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"I don't know what to do," Roxas murmured.
"That's okay. You don't need to." Axel held out his hand. "Come on. I won't let anyone laugh at you."
Roxas ducked his head and put his hands in Axel's. He didn't have an ounce of dancing technique in his body. He hadn't danced ever.
"Okay, now put your arms around my waist... It doesn't really work any other way, with us." Axel's arms came down to settle around Roxas's neck. "Shorty," he added teasingly.
Roxas stuck his tongue out but slipped his arms around Axel's waist, holding on tightly. "Okay."
"Okay," Axel repeated. "Now just do what I do. Watch my feet. It's literally just a shuffle; you cannot get it wrong."
It was just a shuffle, really. Roxas could shift his weight from foot to foot like that, too, which he did and it earned him a smile, but-
"Is this really dancing?" he asked out loud.
Axel smiled warmly. "It's dancing for those who don't know how to dance."
Roxas laughed, leaning forward to press his cheek against Axel's chest. The reassuring ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum pulsed evenly under his ear, filling him with happiness and warmth. Axel had once said that his heart beat for Roxas... Roxas wasn't entirely sure that that wasn't true.
"I love you."
Axel looked down at him. "Oh?" His smile reached up to his eyes. "Love you, too, Roxas." His arms tightened, slipping into an embrace rather than dance form.
Roxas closed his eyes and hugged him back tightly, breathing in the spiced cinnamon scent that was the only love he ever wanted to know.