Archive of Our Own ^beta

Roxas couldn’t remember the last time something interesting happened.

He was a twin, born thirteen minutes apart from his brother Ventus, who regularly took great pleasure in reminding him of this fact. Ventus was a good brother but tended to see himself as the one who needed to ‘guide’ his sibling. It was both endearing and annoying, and Roxas put up with it out of care for his sibling. 

In reality, it seemed to Roxas that his brother went through life in a daze; Ventus was more carefree and generous when offering his aid to those around him. Roxas was always the logical one who planned before he made his move. Though Roxas could admit his own downfall was his temper, which could go off the handle if he was too heated about a subject.  

Roxas never vocalized that he had the goal of being a reliable brother for Ventus to lean on in times of need. But he was doing his best to be one. The duo balanced each other well. 

The twins went to college straight after high school. The acceptance letters for Radiant Garden University had arrived with much fanfare to the family. Roxas could still taste the anticipation as Ven carefully peeled open his offer letter to confirm it was, in fact, his and not a duplicate. When Ven touched the paper to his forehead, he cried. Roxas could remember the feeling of relief and the confident smile he had flashed his sibling upon realization. 

Ven preferred sports and helping others. Roxas was usually lost in the library, taking his time to investigate the mysteries of the world. He was a curious person, craving an answer to things that piqued his interest. 

College went by too fast. Hayner, Pence, Xion, and Olette helped the time pass by with various antics. Together, they took trips back to Destiny island and frequently hiked in the vast Twilight mountain scape, exploring the train line that ended at the college town.  Their cousin Sora also attended the university, leading to the creation of a large friend group that spilled and stayed connected even after their graduations.  

After receiving his diploma, Roxas expected some fanfare and a feeling of accomplishment. After four years of being drilled that getting a college degree would change his life and make something of himself, he had been sorely disappointed that it wasn’t the case. The job field was a nightmare when they graduated, so they had to fight for scraps against every other college grad who didn’t have connections or a legacy family company. 

Roxas got the first high-paying job he could snag. It was out of his field of study (How a political science major ended up as a data entry clerk for an electronic company, he didn't know), but it paid his half of the mortgage on the small duplex his parents helped the twins buy to get them on their feet.

Life grew more complicated with an over-exhausting job, but it also became monotonous with the routine tasks required of Roxas at work and at home. Roxas felt as if he was on auto-pilot 90 percent of the time. 

“- So anyway, Roxas. The new next-door neighbors are coworkers of Terra and Aqua.” Ventus’s voice came from his car’s speakers as Roxas drove home from work. 

Roxas wasn’t really paying attention to what Ven was saying. The traffic was bumper to bumper, and Roxas had a long day in the office. His brain was far away from the phone conversation.

“ Also, I’m running late.” The sound of shuffling was amplified through the car speaker, making Roxas wince. “The boss needs us to stay to help create a quick presentation.”   

Roxas eased on his break as traffic locked up again, the car’s tail lights in front of him flashing an angry red. Roxas was exhausted by the daily routine. He barely had time to breathe when he got home from work. The only thing that registered was that Ventus was going to be late.

“Did you want me to make you something?” He would have to wait to eat dinner if Ventus wanted to eat together, meaning Roxas would have to ignore the growling in his stomach for food. 

There was a shuffling noise at the other end of the line before Ventus responded. “ Go ahead and just make yourself something. I think Terra and I are going to run to a pub nearby for dinner.”  

Both relief and annoyance filled Roxas at the comment. The good news was that he would get to eat on time; but the soft bite of jealousy did pinch the back of his spine. 

It was okay that Roxas was single. He needed to focus on his career anyway. 

“Cool. I won’t wait up. Just remember to be able to walk tomorrow, Ven.” He had to add the jab to tease the other.

“ Roxas!”  The embarrassment that filled Ventus’ voice gave him slight satisfaction as traffic began to move again. 

Life was stagnant, and the week continued to tick by painfully slow.

—-

Having Sora and Vanitus over to their duplex was always a bad idea. Yet here they were, and Roxas felt like a babysitter on the weekend, his only time off.

Ven was out late at work again, seeing as he usually took his sweet time leaving during the shifts he and Terra finished around the same time. Ven's college friends, Terra and Aqua, worked for the local fire department. The fire station was next to Ven’s work campus. 

Working as firefighters meant long hours and hard work, but the few times Roxas spoke with Aqua and Terra about their job, they seemed to love it. It also became a great meeting spot for Ventus to join the duo regularly as he worked as an EMT nearby. 

Ven ,who worked as an EMT, just happened to have a scheduled shift the first half of the day that their cousins wanted, in Vanitas' words - "to bring some life back into you boring bastards." 

This early shift spared Ven some of the usual chaos that ensued when the cousins visited. Roxas knew it was an extra shift that his twin picked up, but he didn’t call Ven out. Roxas knew Ven’s actual motivation was to avoid fighting with Vanitas. The duo always had a rocky relationship, so minimization of interactions was key to keeping the peace. 

Unfortunately, it didn't  save their home from either of their cousins, as Roxas was the family mediator. 

"Yo Roxas, this looks really cool—Ack!" 

The tell-tale sign of something cracking informed Roxas that Sora once again broke something fragile. The familiar throb of frustration rocked over him as he shuffled toward the noise. 

Sora, like his older brother Vanitus, was a disaster. His flavor of chaos leaned more into his clumsy nature. Any damage inflicted was never intentional, and the boy’s charming personality made it hard for Roxas to get frustrated with the constant destruction. 

Roxas just wanted peace on the weekends. With a sigh, he moved to examine the figurine Sora had pulled from the display case.

Later he would regret that he should have been paying more attention to Vanitus during the visit, as usual.  

The man had been peering out the living room window, eyes narrowing at the flurry of activity out front. The duplex to the right of theirs had just recently sold. he noise was likely caused by their new neighbors who were still hustling and moving items into their new home. But, by the look on Vanitus’ face, something had caught his eye.

Roxas hadn't bothered to look into new arrivals. When he returned home every day from work, it was usually already dark, so he barely paid attention to his surroundings on a good day. The neighborhood was noisy with families in the first place, and Roxas wasn't very social. For the most part, the twins kept to themselves and invited their friends over instead of seeking out the neighbors. 

Vanitus perched in the window sea, and a whistle left him as he peered through the blinds, earning Roxas’s attention. 

"Okay, how dare a man have that nice of a V-cut and not be sucking my dick right now." Vanitus sighed wistfully.

Roxas balked at the comment, swiftly grabbing a pillow from the nearby loveseat and throwing it at the other’s head. "Vanitus, the fuck ?"

Vanitus deflected with a raised arm, sending the cushion down to the carpeted floor. Golden eyes narrowed in annoyance as he motioned out the uncovered window. 

"Have you seen the neighbors?" Van looked offended as he spoke, making a circular motion with his hands. “You should have told us snacks were moving in next door!” 

Roxas had no idea. He rarely stepped outside  his daily routine, so he didn’t need to investigate the attractiveness of his neighbors. 

Roxas sighed, making it a point to focus on the figurine Sora managed to decapitate. Sora, who was near the triple-tier glass Ikea display case in the back of the room, held the tortured figurine out for Roxas to take. 

“I don't care to snoop ,” Roxas replied, snark heavy in his tone as he gently examined the figure he took from Sora. “You do remember how pissed off you were, when Ms. Gothel purposely reported you to the cops for any minor thing after catching you and Flynn Rider sneaking into Rapunzel’s room. I remember you complaining about, and I quote, ‘ That peeping hag that gets her jollies out of pretending she’s on a crime show reporting her neighbors for bullshit.’ ” 

Truth be told, Roxas was curious after he saw the neighbors’ house go up on the market a handful of weeks ago. Unfortunately, he had been too preoccupied at the time with Ventus, the duo attempting to buy a replacement dishwasher for their unit. The only reason he noticed the house had sold was that the old owner’s moving van trapped a delivery truck, effectively blocking off the entrance to a handful of condos for a few hours that week. It caused the movers to be late for their delivery timeline, and Roxas had to spend extra time waiting for his dishwasher delivery. 

Roxas really regretted letting their cousin's in the door. 

Ven, the traitor , managed to dodge the bullet of seeing their cousins, as he could always use Terra as a reason not to come home and help. Ven’s stupid, reliable, and attractive boyfriend helped him in any situation.

 Roxas could admit he was a little jealous of his twin. 

The only reason Roxas wasn’t more annoyed was that they could use Ven's muscle-bound himbo to help them with the larger house projects. Though Roxas regularly regretted it after how lovey-dovey the two could get in private.

He was happy for Ventus, really. 

“Well you can now. Look.” Vanitus’ voice broke him out of his thoughts. 

Abruptly Roxas’ arm was grabbed by Vanitus’ firm grip, and was pulled over to the black curtained window that faced the duplex out of the left-side window. From the high vantage point of their view, they were able to see two men. 

