FicWad

Axel /flump/ed down on a white couch in a white room in a white castle. "Hey," he said.

"Hi," said Roxas, elbows on knees, head in hands, clearly thinking.

"So... Remember anything recently?"

It might have seemed like an odd question coming from anyone else, but from a Nobody it made perfect sense. Nobodies were, in a way, constantly in search of their former lives - their hearts were part of it, as were their names, but memories were, perhaps, the most important. At least, memories were the only part that the Nobodies themselves could do anything about. A few of them tried everything, hoping that some taste or smell or sight would bring back a missing memory. A few, too, had found something that almost reminded them - like Demyx' sitar, and the color red for Axel - and tried to remember that way.

"...Why?" Roxas asked.

"Because it's a good topic of conversation, because this castle is ridiculously boring, and... Oh yeah, because I care. I'm your friend, remember?"

Roxas was silent for a few moments, then, very quietly and looking down, "I have a feeling," he said, "that there was someone I loved very much."

Axel gave a half-smile. "What did your special someone look like?"

"All I remember... Eyes. Blue-green, like the ocean with the sun shining. But I've never seen the ocean, so how can I know what color it is?" He kneaded his forehead, frustrated.

"Hey, hey," Axel said. "It's all part of who you were - are. It'll come to you eventually. Just relax. Got it memorized?"

Roxas leaned back on the couch, imitating Axel's carefree posture. One corner of his mouth twitched - a flicker of a smile - and he slumped forward again.

"I have another...feeling. I remember disappointment, too, and sadness. I never told this person that I loved them. Maybe I wasn't supposed to love them...? But then I lost my chance."

The pain in Roxas' eyes struck a chord in Axel - no heart, I shouldn't be feeling this - but, heart or no heart, he felt sorry for him. Something about what he had said, though...

"I can't help but notice," Axel said, "that you haven't said 'her' this whole time."

Roxas thought for a moment; a tinge of color found its way onto his pale skin. "...So?"

Axel smirked. "Well, well, well. No wonder you never told him."

Roxas /hmpf/ed at Axel and stood up. He was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," Axel said. "Relax, remember?"

Roxas stood for a moment, looking down (for once) at Axel. He realized something.

Axel's feeling that same regret right now. But he still has his chance -

Roxas swallowed hard and sat back down.

"That's better. So... did you ever like anyone else? Ever been kissed?"

"No." (To both questions.)

"How about we change that?"

Before Roxas could react, Axel had slid over next to him on the couch, put one hand low on his back and the other behind his head, and was kissing him.

His mouth was soft and warm, and when Roxas felt the brush of Axel's tongue across his lips, he gasped and let him in. He made a surprised noise that sounded like "mmm" and put his arms around the redhead.

Kissing Axel was the best feeling in all of Roxas' experience. For the first time in a long time, he felt safe and happy and whole/. And this was something that was really /his - didn't belong to that half-glimpsed mirror image, that other him. This belonged to Roxas, and no one else.

It was Axel who broke away first. "Comfy?" he asked, and Roxas nodded, snuggling a little closer. Somehow, the question of "What just happened?" never came up. "For a first-timer, you sure learn quick." Axel smirked. "So... you got all that memorized?"

"I don't know," Roxas said. "We might have to practice some more."