Chapter Text
As Lea predicted, with the two of them on the job, it doesn’t take long at all for him and Roxas to raze all the plants in the forest on two or more legs to the ground and send word to Sora’s friends. Lea uses some magic Merlin taught him to send their letter to the palace, grateful for the first time for the old man’s insistence on learning some domestic magic alongside his keyblade training– especially now that everyone bitched and moaned about how dangerous it was whenever he tried to use dark corridors.
Now that it’s not so full of heartless plants, this world is pretty nice, actually. Would be a waste to just go right home. Cautiously, he pitches the idea of staying for a while to Roxas, wary of the other man’s mood, but thankfully, Roxas agrees almost immediately, his big blue eyes taking in the floral splendor of the forest with that open, wide-eyed look that never failed to make something in Lea’s heart ache a little. Roxas had looked pretty taken aback when Lea showed up for a mission Roxas clearly thought he’d be going on solo, but hadn’t protested, so maybe he wasn’t too angry with him after all.
The two of them meander around for a bit, until Lea finds an elevated ledge with a decent view, overlooking a lake with lily pads. The two of them climb up and take a seat, leaning against the rock face leading to a higher ledge, enjoying the warm sun and smooth breeze that rustles the bushes and flowers around and sends ripples across the glittering water.
When it’s been quiet for a while, Lea speaks up.
“Hey, uh, sorry if I took the teasing too far the other day, Roxas.” He starts, awkward but honest– he’d gotten carried away with enjoying their little game. Keeping his face forward, he carefully watches Roxas’ expression out of the corner of his eye. “Didn’t mean to upset you.”
Roxas doesn’t keep forward, turning in surprise at the apology to blink at him with wide eyes. He seems willing to accept the offered olive branch though, turning his gaze back toward the lake before replying. “It’s okay. I know you were just teasing me. Normally, I can handle it, but… I’ve been a bit on edge lately, I guess.” He picks at the hem on his sleeve as he speaks.
Lea tries to sound casual as he latches on to the admission in order to not give away what he knows as he asks, “Yeah? Why’s that? Something botherin’ you?”
“Uhh… kinda.” Roxas shrugs. “It’s not that important.”
“It is if it’s upsetting you.” Lea insists, “But if you’d rather not tell me, I won’t push ya.”
“It’s not like that, it’s just…” Roxas sighs. “Complicated.”
Lea leans forward and brings his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on his arms and tilting his head to the side, showing Roxas he’s willing to listen.
Roxas winces, but takes the cue to speak. “So, I could just be imagining it, but… you acted pretty… weird, yesterday.”
“Weird how?” Lea asks, carefully neutral. He doesn’t wanna show his hand yet, not until he’s sure Roxas gave him that love potion on purpose, and for the reason Lea hopes.
Roxas shrugs, seeming similarly reluctant to be frank. After a moment though, he speaks, though he keeps his tone carefully nonchalant. “You kept calling me cute.”
“That’s ‘cause it’s true.” Lea replies readily, leaning a little in Roxas’ direction, keeping his expression open so that Roxas doesn’t think he’s teasing. He’s riding a fine line here, but hopefully it pays off.
Roxas seems to chew on that for a moment, blond brows furrowed. After a minute, he leans forward too, one hand down in the grass beside him to support him, upper body angling towards Lea. “It’s not just that. You also got really close to me, and… gave me this weird look.”
“Yeah? What was so weird about it?”
For a moment, Roxas wavers, looking like he’s going to backtrack… but then he shakes his head, expression set firm. “It was different than usual. The way you were acting, it’s almost as if you…” He trails off, a tinge of embarrassment in his voice.
Excitement lights Lea’s blood. Carefully holding back a grin, he tilts his head as if in confusion. “Almost as if I what, Roxas?”
“As if you like me.” Roxas finishes, barely louder than a whisper, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward smile. There’s a hopefulness to his tone despite his subdued volume.
Damn. Would it really be so bad if Lea just hauled him into his lap and kissed him right now?
Yes, he reminds himself, gotta be sure. If this was originally some kind of accident, it’s clear Rox has since realized his mistake– the way he was acting yesterday certainly suggested he thought what the shopkeeper wanted him to about the potion. But it was also possible that this was all a prank of some kind, to get back at Lea for… something. He’s not sure what he did, but if Roxas was upset with him, it would sure account for the way he’d avoided Lea like the plague lately.
“And that’s what’s got you all worked up?”
Roxas shrugs. “Yeah, I guess.” He says. And then his cheeks go bright pink.
The final piece falls into place. The Roxas Lea knows is observant, yes, but naïvely trusting, readily accepting answers given to him without so much as double checking their truthfulness. He’s willing to bet Roxas hasn’t read anything further than ‘love potion’ on that little paper tag. This is no botched prank– it’s a love crime.
Just look at that body language; the hands picking at the seam of his sleeve, the rosy tint to his cheeks, the hesitant, hopeful, peek at him out-from-under lowered lashes. Lea’s heart soars.
“I do like you.” He purrs, made bold by the confirmation of reciprocity.
