So this is for illbewaiting, who got my lazy ass back into gear and made me write something to motivate me. HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

Disclaimer: Um. No. Just no. Don't even go there.

P.S.: Because there needs to be more cloudroxas in the world.

Roxas hated slow days. Slow, rainy days. He hated the rain. Ever since he was little, he had hated the rain. He hated the dark, stormy skies, hated the smell of wet asphalt, hated the stifling humidity.. and most of all, he hated that it made him feel..

...It made him feel like he was getting an awful sense of deja vu. Like he had been somewhere else, in some other life...

The blonde shook his head, trying to get rid of his bothersome thoughts as he rung up a customer's order. It was cold and wet outside and there were more people in the coffee shop than usual.

...Roxas hated the cold too, now that it was kind enough to be mentioned.

"...ey... HEY!"

He jumped, nearly spilling a hot, four dollar half-caf, double cream, extra sugar mochiatto down the front of his work shirt.

"S-sorry," Roxas muttered, sliding the cup forward across the counter. And he hated his customer.

Okay, so maybe hate was a little too harsh. He hardly knew the redhead, after all, but ever since he and his girlfriend started making frequent stop by the the shop, Roxas couldn't help but bristle with anger. He couldn't explain it. He couldn't tell anybody that he just wanted to throw the espresso machine every time he saw the two (preferably at the girl). He didn't know why. And he didn't want to be labeled as a psychopath. So he just shut his mouth and got to work.

"What's wrong?" the redhead purred, leaning his elbows on the counter and arching a speculating eyebrow at the blonde. "Feeling under the weather?"

Roxas sighed tiredly, lifting a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine growing behind his eyes. 'Under the weather' was the fucking understatement of the century. "Do you mind? You're holding up the line."

The redhead chuckled and grabbed his 'Made of One Hundred Percent Recycled Paper' cup and made his way to the back of the shop, where his girlfriend was waiting for him by the door. Roxas glanced at them from the corner of his eye as he made the next order. They looked good together, he had to admit it. They were both tall and lean, the girl with long brown hair and soft brown eyes and a mischievous smile, the guy with spiked-back red hair, tattoos, a smirking grin and piercing apple green eyes that Roxas could never seem to look in to. It didn't help that he was also the walking cause of spontaneous orgasms, with his low-riding skinny jeans, but Roxas didn't like to think about that one.

The girl, Tifa (as his brother had told him since they were friends), leaned up, kissing the redhead in thanks and pulled him towards the door.

Roxas wanted run. He wanted to sleep forever. He wanted to scream. He wanted to never speak to another person for as long as he lived. He hated him. He wanted him to come back-

I'm losing it, Roxas thought miserably as he got to work on another order, hands moving mechanically, by memory. I'm seriously, honestly, going insane and when Cloud finds out, he's going to cart me off to the nuthouse. Fuck my life.

x.x.x

"I thought I'd find you moping up here," Cloud sang, pushing the attic door open. Just as he'd suspected, Roxas was on the other side of the room, curled up in the window seat and watching the rain pound angrily against the glass. Cloud smiled ruefully and made his way across the room, sitting down next to his brother. "Dinner's ready."

"..."

"...It's your favorite?" Cloud tried, wincing when Roxas didn't even blink at him.

"..."

"...Do you want to talk about it?"

Roxas flicked his gaze over, blue orbs meeting meeting identical blue and bit his lip. "What's there to talk about. It's been the same ever since I was little. There's nothing to talk about and there's nothing to worry about, so just piss off."

He missed the way Cloud's jaw tightened and the way the hurt flashed across his face. He hadn't meant it. It was raining and he felt sad and lonely and angry at the universe because he felt as though it had taken something important from him... But there was no reason for him to take it out on his older brother. The person who had been taking care of him ever since their parents died, ever since he had been born, for Jenova's sake, even though he had his own problems to deal with. He was the six year old brother who taught his three year old brother to tie his shoes. He was the ten year old brother who helped his seven year old brother with his homework. He was the thirteen year old brother who became a grownup way too fast, left with a depressed ten year old brother and no family. He was the sixteen and the eighteen and the twenty-one year old brother who made a new life for them, helped them start over, stayed strong for the both of them while the thirteen and fifteen and the eighteen year old brother tagged along, left slightly fucked up in the head.

