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Roxas was walking along the deck one moment and the next, Axel had come out of nowhere and pushed his shoulder - hard.
"Axe-!" That was, of course, all that he managed to get out before he crashed into the ocean, indignation and humour lacing his mind as he struggled back to the surface. His swimming wasn't very above par, but he'd only been swimming a few times. "That was uncalled for!"
Axel grinned and took a step back. Roxas had a moment to realize what he was going to do before he did it and close his eyes before Axel could launch off the end of the deck and dive into the water, sending up a massive wave of the endless ocean around Roxas.
Roxas blinked his eyes open and shook water from his hair; Axel resurfaced with that cat-that-got-the-cream grin.
"Cannonball," Axel said cheerfully.
"Thanks for the warning!"
Axel stuck his tongue out.
Roxas slipped his hands into the water and cupped them in the midst of it, bringing them up quickly to splash Axel in the face.
"Hey!"
Roxas laughed and continued to splash him, spluttering when Axel retaliated and water was sent his way. All he could smell was Destiny Islands, a pleasing scent of papou fruit and fresh air. The taste of the ocean was on his tongue and lips, his fingers and toes pruning from the time spent in the water before Axel had shoved him back in.
And then there was Axel, currently laughing like he wasn't an adult and didn't have bigger problems on his mind, all dripping wet red hair and a blindingly bright smile that Roxas could barely see through the water right now.
"S-Stop!" he cried, gasping for breath through the salt water and the laughter, his cheeks hurting from smiling and his stomach unsettled from swallowing the ocean.
Axel relented, treading water on the spot. "Too much?" he asked, almost cockily, although his eyes were infinitely more serious as they looked on, looking for any sign that Roxas might have gotten water up in nose or that it was irritating his eyes or if he was getting angry rather than amused from the impromptu water fight.
Roxas coughed and waved his hands, shoving them back through his hair. "No... No, I'm good."
Axel smiled, not a grin, but a smile, a genuine I'm glad smile. But then it changed, almost as quickly as it had appeared, going back to the You'll never see me coming smirk.
Axel lunged forward and curled his fingers around Roxas's shoulders and Roxas barely (again) had time to suck in a breath before he was dunked under the water, struggling and kicking and fighting the whole time.
Immediately after Roxas resurfaced again, Axel leaned over and kissed him.
The redhead's fingers were still curled around his shoulders and they tightened to find better purchase against his wet skin. Roxas smiled against Axel's lips and leaned into the kiss, reaching up to reflexively curl his fingers into Axel's shirt and when remembering he wasn't wearing one, pressed his palm flat against his chest.
They broke apart moments later, Axel back to that soft smile meant only for him.
Roxas felt like he was beaming, although, when he opened his mouth to say I love you, what came out was: "You taste like ice cream".
Axel blinked and then laughed. "Well, it is the sea and it is salty," he said, sinking into a backstroke to swim laps around Roxas (the know it all).
Roxas splashed him again. "I know!" He licked his lips, tasting salt and Axel on his lips. "You know, ice cream sounds good right now."
"Come and get it," Axel said cheerfully, turning over to swim in the normal way that Roxas didn't know the technical name for (Axel was a rubbish teacher on strokes. He just liked to show off, Roxas thought) and swim off.
Roxas rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking about you!"
"So you don't want me?" Axel's voice floated back, mockingly.
Roxas huffed. "Stop teasing me!"
"Come and get it~" Axel called.
Roxas shook his head, sure that his face was going to crack because it hurt so much from smiling. "I can't swim that fast!" he called, starting to swim off after him.