Work Text:
After the battle, the guardians of light found themselves at King Mickey's Castle. It was time to rest after the strenuos fight.
King Mickey's servants had prepared rooms for all his guests.
For Axel, everything felt like a dream. Was it all a dream? It all felt too good to be true. He was also exhausted.
His body felt bruised all over, and it probably was.
He stood alone in a bathroom as he buttoned up his pajamas that were provided to all the guests.
Baby blue collared pajamas with a King Mickey's likeness patterned all over. Of course.
Each guest was provided with their own room, but the Twilight Town trio found themselves gathered in one room. How could
they be seperated now, after all this time apart? The three of them acted like a bunch of preteen girls at a sleepover party.
Despite their exhaustion, playful punches and pillows were thrown. Judging by the sounds coming from the other room,
the other guests were having a similar evening.
At one point in the evening, Xion abruptly interrupted the conversation by grabbing Roxas's hand and bringing it to her chest.
Roxas's face showed confusion for a moment, then awe.
"A heartbeat!" he exclaimed, as Xion excitedly nodded.
When Axel discovered he had a heartbeat, his reaction wasn't so enthusiastic. He had lived most of his life with a heart, although,
he was relieved to feel his heartbeat again after so many years without it. For Roxas and Xion, on the other hand, this was entirely
new experience to them. Axel wondered how they were going to react to all the not-so-fun perks of having a human body.
Well, semi-human at least.
To his surprise, a soft blonde head was suddenly pressed against his chest. Axel couldn't stop his heart for pounding, much to
his embarrassment.
"Wow," Roxas quietly said, with genuine awe.
Axel noticed Xion was crying again. He couldn't help but chuckle. With all their newfound emotions, Axel had the feeling that
there would be a lot of spontaneous crying going on for quite awhile.
------------------------------------------------
Xion was the first to fall asleep. Sleep had hit her fast and unexpectedly. She wasn't even laying on the bed properly; her head
lay in the middle of the bed and missed the pillows entirely. Her feet barely dangled over the edge. Axel and Roxas laid on either
side of the bed, their upper bodies propped up against the headboard, with Xion asleep between them.
Axel stared through the sliding glass doors to the stars in the sky. The sliding door across from their bed led to
a small balcony overlooking the King's garden. A single lantern, lit with magic, illuminated their room with a soft glow.
Axel's heart swelled inside his chest. The moment felt so peaceful. He couldn't believe, after all this time, that he was able to
share this moment with his most cherished friends. The old Axel would literally kill for just a small moment like this. He had to
remind himself that he was different now, but, he couldn't deny he still felt those feelings to a degree. The feelings of
protecting his loved ones and keeping them by his side; no matter what... no matter who he hurt.
How was he still awake? He was exhausted. He glanced over at Xion, who was in a deep slumber. He glanced to his right to
the blonde beside him. Roxas was still awake, quietly staring at Axel with half-lidded eyes. The lantern in the room cast
a gentle, warm glow to his face and blonde hair. Now this felt like it was straight from a dream.
"Can't sleep?" Roxas asked.
"Surprisingly, no," Axel answered.
Roxas turned his head to stare straight ahead at the night sky. Axel studied his features. He looked so different than what
he remembered. When they had first met and went on their first missions with the Organization, he always appeared
bright-eyed and eager-- much like an innocent child who had yet to learn the horrors of the world. Now, his eyes looked
tired and aged. It was as if he had lived for a hundred years, when in reality he had barely been alive for one.
Roxas looked back at his friend. Axel could tell the younger boy wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what.
Axel gulped. This is was the first time that they had been alone together since their reunion. In the past, Axel and Roxas
had been alone plenty of times, but this time it was different.
Axel had the sudden urge to apologize for everything. Everything he had done before... before he had a heart. He cringed
when he thought about their fight at the Old Mansion. How, at the time, he was perfectly fine with the idea of going out
in a fiery blaze and bringing his friend down with him.
He thought about all the pain he put Sora and Kairi through while trying to get Roxas back. How eager he was to
sacrifice them if it meant seeing Roxas one more time. At least he had changed his mind and helped Sora in the end.
"Oh shit," Axel thought as he suddenly remembered his final words as a Nobody. His face flushed at the memory.
It was practically a love confession. Well, it was, after all. And he had meant every word.
"Could he have heard it?" Axel wondered if Roxas had heard the whole speech while being a stowaway on Sora's heart.
He rubbed his forehead with his hand. Not knowing for sure would surely drive him crazy.
Axel snapped out of his deep thought when a hand rested gently on top of his free hand. He looked over at Roxas, whose
eyes were closed shut. Without any thought, Axel rotated his hand so he could hold his friend's hand properly. He felt
Roxas's hand squeeze tighter.
The anxiety in Axel's mind cleared away.