Jeez, I'm a jerk. He doesn't need my shit. Especially with Zack in the hospital, he's even more on-edge than usual... I told him not to ride around on that stupid bike and he goes and nearly cracks his skull open, the big-headed idiot and now Cloud's acting like the end of the world has fallen, Jenova forbid...

"...I'm sorry," Roxas muttered guiltily, averting his gaze to the floor. "I just... I can't explain what's wrong with me. I wish I could but I don't even know..."

Cloud smiled gently and reached over, brushing his fingers through Roxas's bangs. "Well, when you figure it out, you can talk to me. You know I'll listen."

Roxas nodded, eyelids drooping sleepily as Cloud's ministrations on his hair continued, pulling him closer and closer to sleep. It didn't take long for Roxas to slump against his brother's chest, yawning like a cat.

"Mmf... carry meeeee..."

Cloud chuckled and pulled the smaller blonde closer, looping one arm around his thin shoulders and the other under his knees, carefully lifting him up. "You are such a spoiled brat."

"S'okay... you st'll love me," Roxas breathed out, nuzzling his cheek tiredly against Cloud's shoulder.

"Even if you are a spoiled brat." Cloud grinned at Roxas's incoherent mutters and sighs and carried the blonde down the stairs to his room. He had to shoulder the door open so that he wouldn't drop Roxas, but finally got it to open and strode to the bed in the corner of the room, gently laying the smaller teen down.

"Mmmmmmm, come sleep with me," Roxas whined, clinging to Cloud's shirt.

"As sexy as that proposition sounds-"

"-You know what I meant!"

"-I have work to do. And you definitely need to rest, pipsqueak." Cloud smiled as Roxas sputtered indignantly and leaned down, pressing his lips against his forehead. "I have to go see Zack tomorrow, so heat up some leftovers when you get home, okay?"

"Mm... kay," the smaller blonde answered quietly as Cloud pulled the blankets up over his body, kissed his forehead again and left, gently closing the door behind him.

Outside, the rain beat down relentlessly on the small chain of islands, water flooding the streets and the wind bending the paopu trees out of shape, bringing Roxas haunting dreams of dark looming buildings, cold rain, and bright peridot green eyes.

x.x.x

His vision was spinning, his heart was hammering, his hands were shaking-

"You're Roxas, right?"

Hearing his name from those lips, god, it felt like the deja vu slammed into him like a brick wall. And it hurt. It hurt hearing his name, it sounded so perfect from his lips and Roxas just wanted to fall to his knees and sob and scream-

Don't leave me! Don't die, you can't die, let Sora help you, I'm sorry...!

Roxas swallowed thickly, trying to blink back the tears from his eyes. "H-how do you know my name?" Sora?

The redhead arched an amused eyebrow, a smirk slowly curving his lips. "Well. I don't know. Your name-tag doesn't like to keep secrets."

Might as well write Hello, My Name is Stupid.

"O-oh. Right." The blonde frowned to himself and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "What are you doing here, anyway-" Without Tifa? "-there's a hurricane watch, you shouldn't be wandering around."

The redhead chuckled and the deep sound made Roxas's spine tingle with pleasure, he wanted to hear him talk forever-

"I wanted to see you."

Roxas started in surprise, bumping into the sugar bowl and nearly tipping its contents all over the counter. The red head made a deft grab, preventing it from shattering on the floor with nimble fingers and placed it back next to the cup of spoons. His smirk disappeared, expression becoming sober as he lifted his eyes, meeting Roxas's own startled gaze.

"Can we talk? Please?"

Roxas frowned and glanced around the nearly empty coffee shop for a good excuse. When none came forth to present themselves the way they should have, he sighed and resigned himself to his fate and the green eyes that he had seen in his dreams.

