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“I thought I’d find you here.”
Axel had heard the approach even before the words were spoken, and the thump of his fully restored heart let him know it was Roxas before the voice did. His smile was a quirked upturn of lips to the left, and he leaned into the warmth that settled beside him on the ledge of the clock tower. Their clock tower.
“I’m not a subtle person. You know that.”
“You’re also a very predictable one.”
“Maybe only to you.”
He felt, rather than knew that Roxas smiled at that, and a silence washed over them as the sun began its red descent in the sky. After a few minutes, Axel raised his hand and called upon his keyblade, settling it in his lap, using the other to trace along its edges.
“Showing off?” Roxas asked with a raised brow, but there was no annoyance in it, just mild amusement.
“It’s still strange for me.” He turned to Roxas, his grin stretching further across his face as he did so. “Though we always knew how amazing I was. You should have seen the first time I did it. A flick of the wrist and there it was.”
“Wield two of them and I’ll be impressed.”
“Hey, I had my two chakrams! And those you had to throw!”
“Yeah, and sometimes you even hit things.”
Axel poked him in the side with the tip of his keyblade, earning a surprised laughing squeak out of him.
“Careful with that thing. I’m not convinced you really know how to use it yet.”
“I’m good at using a lot of things.”
Roxas rolled his eyes and pushed at his shoulder, though the smile never left his lips. “Must you always make everything crude?”
“Stop looking so adorable when I do and I’ll stop.”
Roxas felt his cheeks heat and looked away, hoping rather than believing that Axel hadn’t seen. “Is there a reason you’re hiding out up here? I thought I was the brooding one.”
Axel sighed, examining his keyblade for a moment longer before letting it disappear from his fingers with a curling of smoke. “Not hiding out. Just…taking it all in. Being back. Having a keyblade. Being a ‘good guy’.” He turned to Roxas, waiting patiently until Roxas turned back towards him as the pink faded from his cheeks. “Having you back. I didn’t think it was possible. I never planned for life…after.”
The words hung between them. After the organization.
Roxas nodded, bringing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin atop them. “It’s still so strange hearing people call you Lea.” And that hung between them too. Because to Roxas, that name meant nothing.
“You know I’ll always be Axel for you Rox.”
Roxas had been afraid at first, that he would be different. That it would feel different. But Axel was still the same brash, confident, snarky person he’d always been. His best friend. His everything.
Axel’s acidic green eyes met the ocean blue of Roxas’, and he leaned towards him. Roxas’ bent legs made the angle awkward, but their lips met as Axel’s hand made a caressing gesture along his jaw. The sweetness of it was not lost on either of them, and they parted only to press their foreheads together to keep contact.
“It is real, isn’t it?” Roxas couldn’t help the words leaving his mouth, pressing forward a bit more so his nose also pressed against Axel’s. The quietness of just two of them on the tower coupled with the heat of the red sunset on his cheek encouraged openness. He needed to hear Axel speak plainly. No jokes. No word games.
“God I hope so.” And the lips were back again, scorching and sure, and Roxas threw one leg over each side of the edge to allow them to get closer. He wound his arms around Axel’s shoulders as Axel’s fingers slipped into his hair, and those were scorching too, Axel’s fire always so close to the surface when his feelings overwhelmed him. It sent a fire through Roxas’ own body and he let a sound escape from his throat that would embarrass him later once he thought back on it. For now he just wanted to feel, because he could.
When they pulled back for breath Roxas let his head drop to Axel’s chest, feeling the erratic beat of Axel’s heart in tandem with his own thundering in his ears. Axel laughed softly and buried his nose in Roxas’ hair.
“We need to stop or we’re both going to go tumbling off this thing. I don’t know about you but I rather like being back in the real world.”
“Am I too much for you?”
“Roxie, I’m shocked! I thought I was supposed to be the crude one.”
“You are. But you’re also a terrible influence.” He nipped a chuckling Axel on the nose with a quick flash of teeth and hauled himself firmly onto the platform of the clock tower. His breath hitched as he turned to look at Axel still sitting, the sunset sending a sharp halo around his profile; he was blazing from his red hair to his black boots, and for one heart-stopping moment, Roxas thought that maybe he was still nothing but a memory floating along Sora’s consciousness.
But then Axel stood, the brightness of the sun fading behind his back, and took Roxas’ hand in his. With a wicked grin he returned Roxas’ bite to the nose, and for good measure smacked a loud and wet kiss to his forehead. Roxas tried to screw his mouth into an annoyed grimace, but failed miserably as his lips turned up and a laugh bubbled forth.
“Okay okay, no more thinking spot for you. Xion will be wondering where we went. We can bring her some ice cream as an apology for disappearing. But you’re buying because you’ve been gone for longer.”
“Aww c’mon Roxie, I’ve got no munny on me.”
“Yeah right, I heard you jingling as you stood up. And don’t call me Roxie.”
“You love it when I call you Roxie.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Axel threw his head back as he laughed, his arm snaking around Roxas’ shoulders and pulling him close as they started walking towards the stairs.
“Ice cream then?” Axel lolled his head to the side, the smile on his face all teeth and promises of what was to come.
“Ice cream.” Roxas’ smile was far gentler, but he let himself be cradled more fully against Axel’s side as they descended towards Twilight Town proper.