Never Thought I Could Feel This Way

Lady Luck must have been smiling down upon him, because he was fortunate enough to be paired up with Axel for today's recon mission. After the upper-crust members of the Organization returned from their travels, he was dreading all the difficult demands Saix was surely planning to place on him.

To his felicitous surprise, that had not been the case. When Saix informed him of the upcoming assignment, it came as a great shock that made him grin uncontrollably. He had to do his best to appear indifferent and aloof, lest Saix change his mind, but he just couldn't help himself. Saix looked more than displeased.

That stern and frigid sneer did not abate his happiness, as he turned the corner and ventured down a corridor, searching excitedly for his redheaded partner. He slowed his stride and widened his eyes when an epiphany had shone in his mind, softly gliding his fingertips over the intricate indents along the pearly white walls.

Not just a partner or a mentor. Much more than a best friend...

"Axel and I are in...love." He whispered ardently, feeling his cheeks blush and his stomach twist in giddy knots.

Remembering where he was, he glanced around to make sure no one was eavesdropping or nearing this hallway. Not that anyone would believe him if he told them how strongly he felt for Axel. You know, since Nobodies can't feel. However, the bond he shared with Axel was without a doubt genuine, he knew for certain. He knew with every fiber of his being, even if he lacked essence.

The others would surely laugh and mock him, calling it an idiotic sham and pure wishful thinking. That wasn't true.

Leaning against the wall, he swatted away his harsh imaginings and thought of better things, like the sultry evenings he had spent with Axel. He reminisced about the afternoon when they both confessed to each other, up on top of their favorite spot, high on the clock tower. The cold ice cream and its salty-sweet taste; the hotness of Axel's touch and those savory, luscious lips that captured his. The thrill of falling. That titillating tutorial.

With a calm and dreamy smile, he dawdled to Axel's room, easing inside like it was his own living quarters. His head had been in the clouds; he didn't think to knock, but figured he was welcome there. Why, oh why did the Superior forge a ban on sharing chambers? Having Axel as a roommate would be fun in more ways than one.

"Hey." He greeted amicably, announcing his arrival. "You won't believe it, but we really lucked out. We're teaming up again today, and it's just a recon mission, and not only that -- to the islands! I bet the ice cream there is awesome, too."

He looked up when the door opened and Roxas bounded in the room. For watching the castle he had requested an extra day off for his own reasons and hadn't bothered to dress in uniform. His red spiky hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and he was wearing street clothes.

He couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips as he looked up at the other boy and he chuckled to himself at how excited the other seemed.
His eyebrows raised at the news and he gave him a skeptical look. Something about this just sounded way too good to be true.

"Saix is giving us a tropical vacation in the islands...with no ulterior motive? He who has no humor? He who would murder us both if he knew we were---"

His grin grew in thought and his eyes flashed excitedly. He moved from his place on the bed and shook his head pulling himself up and grabbing his coat.

"Well, who am I to question things?"

He threw an arm around Roxas ruffling his hair to annoy him and grinned devilishly.

"How much time have we got before RTC? Tell me they're at least letting us stay the night."

Well, this was a stark contrast from the norm. Seeing Axel look so fashionably casual was new to him, but he definitely didn't dislike it. In awe, he took a faltering step inside and closed the door behind him, eyeing Axel with immersed interest. That haughty smirk was just the same as always, and as usual, it bred butterflies in his stomach. His breath had gotten caught in his throat, so for a second he was left speechless and curious.

He still had an air of jubilation about him, and when he finally snapped out of his frivolous trance, he sat right beside the redhead. He gave a nod and chuckled, understanding why Axel would be cynical at first. It is Saix, after all. But it was no joke. He didn't think Saix had it in him to waste time tricking them, though he couldn't be sure. Axel was more of the type of who'd pull pranks and such.

"I know...It's kinda weird when you think about it, but..." he paused his musings to think up a highly plausible and logical theory for Saix's change of no-heart. "...Maybe he's recently boned the boss, so he's in a good mood?"

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, grimacing and blushing when Axel's hand fell upon the feathery mess of golden hair on his head. Matching Axel's devilish smirk with an innocently impish sort of grin, he contemplated tackling him to the ground right then and there.

That was seconds before he was prompted with a question. He blinked dubiously, scoping out for the exact instructions that were filed away in his mind.

"Uh...Right! We're required to stay there overnight, just you and I." He hadn't noticed the suggestive implications of his words, nor did he realize he murmured the last part with a vixenish undertone.

When his guttered brain caught up with him, he coughed to mask his embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck. His face took on the color of fresh apples.

"A-Anyway...Oh. And for the rest of tomorrow, too. We are to return sometime in the late afternoon."

Caprices and conspiracies be damned, he was stoked to have Axel with him. This reconnaissance was sounding more and more like a rendezvous, a romantic getaway.

Not that he minded one bit, but he had this giddy stirring in his tummy. His chest was tight and he felt amazingly light-headed, even nervous. Though he had no reason to be. Axel was his best friend before he was his lover. They told each other everything. He was comfortable with Axel's company.

