”
“Why, of course!” Roxas wasnaïve enough not to smell the bullshit. “Just pick a
card, any card-” Luxord spread his cards into a fan, extending it to Roxas, who
eagerly picked one. It was the King of Hearts, unsurprisingly, because all of
them were the King of Hearts, until Roxas picked one.
Luxord feigned a gasp. “Oh my, how auspicious… that bodes very well, Roxas.”
The younger Nobody seemed to react to that with childish glee. A strange
choice, but Luxord wasn’t the judging sort. “It will be sooner than you
expect.”
Roxas expected it to have been a month ago, but it was still pleasant to hear
that, especially given Luxord’s confident tone.
The cards that made up the box around them shuddered and began to shrink down
to normal size.
“I exaggerated how long I can keep this up- let’s proceed, Roxas,” Luxord
announced, holding his hand up so that the cards gathered back into a deck as
the box came undone. Outside, the paused heartless were moving less slowly by
the second, converging on the pair. “Whomever offs the most Scarlet Tangos in
two minutes wins round one!”
Roxas braced himself, jumping back into the fray as time flowed normally again.
He ended up winning most rounds, but keeping track of Luxord’s ever-changing
rules did keep him totally distracted up until the end of the mission.
No mind tricks helped when he had ice cream alone in the clocktower later,
though – Xion was busy. Luxord was on to something, because the hour he spent
loitering there seemed to drag on and eclipse the rest on the day.
But both Xigbar’s and Luxord’s words did provide him some reassurance. Just a
few more days. Sooner than you expect.
The following day proved that number Ten’s uncanny luck applied not only to
games, but to blind predictions as well.
Chapter End Notes
     dirtbag uncle luxy doesn't get enough screentime
***** 48 *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Worried…? We Nobodies don’t have the hearts to worry, you know-”
Roxas crushed him tighter, both to make sure he was really there and to stop
him from saying that. It was the last thing Roxas wanted to hear right then.
All in all, everything Axel had said had been downright unsatisfactory, ever
since he randomly showed up in Twilight Town twenty-three seconds ago – his
first words were “Hey, Roxas, it’s been a while – What’s the matter? You look
like you’ve seen a ghost…”
“But everyone who went to Castle Oblivion was…” Roxas mumbled into Axel’s
chest, searching for ways to justify that inherent and constant contradiction
in his attitude. He had been worried. That was true. He didn’t have a heart.
That was also true.
It only didn’t make sense if you thought about it, which Roxas ultimately
decided to avoid. “Saïx told me you might be gone too… until a week ago.”
Axel rolled his eyes all the way, groaning. “That bitter bastard- as if!” He
laughed. “I’m tough, got it memorized? You don’t have to, hm, worry. Ah, can
you not crush my ribs…?”
Axel breathed in better as Roxas loosened his embrace obediently. “Sorry,” he
said, and tentatively added, “I missed you.”
“It’s okay,” was the smiling reply and, as Axel’s fingers rested on his head
and ruffled his hair, he was very, very ready to hear I missed you too. “I hope
you made friends with some of the others while I was gone.”
“Ah, yeah…” He nodded, a little disheartened- well, disappointed. But it was
only a little. Axel wasn’t gone anymore. He was there. That was enough. “I’ve
hung out with Xion, mostly, Luxord is being nice, and I had some missions with
Demyx-”
Axel seemed surprised at the mention of number Fourteen, but his interest
peaked a little forward. “Demyx, huh?” He grinned in a way that made Roxas
guess at the subject that’d be brought up. “I bet he made some advances.”
“Yeah.”
“And…?” Axel’s hand was quick to stop Roxas from looking away. His reactions
were predictable like that.
“And nothing,” he answered, grabbing Axel’s wrist to displace the hand. “I
refused.”
“Really?” Axel wagged his thin eyebrows, the exact overtones of the gesture
lost on Roxas. “Odd, you seem to enjoy it a lot-”
“Only when it’s you,” Roxas muttered.
That gave Axel pause. His wagging eyebrows knitted into a slight frown. “Have
you been waiting for me this entire time without…” He put on a silly grin as
the younger nobody nodded rapidly. “Damn, Roxas, that’s hot.”
“Hot?” Roxas corked his head, confused. Axel kept forgetting he wasn’t well
versed in slang. “I don’t-”
The first times they’d done it, Roxas hadn’t gotten the point of kissing. It
was weird, to have his lips suckled on and another tongue licking his own; it
seemed to serve no purpose. But now, as Axel held his face up and did it, after
those six weeks, it was wholesome. It was as close to Axel telling him he was
important as he’d get without things actually being said. It made him feel
weird all over, and antsy, like when he woke up, and warm- hot.