One was tall, much taller than Roxas. His fire-engine red hair was long, and pulled back in a high ponytail. He was wearing a tight fitting black tank top, and well fitting black jeans that were snug against his tone legs. He was leaning against the hood of a bright red SUV, stuffed to the brim with boxes. The driver’s side door was open, and a familiar firehouse uniform jacket slung casually on the seat. They were too far away to see the patches clearly, but the uniform was familiar to Roxas thanks to Ventus’ friends. 

To the right of the redhead, a man with silver hair appeared beside him. The new arrival shoved a taped box into the other's hands, scowling at him. The other man was a few inches shorter than the redhead, who began laughing at whatever the silvernette said. 

“You think they’re narcs?” Vanitas’ voice was too close to Roxas’ ear as the man leaned over him to point at the uniform in the door. “I don’t see a squad car.”

“That’s because they aren’t cops,” Roxas replied to Vanitus before reaching to tug his wrist free. 

“Ohh, we could always invite them over!” Sora chirped, appearing to his other side while pressing just as close as his elder brother into Roxas’ personal space. 

“Absolutely not.” Roxas killed the idea before the others got any ideas. Shoving the pair of brothers off him, he made his way back to the couch to pick up his tablet computer, determined to go back to working on his PowerPoint presentation for work the following day. 

“Aww. You’re being Eyore again, Roxy.” Sora gave him a playful smile despite the tease before the brunette joined him on the couch. He fumbled with the remote for a few seconds before flipping the television on to some cooking show and settling. 

Vanitas stayed at the window for a few minutes longer before heading into the kitchen.  He disappeared into the area for a few minutes, hidden behind a divider wall between the dining and living rooms. 

Roxas tried to ignore him, figuring Vanitas was searching for snacks. Sometimes Roxas questioned if the other was actually a raccoon rather than a grown man. 

His concentration was broken roughly two minutes later by Vanitus loudly calling. “Hey Roxy, I found garlic bread. I'm going to make it.” 

A non-committal hum left Roxas as he tried to focus on the graph he was working on. Vanitus seemed to take the hint and disappeared back into the kitchen. It wasn’t as if a comment from Roxas would stop him, and they both knew it.

Twenty minutes later, Roxas' concentration was broken again. This time the cause was the smell of something burning. It reached Roxas’ nose just as the fire alarm started to blare in the kitchen. The sound rocked through the kitchen, startling Roxas and Sora and sending them scrambling from their seats. 

It hit Roxas immediately that Vanitas had done something. 

The sound pierced over the drone of the cooking show as Roxas and Sora quickly made their way out of the living room to the kitchen. Vanitas stood staring at the stainless steel appliance partially open, the silver foil of the garlic bread ablaze within the confines of the stove. 

“Vanitas!” “Bro, what the fuck?!” The duo screamed in varied tones of concern and anger as the black-haired source of the destruction shrugged casually. 

“I got the timing wrong?” There was no remorse in Vanitus' voice. On the contrary, in Roxas’ opinion, he looked rather relaxed for a man who caused a fire, and it pissed him off more.

Roxas was the first to scramble to tug open the back sliding door to get a rush of fresh air into the unit. “I don’t fucking care. Put it out!” 

Black smoke billowed out, and Vanitas didn’t move. 

“With what?” Vanitas’ tone was casual as Sora shoved past him to open the window over the sink, a vain attempt to try and provide more clean air and help dissipate the smoke. 

Roxas cursed loudly. The blaring fire alarms mixed with Vanitas’ lack of care was quickly building a headache. Roxas sprinted out of the kitchen and took the staircase near the house’s entrance which was connected down to the garage. They had to have a fire extinguisher somewhere! 

As Roxas passed the front door, a rapid knock struck. Sora, who had been hot on Roxas’ heels, pulled it open to reveal two figures in the doorway. 

The duo from the car appeared, both looking concerned in the doorway. To the left stood the tall redhead, a small fire extinguisher casually tucked under his right arm, while the silver-haired man had his arm raised, likely the one who had knocked. 

Up close, Roxas could see the redhead had pretty damn vibrant green eyes, while the silvernette sported cool aquamarine, which searched over both of them with suspicion, but definitely lingered longer on Sora. 

“Are you gentlemen okay?” The silvernette’s voice was soft, unlike his eyes. 

“Er- Ah-” Sora, caught off guard, fumbled while Roxas caught sight of the fire extinguisher in the redhead's hand. 

“My cousin started a fire in our oven.” Roxas moved without thinking, pushing past Sora to grab the redhead's wrist and pull him inside. Making his way up the short set of stairs to the living room, then over to the kitchen where Vanitas was standing, looking amused at the chaos he created .  

“Oh, shit.” The redhead seemed surprised, breaking out of Roxas’ grip once they reached the destination to get to work, spraying down the flaming mixture of paper and aluminum foil that was still billowing smoke with the fire extinguisher he brought. 

On the duo’s heels, Sora and the silver-haired man followed. That left the five of them in the kitchen as the redhead put out the small kitchen fire in record time. It took a few moments for the fire alarms to stop blaring after. Once it did, they were left in a comfortable silence as the redhead finished his work. 

“So-” The silvernette began, Sora perking up to stare at him as he spoke, “You shouldn’t put paper in the oven.” He finished, eyes looking between the oven and the three assumed tenants of the unit. 

“Oh no, was I supposed to take it out of the packaging?” Vantius’ tone copied Sora’s usual innocence, gold eyes going wide as he glanced between the new arrivals and the stove. The silver-haired man did a double take when looking between Sora and Vanitus, his eyes widening slightly before settling back to an indifferent look. 

A bubble of anger rolled through Roxas like an annoying itch that demanded attention. Vanitus caused the fire on purpose and was acting like a fool! 

“Vanitas, you fucking asshole!” Roxas couldn’t hold back, quickly aiming a punch into the other's shoulder, who quickly dodged out of the way as if expecting it. Vanitas faked shock on his face, but the amusement in his eyes gave away his true feelings. 

“Woah, woah–Calm down, blondie!” The redhead held up his hands, quickly intercepting the punch and stepping in between the blonde and his cousin. “It’s a common mistake.” The redhead tried to soothe Roxas’ anger, his hand squeezing lightly on the hand he caught. The sensation of their hands touching sent light tingles down Roxas’ arm as they made eye contact. Seemingly un-phased the taller man continued. “The instructions on the bags say to keep them in the oven, this is a common fire hazard.” 

Green eyes met blue, and something stirred in Roxas’ stomach outside of the rage he felt towards Vanitas. 

Gritting his teeth, he sent another glare Vanitas’ way before pulling his fists to his side and stepping back away from the redhead. If Roxas didn’t know any better, he’d say the other held his fist for a little too long. Maybe the new neighbor thought he was going to throw another punch, but the lingering touch made Roxas’ skin tingle. 

“Let's just be happy the neighbors had a fire extinguisher handy!” Sora beamed from the side, looking between the two new arrivals. “Thank you guys so much! I’m Sora Lionhart.” He offered his hand to the silvernette first, who quickly shook it without question. “I don’t actually live here—neither does Vanitas!” He pointed to his brother. “We just come and bug Roxas and Ventus.” 

Sora seemed oddly proud of that. 

“Riku.” The silver-haired man replied, bringing his hand back down to his side. “The lanky one is-”

“Lea.” The redhead offered his hand to Roxas for a shake after tucking the fire extinguisher under his arm. Reluctantly, the blonde retook the hand, but this time they shook. Again, the same warmth seemed to flood Roxas at the contact, but he quickly ignored it. “That means you must be-” Green eyes locked with blue once again, and it felt as if the other’s stare was searching. 

“Roxas,” Roxas replied, suddenly feeling a little shy with the intensity of the stare. “Ventus is at work. I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually.” Roxas quickly pulled his hand back once again to his side, not trusting any more physical contact with the redhead.  

“You guys sure were prepared. You emergency responders?” Vanitas asked casually, eyes darting between the pair. Roxas took the opportunity to step back away from the redhead and get some distance between them.

Lea finally moved away from the stove, smiling casually as he returned to Riku’s side. “Firefighters, actually. We work at district Eight.” He seemed to be proud of this fact, offering a cocky grin. 

“That’s so cool!” Sora seemed to vibrate with excitement, his eyes darting between the two with interest. “Thank you for saving us!” 

“Anytime, but please don’t make this a habit.” Riku gave a small smile back, directed at Sora, before nodding to Roxas and Vanitus. With the job done, the firemen had no reason to stay. Riku motioned his head towards the door, and Lea nodded before speaking. 

“Well, we will stop intruding.” The men made their way to the front door, with Roxas and Sora following a step behind.

“Thanks,” Roxas repeated as they were at the threshold. “And… welcome to the neighborhood.” He finished lamely. 

“No problem, Roxy. Look forward to seeing you around.” The redhead winked, and with that the duo excited. Quickly Roxas shut the door behind them, letting a sigh out. 

“Woooow, they were hotter up close,” Vanias commented from the top of the stairs, eyes on the closed door. 

