Whatâs a Kiss? (Fluffy/Angsty Axel/Roxas OneShot)
[This is legit my first Tumblr post - am I doing this right?]
Roxas had been acting weird today. Even though he wasnât an expert at emotions, Axel could sense it.
Unlike the other members of the Organization who tended to bully Roxas for his small stature and young age (with a few exceptions), Axel adored him and had become his closest confidante. Roxas had been born without any of Soraâs memories, so heâd had to rely on Axel to learn everything from basic vocabulary to the social skills it took to succeed in the Organization.
But what did he care about all of them? Protecting Roxas was his first priority now. He arrived at the clock tower with two sea salt ice creams, a daily tradition, and handed one to Roxas. He blushed when Axel made eye contact with him, and he knew his best friend must be hiding something.
âWhatâs up, Roxas?â
Roxas glanced at him before staring at his lap.
âCâmon, you know you can tell me anything,â Axel assured him.
"Yes, well, I⌠Can I ask you something?" Roxas said, studiously avoiding eye contact.
"Of course. What can I explain for you today? I donât know what else to say about that huge whale we saw in the sky the other day. It didnât make sense to me either, but apparently Demyx has been inside it, and it sounds bonkers. He said thereâs an old man and an actual living puppet stuck inside, but we all know Demyx tends to exaggerate so who can say for sure? Maybe I can figure out a way to take you there if you really want to go.â
âNo, itâs not about that⌠Itâs something Xigbar and Larxene said.â
âI swear, they are going to burn next time I see them. I hate the way they gang up on you!â Axel had too much angry energy to contain. He started pacing, debating how much trouble he could get in for starting a fight. Heâd warned them both to lay off Roxas before. Maybe it would take a more poignant physical reminder to make them get the point.
Roxas stood up and took his arm. âAxel, wait - itâs nothing bad. Itâs just⌠they asked if Iâd kissed anyone, and I donât know what that means. They were teasing me about it.â
âOh,â Axel said, immediately calming down. Roxas leaned against the clock tower facing Axel, who did the same. âWell, itâs not important. Just ignore them. I bet they were just trying to get a rise out of you.â
âYouâre not going to tell me what a kiss is?â
âUgh. I honestly didnât even know if I should ask you. Itâs embarrassing that I havenât done it, right?â
His genuine distress was so endearing, and Axel couldnât make him think he was some kind of freak for not having kissed anyone.
âA lot of people havenât kissed anyone before. Youâre young. Youâll kiss someone. Iâm sure of it.â
âHave you⌠kissed someone?â
Roxas looked disappointed, and Axel took a step closer.
âItâs seriously no big deal.â
âBut what is a kiss?â
Axel wasnât sure how far to entertain this train of thought. Roxas was young and completely innocent, and Axel didnât want to do anything to ruin that. Not that he hadnât thought about it. There was no denying that Roxas was attractive, and Axel had a particularly soft spot for blondes.
The problem was that he was supposed to protect Roxas, and he was already doing a bad job of it. Between the missions at Castle Oblivion and the things Saix was forcing him to do in secret, he wasnât always making Roxasâs life easier. He kept promising himself he wouldnât let Saix and Xemnas do anything to harm his best friend, but he had to keep up a facade to please them, and sometimes it required sacrifices. He still felt guilty about it no matter how hard he tried to justify his actions.
âNevermind. I shouldnât have asked,â Roxas mumbled.
Axel couldnât stand how upset he looked. âItâs when two people touch lips,â he revealed.
âWhat?â Roxas exclaimed, as though this were the most surprising and silly thing heâd ever heard. âThatâs all? Seems kind of⌠I donât know. They made it sound more important.â
Axel was afraid Roxas was going to be bullied further if he continued without the particulars, so he clarified, âWell, itâs⌠I guess itâs more than that. You kiss someone when you like them.â
âHmmm⌠Well, I like you. Why havenât we kissed?â
His expression was so innocent. He had no idea what he was really asking and no concept of the fire it was lighting in Axelâs imagination. He decided to evade the question. âWhen you kiss someone, it changes your relationship with that person forever.â Perhaps Roxas would just accept this explanation and move on, and Axel could keep being his best friend and his hero and nothing more. Or maybeâŚ
âWhat does it feel like ? I mean what makes it so special?â Roxasâs eyes were looking at him with an imploring intensity. Could he possibly know more than he was letting on? Axel wasnât sure, but he felt Roxasâs eyes daring him down a dangerous path.
âItâs not something that can really be explained.â
âCanât you try?â Their faces were moving closer together, and he couldnât fight temptation much longer.
âI think Iâd have to show you for you to really understand.â
âShow me,â Roxas whispered, and the invitation was all he needed.
He closed the distance between them and planted a chaste but lingering kiss on Roxasâs lips. He moved away to gauge Roxasâs reaction, and the awe and raw emotion in his eyes was so tender and sweet, he couldnât stop himself. He placed one hand gently on the side of his neck, softly braiding his fingers through Roxasâs hair as he placed a series of deep kisses on his throat. The small gasps he let out each time Axelâs lips touched his skin were so satisfying, he was overcome by desire as he pressed his lips to Roxasâs again, fully parting them with enough force to will Roxasâs mouth to mimic the movements of his own. As with everything else Axel taught him, Roxas didnât need much training. Axel felt as though all his past lovers had been mere practice for this moment, so he could give Roxas the perfect first kiss. Never had he been so in sync with a lover, never had someone reciprocated his effort with so much of their own. It felt like Axelâs first kiss too.
âThatâs not what I expected,â Roxas whispered.
âYeah, me either,â Axel smiled. âYouâre good at that, you know.â
Roxas smiled back, and Axel felt dizzied by the beautiful sight.
âCan I ask you something else without you getting mad?â
âDo you really not know what happened to Zexion?â
Axel panicked because he did know. Axel had murdered him. Heâd only done it because Saix had forced his hand and insisted that Roxas would be next if he hesitated. The problem was, Zexion had been one of the only Organization members who was nice to Roxas. Roxas had liked him and gone out of his way to say so. Axel hadnât wanted to do it. How much of the truth did Roxas suspect, and what could Axel possibly say in his own defense?
âNevermind, Axel,â Roxas sighed. âYou told me you donât know. I shouldâve believed you. Itâs just, I have dreams about him. I just wonder if heâs okay. Sometimes I worryâŚâ
Axel had never felt this level of gut-wrenching regret. It was visceral and painful, and he couldnât stand looking into Roxasâs sweet eyes, knowing what heâd done. He felt horrible for kissing him. Heâd known it was a bad idea. Heâd told himself to resist, and heâd been so good about it until today. Roxas deserved someone better than him.
âRoxas, I should go.â
âNo, please donât! I promise, I believe you. I donât even know why I thought of it,â he pleaded.
âItâs not that, Roxas. I just think maybe we shouldnât meet up here anymore.â Seeing Roxasâs defeated expression, he added, âItâs nothing you did wrong. Trust me. I justâŚâ
He bounded down the clock tower steps and opened a portal back to Organization headquarters, rushing to his room where he fell down on his knees and felt a familiar sensation that he recognized from Leaâs memories. It was the desire to cry, but he couldnât do it. There was no release from the torture he felt. He kicked his nightstand instead and the metal lamp clattered to the floor. He found the destruction so satisfying, he threw it against the wall before slumping into his chair.
He should definitely avoid Roxas in the future, but after a kiss like that, how could he?
(Spoiler Alert: He canât. Axel has zero self-control when it comes to innocent little Roxas <3 If you liked this little niblet, itâs an accompaniment to my novel-length Axel/Roxas love story that Iâm updating regularly)
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