Roxas gawps at him in silence for a whole fifteen seconds— and then tries and fails at a stiff smile. “Quit joking around, Axel...” He protests weakly.
“I couldn’t be more serious.”
Roxas gives a strained, incredulous laugh, shaking his head. “No way. You can’t like me, you said you….” He trails off. “Did you feel like this before yesterday?” He asks after a moment, voice small.
Lea’s eyes flash, immediately latching on to the slip up. “Yesterday? What’s so special about yesterday?”
“Nothing.” Roxas says quickly. “Never mind.”
He sounds guilty.
And what reason would Roxas have to be guilty about a change in Lea, one that made him seem like he was in love with Roxas, that he specified seemed to have happened yesterday?
With his troubled gaze cast out at the lake below, Roxas doesn’t see the wicked gleam in Lea’s eyes.
Lea wonders how long that aphrodisiac potion is supposed to last for. If it’s what’s to blame for the sudden, intense desire he feels to crowd his adorable best friend back against the rock, to corner him in and kiss him breathless, senseless, until Roxas was clutching at him and gasping for breath and struggling to keep his eyes open.
Maybe Lea was still frustrated from all that chasing and searching and avoiding, from Roxas just barely slipping out of his grasp to go hide away somewhere just out of reach.
Maybe it was both.
Or maybe he just wanted to kiss Roxas silly because he was hopelessly in love with his best friend, and nothing else had anything to do with it.
“Roxas,” Lea calls, and the huskiness in his voice must telegraph his mood, because Roxas stiffens, only briefly glancing up at him a couple of times before staring at his lap, his flush returning and spreading all the way to his ears.
“Y-yeah?”
Lea reaches out and gently cups Roxas’ face. The other man flinches slightly, eyes darting briefly aside to glance at the hand on his cheek before back at Lea with a noisy gulp. Despite his clear nervousness, Roxas doesn’t make any attempts to duck out or away, even as Lea leans in, slowly breaching the distance between them ‘til they’re forehead to forehead. The rustling of Lea’s clothes goes quiet as he stills. For a moment, Lea holds there, watching Roxas watch him, feeling the short, quick puffs of breath coming from the smaller man. Then, letting his nose just barely brush against Roxas’, Lea smiles as he lightly chides him, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Hu-huh? Forgetting what?” Roxas asks, gaze flicking up and down between Lea’s mouth and eyes a few times in rapid succession in a way that makes Lea’s desire to kiss him increase tenfold. But first…
“It’s your turn.” Lea reminds him. “How do you feel about me, Rox?”
Roxas’ eyes dart around everywhere but his, cheeks going rapidly redder.
“I…”
“Hm?”
“I, uh… um…”
“What, feeling shy?” Lea coos teasingly, charmed by the way Roxas is flustering, the quick nervous breaths he sucks in faster now. Lea drops his voice to a murmur. “If you don’t speak up, I’m gonna kiss you.”
Roxas makes a tiny whimper-like sound, then screws his eyes tightly shut as he raises his head, just slightly, and waits. Lea can barely believe this is happening. It’s everything he’s dreamed about for the past two years. Despite his threat, he’s nervous too. Maybe… he’ll work up to it…
Slowly looming closer, Lea leans in and breaches the distance, pressing a long, sweet kiss to the apple of the other man’s cheek. It’s electrifying, doing something so directly romantic as putting his lips on Roxas— but it’s not what Roxas was hoping for, that much is obvious from the crestfallen look in his eyes when Lea draws back.
“Oh? That not what you wanted?” Lea purrs, barely able to restrain his delight. “But ya know,” He taps his own lip with a finger, “Best friends don’t kiss on the lips. And you won’t tell me how you feel, so I can only assume that you don’t like me ba—“
“I do!” Roxas cries, but realizes a moment later he’s just been baited when he sees Lea’s fox-like grin. The desperate resistance slanting his brows down dissipates, softening as he gives up. Gives in. “I like you, Axel.” He says, softer. His cobalt eyes glow with tenderness, but are tinged with a deep sadness.
At first, Lea is perplexed, but then he realizes— Roxas thinks this is all the potion talking.
Frustrated at the notion of his feelings for Roxas being attributed to some measly little potion, Lea sighs and contemplates the guilty look on Roxas’ face, looking down again now rather than up at him. Wonders what all Roxas has to feel guilty about when they haven’t even done anything yet.
Maybe he oughtta give him something to really feel sorry about.
Pushing up with one finger beneath Roxas’ chin, Lea coaxes the other man’s face up. Roxas is reluctant at first, but eventually relents— looking up right as Lea’s lips descend upon his, eyes going wide in shock. The desire to smother Roxas, to vent all his pent up desires and frustrations, is fierce, but Lea keeps the kiss soft, gentle, just barely letting their lips touch and press in.
Roxas moans like a sob, stretching up as his hands fly to clutch at Lea’s shirt, pressing his lips back against his with frantic urgency, shocking him a little. Wanting Roxas to enjoy this, Lea tries to soothe his frenzy, placing a hand on Roxas’ face and stroking a thumb broadly across his cheek, willing him to take his time and feel him. It works– Roxas settles as if cowed, grip relaxing, leaving only the timid, gentle reciprocal pressure of his lips.
