entrancelogs | Axel and Roxas; unfinished

The moment Axel had finally figured out where and when to meet Roxas, he hurried to put on his yukata and all but ran to the festival grounds. The garment had taken him a short while to figure out, but he managed to tie the deep green obi correctly over the expanse of white fabric. He smiled at the red flame-like designs. Cliched, but at least it looked nice.

When he made it the entrnce of the festival, he scanned the area briefly before spoting the distinctive shape of Roxas' blond hair. If he had a heart, it would have skipped a beat.

The blond looked stunning, if not a little out of place from his usual clothes, in his own yukata. Axel's eyes traced the body of the phoenix up his back and settled on the boy's cheek, finally catching a glimpse of his eyes as he turned, fidgeting. Breathing a sigh of--relief, joy, longing, he couldn't really tell--Axel started toward him, his pace speeding up until he stopped directly in front of his friend.

"Roxas," he said simply, meeting his eyes and glowing as a grin split his face, "long time, no see."

Beginning to wonder jokingly if maybe he should have given Axel directions to the festival grounds, Roxas caught sight of an all too familiar face as he turned to adjust his yukata yet again, and froze on the spot, resisting the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Axel. Axel... he was really here. He was really finally here. And Roxas couldn't stop thinking about how good he looked in his yukata, and how good it was to see him so long, and millions of things all at once... for what seemed like the longest time, no words would come to his lips; he couldn't think of anything that could possibly show how much he had missed him.

So he settled for something slightly easier than words were at the moment; he just grinned back, and flung his arms around his friend's neck in a hug. "It's been... too long, huh?" he finally said, half-wishing that they could just stay like this all night, "I've... I've missed you."

At Roxas' smile, Axel remembered instantly the feeling he'd gotten whenever they'd been together before. He felt whole--complete--just from seeing the boy's face again. How hard he'd worked for another chance to see him, and now it was finally here. His efforts hadn't been in vain.

When Roxas pulled him into the hug, Axel returned the embrace tightly, wrapping his arms around the other's back and pressing his face into the top of Roxas' head. Breathing deeply, he laughed, the joy and disbelief and reality of the moment hitting him. He couldn't help himself as he picked Roxas up and spun in a quick circle, setting him down and taking half a step back, leaving his hands to rest on the boy's shoulders.

"I missed you too, Rox," he smiled, more softly than before. "I missed you so much."

No matter how hard he tried, Roxas just... couldn't stop laughing or smiling. It had been far too long... far too long since that day at Never Was, but it didn't matter now. Axel was here. They were finally together again, and he wouldn't leave his friend's side without a fight.

Roxas was a little reluctant to break the embrace, but just being in the other's presence was good enough for now. His cheeks were slightly flushed from being spun around and laughing so much; he shot Axel another smile as he was set down, and tilted his head up to meet the other's gaze.

"It just wasn't the same without... I just. I'm so, so glad you're here." He was well aware that he was babbling, but he couldn't help it. Everything was just so right now, so okay, slowly getting back to normal. Just the way it should be. "But I've heard you had your own share of adventures after I left, huh?" he teased, offering Axel his hand and motioning to the festival grounds so they could start heading in. "We... have a lot to catch up on."

Axel laughed again at Roxas' flush and his babbling, ruffling the kid's hair good-naturedly. For being so serious sometimes, he could also be awfully cute. "I'm glad to be here," he returned, "I'm glad you're here."

He took Roxas' offered hand, twining their fingers together and marvelling at the solidity he found in them, and the warmth and the comfort. Grinning broader, he let himself be led into the festival. He was so mezmerized by the fact that he could do this again--even if it was just something as simple as holding Roxas' hand--that he almost missed the blond's question.

"Oh, adventures, right..." he trailed, remembering the lonliness of the first few days after Roxas' departure, and then the hectic atmosphere of his time as a rogue, trying so desperately to get him back. He smiled awkwardly, scratching at the back of his head with his free hand. "That reminds me, I need to apologize to Kairi...."

[ooc: I have to go to bed, sorry! I'll be back tomorrow! ♥]

Roxas held tightly onto Axel's hand and stayed close to the other as they walked into the festival together, as though he was afraid that the other would simply disappear if he dared let go. It was... a litle silly, he knew, but he couldn't help it.