“Vanitus, did you light my oven on fire on PURPOSE to meet the neighbors?” Roxas bit out, glancing over his shoulder in his cousin’s direction. 

“Maybe.” The man’s tone was casual, him glancing at his nail beds with disinterest. 

“I’m going to kill you!” 

——-

Roxas was, unfortunately, unable to murder Vanitus. 

He managed to stay out of Roxas’ hold and earned his mercy by promising to clean up the mess he caused. The burnt garlic bread was dumped into the trash, along with copious amounts of disinfecting wipes that Vanitus used to clean. The retardant foam was chalky and left the air in the room feeling heavy, so they kept the windows open. A chilly breeze slipped into the house, forcing the boys to don jackets as the night grew cold.

When Ventus arrived home, they ordered delivery because the kitchen was temporarily out of order. Ventus hadn’t looked even remotely shocked at the state of the kitchen. The four boys ate around the coffee table with a cooking show playing in the background. 

“So the neighbors are hot.” Vanitus pointed his chopsticks at Ventus over his bowl of orange chicken.

Ventus pushed Vanitus’ wrist down with his free hand, rolling his eyes. “So hot that you tried to burn down our kitchen?”

 “You were hiding valuable information about the firehouse.” There was an offended whine in Vanitus' response, which only earned a snort from Ventus and a bubble of laughter from Sora.

“You know firefighters have to stay in shape to even haul their uniforms around,” Ven stated as if it was the most obvious thing on the planet. Roxas didn’t exactly agree with Vantius that Ven was hiding anything, but it would have been helpful if he shared that there was some decent eye candy around.

“Also, it’s not like I work inside the firehouse. The dispatch office for the EMTs just happens to be next door - and my boyfriend works there. So, it’s not like I learn the names of all his coworkers.” Ven proceeded to take a large bite out of an eggroll, attempting to end the conversation. 

“They seem really nice. Riku and Lea, that is!” Sora hummed from the couch seat next to Roxas. He had been busy shoving his face with shrimp fried rice, not really adding to the conversation. While Sora was usually talkative, food was one of the few distractions they could use to get a few minutes of peace.

Cracking open a cider, Roxas brought the alcohol to his lips to take a quick drink. The new neighbors really weren’t any of their business. Even if they were attractive and interesting, they had nothing to do with Roxas. 

Stubbornly he pushed away the same curiosity that the others held as he stabbed a spoon into his mapo tofu. He had to think about the upcoming presentation at work. The hot neighbors would become old news soon. 

—---

The weeks flew by, and work droned on at a snail's pace. Spring turned to summer, and the heat began clawing through the duplex. The heat was an additional thorn in Roxas’ side with his overwhelming work schedule, leaving him completely drained by the time he stepped through the garage door after a day's work.

It was a Thursday evening after a sweltering day. A supervisor in another department who had been particularly hateful towards Roxas had chewed him out for not CCing them on an email chain. They weren’t particularly needed on the planning side of the current project, and Roxas had asked his boss for the list to email so it wasn’t exactly his fault, but the manager sure liked pinning the blame on him. Roxas had grown skilled at counting down from ten when his temper peaked, holding back his emotions while dealing with her.

Ventus texted that afternoon, letting him know he’d be out late again and to feed himself. Roxas had leftover curry in the fridge from the previous night, but he couldn’t be bothered to even heat it up; he was so tired.

As soon as Roxas arrived home from work, he stripped out of his work clothing. He quickly changed into a pair of loose green basketball shorts he’d had since high school, and a tight black tank top that clung to him nicely. From there, he collapsed onto the couch. Mindlessly he scrolled through his phone for the quickest food delivery app, and ordered from one of his familiar places to eat. 

As he waited, Roxas threw on a video game streamer in the background as he scrolled through his phone. He felt braindead after a shift, and could barely focus. Quickly he lost track of time, and before he knew it, there was a knock on the front door. Checking his food delivery app, Roxas noted the driver had dropped off the order almost seven minutes prior. Roxas hadn’t noticed any notification on his phone, so what could have happened?

Curiously, Roxas pulled himself from the couch and went  to the door to get his food and to see what was going on. 

When Roxas opened the door to his duplex, he expected to see a bag of takeout on the doormat, or a delivery driver holding a food warming bag. Instead, swinging open the door revealed a solid muscular body casually leaning on one of the entry pillars. He was wearing the most hideous pair of pink crocs Roxas had ever seen in his life. They were causally perched over the welcome mat looking horribly out of place. 

Roxas’ eyes trailed up from the color clash where he had expected his food to be, following the black sweatpants up he met flesh and a defined V Line up to six-pack abs. He was shirtless, with a casual red plaid hoodie left open over his shoulders. Red hair was again tied back in a loose ponytail, looking completely relaxed. Bright green eyes were focused exclusively on Roxas.

Roxas forgot to breathe for a moment, completely stunned. He must have looked for too long, as a polite cough brought his attention to the pair of deep green eyes, and an amused chuckle followed.  

“So, I take it, you ordered Indian?” Callused fingers reached out and offered a plastic bag to Roxas. The smell of jasmine rice and tikka masala mixed with the smell of fresh cut grass and something a bit muskier he couldn’t place caused Roxas’ brain to short circuit momentarily. 

It was odd to see the man standing just outside his door.The feeling of déjà vu ran over Roxas like a trickle. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he was met with the same laughter and amusement shining in Lea’s emerald eyes.  

“The delivery person dropped it off on our step, if you could believe it. You should complain. The guy didn’t bother to check the address.” Lea spoke with his hands, Roxas noticed. He moved them as he spoke, using two fingers pressed together in a gun shape, and then rolling his wrist for emphasis. 

Roxas was trying to listen to the man, but he found himself focusing on his sharp jawline and the markings that had suddenly appeared on both his cheeks. Little dark purple tear drops under both eyes. Curiously flooded him.

“Are those tattoos?” Roxas abruptly asked before realizing what he had done. That had just meant to be a thought!  

Lea broke into a cheshire grin, an amused hum leaving his throat. His eyebrows raised, clearly showing a pleased expression for Roxas’ curiosity. Hot embarrassment flooded Roxas, and he could feel the blood rush to his cheeks, dusting the tip of his ears. 

 “Nevermind! Ignore that.” The comment came out fast. ow desperate to escape the conversation, Roxas quickly reached for the previously offered food bag. Unfortunately, he missed because Lea immediately pulled the bag out of reach.  

“Ah-ah, now here I was retelling the heroic tale of rescuing your dinner, and you suddenly ask a maiden to kiss and tell?” The man leaned back, using his full towering height to keep the bag out of Roxas’ reach. It rubbed in the fact that Roxas was small for a guy, barely clocking at five foot seven. 

Lea had to be at least six foot six. The hair made him even taller. 

Roxas could feel his ears burn in embarrassment. “Ha, ha, Give it back!” His tone was sharp. 

This was Lea’s true personality, it seemed. A dick. 

A really hot and playful dick that seemed to like pushing Roxas’ buttons. Blue eyes glared daggers, trying to fight back the blush he knew covered his cheeks as he reached up for the food again.

Lea quickly transferred the payload behind his back to the opposite hand Roxas had reached for, making a tutting noise. “ Now now, Roxy! I, the gallant knight, am only helping to right a wrong!” 

“What knight?!” Roxas snapped back, and lunged for the bag again. 

They continued this dance a few more rounds while Lea continued to lament in the most obnoxious way possible. “I went up all these stairs and I don’t even get a thank you?” 

Frustrated and still embarrassed, Roxas stood to his full height and crossed his arms. Then, staring directly at Lea, he sighed. “ Thank you . Now, can you please give me my food?” 

The other man's smug grin shouldn’t be as handsome as it was. “You’re welcome, Roxy.” 

With the food in Roxas’ grabbing range, he quickly moved to pull the bag towards him only to get caught by Lea’s own grip not releasing. 

“By the way;” The way Lea spoke made Roxas instinctively freeze in place. He very much felt like a mouse caught between a cat’s claws. “I cover them up for work.” The man winked playfully before releasing the bag to Roxas. 

He’s really attractive. It registered in Roxas' mind, his eyes widening as he stared at Lea standing before him. His stance was non-threatening but screamed power. Lea carried a confidence that Roxas wasn’t used to seeing, and the firefighter was pinning him with the attention! It was a new experience for Roxas, who was not used to being on the receiving end of flirting. 

Was it flirting? He wasn’t particularly sure. He had been out of the dating game for years. 

“Now that the deed is done, I shall take my leave.” As Lea spoke again, he kept the cheesy dialogue running, making dramatic sweeps with his arms. It was a quirk Roxas was starting to appreciate, as he could see toned arms and hands move with energetic waves. 

Lea gave Roxas a two-finger salute and then headed down the stairs, not waiting for a response.  “Later, Roxas!” He had a swagger in his step as he left. 

Roxas never shut the door behind him so fast. Blood rushed to his ears, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment. He then leaned his head back and let shaky laughter escape his lips. 

This was a new variable he hadn’t factored into his routine. A hot guy was potentially flirting with him. 