"Fine." He walked around back, leading the taller male to a small table that was propped in the corner between two windows and slumped down in one of the seats as the redhead took the one opposite him. Roxas crossed his arms, quirking an expectant eyebrow.

The redhead sighed and leaned back in his chair, raking his fingers through his haphazard spikes. "Guess I should start with my name?"

"I guess so."

"Axel-"

"Great. I'm so happy," Roxas said, voice clipped, tapping his fingers impatiently on the tabletop. He was so irritated, so angry, so... "Now what do you want?"

"Look, kid," Axel said, getting right down to the point. "I don't know what happened, but do you have a problem with me, or something that I should know about?"

"What do you care?" Roxas snapped, averting his gaze to the window. The rain was really coming down now. He hoped Cloud would be careful when he was coming home. "You're just a customer and I'm just a kid that works here. No offense, but why do you give a fuck?"

"Because... I feel like I've met you somewhere before."

Roxas froze, his gaze whipping back up to meet Axel's own disbelieving eyes, like he couldn't trust himself to speak those words.

"We'll meet again. In the next life..."

Why does it hurt? Roxas wanted to ask. Why did it hurt so much every time he saw him? Why did his heart skip beats, why did his head spin, his breath catch?

"...Leave me alone," Roxas spat out, jumping out of his seat. He was scared and confused and hurting and why was he making it worse? Why?

Axel was quick, jumping after the blonde and grabbing his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

"L-look, Roxas, wait! I know it sounds crazy, and I thought that it would sound that way, too, but I know I've met you somewhere before, I know I have! Just..." He bit his lip, trying to find the words, anything to make Roxas stay-

"I'd miss you...!"

-anything to make the blonde boy believe him because he was just as scared and confused, ever since he'd laid eyes on him.

"Leave me alone!" Roxas snarled, catching the attention of his coworkers. Axel stared at him, a strange expression crossing his face as his grip loosened. Roxas wrenched himself away sprinted for the door, throwing himself outside into the cold wind and rain where things didn't have to make sense, they just were.

"...Yeah. I'll be waiting. Promise."

x.x.x

Cloud came home, feeling a little better than usual, even if the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Zack was feeling better (even if he did trail off from the conversation and start talking about moogles every now and again) and he left his best friend to recover and went home early, just in case Roxas was freaking out from being alone during the storm. Half the island's power was out, and it was easy to notice as Cloud drove up his dark street, his car bumping over random debris, headlights throwing their beams clumsily across his path. The rain was pouring in sheets and by the time Cloud had run inside, panting for breath, he was soaked to the bone.

"Shit..." He shook his wet hair out of his face, carefully walking towards the stairs and trying to not bump into anything. "Roxas? Hey, you here?"

There was no response, except for the occasional creak and groan of the house, battling against the wind. A flash of lightning illuminated his path for a moment, allowing him to make it up the stairs without a problem.

Roxas is probably scared out of his mind.

He stumbled blindly down the hallways towards Roxas's room, but a small noise caught his attention before he could go any farther. It sounded like a gasp, a pleading gasp for air and it... was coming from his room.

Cloud went past Roxas's room to the door opposite it and threw the door open. As lightning threw itself across the sky and through the window, Cloud could just make out his brother's outline underneath the blankets of his bed. He smiled softly, kicked off his shoes and climbed into his bed, wet clothes and all, feeling Roxas jerk in surprise.

"Shh, it's me, Roxas," Cloud whispered, and as soon as he had said it, the smaller blonde whimpered, moving closer until he was flush against his older brother's chest. "Are you okay?" he asked, winding his arms around Roxas's waist and pulling him closer. Roxas was shaking in his hold, and it took him some time to manage out a trembling "no."

Cloud sighed and moved back so that he could lean against the headboard, and pulled Roxas into his lap. The smaller blonde curled up against him, fingers clutching at the damp fabric of his shirt.

"I-I don't know wh-what to do..." he breathed, voice soft and shaky.