The smile slowly left his face, though, as he realised what he had said. Of all the things to bring up, why had he picked now to mention that? Of all things? Obviously, he wanted to know what had happened after he'd left, but... why ruin such a good moment? Roxas sighed a little, and squeezed Axel's hand, looking up to his friend with a slightly concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought that up now," he said quietly. The blond wanted to say something to reassure Axel about the whole Kairi thing -- the full details of which he had heard from Riku -- but once again, words were lost to him. And not in a good way this time, either.

Axel frowned for a moment at the look on Roxas' face. Now was not a time for sadness; they were together again, and that was all that really mattered. He stopped walking for a moment and turned to face Roxas fully, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey, it's ok," he soothed, smiling down at him. "Look, we can talk about this later--tonight, after this is over, if you want--until we're blue in the face, but for now, let's just... let's have fun or something, ok? Enjoy each other's company...." Here he brushed some of Roxas' hair behind his ear, then let his hand return to his side, turning and looking back out over the festival.

"So, what do you wanna do?" he asked, smiling brightly again and looking at Roxas over his shoulder, still holding his friend's hand tightly.

He tilted his head upwards so that he could look at his friend, his unhappy look slowly being replaced with a small smile. Axel was right; they should be having fun together and enjoying each other's company, especially since this was... the first time in a long while that they'd even had the chance to.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, "you're right. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to -- I was just... a little curious, I guess." He tilted his head to the side a little and nodded, the smile on his face growing wider at Axel brushing his hair back -- though he'd never admit that he liked that.

Axel's good mood was incredibly contagious, Roxas soon found out, and he looked out over the festival too, trying to see what he could find that they could do together and both enjoy. "That depends -- are you hungry, or do you want to lose at a couple of games first?" Roxas grinned.

[ooc; I apologize for it taking so long to reply back to this! T_T ♥]

Axel was glad that Roxas had dropped the subject so easily; he wasn't ready to so quickly admit to the awful mistakes he had made, and besides which, he didn't know if Roxas had heard his... "confession", of sorts, to Sora about how he truly felt about his friend as he lay dying. He didn't know if he wanted to know yet. He just wanted to be with Roxas again, like they used to be.

"It's ok, really. Like I said, later," he smiled reassuringly.

"Hmm, well, now that you mention it, I am a little hungry. Haven't eaten much since I got here. You wanna hit up some stands?"

[ooc: It's okaaaay ♥ Also I know absolutely nothing about Japanese culture/festivals/games, so uh, I'm gonna be BSing there. :D ]

"Later's fine with me," Roxas smiled right back, squeezing Axel's hand once again reassuringly, and as far as he was concerned, the subject was dropped for now. He was confident that Axel would fill him in in his own time, and he certainly wasn't going to push him to talk about what had happened after he'd left the Organization -- after all, it seemed like the topic... made him rather uncomfortable.

The blond started to tug Axel towards one of the stands that were serving yakisoba; he could recall someone recommending it to him at one point or another, and besides, it couldn't hurt to try it, right?
"That sounds like a great idea," he admitted, not that he was going to tell Axel he hadn't eaten much since he'd gotten to the mansion either. "What do you feel like having? Someone recommended these fried noodles, but if you're in the mood for something else, I'm sure we can take a look?"

Cue completely innocent smile in Axel's direction.

[ooc; ♥! And hehe, noooo worries! I know nothing about them either, so. We can totally make it up as we gooo. :D <3~ ]

If that didn't sound like innuendo... Axel shook his head and laughed, banishing the thought from his head. "Noodles sound good to me, Roxy," he smiled, turning to the owner of the stand and ordering two servings of yakisoba.

When the man didn't ask for any payment (Axel wondered if he would've accepted Munny anyway), he took his food from the vendor. When the man held out a second plate, Axel had a moment of indecision. Let go of Roxas' hand to carry his food, therefore looking at least somewhat gentlemanly, or keep holding it?

After some quick thinking, Axel stepped aside to let Roxas grab his own plate.