That’s it. I’m not goin’ anywhere, Lea thinks at him, despite his own heart racing. He’s wanted this for so long. Now that he’s finally kissing Roxas— kissing Roxas!— his heart is going a little crazy. So much so that he pulls back after only a brief few seconds of holding them in place, overwhelmed by the mere experience alone. His lips are tingling, butterflies going wild in his stomach. It’s kind of embarrassing, honestly— he’s not a kid. Peeking at Roxas, he subtly checks to see if his companion is struggling with the same thing.
Roxas has stars in his eyes.
“Axel,” He whispers, looking as dazed as Lea feels. His hands tighten in Lea’s shirt. “Can we… do that again?” His voice is small, as if expecting to be denied.
As if Lea would ever say no to kissing Roxas. He can barely even manage the saying no part.
“Sure we can.” Lea agrees eagerly, the exhilaration of being given permission to do this making him light-headed. Trembling a little from the force of keeping his composure, he leans back down and kisses Roxas again, just as soft of a peck, but daring to linger a couple seconds longer this time.
But even that isn’t enough for Roxas.
“Again,” Roxas breathes, his grip on Lea’s shirt going tight again, this time as if intent on restricting him from going anywhere. Something like fire lights in Lea’s blood, reacting to the subtle command, to the eagerness Roxas is exhibiting. Like Roxas can’t help himself, can’t get enough of him.
“No problem.” Lea hums, ego growing the harder Roxas clings to him. “I’ll give you as many kisses as you want,” he promises, intent on giving Roxas his fill, on getting him addicted.
Roxas is anticipating it this time, so when Lea’s lips press soundly against his, Roxas pushes his own lips back against Lea’s with equal force, making their lips smush against each other with a firmness so gratifying that Lea’s desire surges dangerously behind his careful wall of control. It’s all he can do to hold back from pinning Roxas to the rock and kissing him breathless, and he manages, but the urge to do so boils in his veins.
When he draws back, Roxas is far from satisfied, somehow miraculously on the same page. “Harder.” He demands, pupils blown, chest heaving.
Lea dives in, kisses him hard and firm, the suction making a noisy pop when he wrenches himself away.
“Again.”
Kiss.
“Aga—.”
Kissssss.
This is killing him. How’s he supposed to hold back like this? Roxas’ lips are so damn soft, fitting perfectly under his. And then there’s how Roxas seems to be trying to prolong every moment of contact, only pulling back part way before pressing in again, greedy and desperate. Lea kisses him with the most force yet, but it’s still not enough for Roxas.
“Don’t stop.” Roxas commands, reedy tenor all deliciously rough in a way Lea’s never heard before.
Lea obliges, his head starting to spin. It’s everything he can do just to refrain from pushing Roxas down, devouring him with kisses, and touching him all over. He can’t cross the line, needs Roxas to come clean first. To get all the potion stuff out of the way, so that any further they go is under clear circumstances, free of any sadness or guilt. But that’s going to be hard to do now, with Roxas power tripping off what he probably thinks is the potion, demands growing bolder and bolder as Lea complies with each one.
To think, this is what Roxas would make him do if he were truly under his control. Adorable.
“Harder.” Roxas gasps against his lips, and Lea kisses him so hard that his head pushes against the rock face behind them, crushing the short blond spikes of hair at the back completely flat.
Roxas moans, euphoric, going all the way up on his knees and pressing himself against Lea until there isn’t any space left between them. By now, Lea is on his own knees, in front of Roxas rather than beside him, making it easier for him to lean down and attack his mouth. Short on sanity and overflowing with kiss-borne boldness, Lea tries out something he’s only seen others do, moving his lips against Roxas’ continuously rather than leaning back and pressing in, reshaping the form of the other man’s mouth. He’s got no idea if he’s doing it right, but it feels even better than the way he was doing it before, and Roxas mimics every motion back to him without complaint, only eager enthusiasm. There’s something particularly appealing about kissing like this, Lea discovers— it’s almost as if he’s trying to engulf Roxas, to encompass him and swallow him down, to tuck him into a little slot in his chest, protected by hard bone and kept warm and safe like an egg, but in kiss form. Roxas loves it, pushing himself up and as deeply into Lea’s embrace as he can manage, tilting his head to the side to slot their lips more fully together with desperate motions. All coherent thought flies from Lea’s head, pure love subsuming his being, burning him up from within and connecting him to Roxas in a way that feels powerful and permanent.
Lea’s thoughts go distant, kiss-drunk and content, even if they never stop. But then Roxas, eyelashes fluttering and half-lidded, utters a dreamy, “I wish…” before abruptly trailing off, the haze in his eyes clears, growing lucid and wide.
The hands gripping Lea’s shirt release, suddenly freeing him of their downward pull, then turn hard against his chest pushing him away despite his reluctant groan. The unexpected force makes Lea lose his balance, falling back on his ankles hard and sliding onto his side in the grass with a fwump.