Roxas carefully set the food down on the counter near the entrance of the unit, then brought his hands to his face. He pressed them against his cheeks and nose taking a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. He hadn’t acted that childish around a stranger in his life.  

His mind drifted back to deep emeralds, and a pleased shudder ran down his spine. Lea was unfairly attractive, and he knew it. 

Roxas chewed on his bottom lip trying hard to calm himself down.  

He needed a cold shower. 

—---

Roxas tried desperately not to think about his interaction with Lea the following morning. 

Work was crazy, and he was desperate to catch up on his workload and pretend his neighbor wasn’t unfairly attractive. 

He lasted until lunch, where Xion flagged him down to visit a food truck parked on their work campus. 

“He’s unfairly hot, Xion!” Roxas tried hard to hold the whine from his voice, but judging by Xion’s look, he failed. 

His nerves were fried and Roxas was completely frazzled, much to the delight of Xion. Her shoulders shook with suppressed laughter as they sat at one of the outdoor tables waiting for their food. 

“This is the rude firefighter Vanitas tried to set your place on fire to meet, right?” Xion asked, casually rolling her water bottle between her hands. 

Roxas nodded, crossing his legs under the table.

“You’re such a pushover.” Xion’s face and tone were amused. 

She had every right to make fun of him. Roxas knew he was maybe blowing everything out of proportion. But Lea’s behavior didn’t help the situation at all. Either Lea was flirting or just a really friendly guy. 

“Thanks, Xi. I definitely wanted to hear this while I'm going through a crisis.” He shot back, folding his arms over the surface of the table and planting his forehead to rest on them.

“Come on, Roxas. You have an absolutely normal crush on the boy next door.”  She petted the top of his head, carefully  avoiding messing his spikes up.  “You said firefighter, right?” 

An affirmative grunt was the only response he could bother to give. 

“Oh yeah, you were fucked.” Xion’s tone was singsong in a way. “I think I have a copy of the charity calendar somewhere. Remember when Ventus had those order forms for us from his boy-toy? I’ll bring it for you tomorrow.” She sounded genuinely excited at the prospect, and Roxas felt slightly annoyed.  

“You aren’t helping! I’m not twenty-one anymore and ready to jump on the next attractive dick that waltz into my life!” 

She huffed in response, tapping his shoulder to make Roxas look up. As he did, she quickly flicked him on the forehead. 

“Ow! The fuck?”  He cried.

“Roxas Aurum! Liking someone isn’t the end of the world. Get your head out of your ass for two seconds, jesesh!” She looked disapproving, before giving him a sad smile. “Not every relationship is going to blow up. It’s okay to open up.” 

“Xion…” Roxas groaned. 

That had ended the conversation that afternoon.

Much to Roxas' horror, it picked up again the following day by Xion shoving a calendar into his arms after they settled at a secluded lunch table.

It was a glossy calendar cover, the front cover being a group of firemen in full uniform, standing in front of a modest-looking firehouse with a big white 8 plastered over the black garage. Four large fire trucks were lined up behind them, and all the men were posing dramatically. 

As Roxas opened the first page, he couldn’t help the shock of horror that jolted through him. January was Terra holding a golden lab puppy in his lap. 

Coughing roughly, he immediately shut the calendar, giving Xion an annoyed look. She smirked and took a large sip of the smoothie she picked up with her lunch. 

“I can’t believe you handed me my brother's boyfriend, shirtless. ” Roxas sighed.

“There are more firefighters in there, Roxas.” Xion shot back. 

With reluctance Roxas began flipping through the calendar again, pointedly skipping January. Terra was shirtless enough around Roxas. He saw him regularly when he stayed the night with Ven. 

Quickly he made it through the pages. Scanning various fit and gorgeous looking  men and women in the calendar, each posing with different puppies that were all adoptable based on the advertisement on the front. The promotion was marked for the beginning of the year last year,  so Roxas assumed all the dogs were gone by now. But it was a good way to raise money for both the firehouse and the humane society. 

Roxas gave the publisher credit for originality. 

Reaching August on the calendar, abruptly he felt his cheeks turn a dark scarlet. His heart jumped into his throat.

Lea was Mr. August with a gorgeous red husky puppy. 

The feeling of regret washed over him like a wave when he looked over the page, his eyes tracing each gorgeous muscle that Lea had on display.  

Noticing his response immediately, Xion leaned over the table to check the page. Xion then glanced at Roxas and back at the page with Lea’s spread out. 

“Oh yeah, Rox, you are fucked.” She whistled.  

Time was starting to move forward. Roxas was beginning to get nervous. 

—---

Past experiences influence how a human responds to stimuli in the future. This was true for Roxas, like anyone else. 

Roxas had never been fond of dogs. They were loud and troublesome, always pulling and digging holes in clothing. It totally wasn't because Roxas had been bitten by Pluto, his cousin's dog, when he was younger. Nope. 

The indifference for the mammals left him lacking empathy compared to the millions of people who cooed over the appearance of dogs in memes and across the internet. 

Roxas didn’t hate dogs, but having access to the firefighter dog calendar was slowly creating animosity in his heart towards them. Page 8 was a centerfold piece of the calendar.

 Sitting on the back of a red pickup truck was Lea. He was shirtless, showing off the textbook definition of abs and tone pecs every guy would wish for. Instead of a shirt, bright red suspenders held up his traditional khaki and neon yellow striped fire uniform pants. They were low, hovering just above the v of his hip and just below his six-pack and navel in an unfair and tantalizing display. 

Lea’s right arm was curled, gently holding up a small red and white bundle of fluff, which was barely the size of his right bicep. The puppies' blue and brown heterochromia eyes stared straight into the camera, while its paws rested on Lea’s cradled chest. Lea in the image was smiling the half-smirk smile he had sent in Roxas’ direction the fateful night of the delivery food mixup. It made something stir in Roxas he didn’t want to admit. 

The man was fucking attractive, and Roxas was interested. 

He needed to clear his head. 

Frustration overtook Roxas at that point. Dragging himself out of his room, he started cleaning the house. It was a Thursday night, right before the weekend. Roxas needed to organize t the place for guests soon, in preparation for the festivities starting in their little town in a few weeks. 

Snagging a garbage bag from under the kitchen sink, he made a loop around the duplex, collecting various takeaway tins and bottles Ventus and himself left over the course of the week. While they weren’t the messiest of people, the house could benefit from more regular weekly organizing. Though the duo rarely had time for that, almost instantly collapsing into the couches as soon as they arrived home from work each night. 

Maybe they were lucky, the twins had 9-5 jobs Monday through Friday, so they could expect a regular schedule. However, it didn’t stop them from being over-encompassing in all aspects of their life and consuming their free time.

In one hand, Roxas held the trash bag. He used his other hand to fish into the ‘home from work’ basket he affectionately named. It was a Halloween basket from four years ago that the duo never got rid of during their college days. It served as a place for Roxas to dump his keys or any pocket contents he didn’t want to carry upstairs to his room. There he also got the habit of ditching his work phone in a vain attempt to stop himself from working off the clock once he got home. It never worked, but at least he was putting in an effort. 

Unlocking his work phone, he started scrolling through the influx of emails across the lock screen before letting out an annoyed huff and putting the phone down again. Automated emails, employee requests, and a few pieces of marketing material he’d need to review tomorrow. It was the same routine he was used to. Something he was in control of.

Something that had nothing to do with this new wild factor - Mr. August firefighter Lea. 

Unlocking the front door, Roxas made his way down from the stoop staircase that led up to their entrance before taking a sharp right to the code box for the garage. Punching in the code, the garage door opened to reveal the twins' hideaway. 

Their garage for the duplex was massive, which was one real advantage of buying the place. It fit not only the duo’s SUVs, but had a farther section in the back that could easily fit another two cars. With the help of their friends when they moved in, the duo repurposed the back of the garage into a board game area. Deep blue carpets were spread out over the floor between the garage entry door to the house and the back wall. Two plush but well-loved couches and an armchair created a U-patterned sitting area, with a folding table in the center laid out with game boxes from almost a month ago stacked on top. 

It was a relaxation center for the gang outside of the main living room - and it was a fun party location when the twins decided to host anything. It being in the basement, suppressed a lot of sound that could bother the neighbors when their friends were over. 

They also kept a mini freezer and fridge there for easy snacking. It was a good spot to relax when you needed space. 

To the far left wall of the garage, three-wheeled trash receptacles were located. Roxas made his way to the gray bin adorned with the standard faded sorting instruction stickers for types of trash. He used the side of the bag to lift the lid, when a sudden pressure smacked against the side of his leg. Roxas almost lost balance, using his free hand to grip the side of the trash as his eyes tailed down.

Blue eyes connected with a heterochromatic set of blue and brown. Its long wet snout was pressed against his dress pant leg. The dog had a thick copper coat with a fine layer of pollen dusting the top, along with smears of mud covering its wet paws. 

Briefly, Roxas' brain froze with fear. The familiar dread of having a strange dog approach without warning - a fear biting at the back of his throat. 