Roxas didn't know whether to be glad or disappointed that the slight innuendo had gone unnoticed; he settled for glad and gave Axel another smile, glad that he had warmed to the idea of getting the noodles. Who knew if there was any other half-decent food here, anyway?

Not that he would object to the thought of eating candied apples all night, though, make no mistake.

If the blond had known of Axel's momentary indecision, he would have smiled at the choice he'd made in the end. He didn't mind getting his own noodles from the vendor and thanked Axel -- quite daringly -- by a kiss on the cheek, and contemplated how eerily similar the vendor was to a Dusk. Now that wasn't something he particularly wanted to think about.

Holding Axel's hand and balancing the noodles in the other wasn't as difficult a task as he'd previously anticipated; it didn't stop him from fretting about dropping them and making himself look stupid, though.

Keyblade master he may be, but good, his reflexes were.. sometimes not.

Axel's breath hitched ever-so-slightly when Roxas kissed him; he certainly hadn't been expecting it, but now that it had happened, he felt significantly more emboldened. He gave Roxas a look halfway between a leering smirk and a happy smile, hoping that the dim lanterns hid the slight blush that had spread across his face.

Noticing that Roxas looked... slightly perplexed about balancing his food with one hand, Axel scanned the area for a place to sit, seeing a small area with picnic tables. "Come on," he teased, "let's sit down before you drop that."

The lanterns didn't quite help Axel with hiding his slight blush, but Roxas didn't dare breathe a word of it to the other, instead he merely enjoyed the reaction that the small kiss had given him. If a small kiss on the cheek can get that reaction... then what about one on the lips...? Hm. I wonder if I could get away with it? Roxas had a feeling that he was going to have to test his hypothesis on that, at one point or another before the night's end.

He couldn't help but look relieved at the suggestion, and shot Axel a thankful smile, it turning into a playful pout at the teasing. "Who said I'm going to drop it?" he asked defensively, but was more than happy to take the initiative and drag Axel towards the tables. "Come on." No doubt it would only be a matter of time before that did happen if he wasn't careful, so he didn't particularly want to prove his friend correct.

Once Roxas reached one of the tables, however, he paused. Were they going to sit next to each other? Opposite one another? It was a small question, and he felt a little silly about it -- but he was rather reluctant to let his friend's hand go.

It was at this point that Axel realized he had been letting Roxas lead him around more than usual. He blamed it on his new surroundings and the sheer shock of actually being with the blond again, but he supposed Roxas had the same excuse. Damn. Well, the kid had always adjusted better than he had, but it was time to start taking some initiative. Starting with their seating arrangement.

"You gonna sit down or what?" Axel smirked, releasing Roxas' hand to ruffle his hair. The cold that hit his palm was uncomfortable, but there could be certain "advantages" to sitting across from Roxas. Giving the boy's hair a last affectionate pet, he walked around to the other side of the table and sat down.

"No, I think I'm going to stand here all night and do nothing instead," Roxas joked, silently thankful that Axel had made the choice for them and taken the initiative with the seating. He took a seat opposite the other and set his noodles down on the table, slightly more at ease now that the noodles weren't in any... immediate danger, but slightly disappointed that they weren't holding hands anymore. But there'd be plenty of time for that later, right?

He would probably never admit it to anyone, but just the feeling of his hand in Axel's was more comforting than almost anything in the world. That, and having his hair petted like that. Roxas was about to start on his noodles, but every so often he couldn't help but glance up at the other, almost nervously but not quite, as though Axel would disappear if he didn't keep an eye on him.

Eventually, Roxas settled on something else.

"...thanks, Axel." But he didn't say what the sudden appreciation was for.

Axel laughed at Roxas' words as the boy sat down, then began to tuck into his food. His gaze flitted quickly from his plate to the blond's face and back, casually observing Roxas' expression: how he looked unsure and yet somehow content. And then he spoke, and Axel focused on it; on his mouth and the sound of his voice.

"For what?" he asked calmly, very aware of Roxas' feet near his own under the table, and taking the chance to discreetly caress one with his toe.