“Stop, I… I gotta stop,” Roxas gasps raggedly, breathless.
“Roxas?”
“Fuck, Axel, I….” Roxas trails off to catch his breath, chest heaving. His expression crumples, and Lea realizes Roxas needed more than a break to breathe when he groans frustratedly at himself, “Aw man, what am I doing?”
For one confused moment, Lea wonders what he did wrong, or what he didn’t do, to make Roxas push him away and make a face like that, but then he remembers– the potion. Right. Somehow, kissing Roxas had muddled his head enough for him to briefly forget about it.
Lea reaches for Roxas, trying to soothe him, coax him back for more, but Roxas moves out of reach, turning to his side and hugging himself. “Damn it, I– I shouldn’t have gotten carried away. There’s no point to this…”
Lea recoils, hurt. “What do you mean, no point?” He asks, voice harder than he intended, but— did he misread Roxas somehow? Was there another purpose to all of this that he’d missed?
Looking reluctant, Roxas explains, hugging himself tighter as he speaks. “I can make you kiss me. Make you say flirty things. Make you act like you love me, but… it isn’t real.” Roxas’ voice trembles. “I thought this was gonna solve everything. That it would make me happy. But it just hurts, instead.” He chuckles bitterly, hanging his head. “Guess this is what I get for tricking you, huh?”
“Hold on just a minute,” Lea cuts in, incredibly relieved that he hadn’t been mistaken about Roxas’ feelings after all. “You didn’t make me do anything I didn’t wanna do, Roxas.”
“You only think that ‘cause you don’t know what I did.” Roxas protests, grimacing. “If you did, you’d probably be really mad.”
Not true, not even close. Maybe he would’ve been a little angry, but not now, not after all those kisses. All he really feels bad about is that Roxas is so upset– he hadn’t foreseen Roxas’ conscience hitting him so hard, and in the middle of things no less. Though, maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised. Lea’s always thought Roxas had the most heart of all the former Nobodies, despite not being recombined with his Somebody the way the rest of them were. After all, Lea is fully human again, but the idea that Roxas wanted him enough to employ underhanded means doesn’t upset him at all— it’s flattering, even. Maybe that was messed up, maybe he’s too used to backwards expressions of sentiment, but he really doesn’t care. It is nice to know Roxas wouldn’t willingly take away his agency, he supposes, but still.
“Rox,” Lea sighs, leaning over and placing his hands on Roxas’ shoulders, gently coaxing him to turn until he’s facing him again. He keeps his grip steady, both to ground him, and to ensure that Roxas doesn’t bolt upon hearing his next words. “I know about the love potion, alright? I’m not mad.”
“You… do?” Roxas gapes, blinking blankly at him for several moments, processing. “You’re not?”
“Nope.” Lea gives him a winsome smile. “In fact, I’m glad.”
Roxas frowns, brows knitting with confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense, Axel, why would you be glad I used a love potion on…” Whatever realization Roxas comes to makes him abandon the rest of his sentence, and for a brief moment, Lea blushes in anticipation. It was one thing to confess while under the mistaken impression of a spell. Straight up and out there was another entirely. Unfortunately— or fortunately?— Roxas comes to the wrong conclusion entirely. “The potion,” He murmurs, “Of course… you’re not mad because you can’t be.”
Lea groans, throwing his head back in exasperation. “Roxas, I’m not under the influence of some potion’s spell, or… whatever it is you’re thinking.”
“Yes, you are,” Roxas insists, gripping one of Lea’s wrists and trying half-heartedly to remove it— Lea doesn’t let him. “You just don’t know it because I hid it in—“
“The pink ice cream bar,” Lea interrupts him, “Yes, Roxas, I know.”
That takes the wind out of Roxas’ sails entirely for a minute, the hand on Lea’s wrist loosening and slowly lowering to Roxas’ lap as the wheels turn in his brain. After a moment, he seems to come to a conclusion, giving Lea a skeptical look. “But if you knew, why’d you eat it?” He asks, searching Lea’s face with a dumbfounded expression that Lea can’t help but be fond of. It reminds him of the early days, when Roxas did his best to parse all of Axel’s confusing lessons on friendship and feelings.
He gives Roxas the same playful grin as always. “It was your apology gift! Like I’m gonna refuse that. Whaddaya think I am, heartless?”
Despite his fraught mood, the stupid joke gets a small, involuntary snort out of Roxas, a glimpse of his usual self leaking through before he determinedly schools his expression into something appropriately contrite.
“Still. Wouldn’t most people not eat it if they knew it would put them under a love spell?”
Rather than admit that he’d been willing to eat it both before and after finding out what was in it, Lea focuses on giving Roxas an answer he’s less likely to make fun of him for.
“That’s the thing– it didn’t put me under a love spell. The potion’s a fake. Paid a little visit to the shop you bought it from. ‘Love potion’ is just a catchy little name to get their aphrodisiac more sales. It can’t make you love anyone you didn’t already,” Lea explains, “Only amplifies your ah… body’s reaction to what’s already there.”
“The potion is fake?”