He trailed closely behind Axel, disappearing into the dark void that would transport them to paradise. Could there be any better region to be stationed at? If Demyx knew, he'd be sniveling like an envious child.

Thanks to the help of magic, he acquired a set of summer clothes, too. Abandoning the cloak for the time being, he now was dressed in checkered swim trunks that seemed a tad too baggy, while a light gray tank top was snug around his torso.

He winced when his bare feet caromed over the hot sand, laughing like as if the twinge tickled. He beamed as brightly as the shining sun, jumping up and down. Aware of Axel's amused stare, he calmed himself down and willed his elation to quell.

Smiling blissfully, he reached out to intertwine their fingers. His hand really did fit perfectly with the other, and that just made his belly do somersaults all over again. He gulped and grinned up at Axel, trying to keep his composure, lest he be teased for acting like such a kid. Which he most certainly wasn't.

"Mm...What should we do first?"

He walked out of the shadows, a smile painted across his lips as his eyes closed and he felt the warm sea breeze whisper over his skin. Not much had changed from what he had been wearing on his day off. His hair was still pulled back in a tight spiky ball and we wore a grey hoodie and plaid green swim trunks. He kicked the sand with his flip flops on and smirked slightly at the warmth he felt before watching Roxas jump around in excitement.

He chuckled to himself and couldn't hide the blush that crept across his face as he admired the other boy.

God, he's so cute...

He pinched the bridge of his nose to snap himself out of it and held his hand over a dry patch of sand summoning flames for a rather large bonfire. He didn't bother with setting up stones around it and kept it hovering about an inch off the sand, perfectly contained.

"I say, find our cabin, and then come back and make smores? It's a nobodies tradition, no matter where you go camping you always have smores. Made it up just now. Got it memorized? You just watch, it will stick."

He winked at him and leaned down kissing him softly as the flames brightened and cackled loudly. He pulled away and raised a brow before giving a sly smirk.

"Guess I can't get too excited unless I remember to put it out... Want to figure out what cabin we're staying at before it gets dark?"

"Smores?" he asked curiously with a wry smile, daring himself not to chuckle at Axel's newly appointed tradition.

And then a charming wink and that damned smirk. Shy as he could sometimes be, he stared at this little rock in the sand, nudging it with his toe like it was an amazing pastime. Yet in a second, Axel's lips were meshed against his, and that definitely absorbed all his attention in an instant. Kissing Axel was something he would never tire of. Ardent and delicious, with a smoky kind of zest. Even that small peck ignited fireworks in his mind's eye, sending pleasurable flames throughout his veins.

God, he's so hot...

Grinning and blushing demurely, he traced along the curve of his mouth and laughed at the lame pun he concocted, his lips still moist and tingly from the brief exchange. Smiling up at his mentor, he tightly squeezed his hand affectionately, simply brimming with bashful bliss.

He glanced off to the side to gaze at the endless expanse of water. The sea.

"I'll try to remember to remind you...I guess we'd get an earful at home if we were to accidentally set this place on fire..."


They started walking along the shore, surveying the area and listening to the sounds of the rumbling ocean waves, the cawing of the gulls overhead. Ascending the steps, they explored the large tree house, peering into the empty hunt.

"Eh, will this do? Seems spacious enough, at least for the two of us. A-And only one large sleeping bag..." he checked around the cozy room to make sure it was stable, decently clean, and all the while trying to keep his head clear.

"Mmm, if this one doesn't work, we can find some other place to crash. Heh, maybe sleeping under the stars...wouldn't be so bad," he trailed off. That would be too much. He hoped Axel would just think that he was merely joking. He coughed to make up for the small relapse of silence. "A-Ahaha...So, do you like swimming, Axel? Or are you more of the lounge on the beach type?"

He pictured an pseudo-nude Axel, sprawled out in the sand in a rather erotic, irresistibly alluring pose. Those emerald green eyes were just glimmering with mischief and arousal. Breezily, he would say, "Roxas, mind if you rub some tanning oil on my back? I'd really appreciate it." Wink. This was all in his awfully hormonal, terribly cluttered brain. He willed the dirty images to disappear, coughing and grimacing, blushing at his own thoughts.

What the hell? I need to get a grip.

His smirk grew at the suggestion and he shrugged off his shirt eyeing the other with interest. The weather was beautiful out and he couldn't imagine any better way to spend the night. He coughed loudly as lewd images crouded his brain and his face flushed red as he looked away, glancing around the island as he looked for a spot for them to sleep, clearing his mind.

"I think sleeping under the stars would be perfect."

He nodded to the small elevated island with the paopu fruit tree and ruffled the others hair playfully before steering him in that direction.

"That looks like a good place."

He gave him a sly smirk and chuckled looking over the other and then out at the water, hiding the way his face flushed by staring intently at the waves.

"So, what would you like to do first? Anything you want I'll set it up for ya."