As soon as Axel started to eat his noodles, Roxas almost hesitantly took a bite of his own -- and found, to his delight, that they were actually a lot nicer than he had originally anticipated them to be. He just shook his head and saw to his own food, but couldn't help but keep glancing at Axel -- and then he noticed him looking at him, and gave him a small smile.

"For what?" he echoed, considering the question briefly before swallowing his mouthful of noodles and replying, "well... everything you've done for me, I guess." It sounded... rather cheesy, he did realise, but... Axel had left the Organization just to find him, and while he didn't know the exact details, he had come to the conclusion from what he had heard from the rest of the Organization that... it hadn't ended all too well.

If Roxas had been eating any noodles at the time Axel caressed his foot, he was pretty sure he would have choked on them from shock -- but not a bad shock, mind. Unconsciously, he smiled softly and shifted his foot closer, encouraging the contact and reciprocating it in turn, regaining his composure and taking another mouthful of his noodles as though nothing had happened.

Nothing indeed.

Axel sighed at Roxas' reply--almost a snort--letting the action form a sort of half-smile as he looked away, and then back at his friend. "You're welcome," he returned, voice sounding more serious than it had been, "and I mean it. I... I'd do it all again. I mean, I could do without the rest of the Organization being out for my blood," he smiled, "but... at least I got to help you."

He locked eyes with Roxas for a moment longer, a fond smile on his lips, then returned to his food, his foot continuing to stroke Roxas' gently, encouraged by his response.

Something akin to a shiver went down Roxas's spine at the words -- he would go to all that trouble, put himself into all that danger again... just for him? It wasn't the first time that night that he had been at a loss for words, but he gave Axel a genuinely grateful smile, hoping that would do for the time being. "Y...you'd put yourself in that much danger again? Just for me?" he eventually asked, speaking surprisingly quietly despite the noise of the festival around them.

Of course, being on pleasant terms with the Organization would always be a nice thing, but Roxas supposed that even if he attempted to make amends with all of them, things would never be quite the same.

If he had a heart, it would probably be bursting with happiness at this very moment. Roxas finished off his noodles -- which he had eaten surprisingly fast -- but didn't look up again at Axel, not just yet.

Axel had to strain to hear Roxas' voice, but the words were not lost. He blinked at his companion for a moment, observing his expression and the way he avoided his eyes.

"I..." he started, his voice imploring, "of course I would, Roxas. You..." at this he reached forward to place his hand atop one of Roxas' now free ones, "you mean a lot to me."

He didn't say "everything," even though he wanted to. He didn't want to scare him. It was a lot to think about so soon after they had finally reunited after thinking that they would never see each other again. If he lost Roxas again.... He didn't want to think about it. They could ease into this. He definitely wasn't going to dump something like that on him so soon.

At Axel's words, he couldn't help but look up to meet his gaze; what Axel had said about him basically summarised what Roxas thought about him... except, admittedly he'd probably replace 'a lot' with 'the world' or something similar, but he couldn't help it.

Even after everyone else had forsaken him, Axel hadn't. And that meant more to him than he could really put into words, words that wouldn't sound sappy and mushy and straight out of a greeting card.

Roxas moved his hand, so that he was holding Axel's in his instead, giving it a light squeeze. "You... you mean a lot to me too, Axel." he said softly, the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. "And, if it counts, I'd... do the same for you, if I ever needed to." He didn't voice it aloud, but he was mostly worried about Saix's intentions for revenge and how they seemed to concern Axel -- whether his motives were more because of Vexen or something else entirely, he didn't... particularly want to have to find out.

But no matter what, Roxas would stick by Axel's side. Not that he would let him know, not yet. There was no need to cause concern, or alarm, or whatever other reactions something of that sort might invoke.

Maybe a slight change of subject would be a relatively good idea, though Roxas was still... more than willing to stay on the topic at hand if Axel wished to talk about it more. "Are you... ready to keep going, or... d'you want to just stay here all night?" he teased.

Axel didn't know if he had expected Roxas to reciprocate his actions, but he was certainly glad to hear that he would. Overjoyed, really. If Roxas cared about him enough to do that, then maybe he... maybe he....