“Nocturne, Sit! ” a familiar voice called, pulling Roxas from his thoughts. 

Jogging up the incline from the driveway to the garage door, Lea approached. He was once again shirtless, his dark red jogging pants clinging onto muscular thighs. He appeared half soaked, his usual spikes wilted down under the pressure of water that was dripping down his body. He was once again wearing those hideous pink crocs. 

Roxas deeply regretted looking at that calendar, as it did nothing to prepare him for the real thing to appear in front of him.  

The dog, seeing the approach of its master instead of complying, took off deeper into the garage. It quickly waved past Roxas’ Ford Escape and made a B-line between the couches to hide under the table in the back. 

“Fuck—Noct!” Lea was heaving as he reached Roxas' side, who proceeded to turn towards the trash and throw away the bag he had brought down with him. Roxas took that moment to try and collect himself as Lea heaved and caught his breath at his side. 

“Sorry about this, Roxy. Red got into the-” Lea did a double take between Roxas’ concerned face and the entry to the back sitting area. “Shit, you like that furniture, right?” 

Annoyance then panic flowed across Roxas’ face. “Yes! Why is your dog loose?!” 

The duo made it towards the entrance to the back sitting area where Nocturne, the red husky, was hiding underneath the table to avoid their owner. The pup seemed set on not moving, as they were actively shifting position to put distance between it and their owner. 

Running a hand through his wet hair, Lea sighed, keeping his position to block the pup's escape route. 

“I was trying to rinse him off. He jumped into the flower beds after I finished weeding, and well..” Lea made a hand motion to the visible trail of mud trailing after the pup. The carpet under the table was also gaining sets of dirty pawprints. “You can see his current attire requires a fine layer of potting soil and mud.” 

The joke was met with an annoyed glare from Roxas before his eyes returned to the dog. It wasn’t barking, but it seemed to be getting more excited with the attention. The husky had a red collar on, but that was it. 

“You know dogs are required to be leashed here. You read the HOA pamphlet, right?” 

A grunt escaped Lea as he tried to approach the dog from the opening of the U-shaped seating arrangement. “Yeah, I did, but this wasn’t my fault. My idiot friend Demyx let Red out of his Kennel as I went outside to get the bath ready, and well, you know the rest.” Lea shot a sheepish look at Roxas. “I am sorry about this, Roxas.” 

useing his name and the lead-up helped ease Roxas’ annoyance, if only for a few moments. His eyes caught the dirty paw trail that led from the sidewalk, up his driveway and into the garage and grimaced with disgust. Lea wasn’t getting away that easy.

“You’re going to help me clean this after.” Roxas reluctantly held a hand down towards the dog in a coaxing motion, leaving his palm. 

“Absolutely.” Lea agreed without resistance, surprising Roxas. 

The pup, Nocturne, turned his attention to Roxas’ outstretched hand. Curious, he made his way between the arms of the two couches to approach Roxas. His palm made contact with a soft wet pink nose as the husky curiously sniffed him. 

Taking the opportunity of Roxas' distraction, Lea carefully approached the pup from behind and snagged them by the collar.

“There you go, you little weasel!” Lea’s tone dripped with affection as the dog continued to sniff around Roxas’ palm, until giving it a satisfied lick. 

Disgusted, Roxas pulled his hand back and gave a pointed look at the dog and owner pair. “Well, you’ve got him,” He said before shifting out of the way so Lea could lead the dog out of the garage. 

“Yes! Ah, thanks for the help. Let me get him washed up. Then I’ll come over and give you a hand. With the clearing, that is.” Lea's tone seemed hopeful. 

“I have half a mind to make you clean it yourself.” Roxas gave a pointed look between Lea and the pawprints and the floor. 

Lea chuckled at that, leading his dog down the driveway but took a detour purposely to brush his shoulder against Roxas’ in a friendly bump. 

Or it would be friendly if Roxas hadn’t been actively trying to avoid staring at the other’s muscles, and was abruptly assaulted with the smell of campfire smoke, fresh cut grass, and something spicy that he couldn’t put his finger on. The smell rolled through him like a freight train, sending tremors down his spine. 

“I’ll do whatever you want me to, Roxy.” Green eyes winked in Roxas’ direction before escaping back next door with his now happy-looking pup. 

Roxas stood frozen for a few minutes watching as the man left. Lea opened his own garage once he got close, and a lanky man with a mullet appeared in the entryway. Lea quickly threw the other man into a headlock as Riku also arrived from the same entrance as the mullet blonde. Riku quickly took the dog before he could escape once again in the transaction. 

Roxas turned away after that, returning into the depth of the garage. He left the main doors open as he used the entry door from the garage to the main house to go inside. Quickly he went upstairs, ducking into a bathroom to wash off the dog slobber. On his way back to the garage, he picked up some fabric cleaners, sponges, and a bucket to fill with a solution to clean up the dog trail. 

Roxas was about halfway done cleaning up the mess on the carpet under the table when a voice interrupted him. 

“I thought that was my job, Roxy? Punishment and all.” Looking up from scrubbing the carpet under the table, Lea was bent over the side looking at him. The man had thankfully pulled on a black V-neck shirt and was holding some rags under his arm. 

“Have to start quickly, or it will stain.” He responded curtly, continuing to scrub. “If you want to start somewhere, get the paw prints on the cement.” 

—---

It took the duo about an hour to get the remainder of the mud and dirt cleaned up. Roxas had a spot cleaner that handled most of the heavy lifting in the couches, but the mud was oddly stubborn in the carpets. 

Spending the time together cleaning, Roxas learned Lea liked to talk. After working in silence for about five minutes the man began filling the silence with stories. 

“ Red Nocturne is his name. It sounded cool- and he came from a set of puppies-”  Lea continued to provide the background of how he acquired the husky in the first place. It happened to involve the calendar he had been openly cursing since he’d seen it. 

 The charity calendar was to raise money for the Twilight Town Humane society. They did it almost every yea, and helped with the pet drive after. 

Roxas learned he was starting to like hearing Lea’s voice.

“And by the end, the little guy looked up at me, and I couldn't just send him home.” Lea kept his stories engaging as he spoke, and Roxas found himself hooked on his stories. 

Roxas was kneeling on the ground near the couch closest to the parked SUVs, scrubbing at a stubborn mud mark on the carpet. 

“So you’re saying you’re a sucker for a cute pair of eyes?” Roxas shot back, playful in tone.

The comment was met with silence. After a few seconds, Roxas looked up from his spot he was cleaning to check and see if Lea was alright. 

“You tell me.” A husky voice whispered behind his ear, and Roxas almost jumped out of his skin, moving to stand up quickly and barely dodging Lea as he stepped back out of Roxas’ personal space. 

“Dude! You’re giving me a heart attack!” Roxas could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he tried to settle his nerves. Heat dusted his ears as he glared stubbornly across at Lea. 

“My bad.” Lea looked sheepish, but pleased with himself. “ I am a sucker for pretty eyes.” He winked, sending a panicked jolt through Roxas. The tension seemed to grow thick for a few moment, before Lea motioned at the game station plugged into the entertainment center. 

“So I’ve been noticing, who collects all these classic game systems?” Lea questioned, walking towards the Nintendo 64.  

It cleared the tension instantaneously, a smile breaking across Roxas’ face.

“They’re all mine. I’ve been collecting since I turned eight.” Roxas said, a soft fondness in his tone. 

“Oh? So you like Nintendo?” Lea put down his cleaning rag, moving to turn on the TV hooked into the station. 

“It was one of the few things that could get Ven and me to stop fighting when we were younger,” Roxas admitted lightly, his eyes gazing fondly at the gaming station. “It also caused a bunch of fights too.” He added laughter bubbling up through him. 

“Let me guess, one of you would turn down a star for them in Mario Party?” Lea raised a finely trimmed eyebrow, glancing between Roxas and the pile of games on the shelf. 

“Nah, that was Vanitus. He would always snag the controller and make Sora and Ven give up their points.” Roxas moved to join Lea, setting his cleaning rag down. “I played dirty and unplugged Vanitus’ controller.” 

That earned a bark of laughter from Lea, which brought a warmth to Roxas’ cheeks. His company was disrupting Roxas' routine, to be sure, but Roxas was learning to enjoy it. 

Running his fingers over the titles of the videogames neatly lined up on the entertainment shelf, Lea stopped on a gray cartridge with a mischievous expression.

“I bet I could beat your ass in Mario Kart, short-stack.” A challenge was thrown.

“Bring it, stringbean!” Roxas fired back, a playful fire in his eyes. He had to remember sometimes it was okay to let things go. Lea was very good at embracing his inner kid, it seemed.

Roxas knew he could learn a lot from Lea. 

The duo spent the rest of the evening going through Roxas’ video game stash. Though the day had started stressful, ending it half pressed into Lea’s side as they played Mario Kart, well Roxas couldn’t complain. 

The party only ended around 11 pm when Ventus texted Roxas he was heading home. The duo parted ways reluctantly, promising to meet again soon. 