Rather than answer Roxas with words, Lea gives him a wry smile.
“But… the way you were acting…”
“Playing along.” Lea admits. “Wanted to find out what your intentions were by giving it to me.”
Roxas’ face falls. “You were just pretending?”
“About being under the love potion, yeah, but not about how I feel about you.” Lea is quick to clarify. “If anything, it made me more honest than usual,” He adds under his breath.
“Oh. Good.” Roxas promptly blushes. “I mean, that… you weren’t lying about what you said, not that you were… never mind.”
Lea chuckles, his own cheeks feeling hot.“I am kinda curious though… why go to all the trouble of using a love potion? Ya could’ve just told me you liked me.”
Roxas winces. “I was going to...”
“But?” Lea prompts, intrigued.
“But then I overheard you tell Isa you didn’t like me that way.”
“What?! I would never say that.”
“Yes, you did. I heard you. ‘I’m not lovesick over Roxas’, you said. Shouted it so loud there’s no way I misheard.” Roxas adds, bitterly.
Oh. That.
“Didn’t realize you were there that day…” Lea murmurs, almost certain the two of them had been alone for that conversation. “But believe me when I say it’s not what it sounded like. Isa was teasing me about you, and I got fed up. I definitely didn’t mean that I don’t love you. I knew it and, well… he knew it too, obviously, since he was giving me shit about it.”
Roxas’ frown lifts a little, but he still doesn’t look completely convinced. “But I heard you tell Kairi you were in love with him.”
“Uh, what!? Now I know you’re misunderstanding something, because I definitely do not feel that way about Isa.” Just the thought of it makes Lea gag a little. He’s pretty sure Isa would sooner kill than kiss him, and beat his ass seven ways to Sunday if he ever tried it. Besides, he isn’t even sure there’s room for other people in the stubborn man’s heart, not when Subject X took up so much of it that his old friend had been willing to go to pretty much every possible extreme for her.
“You said ‘first best friend’ that you were ‘finally on good terms with.’” Roxas quotes, clearly not ready to let this go so easily. “Isn’t that Isa?”
“You gotta be kidding me– it’s you, Roxas.” Lea answers, incredulous. “I was afraid to mess up our friendship after finally getting you back.”
“But I… wasn’t your first...” Roxas insists stubbornly, though Lea can tell he’s losing steam. “And since when were we on bad terms?”
“You were too my first. I’ve told ya before– never had a best friend before you. Thought I told you to get that memorized.” Lea huffs, before continuing, “And I dunno, the way we left off before you came back… wasn’t that sorta bad terms?”
Roxas’ voice is small when he shrugs and says, “I guess. I never thought of it that way. I forgave you for all that stuff a long time ago.”
Fuck.
“I– well– that’s…” Lea feels the same of course, had long put aside any hard feelings, pretty much the moment he realized Roxas wasn’t going to magically pop back out of Sora with the wave of a keyblade. Had berated himself for ages over not making better use of the last of their time, especially when a year passed, and then half of another, and he’d started his second life without his partner, his best and closest friend, by his side.
Who currently won’t meet his eyes.
“Roxas, look at me.” Lea cajoles him, gently tipping the other man’s chin up when he doesn’t comply. “I’m really sorry for making you misunderstand. But let me assure you— you had it all wrong. You’re the one I love.”
“Are you sure it’s not the potion?”
“Forget the potion.” Lea huffs, flicking Roxas on the nose, pleased when Roxas goes ‘augh’, recoils, and cracks an immediate, small smile. “I’ve felt this way for years. Practically since I met you, if I’m bein’ honest…”
“Oh. That’s… a relief.” Roxas sighs, laughing a little as he presses his hand to his head. “I feel kinda stupid now.”
“Eh, don’t beat yourself up about it. You’ve got it memorized now, right?”
Roxas nods.
“That’s what matters.”
Roxas nods again, but keeps his hand covering his face. Lea notices with alarm that he looks like he’s fighting back tears.
“What’s wrong?” Lea asks, heart sinking.
“Sorry,” Roxas says thickly, “Just… I really thought you were in love with someone else. I kept thinking about you spending less and less time with me, until you eventually were gone and it— really sucked, so I’m just… really… relieved–” He stops, too choked up to continue.
“Roxas,” Lea whispers, aghast— then hauls Roxas into the tightest hug he can muster, folding the smaller man into his arms and blinking back tears of his own at the very prospect of the scenario Roxas just mentioned. No wonder Roxas turned to the potion. Clutching Roxas’ back, he presses his cheek against Roxas’ and murmurs fervently into his ear. “I love you, Rox. I’m not goin’ anywhere, okay?”
Roxas deflates into his embrace like a popped balloon. “Okay,” He breathes, burying his face in Lea’s chest. With a little sigh, he leans into him, giving Lea a squeeze that he immediately reciprocates. After a long moment, Roxas turns his face so that his cheek presses against Lea’s chest and glances up at him. “Sorry I was dumb. I just… really, really like you, Axel.”
“Right back atcha. Silly.” Lea murmurs affectionately as he gives Roxas’ hair a stroke, “You really thought I’d wanna do stuff like this with Isa?”