"Roxas, please, what's wrong?" Cloud said softly, trying not to scare the boy and feeling his insides twist. If anything happened to Roxas... "You're scaring the fuck out of me, you really are..."

Roxas blinked the tears out of his eyes, staring at a spot on Cloud's shirt. "Y-you're going to think I'm crazy. You are and you're going to leave me because I'm a selfish, scared little bitch and I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything, anything-"

"Don't apologize," Cloud murmured, rubbing Roxas's back soothingly. The smaller blonde let out a small sob, trying to control himself. "And please don't cry, I hate seeing you cry." Cloud pushed Roxas back so that he was sitting up in his lap and slid a hand under his chin, tilting his head up and using his other hand to wipe the boy's tears away. Roxas sniffled softly, leaning into the touch, and before he knew what was happening, a warm pair of lips was pressing gently against his own. He was immediately rendered far too shocked to do much else other than simply sit there.

The kiss was shorter than Roxas thought it was and soon enough, Cloud was pulling away, smiling sheepishly. "At least I got you to stop crying?" When Roxas provided no other response except for stunned silence, Cloud leaned forward, pressing their lips together again. Roxas didn't hesitate this time, instead moving closer and tilting his head into the kiss, blonde lashes fluttering shut. It was odd and wrong but it felt okay, for a moment it made Roxas forget everything because he knew Cloud only wanted him to be happy.

One more brush of lips and the older blonde was pulling away, running his fingers through Roxas's spikes, grinning at the way the blush on his cheeks was borderline glow-in-the-dark. "C'mon. Talk. Or I just might have to kiss you again."

"...I wouldn't mind."

"Roxas."

The smaller blonde fidgeted uncomfortably on Cloud's lap, the sound of the wind and rain being the only noise between them for a few long minutes. Finally, Roxas broke like a cracked dam and told Cloud everything, from the dreams (sans the sexual ones, Jenova forbid), to the coffeeshop, to the raging feeling he got when he saw Axel, to their little meeting earlier that day.

"I'm so confused, I don't know what to do," Roxas whispered miserably, leaning forward until his forehead was resting against Cloud's shoulder. He felt his brother's sigh more than he heard it and steeled himself for the answer.

"Past life, Roxas? I have to admit, it sounds pretty far-fetched... But you both know it, don't you? That sometime, somewhere, something happened, right? I don't know. Maybe it's just the finer points of destiny at work. I mean, we do live on Destiny Islands, after all. Maybe there is such a thing."

Roxas chuckled wetly and pulled away to properly wipe his eyes. "Do you think I should go talk to him?"

"Only if you want to."

"...I do. I think I do."

"Then talk to him. Simple as that."

Roxas nodded and then blinked, the corners of his mouth dipping down into a frown. "Oh... but... I don't know how to reach him," he muttered dejectedly. "And I doubt he'll come back to the coffee shop after my... uh... outburst."

"I can just text Tifa for it?" Cloud suggested, arching an eyebrow. Roxas grinned as Cloud pulled out his phone (belatedly realizing he could've used it for a light), and a few button clicks later, the little device was buzzing, signaling a new text message. Cloud passed his phone to Roxas, who pulled out his own and dialed the seven pixelated digits on the bright screen.

One ring... two rings... three rings... four-

"Hello...? Who is this?"

Roxas breathed out a sigh of relief when he heard Axel's far too familiar voice and relaxed against Cloud.

"Hey, Axel... it... it's Roxas."

"...Roxas? How'd you get my number?"

"My brother asked Tifa for it."

"..O-oh. So... um... what's up?"

Roxas swallowed thickly, nervously twirling a ring around his finger with his thumb while trying to come up with a logical response. "Look... I... I wanted to apologize for my behaviour today, I-"

"No!" Axel cut in quickly, and Roxas could almost imagine those almond-shaped eyes growing wide. "I should be sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out, I know I sounded completely out of my m-"

"No, let me finish. Listen, I was confused, but I'm not anymore so... So I wanna talk to you. In person."