"Thank you," he replied gently, gratefulness in his voice. His free hand subconsciously moved to the side of Roxas' face, again brushing his hair aside, but this time lingering just behind his ear.

"Well," he said after a moment, "was there anything else you particularly wanted to see? I think the fireworks are starting soon." He looked to the sky briefly, then back at his companion, letting his hand fall back to the table.

"Hey, no problem. You're welcome." Roxas closed his eyes a little at Axel's touch, leaning into it more without thinking. He couldn't help but sigh softly as Axel's hand fell back to the table, though, already missing the comfort that it had given him.

He thought about Axel's question seriously for a moment, and realising the answer was a 'no' then replied, "No, nothing in particular. If there's nothing else you want to do, then we can always go and find a good spot to watch the fireworks from before they're all taken?"

The seat had become far too comfortable for him to want to leave it, but slowly he began to rise from it, tugging on Axel's hand as if to motion for him to follow. A plan was slowly beginning to form in his mind; as soon as the fireworks went off... would that be an okay time? Would... well, the worst could come to the worst and he could...

Roxas would just have to take the chance, and wait and see.

"No, I don't know much about these festival-things anyway. Let's go," he replied, smiling at his younger friend, standing from his seat as well.

"I saw a field over this way; should be a good place, huh?" he jerked his head in the direction of the area, pulling on Roxas' hand to drag the blond closer to himself.

"Sounds good to me! And it looks like you'll have to lead the way then, I'm useless with directions," Roxas laughed, almost using it as an excuse to walk as close as humanly possible to Axel.

"How long do you think we have until they start, anyway?" he asked, more as a matter of curiosity than anything as he began to follow the other's lead, still staying close. Hopefully Axel wouldn't ask too many questions about his... closeness, though judging by the way he was seemingly trying to drag him closer? He probably wouldn't mind one bit.

Axel grinned back at his friend, leading him in the the direction of the field. "I dunno, probably real soon, though," he answered, unable to keep the anticipation out of his voice. Fireworks were always exciting.

Roxas was staying not more than half a pace behind him, which Axel found rather endearing. When they arrived at their destination, Axel found a way to pull him even closer, releasing his hand and wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders, drawing him flush against his side.

"Looking forward to them?" Roxas teased, knowing all too tell that Axel enjoyed fireworks. Might have possibly breathed fireworks, if he was allowed to. But hey, the blond certainly couldn't complain; he enjoyed them too, and hadn't seen a decent display... since he'd left Twilight Town, most probably.

And he was going to watch them with Axel. Couldn't get much better than that.

He couldn't help the slight blush that spread across his face as Axel pulled him in close, and he couldn't help but snuggle up to the other, enjoying the closeness and the warmth and the comfort. There really wasn't a better time than now, was there?

"...hey, Axel." He just needed the redhead's attention, just for a second... Not that that would, hopefully, be too difficult a thing to accomplish.

"Of course!" Axel grinned and laughed, his gaze turned skyward, waiting. Fireworks and Roxas (who was currently snuggling into his side, Axel couldn't help but notice and smile to himself). Everything was perfect.

At Roxas' voice, Axel turned his face to look down at his friend--anything Roxas had to say was far more important than any fireworks disply. "Yeah?" he said by way of reply.

Thank goodness for small favours. As soon as Axel turned to face him, Roxas took his chance -- he turned a little in the other's embrace, stood on the tips of his toes, and kissed him briefly on the lips. Just a brief kiss, nothing too major; he didn't... want to scare Axel away. He wasn't even sure if the other was attracted to him too; there were enough hints, but he just wanted to be sure, and...

"...thank you for coming to the festival with me," he smiled, and said nothing more just yet as the fireworks started up, the smell of gunpowder and smoke slowly beginning to fill the air, along with the brilliant bangs and sparkles that the fireworks gave off.

Nothing could go better than it already was, he thought to himself as he snuggled back up to Axel. Or at least, he thought so.

Axel froze, stunned for a moment by Roxas' actions. So he really did...? Axel couldn't even watch the fireworks; he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from Roxas' face, illuminated by the explosions in the sky.