“Do you get it now?” Axel asked after deciding he was done. Seeing Roxas’
flushed face made him reconsider, and he kissed Roxas’ cheek, tasting the
warmth there. “Hot can refer to this.”
The lad nodded, and drew in a deep breath before opening his mouth to say,
“Axel, I’m-” But he was interrupted, gasping as Axel’s hand casually slid down
to his crotch and palmed the growing bulge there. “I know you are,” the redhead
said, smirking. He pulled the hand back as Roxas started to hump against it,
and delighted in the little frustrated groan that ensued. Roxas had a talent
for being cute that he’d never expect from a Nobody. “But if you’ve waited so
long, you can wait a little more, yeah? I miss sea-salt ice cream-”
The sound of swirling darkness as Axel opened Dark Corridor muffled Roxas’
hoarse, reluctant agreement. Axel found it endearing, how he didn’t even try to
argue.
Roxas hurried ahead though the vortex of darkness, trying to will his body to
normality again, so that it would feel less uncomfortable to sit at the
clocktower for a while, but it seemed impossible. His body had longed for Axel
to be back, and now he was. There was only one way to fix it. But he’d wait –
the though of insisting, bothering Axel, and finding out he didn’t want it as
much, it was scary-
As he stepped out of the darkness, there was no twilight, and none of the
sounds of the city. It was white and confined, a largely featureless room with
a bed in it – Axel’s bedroom, in the Castle.
“I lied,” he heard, as thin arms wrapped around his body from behind, and
Axel’s breath made the scruff of his neck tingle. Their bodies pushed together,
Roxas could then feel the distinct pressure of Axel’s arousal on his back. It
was elating to know that he was responsible for that. “Enough waiting.”
Roxas agreed incoherently as he both heard and felt the zipper of his cloak be
pulled up all the way, and the reverse happened with the zipper of his pants;
Axel’s hand got to work as he kissed Roxas’ neck from behind.
The sensation verged on electric, as he finally got that touch he had been
emulating through flawed memories for what seemed like very, very long. His
heart – the physical one that they didn’t lack – hammered in his chest, and
Roxas stood on his tiptoes as the sensation made his every muscle tense up.
Axel nibbled at his neck, seeming to revel in the effect he was having, and
picked up the pace of his stroking; panting, Roxas grabbed at his wrist,
stopping him, or it’d be too much, too soon-
“I missed you too, y’know,” Axel whispered as he stopped, and it was too much.
Despite the pause, Roxas came undone on his arms, his body spasming then going
limp as those waves of ecstasy washed through his form, dissolving his
thoughts, his doubts. The sounds he made got a grin from Axel. “Woa- I guess
that’s to be expected, after forty days…”
“Forty-eight,” came the correction, amid heavy breathing.
“Oh, time flies in Castle Oblivion- that’s a lot to make up for.” Axel turned
him around, which was easy with how limp Roxas’ body was immediately after
that. He raised the boy’s chin to stare into those blue pools. “But let’s give
it a shot.”
Roxas slid out of the cloak in response, and let himself collapse sideways in
the bed, kicking off his boots. Axel was on him a moment later, taking off the
rest of his clothes in a hurry, before pushing him down with his back to the
bed and looming over.
The mere sight of Axel on top of him, looking at him with desire, was enough
for Roxas to be ready and eager again, and he spread his legs on instinct, to
Axel’s approval.
“When we get our hearts back…” The older Nobody started, biting his lower lip,
but left the though hanging in the air, unfinished. He didn’t need to finish
it. Roxas understood, and it made him feel warmth, a different kind of warmth,
overlapping with the heat of his body.
He would have replied something, if the sudden sensation of fullness didn’t
shatter his chain of reasoning into a hundred little pieces as Axel thrusted in
eagerly. It hurt, but Roxas’ had been burned, frozen, cut, and nearly had his
arm torn out by heartless on occasion- he could deal with pain. Especially pain
that soon gave way to something much, much different. He was too elated to even
make out the words that Axel was moaning right next to his face.
Luxord was right when he said that time spent enjoying yourself seems to fly
away. They must have taken over an hour catching up, but it felt over too soon
– Axel thought he wouldn’t be able to take any more, and it was probably true,
despite him wishing it wasn’t.
With Axel holding him, his body sore and plastered with sweat, lying down
amidst scattered pieces of black clothing, Roxas found sleep without chasing
it, for the first time in a while.
Chapter End Notes
     Sorry it ended abruptly, I was gonna go into more detail, but then I
     remembered i'm bad
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!