That night after, Roxas crawled into bed, and his eyes briefly ran over the calendar. Embarrassingly, it was left open on Lea’s cover page, the eyes of the tiny puppy staring back at Roxas’ own. 

Lea had kept the puppy from that firefighter spread. The thought settled over him with a flood of emotions. Lea was a sensitive guy that liked old video games, was kind to animals, and had an amazing body to match. He was the perfect package. 

Too good to be true. 

Laying back on the bed, Roxas covered his face with his hands and released an exhausted wheeze. 

Lea hit all the right buttons, and Roxas could admit to himself in the dark that, yes, he had a crush on the firefighter next door.  

—---

Summer was officially in full swing. The heat was slowly becoming unbearable outside, unless you were near some body of water. Also, traffic going home was getting more stressful as people were traveling out of town with their RVs and camper trucks. 

Roxas was struggling at work. The new head of marketing was a pain in the ass and caused all kinds of internal issues. Roxas was stuck running after the department head and cleaning up the newbie's mess, and he wasn’t paid enough to do so. There was so much noise bouncing in the blonde’s head that it felt impossible to turn the stress off. 

He felt as if he was on autopilot again. Roxas left emails unanswered. Texts were opened, some responses were half typed out, but the energy to hit send left him as quickly as the impulse to respond. His friends were sending him worried messages, and he could only deflect them for so long. 

It was on an extremely hot day that more bad news was delivered to Roxas, while he was stuck in traffic once again. 

The buzzing of cars surrounding him couldn’t drown out his own screaming thoughts. 

‘Your uncle Cid-’ The words his mother had said over the phone hadn’t sunk in at the time. She had called Roxas in the middle of a work shift. He had missed the call. He had to call her back during his drive home, while Roxas’ mind was occupied with issues with his work. 

The only thing he registered was that he’d need to request time off for the funeral. 

Returning home, Roxas pulled into the driveway and attempted to open the garage with the remote key he kept in his car. When he hit the clicker, however, the door didn’t respond. 

That was the crack that finally broke the floodgates open. 

It was already late, the sun was beginning to set, and Roxas could feel the tears starting to swell in the corner of his eyes.  

Hastily Roxas turned his SUV off and threw it into park, unlatching his belt with shaking fingers. It proved difficult, as his vision blurred with the tears that finally broke free as the stress washed over his body. 

He was breaking apart. Too tired. Work was never-ending, and his family was struggling; Roxas felt so powerless in every situation. He was lost and so damn tired. 

Roxas pressed his forehead to the steering wheel in front of him, letting out a quiet sob as tears dribbled down his cheeks.  

So many emotions clashed in his head, making his head throb in a hot pain as his body shook with sobs. There was nothing he could do in any of these situations. 

Loss was something Roxas could never get used to. His uncle Cid was so young. He had so much life to him. He couldn’t process the confusion or wrap his head around the idea of not being able to see the man again. Roxas also thought about his cousin - how was Cindy handling it? He hadn’t even asked his mother during the phone conversation. 

So many questions buzzed through his head, his car lights finally flicking off over him as he continued to shed tears. 

A gentle knock on the window brought Roxas out of his thoughts, his eyes turning to the door and seeing the frame of a familiar redhead. 

Caught crying, Roxas bit his bottom lip in frustration. He reached to the side compartment of his car door to pull up a few fast food napkins he stashed for emergencies. He quickly cleared his face the best he could and blew his nose. After he stuffed the evidence into the garbage can in his passenger seat, trying his best to regain some dignity before he faced the other man. 

Why was Lea out here anyway? Stepping out of his car Roxas glanced up at Lea, fully knowing he couldn’t hide the fact he had been crying. 

Lea stood before him, looking relaxed. He was in a casual retro video game t-shirt and a black utility kilt. His hair was pulled back into a messy bun, held back in place by a black headband with terry cloth cat ears. He looked like a man who had just rolled out of bed, which was possible, as they tended to work 24/48 shifts. 

Lea always seemed to be where Roxas needed him, unknowingly. 

"Want to get something warm with me?" Lea's tone was soft. He stood there, much taller than Roxas but non-threatening. He didn’t say anything about Roxas’ state, just offering silent comfort by providing an escape.

Lea held his hand out to Roxas, his eyes holding warmth and understanding when Roxas’ was expecting pity. 

 Roxas wanted to run away. Embarrassment, grief, and exhaustion all crushed his lungs. But Lea stood before him, bringing comfort. “Okay.”

They ended up walking to a small coffee shop a few blocks away. The booths were a rich chocolate brown, and the atmosphere felt like a library study.  

“I found this place a couple of weeks ago. My older bro said he wanted to drop by, so I took the liberty of meeting him at a cafe instead.” 

The walk helped clear Roxas' head. The entire time Lea did not ask once what was going on. Instead, he filled the air with a comforting chatter, like he had as they cleaned a week ago. 

From how happily he spoke about them, Roxas concluded that Lea has a good relationship with his family.  Lea also had an older brother and a younger sister, with their family originally from Hollow Bastion. 

He was so relaxed telling Roxas his story and it made Roxas feel special. He was reluctant to admit, it however. 

They reached the cafe in no time. It was a cute little shop tucked away between a board game shop and a florist. 

Walking to the coffee counter, Lea was first to place his order. The shop was a chainstore that seemed to appear out of nowhere ten years ago; Gummibucks. The lanky frame of Lea was relaxed getting to the order counter, where a curious server took his order. 

"Hey there.an I get a spiced chocolate mocha, and whatever he wants?" Lea smiled kindly at the server, fishing his wallet from the pocket of the utility kilt. 

The cashier glanced between the two of them with twinkling eyes and nodded. "Can I get a name?" 

Grinning, Lea tapped his temple. 

"Lea. Commit it to memory." He gave a saucy wink for good measure, earning a laugh from the cashier. Quickly they wrote the order on the first cup, and then sent it down the counter to the barista running hot coffee. 

Roxas made a mental note of the order for later. He’d have to treat Lea sometime to make up for this trip. Roxas rarely ordered coffee out - he was used to the generic ScroogeCo drip coffee from work, so he wasn't familiar with the spread. 

"Hazelnut hot chocolate with oat milk." Roxas tried to stick with something safe. 

They waited for their drinks to be called, then made their way to a corner booth to take a seat. The cafe was open late, being close to a local college. 

It was such a surreal situation, sitting across from Lea in the booth. He hadn’t asked Roxas a single thing about finding him crying. He seemed content to just keep talking. When that should have annoyed Roxas, instead, it brought him comfort. 

“You know, Roxas.” After finishing a big sip of his drink, Lea lowered the cup to the table as he spoke. “I like our little hot chocolate adventures.” He grinned, running his tongue over his bottom lip to catch any of the stay chocolate. 

“You seem to be in the habit of trying to save people.” Roxas winced at his own tone, it coming out harsher than needed. “Why?” he pressed regardless. 

If the tone intimidated him, Lea didn’t show it. If anything, his eyes softened more. “If you’re asking why I became a firefighter, it’s for an impure reason.” Lea lowered his voice at the end as if telling some big secret. 

Roxas knew he was being baited, but he couldn’t help himself. “Oh? What reason?” 

“I wanted to look cool.” Lea met Roxas’ gaze and winked, earning a disgusted groan from the blonde.

“I’m being serious, asshole.” Roxas huffed gently. He knew he was walking into a setup, but it served to raise his mood a little regardless, so Roxas couldn’t fault Lea. 

Leaning back in his seat, Lea let out a hum. “I’m being serious too. I have a knack for handling fire and wanted to impress people,” He stated it casually, moving his hands in lazy circles as he spoke. “Back in college, I started volunteering with the local firehouse to impress a guy I had a thing for.” 

The words jolted Roxas to attention.  The guy I had a thing for. The words were casual but sparked a wave of hope through Roxas. 

“Like most college romances, things didn’t work out. I was offered a job in a few different districts after graduating. Riku was one of my friends I made during academy training, and the next thing you know, we get jobs at district 8.” 

Roxas had honestly expected a more altruistic answer from the other. 

“Don’t give me that unimpressed look, Roxy.” Lea gently tapped Roxas’ nose from across the table, instantly bringing color to the blonde’s cheeks. In retaliation, Roxas pushed the finger away with his free hand. “I’m not here to change the world, I'm here to enjoy it.” 

“So you enjoy looking cool?” Roxas rolled his eyes before focusing on his drink.

“You admit I'm cool.” Against his leg Roxas felt a gentle tap of a boot. Because of the contact, he looked up to see Lea smiling across the way at him, his expression warm mixed with something Roxas couldn’t read. 

“I did not.”

“You did. But what about you Roxas? What do you want to do with your life?” 

The question made Roxas pause, his fingers gently gripping the sides of his paper drink cup. He bit his bottom lip in frustration as he thought. What did he want to do with his life- Roxas honestly didn’t know. 

“I don’t know, honestly.” Roxas was quiet, his eyes refusing to move up from the fake wood grain of the table. 