"You're welcome," he managed after a few moments, his voice barely a whisper near the blond's ear. He couldn't help himself as he used his free hand to turn Roxas' face toward him again, cupping his cheek and pressing his lips firmly against the blond's. He'd waited and wondered and hoped for so long. Finally, finally, finally, his mind repeated over and over, and the empty ache he usually felt was gone.

At first, when Axel had frozen up, Roxas had slightly begun to worry. Perhaps he had been too forward, that it was a mistake, and he looked up to his friend with a slightly questioning look on his face.

”…Axel, I…” he began, not knowing what else to say, when he was cut off by Axel’s lips pressing against his.

Roxas wasn’t exactly too skilled in this sort of thing, but felt seriously relieved when the other kissed him in return, just so, so glad that his feelings were reciprocated. He wrapped his arms around the other’s neck again and attempted to pull him closer, almost shyly deepening the kiss slightly. The fireworks and the festival and everything else was forgotten as he lost himself in the moment. Their moment.

Just the two of them.

When Axel felt Roxas respond, he sighed into the kiss, opening his mouth and moving against the blond. All his thoughts focused on the boy he held so tightly against himself, one hand tangling in his hair while the other moved from his shoulder to his back. Tilting his head further to the side, he let his tongue slide experimentally across Roxas' bottom lip, then pulled away, studying his companion's face.

"Roxas, I..." he started, but found he couldn't finish his sentence. Tell him you love him, his mind argued, while some deeper part of himself fought back that he couldn't love without a heart. "I...." What if it was true? He couldn't lie to him; not about this. So he pulled Roxas into a tight embrace, pressing his face into soft blond hair. "I don't ever want to lose you again. I... I don't think I could bear it."

Oh, how good it felt to be held so securely, to be wanted and made to feel so safe and to be kissed like this. Roxas couldn't help but make a small noise of disappointment and protest as Axel pulled away slightly, settling for nuzzling his face into the other's chest when he was pulled into a tight embrace instead.

"I'm not going to up and leave again, Axel," he said softly, hugging the other back just as tightly as he was being held. "I promise. I... I couldn't bear leaving you again." 'And putting you through all that grief and pain just to find me...' His last sentence was said a lot more quietly than the other was, but he still meant it just as much, if not more.

"Good," Axel murmured, nodding against Roxas, his fingers grasping at his hair and the material on his back as he held him, "good." And that was all the reassurance he needed; a simple promise that Roxas wasn't going to leave him again and then everything felt so right, so perfect. He sighed and kissed the top of Roxas' head, stroking his hair, perfectly content to never move from this spot.

The fireworks were slowly beginning to draw to a close, but Roxas... didn't really notice; so wrapped up in the other's arms and drowning in the comfort that Axel gave off that anything besides the pair of them was nonexistent. At least, for the moment. His arms slid around the redhead's waist in return, his grip tight and secure. "You're... you're not going to leave me either, are you?" he whispered, feeling slightly foolish for voicing this concern, but feeling it to be a valid one nonetheless.

The question was such a painful surprise that Axel couldn't help the short bark of laughter that leapt forth from him. "No," he mustered, shaking his head against the top of Roxas', "no, never. Never. I couldn't--" He separated just enough to look into the younger's bright blue eyes, his hand moving to cup the blond's cheek. "I could never do that to you, Roxas. Never. I want to... to stay with you. For as long as I can." He pressed another gentle kiss to Roxas' forehead, lingering. For the rest of my life.

[ooc: sorry this took like a year and a half D: it's hard to get back into that mindframe. they'd only been here, what? two days? it was such a long time ago~ :D;;; ♥

He hadn't exactly been expecting to be... laughed at for his question, but Roxas wasn't bothered by it in the least either. The only thing that would have truly bothered him at this point would be if Axel had literally left him, standing here in his yukata (which he still didn't think suited him a single bit) - that would hurt the most. But he'd promised that he wasn't going to, and that was reassurance enough. "I... I want the same, Axel," Roxas murmured, snuggling in closer. "I want... to stay with you as long as possible." That being 'forever and ever more', or some period of time as equally long, but he wasn't prepared to give that particular thought voice just yet.

Axel and Roxas; unfinished

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