He sighed, flicking a bare popsicle stick off the ledge supporting his lean figure. The small word 'Winner' etched into the lightweight wood blazed in memory as he watched the stick disappear into the world below. A sigh racked his frame, one leg pulled up to his chest and slowly the male's head canted to rest against it. Jaded irises fled to the comfort of darkness and with that he shut the world out.
There was no reason any more, he'd chased the only person ever to touch his soul away. Through his actions, Roxas had left - no longer to grace his presence. He pulled the other leg up, arms folding over his knees as a shaky breath contracted his lungs.
Fueled rage mounted, the male rocked and shifted on arm to slam a balled fist into the stone beneath him. His head lifted and vivid emerald eyes fluttered open slowly, his vision was blurry and his chest hurt. It was an inexplicable happening, something that had never occurred in all of his days.
The firestarter reeled back and cast his gaze to the sky, barely able to make out the fleeting sun through clouded optics.
"You were the only one I liked..."
Axel recalled some of his words, words that he had spoken to the Somebody of his partner. His composure broke, shoulders began to tremble and his head drooped. A sudden warmth began to wash over his face, tracing those symmetrical markings as it spread.
To his surprise, the ledge began to change color. Tiny droplets of dark pigment began to form over the yellowed surface. Trying to blink the obscurement from his vision, he finally realized what had happened. Tears were freely streaming down his face, dropping onto the ledge as he wept openly for what had been lost.
"... I never even got to tell you how I felt."
Both gloved hands covered his face, legs dropping to dangle helplessly over the ledge. The fiery mane tousled against the air as he shook his head back and forth, regret washing over him. The memories continued to haunt him, day in and day out. There was no getting away from it.
Maybe I don't deserve peace...
His head rang with sorrow, but the bitter reverie was shattered by a hand on his shoulder. A familiar hand, small boned and undoubtedly belonging to a young person. Immediately his features lit up and in his haste to turn around he nearly plummeted from the clocktower.
Rising to his full height, Axel stared down at the tiny Keyblader in disbelief. He was back and standing right here, either hand was busy grasping one of the bright blue popsicles they'd spent so many days sharing.
"... Here. Sea salt ice cream, on the clocktower, just like we used to.."
His voice was small, but the blonde spoke up and offered one arm out to the taller companion. The words trembled as they spilled from his mouth, but Axel was still stunned. He didn't even notice, but instinctively reached out and grabbed for the ice cream.
He rebounded, raising the frozen treat to his lips for a moment. Roxas wouldn't look at him, but he didn't blame the smaller Nobdoy. Axel shook his head and looked down, suddenly realizing he was still crying. With a loud cough the male swept his free arm across his face before looking back up, knowing full well that what was going on would still be painfully obvious to the other.
As his eyes lowered again, he was met by a mirror image. The boy's face was stained in the same manner as his, bright cerulean hues were bloodshot, and his face puffy. They had shared the sentiment, apparently. Both seeking refuge and release atop the one place that weighed on both of them heavily.
A leery arm extended out to encircle the boy's shoulders, pulling him into the taller figure. Axel rested his head atop the mess of blonde spikes, starting to break down all over again. Beneath him Roxas trembled and choked on his breath in response. The assassin let the ice cream fall from his hand, uncaring of it landing on his boot. Both arms wrapped tight around the other, feeling an embrace in return from Roxas.
His breath was ragged, but that didn't matter. They had been reunited. That was all Axel had wanted, since the first day the boy had disappeared. He just wanted to be together.
Roxas hiccuped and buried his face in the firestarter's chest. The separation had been just as painful on his end, day after day he'd yearned for Axel's presence. Just wishing once to be able to hear him say something sarcastic, even something at his expense. He just wanted the familiarity. He wanted Axel.
"... I couldn't stay away."
His words came out clipped, and his fingers started to dig into the eighth's coat. he never wanted to let go, never wanted this moment to end. Sadly, he knew it would draw to a close whether he wanted it to or not, but that wouldn't stop him from fully taking it in. Time is cruel. He thought, pulling his face back to look up at the other.
Axel blinked a few times and leveled his head, their eyes locked and he felt a deep urge to look away. He wasn't good with this kind of stuff, couldn't talk about his feelings, and was terrible at expressing anything emotional. His lips parted slightly as he attempted to speak, but the words wouldn't come out.
Finally, he conveyed his message in one simple gesture: His head dipped low, nose brushing against the blonde's as he lightly pressed his lips to the others. It was the only way he could think of to explain himself, no words would do it justice. Nobody or not, there were far too many feelings raging within him to merit a simple dialogue.
The kiss set a fire in his heart, a passion blossomed as the world ignited around him.
He knew, deep down, this was what they had both wanted - and for once, they both got what they were searching for.
[Kayla - I know I've probably been the shittiest partner in the history of partners, I know that my muse for Axel has basically perished, but I do really care about you. You're a great friend and I want you to know that I've enjoyed roleplaying with your Roxas more than anything else I've done with this account. I wish I could be more active, I wish I could be here and keep our threads going. I really do, I'm not trying to wrong you or deprive you. It's just tough to keep going, there's so many bad things associated with this Tumblr. I won't be mad if you find a new Axel, I just want to see you happy, and see your Roxas continue to flourish. You're a great person and you were a huge inspiration to me from the moment we started going back and forth. Thank you, for everything you've done for me. Thank you for being patient with me, for listening to me, and I hope you know you've always got a friend in me. I'll be the Axel for your Roxas, as long as you wish.]