“Yeah.” Roxas mumbles, turning embarrassed when Lea starts chuckling. “Don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m not,” Lea assures him, “Just thinkin’ about how cute you are.”
“Shut up,” Roxas grumbles half-heartedly, his face exuding palpable warmth as he tries to hide it in Lea’s chest. “Am not.”
Lea begs to differ, a fond smirk forming on his face as he soothes his smaller companion, giving his hair long, placative strokes until Roxas settles, closing his eyes in contentment.
With a satisfied hum of his own, Lea buries his own face in Roxas’ neck, taking a deep inhale of his best friend’s scent— sunshine, grass, and something uniquely Roxas. It’s warm, familiar, comforting– but titillating too, especially with the expanse of soft, sensitive skin just under Lea’s lips. He can’t resist giving it a kiss.
Roxas gasps, stiffening a bit in his arms, but doesn’t issue any resistance, so Lea continues, smooching his way up Roxas’ neck with sweet, loving kisses. Roxas turns his head, trying to watch, gulping nervously in a way Lea can feel, the muscles of his throat shifting against his lips.
“Might be an asshole for this,” Lea murmurs, “But I’m kinda glad you got jealous. For a while you had me thinkin’ you didn’t like me, avoidin’ me like that…” On a whim, he bites down on the skin he just kissed, playfully venting his aggravation. He expects to get smacked at, pushed off— but instead, Roxas’ grip on the front of his shirt tightens, a ragged gasp the only thing to leave the other man’s throat. When Lea sucks on the spot to soothe it right after, that gasp turns into a small but shockingly arousing moan that has Lea’s brows skyrocketing and his pants getting a little tight as he immediately decides to do it again.
“I— ngh, didn’t mean to, I just—“ Roxas’ voice wavers as Lea gives him another bite, nice and slow, dragging his teeth gently over his skin before sucking it smooth, “Knew I couldn’t— keep a straight fa– ah!” He breaks off as Lea sucks on a particularly sensitive spot, squirming in a way that makes Lea’s excitement skyrocket. So, Roxas likes a little pain, huh?
“Naughty Roxy,” Lea croons, biting a little sharper, sucking a little harder, “Tryin’ to monopolize me all for himself…”
“Ngh… like you’re… not the same,” Roxas retorts, but he’s panting now.
“Ya got me there,” Lea concedes, but doesn’t spare him the next bite, pressing down until he feels the smaller man shiver. “Still, I probably shouldn’t be encouraging you so much…”
“Heh… if this is your idea of punishing me, I gotta say, it’s not really discouraging me that wel— hng!” The sharp nip might’ve succeeded at cutting off Roxas’ words, but it clearly doesn’t move him to be any more contrite, by the smug, breathless chuckle the other man makes. Lea is happy to hear it, figuring that if Roxas’ cheeky side is making a reappearance, it means he isn’t that sad anymore.
Taking his sweet time, Lea makes his way up the column of Roxas’ neck, languidly but firmly keeping up the pattern of administering pain and then soothing it with pleasure. One particularly rough bite makes Roxas whimper, his hands spasming as they clutch at Lea’s shirt, and suddenly, the urge to kiss the daylights out of his best friend is back with a vengeance. Abandoning Roxas’ neck, Lea moves up over the other man’s jaw and cheek, kissing intermittently until he reaches his target. Roxas turns his head to connect their lips before Lea can, making this small, pleased, very Roxas-like hum of satisfaction before promptly melting into him like butter, leaning his entire chest against him, their knees flush together.
The aphrodisiac must still be lingering in Lea’s system— something like impatience or frustration, steadily building inside him since Roxas’ first avoidance, grows with every press of his best friend’s lips against his. He’s almost overwhelmed by how good Roxas smells, tastes, how perfectly his body fits in his arms. He needs more. Abruptly, the last thread of his restraint snaps; with a short grunt of effort, he hauls Roxas into his lap, tangles his hands into the blond’s hair, and then uses his grip as leverage to kiss him deep and rough.
Roxas moans loudly in exultant shock, the unanticipated force of Lea’s passion overwhelming him for a moment as his hands scrabble and scrape for purchase on Lea’s shoulders, gasping for breath in the scant moments his lips are unsmothered. It takes a bit, especially given the ferocity of Lea’s affection, but once Roxas adjusts, he reciprocates, kissing Lea back with so much enthusiasm and force that the taller man ends up on his back in the grass with Roxas on top of him. For a while, Lea is content to stay like that, enjoying letting Roxas smooch the daylights out of him, but their position places the other man’s hips right atop his own, allowing him to feel how excited his smaller friend is about what they’re doing. An excitement he’s reciprocated probably since their first less than chaste smooch.
It doesn’t take long before the heat in his blood grows too hot to be ignored. Grabbing a hold of Roxas’ waist, Lea flips them over, enjoying the way Roxas squawks and laughs, how he gulps and gives him a nervous smile when Lea cages him in with a hand on either side of his head.