A hand gently laid over his own. It was warm, gently rubbing a thumb across the back. 

"It's okay not to know where you are going Roxy, as long as you have fun along the way." There was a firm, soothing comfort to Lea’s words, and it struck Roxas at his core. 

Roxas couldn't hold himself back any longer. The words struck too deep in his heart. 

The duo departed not long after the conversation. Lea insisted on exchanging numbers before parting ways, giving him the least convincing excuse of " in case your delivery gets to my door again." 

Warmth spread in Roxas' chest, thinking about Lea, and the realization only hit him after arriving home. 

Roxas was in love, and it terrified him. 

—---

Once Roxas realized his feeling, he felt like it was plastered across his face like a signboard. 

Sitting around the living room coffee table, the two sets of brothers dug into a morning breakfast.  Sora and Ventus flashed looks between contemplation and excitement when meeting Roxas' eyes, while Vanitas looked smug.

Somehow the family just knew. Roxas lost his appetite at the realization. 

"You're so gay for him even Sora knows it." Vanitus never used kind words for sensitive subjects.  He tended to smash through conversations with little grace.

Roxas flinched at that, realizing his mistake. It only felt worse as Vanitas gleefully explained how he figured it out. 

Roxas' crush had apparently been a subject that had floated around the friend groups since the fated garlic bread incident. Unfortunately, Roxas had mentioned Lea’s name one too many times. Roxas rarely took an interest in anyone that wasn't his immediate friends or family. 

Thus, the group now agreed on the extreme that Roxas and Lea were going to get married and ride off into the sunset in Lea's jeep. 

Roxas wanted to scream.

It was embarrassing, but it was a way they showed they cared. Roxas was also rare to show any emotions when it came to romance, so his family was eating it up. 

"You should invite him to our fireworks viewing spot!" Sora chimed in, lathering a piece of toast with a thick layer of honey and jam. “He and Riku are new to the neighborhood. It’s a good opportunity, right?”  

"That's a great idea! Terra and Aqua will be thrilled!" Ven smiled over his morning coffee, adding support to the idea immediately. 

Outnumbered, Roxas sighed and fished out his phone. “Alright. Just keep the teasing to the minimum, please.”  

Opening his chat with Lea, Roxas couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips.  few gifs littered the message chain, both expressing displeasure during their work shifts.

Talking to Lea had become so easy.

Roxas quickly sent out the request. 

R: You have plans for Founders Day?

R:  We know a fireworks spot. You and Riku could join us.  

After that, Roxas sat his phone aside, refusing to look at the chat again in the presence of his family. Their knowing gazes made his ears and cheeks burn from embarrassment. 

—---

Lea loved working at the firehouse. There were a multitude of characters that filtered in and out between the rules. 

Lea thought of himself as a simple man. His coworkers liked him, and he never had a dull day in the office. 

Sure the shifts sucked. But he could earn enough to scrape a down payment on a duplex, and have his childhood friend Riku move in with him to cut the cost down. It was a good deal between them, as Lea could  pawn off some dog walking duties on the other as they tended to work opposing shifts. 

Their bosses were relaxed, but good at keeping their group in line. 

Coming in from a late mid-shift meal with a few coworkers,  Lea hung around the entrance.

In the corner of his eye, he had caught sight of Terra and Aqua hovering at the back entrance to the parallel building as they prepared for their lunch break.

Catching sight of blonde spikes, Lea's eyes widened.

Lea could admit he had more than a crush on the blonde. His blue eyes would shine when he was excited about something. His cheeks would puff when upset, and Roxas had a wicked sense of humor.  

The young guy was complex, and speaking with him always made Lea's heart race with anticipation. Roxas was responsive and flirty but challenged Lea. 

He was also good with a dog. Major selling points. 

Now seeing him from a distance with Aqua and Terra, Lea couldn't help but smile. 

Quickly he ran up to the trio, giving his best casual wave. A smile pulled on his lips as he gave Terra and Aqua a nod, and Roxas a cheshire smile. 

"Hey, Roxy. What brings you here?"

Confusion bloomed in blue eyes, Roxas' head cocking slightly in confusion. Lea didn't push ,but a slight panic crept up his spine. He had been trying so hard to stay on the other's good side. Was now a bad time for him? Lea had no idea. 

He'd end the conversation quickly, for now, to make up for the interruption. 

"About that thing you mentioned - the fireworks? I'm excited to see you there." Lea gave his best smile before retreating into the firehouse, not wanting to embarrass himself more or wait for a response. 

Confused, Ventus glanced between Terra and Aqua. "Do you think he knows Rox and I are twins?" Ven sighed gently. 

"Likely not." Aqua's lips pierced in a slight frown.

"I'll check with him later." Tera's eyes lingered on the door where Lea departed. 

—---

Firehouse 8 was not ready for the literal hell their unit was called into that night. 

The flames that encompassed once pristine homes in acres of land were engulfed in pillars of fire. The sky rained hot ashes around the firefighter units as they trudged across boiling asphalt, pouring gallons of water, sand, and dirt across the land to fight the oppressive fires. 

Time was slowing down around Lea as he dove head first into the call that night. His entire body was aching from the hours of manual labor, his chest already struggling to pull air in through his respirator. 

The siren call that rang through the firehouse that night seemed never-ending. The forest fires were spreading like mad, and more backup was being called across the states. Lea had been pressed shoulder to shoulder with men from both Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion working to suppress the budding fire tornado that swallowed everything in its wake. 

Hundred-year-old trees were quickly engulfed and reduced to ash that smacked each firefighter in the face, burning any visible skin. Smoke billowed and clouded the air, making it hard to breathe as the firefighters sloshed their way through the heat. Ten homes were already engulfed. 

Lea had to duck into one of the recovery tents to take a break at one point, pressing a cooled water bottle to his forehead that a Red Cross worker offered him. To his left, under the same recovery table, was Riku, who had just arrived at the shift swap earlier, pulling his respirator off to take a drink of his own bottle. 

"What started it?" Lea's voice came out in a wheeze. It was dry and scratchy, almost painful. Quickly he took a swig of water to try and quench his thirst. But, even after he drained the bottle, it didn't feel any better. 

Riku paused to swallow his water, before bringing his damp hand over his face. He rubbed away some of the black ash across his nose, grimacing. "Captain says the dry brush caught fire." Riku had to pause to take a breath before continuing. "It's been so dry; the whole place lit up like a match-"

They were interrupted by a radio blaring on the table. 

" All able-bodied men, we have an emergency. A little girl is trapped in the basement level of the house in quadrant two." The grim tone of their Sargent brought frowns to the duo's face. 

It wasn't going to be easy to save them. 

Crushing the empty bottle in his hands, Lea tossed it into the nearby recycling bin, then looked at Riku over his shoulder. 

"Looks like we have some Hero shit to do, huh, Riku?" Behind his respirator, Lea grinned.

Lea didn't make it home that night. 

—---

Time began ticking forward again for Roxas. Almost too quickly for his taste. 

Roxas was slammed all week, and no texts from Lea arrived. He made it an unfortunate habit to regularly check his phone for a response whenever it vibrated. It meant most messages were left on read, as he would quickly swipe through them in disappointment as they weren’t Lea. 

He never received a confirmation text that Lea would come to the festival by the time the day arrived. But Roxas had hoped.

The party found decent parking at the Twilight Town national park. It was a lush area of rolling hills that oversaw a large elevated railway track that led out of the city. The train lines spread across the horizon and trailed past the hills, serving as a beautiful backdrop to ocean waters.

Roxas had only been to the hills a few times, but the sunset was always breathtaking. It was a good spot to see the fireworks display. 

The tarps, blankets, and other party supplies were spread out at a spot that Pence had staked out earlier. A flurry of activity saw the large group emptying supplies from cars, and conversation flowed. There was an excited energy that even Roxas could feel tingling at the base of his spine.

After the setup concluded, Roxas sat on the edge of a dark blue blanket near some of the coolers that had been set up and opened. He accepted a solo cup Hayner pushed into his hands without hesitation, mumbling a quiet thanks under his breath. 

Roxas checked his phone for any text from Lea, and still no response. 

Frustrated, Roxas took a swig from the cup and almost immediately began coughing out a lung as the liquid hit so harshly.

Cackling, Hayner smacked Roxas back as he tried to catch his breath. 

"We told ya- failed drinks only tonight, Rox." Hayner grinned, holding a beer in his left hand. 

Giving a half-hearted glare back, Roxas shrugged Hayner's hand off.

"Woah, you are even more sour than usual. Who pissed in your cornflakes?"

"No one. I'm-" Roxas pushed out between his coughs as he tried to catch his breath. The alcohol burned, sliding down the wrong pipe. 

"Fine is the excuse you use when you are overwhelmed. " Hayner shot back before Roxas could finish, rolling his eyes. 

"I-" Roxas wanted to deny the observation. But he couldn't. Annoyed, he pierced his lips together while directing his eyes anywhere but at Hayner. When had the other become so observant? 