“Hi.” He whispers, glancing up at Lea with a shy smile. His voice is delightfully husky, lips already temptingly swollen. With his hair fanning out around his head in the grass, he looks pretty as a flower and good enough to eat.
“Hi.” Lea purrs back, unbothered by the errant red lock that falls in his face, too busy trailing an appreciative hand down Roxas’ chest as he leans in to capture the other man’s lips in a hot, languid kiss. He rubs a hand up and down over the smaller man’s stomach, working up his nerve… then licks shallowly into Roxas’ mouth.
Roxas stiffens in shock at first, unused to the strange sensation of slick wet muscle, but slowly relaxes as he tentatively strokes Lea back with his own tongue, making a small noise in the back of his throat as they lick a little deeper, rub against each other a little longer with each pass. Neither of them have any experience with this, but that doesn't do anything to dampen their enthusiasm, Lea’s pleased hums and low moans joining Roxas’. It doesn’t take long for him to stop focusing on trial and error and fall into the natural rhythm of the kisses. Kisses with Roxas, he thrills, stomach tightening at the thought.
Roxas seems to be enjoying it too, from all the cute, arousing little noises he’s making. Lea wants to know what it’ll sound like when he’s really feeling good… keeping Roxas distracted with a teasing lick to the roof of his mouth, Lea moves the hand on Roxas’ stomach a little lower, a little lower, and then, the next time Roxas’ tongue sweeps into his mouth, he pounces, capturing it with a rough suck as he moves his hand down and slips it into Roxas’ pants.
Roxas cries out, the sound muffled by the way Lea holds his tongue captive. Lea stills his hand, ready to pull it back up if this is too much— but then a downright filthy sound leaves Roxas’ lips as the smaller man pushes his hips up eagerly against Lea’s hand. Groaning in relief and rapidly growing arousal, Lea releases Roxas’ tongue but starts to rub his hand up and down over the erection he is thrilled to notice is now rock hard, pushing stiffly against the thin fabric of the smaller man’s underwear, the only barrier between Lea’s palm and Roxas’ dick. The idea alone gives him a head rush, that he’s so close to touching someplace so private on Roxas’ body, someplace that up until now he’d considered strictly forbidden. His own dick is painfully hard, his arousal at the situation only growing as Roxas pushes his hips up against Lea’s hand with erotic, needy sounds that Lea eagerly swallows down.
Distantly, he’s aware that they’re outdoors and in plain sight, but really, he doesn’t give a damn. They’re out in the forest, which until recently wasn’t even safe, meaning the likelihood of an errant traveler passing by and getting an eyeful is slim to none. There's still a chance though, of course, the leaves and the trees near their lake-overlooking perch a bit too sparse to provide any real privacy, so out of consideration for Roxas, he corralls his desire to strip his best friend and make love to him naked atop a bed of grass and flowers. Even if the idea is exactly his brand of romantic. Another time, maybe. For now, he’ll settle for pushing Roxas’ shirt up to his chest and tugging down the waistline of his pants and underwear, pausing to give Roxas an encouraging smile when Roxas’ own turns a little nervous despite the way he eagerly lifts his hips to facilitate in their removal.
“Doin’ okay, Rox?” Lea checks, “Need to slow down?”
“Nope. I’m good.”
“Even though we’re outside?”
“Heh. Yeah. I’ll be fine as long as I don’t think about it too much.”
At least it’s not a hard task to help take his mind off of it. When Roxas’ erection is freed, laying heavily on his stomach, Lea has to stop for a second to appreciate the sight, drinking in the attractively flushed, rosy pink head and shaft, throat going dry at how erotic it all is with Roxas’ soft, bare stomach and smooth, toned thighs exposed. The way his pants and underwear are bunched up around his legs at his knees is the icing on top, making Lea hurry to remove his own to alleviate the now painfully tight confinement. By the time he manages it, Roxas is already pulling him back down impatiently for more kisses, and the way it feels to press his length against Roxas’ with the other man sucking on his tongue is a type of divine Lea’s never experienced before. It’s all he can do just to divert enough focus from his kiss-muddled brain to wrap his hand around the both of them— Roxas’ breath hitches in an enticing way— and gently pump as they continue making out.
He and Roxas make a similar, hitched moan into each others mouths at the feeling, and when Roxas breaks off to whisper, “Harder,” Lea is more than ready to comply with his demand, tightening his grip and stroking their lengths more firmly, making a circuit from base to tip that has him shivering.
“More,” Roxas demands feverishly, the similarity to their previous experience giving Lea a wicked idea.
“Not under your spell this time, Rox,” He murmurs between kisses, keeping his strokes firm but still slow in pace, even as Roxas whines in protest. “Gonna have to ask me nicely.”
“Please?” Roxas asks immediately, breaking off to nuzzle entreatingly at Lea’s cheek and smooch at it, “Please, Axel, it feels so— hng, good when you touch me.” He gasps as Lea doesn’t wait for him to finish asking before tightening his fist and giving him a long, hard pump, enjoying the way Roxas’ composure quickly crumbles as he does it again, setting a devastating pace that has Lea rapidly losing control over himself too.