It was embarrassing to admit he liked someone. Roxas knew he was acting childish. He just wanted to see Lea again. But the man hadn't even bothered to respond to his text! But there was no use hiding it now. Hayner was even more stubborn than Roxas when he set his mind to something. 

"I'm…upset Lea isn't here." The words felt like sandpaper in Roxas' mouth as he admitted the source of his foul mood. 

Instead of teasing him as Roxas had expected, Hayner squeezed his shoulder in a comforting gesture. 

"Give 'm time '' The words were gentle. "But even if he doesn't come, it will be okay. There is always next time." Hayner said with conviction. 

"That is oddly comforting from you, Hayner." A smile crossed Roxas’ lips, and Hayner promptly punched his shoulder in retaliation. 

"Oi! I'll have you know I'm the most sensitive guy out there!" Hayner shot back, grinning ear to ear. 

Roxas laughed, pocketing his phone and finished off the rest of the liquid Hayner passed him. His chest ached, but life would continue with or without Lea. Hayner was also right, there was always next time. 

With his attention back on the group, the party fell into full swing. More alcohol was passed around. Card games were played, and food was consumed. The group’s energy quickly rose as the excitement built for the display. Vanitas pulled a few small pranks, which almost picked a fight with Ventus. Terra stepped in at the last minute separating the two as Aqua and Olette helped ease the tension. Sora helped lead conversations away from anything stressful, easily mingling between everyone while Hayner encouraged the group to continue downing alcohol. 

As the sunset approached, activity began to settle down across the hillside as groups prepped for the fireworks display over the ocean. 

People quickly began huddling together, grabbing jackets and blankets. Their eyes glued to the horizon as they readied for the main event. 

Roxas, seeing all the couples come together so intimately, immediately lost his nerve. He needed some space. 

Jealousy over relationships when he had none was not polite. Roxas refused to ruin anyone's mood due to his own petty emotions. 

Giving a half-assed excuse to the group, he snagged his car keys and made a B-line down the hill towards the parking lot. 

Trudging his way back towards the car, Roxas had a strong desire to go home and lock himself in his room for a few days. He knew he'd have to stay longer to take the rest of their friends home, but he could at least take a moment to himself in the car. 

Roxas was about halfway down the hill when the sound of the first round of fireworks ripped through the hum of conversation on the hillside.  Warm golds kissed Roxas skin as his eyes caught the first explosion of the night. 

A tightness gripped Roxas chest as he watched the sparks race down and disappear into the ocean. It was a gorgeous display, but Roxas couldn’t help but feel sad. He had hoped to be able to share this sight with Lea. He had thought they had gotten along well.

But Lea didn’t bother to even text back.  

Disappointment sat in Roxas’ stomach like a brick. 

Pulling open his phone again, Roxas planned on opening his texts, against his better judgment. However, before he could check, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder which drew his eyes away from his phone. 

To his right Xion appeared,  carrying two ciders from the cooler in both hands. Ice was still clinging to the glass, dripping water on the grass they stood on. She had a pleased flush across her cheeks, her eyes glittering with a happiness Roxas hadn’t seen in months.

One arm wrapped around Roxas’ shoulder, and offered him the cold drink. 

“You know,” Xion began, tilting one of the already opened bottles to her lips.  “Fireworks are for friendships too.” Her cadence was slightly off, telling Roxas right away she was at least tipsy. 

“Is that so?” Roxas didn’t hide the affection from his voice, gently bumping his head against Xion’s after she finished a large gulp of cider.  “You’re going to have a wicked hangover tomorrow, Xi.” Roxas wouldn't stop her. She was a capable adult - and they had designated drivers. 

“Come back and watch the sky with us.” Xion pouted, jutting out her bottom lip. 

Roxas needed to get out of his head. He hesitated, fingers gently running over his phone screen before shoving it away in his pocket, wrapping the now free hand around Xion’s waist. 

“Let's get back to the party.” Roxas agreed. The happiness that spread across Xion’s face was more than worth it. 

—---

The morning after the holiday was a day off for Roxas, much to his relief. While he didn’t drink as much as the others, he woke up in the morning with an upset stomach. It pushed him out of bed around 6am, and he couldn’t get himself to fall back asleep. It frustrated Roxas, but allowed him to start a very long and lazy morning. 

Unexpectedly a little past 7am, a knock sounded at the front door. It was still dark out, but it wouldn’t be the first time someone had knocked on the door in the early morning. The neighborhood moms would occasionally pop by for coffee or sugar every once in a while. They were always polite, so Roxas didn’t find it as odd. 

It helped that they lived in a gated community where strangers couldn’t just wander in. Roxas was less wary about opening the door. 

Opening the door, instead of seeing Mrs. Johnson from down the road, Roxas’ eyes were instead locked onto a well toned chest, his eyes only reaching pectoral height.  Trailing up one more he was able to see fire-engine red hair and sharp green eyes. Roxas' heart nearly jumped from his chest. 

Standing before him was a pale and exhausted-looking Lea. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and gray sweatpants. His hair looked a mess, limp and pulled back in a messy ponytail. He looked pale and sick; Roxas’ heart instantly clenched at the sight. 

What the hell had happened ? 

Before Roxas could say anything, Lea immediately looked at him with pleading eyes. 

"Roxas, let me explain!" Lea's voice was hoarse, and he looked exhausted, but he was there . 

"Lea-" Roxas began, but Lea cut him off to explain his absence. 

Lea had been hurt. Riku was busy taking care of him as he nursed through his concussion. Both their phones had burned up in the fire, and Lea couldn't save his contacts. They had lost track of the days leading to the celebration, and only found out after Terra had texted Riku’s new phone the night of the event to ask about why they missed the party. By that time, it had already been too late, and Lea was still unsafe to move. 

Terra also pointed out Lea had talked to Roxas’ Twin Brother  at work about the event .  Lea gave Roxas a curious eyebrow raise at that detail, who rolled his eyes in response. 

Only this morning had Lea been able to move around on his own unsupervised. The first thing he did was go to see if Roxas was awake by chance, as he had mentioned to Lea  one evening that he couldn’t really sleep in on weekends. 

Roxas had mentioned that his circadian rhythm was screwed up thanks to his early work schedule. It had been an off-handed comment about not being able to sleep past 7am, while Ventus could be seen stumbling down the stairs close to Noon on the weekends. Lea had actually remembered it - and used it as a way to meet him this morning. 

Roxas couldn't help but blush, fondness washing over his cheeks and filling his chest with a soft warmth. Lea was flustered, trying to explain his inability to respond to Roxas in a timely manner. The other man was pleading with his eyes, begging for Roxas' understanding. He was like a big red husky.

It was adorable, and Roxas couldn’t hold back anymore. 

“I give up.” Roxas cut the other off by holding a hand up. This caught Lea off guard.

"H-hey now there—Give up on what? " Lea raised his hands up in concern. Roxas hesitated for a moment before stepping closer into Lea’s personal space. On Lea’s shirt, the stale scent of antiseptic and sweat clung. 

Roxas couldn't hold it back anymore. 

"I like you Lea…" Roxas looked up to meet curious but shocked emerald orbs. “I give up on fighting it.” It was hard to form the words, but Roxas pushed through. His blood pounded in his ears as he said the words. 

"You're still a jerk for not letting me know you were hurt though," Roxas added at the end, trying to regain some dignity. “You could have asked someone to walk across the street and tell us. You work with my brother’s friends.” 

Adoration spread across Lea's face, not seeming to care about the scolding. This sent more warm trembles down Roxas’ sides. Quickly Lea wrapped his arms around the blonde, pulling Roxas flush against his chest.  

"But I'm your jerk, Roxas." He held a hopeful tone. “You said you liked me, right?” Lea moved a hand down to lift Roxas’ chin to lock their eyes again. Roxas could see Lea’s tattoos clearly on his face, a sign the man hadn’t bothered to clean his face before he came to find him. He really was a mess. 

Roxas’ adorable mess. He nodded against Lea’s hand that was gently running a finger against his cheek. 

"Yeah… my jerk," Roxas affirmed, the fear that had been gripping him earlier slowly starting to ebb away in Lea’s grip. 

Like a movie scene, the sun began fully rising on the horizon and blanketed the duo in its warm early morning glow. Though it wasn’t fireworks, it was more than enough to swell Roxas' heart. 

The light illuminating his face, Lea leaned down, getting his face close to Roxas. Their eyes never broke contact. 

"Go out with me, Roxas?"  Lea asked gently, his eyes catching the reflection of the sun in ocean blue hues." I know, I know , I'm scattered, and I'm a bit of an ass at times, but I think-" Lea began stammering through excuses, trying to convince Roxas to say yes. 

Using a hand, Roxas gently covered Lea's to make him stop rambling. 

"Just shut up and kiss me," Roxas said before he smiled, pulling his hands away. 

A cheshire cat grin spread across Lea’s lips at that. With the command, he didn’t hesitate to swoop Roxas into a quick and gentle kiss. 

August was definitely always be Roxas’ favorite month.