“Please don’t stop, please, I- I feel so— oh fuck, Axe~el—“ Roxas’ very enticing begging cuts off as he whines, his head thunking back in the grass as he frantically humps Lea’s hand, hips straining and lifting up off the ground. His eyelids flutter, barely able to keep aloft, whimpering as he claws at Lea’s shoulders, blunt fingernails digging in. Warmth bursts over Lea’s hand, and the shocking realization that Roxas is cumming, from Lea touching and kissing him, is just too much for him to take. Whispering a curse, he roughly thumbs over the sensitive spot beneath Roxas’ crown, milking the smaller man down to the last drop— and only once pearlescent white liquid no longer oozes from the tip does he allow his attention to turn to his own needy erection. Stroking himself as slow as he can manage, he drinks in the sight of Roxas twitching through the aftershocks of his orgasm, having to use one hand to grip himself tightly around the base to avoid busting prematurely. Once Roxas stills, glancing up at him with adorably sleepy, sated eyes, Lea scoots forward an inch and captures his lips in a sensual kiss as he ruts his dick against Roxas’ stomach, trying to imagine what it would be like to really fuck his best friend, how it would feel to be inside him.
When he pulls back, the way Roxas’ chest is heaving draws his attention to the one nipple Roxas’ shirt is pulled up far enough to expose, pretty and pink and just begging for him to reach out and rub his thumb over it.
Roxas must be sensitive there— he makes a small noise and bites his lip as Lea gives the nipple a gentle pinch and pull. If he weren’t so close already, Lea would have had the other man hold his shirt in his teeth while he played with them, to see if Roxas’ taste for a little pain with his pleasure mean he preferred it if Lea gave them a nice stiff tug, or if he liked it gentle and teasing instead, with the tips of Lea’s fingers just barely touching the nubs in quick circles and flicks. But after all those hot kisses and watching Roxas have an orgasm just from a couple minutes of stroking had him too close to take his time, especially not with the smaller man in such an alluring state beneath him— all flushed and breathless and limp from pleasure, little splatters of his own cum smearing across his stomach as Lea rubs his dick into the smooth skin.
“Mmm, fuck, gonna cum, Rox…” He grunts, finally allowing himself to give in to the urge as he jacks himself off over Roxas’ stomach. He practically creams himself when Roxas pulls his shirt up the rest of the way, baring himself in clear acquiescence to the idea of being coated with Lea’s release, the naughty little smirk on Roxas’ lips remarkably erotic.
A lot more than he’s expecting comes out, covering his smaller companion in hot, sticky spurts that surprise Roxas. “There’s so much,” He murmurs, trailing a finger through a small puddle beneath his chest as Lea helplessly continues jacking himself, lost in the pleasure of his high. Roxas, watching him, gulps and flushes, his eyes going hazy. “Axel, you look so…” He doesn’t finish, flinching as a rope of cum makes it all the way to his face, squeezing one eye shut as it lands on his cheek.
“Fuck, sorry,” Lea says, hurriedly thumbing it off— or trying to. Roxas catches his wrist before he can, bringing it back to his mouth before wrapping his lips around his thumb and sucking.
A strong aftershock of pure arousal makes Lea’s ass clench at the sight, groaning low as one last trickle oozes from his spent dick. Roxas looks way too fucking cute, the mischevious sparkle in his eyes as he sucks on the digit in his mouth almost too much for Lea’s heart to take.
He makes some garbled sound between a helpless whine and a needy growl before wrenching his hand free and hauling Roxas up for a frenzied, passionate kiss. “I love you, you little menace.” He husks, roughly capturing Roxas’ response with his lips and kissing him soundly to silence before moving his assault to Roxas’ cheeks, eyelids, and nose.
“Okay, okay, I love you too, Ax, cut it out already!” Roxas protests, laughing, trying to shove him off but without any real force behind it, since Lea is able to keep his position.
“Can’t do that, I’m afraid.” Lea hums, unable to stop grinning, “I’m under your spell, remember? With such a powerful aphrodisiac in my system, I’m simply powerless to resist you— and your bossy little ass demanded more and more kisses.”
Roxas groans and pushes at him one more time before going limp in the grass, accepting his fate of being smothered with smooches. “You’re never gonna let me forget I did this, are you?”
“Nope.” Lea cheerily replies, giving Roxas’ damp forehead a long, noisy kiss. “You’d better get it memorized.”
Roxas rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Pfft… fine. Can we at least go home before you continue committing my embarrassing behavior to memory? Someone’s probably gonna come soon if they got our letter.”
“Ah.” Lea sits up, abruptly remembering where they are with a sheepish grin. “Right. Let’s bounce.”
The two of them quickly redress, but before they can step through the portal back home, Lea has an idea.
“Why don’t we make a little stop first on our way back?”
“Huh? Where?” Roxas looks adorably perplexed, one eyebrow raised and mouth open— despite his complaints, he’s clearly eager to continue making demands behind closed doors.
“Gotta resupply,” Lea replies, grinning wide, “I’ve got a taste for some more pink ice cream.”