"Oh.. okay," Axel replied slowly, sounding a bit unsure. "Where?"

"You know the dock by the North side of the island? Near the cliff? Meet me there tomorrow morning."

"...Yeah. Sure. See you tomorrow."

With that, Roxas snapped his phone shut and threw it on the bedside table along with Cloud's. "...I'm sorry," he said after a long paused, with a bit of difficulty. "I know I've been making things hard for you, even though things are tough already..."

"It's okay. I'm your big brother, I'm supposed to deal with your girly problems." Cloud grinned and pressed a finger to Roxas's lips before he could cry out in protest. "Now be quiet and go to sleep. You need bedrest."

Roxas pouted childishly and squeaked when Cloud grabbed him by the waist and dragged him down on the bed, under the blankets. After a bit of twisting and turning and fighting over the pillows, the brothers settled in, with Roxas comfortably snuggled up against Cloud's chest.

"Sleep well, okay?"

Roxas nodded, smiling when he felt Cloud kiss his forehead. He was safe, he was warm, he was loved, and his brother was still there for him. Things were going to be okay.

x.x.x

Roxas woke up next morning to the sun streaming through the bedroom window, shining square in his face. He yawned and lifted a hand, gingerly rubbing at his eyes. It felt like there was sandpaper covering his retina. After getting his bearings he lifted his head, noticing that he had ended up on his back with Cloud's head nestled against his chest. Roxas grinned and reaching up with his other hand, brushing his fingers through his brother's blonde spikes.

...Axel would be waiting for him soon, if he wasn't already. He wasn't dreading the meeting, but he was nervous about it-

"Ow...! Shit... Rox... don't go yanking out my earring..."

"S-sorry," Roxas whispered, biting back a laugh as Cloud moved his head down to Roxas's stomach and away from his offending hands. "C'mon, Cloud, it's morniiiiing... we gotta get up."

"Morning can go suck it."

"Is that a proposition?" Roxas teased mockingly, flicking a finger against the other's forehead.

"You thought it, not me."

Roxas giggled and grabbed Cloud's shoulders, pulling him up and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Wake up, Chocobo!"

"Look who's talking," Cloud grumbled, trying to pull away.

"Oh, right, I forgot, only Zack can call you tha-ow!"

The brothers stumbled out of bed, their playful banter not ceasing until they made their way through the front door and into the cool fresh air. Roxas shivered slightly and rubbed his arms, glad that he had pulled on one of Cloud's turtlenecks that morning by accident.

"So, you want me to walk with you?" the older blonde asked, throwing an arm around Roxas's shoulders. The smaller shrugged and smiled and the two made their way towards the shore, stepping over fallen paopu trees and weather vanes and other random debris caught by the wind. It wasn't long before the grass and the asphalt melted into the sand and the familiar crashing of waves reached their ears. Roxas paused, blue eyes roaming over the littered beach until they landed on a lone figure in the distance, waiting and kicking up sand with his Converse.

"...There he is."

"...Yep. Want me t-"

"No." Roxas smiled and took a step away, ducking out of Cloud's warm hold. "There is something that I want you to do for me, though."

The taller blonde lifted a confused eyebrow but didn't question Roxas's suggestion. After all, he'd do anything for his little brother.

And he needs an epic break from me and my girly drama.

"I can do this by myself. I need to. You, on the other hand, need to go see Zack and make sure his head is still all in one piece."

"Hmph. If you insist, brother dear," Cloud drawled, a somewhat relieved grin spreading across his face. Roxas arched his eyebrows and nodded towards the direction they had just come from, urging Cloud to go.

"Sure you'll be-"

"Fuck, Cloud, go!"

The eldest brother let out a laugh when he was shoved back towards the sidewalk and ruffled Roxas's hair. He muttered a good luck and turned away, walking back to their house so he could get the car. Once he was a decent distance away, Roxas pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his address book until he reached Zack.

I sent Cloud over so you
better tell him you love him
or I'll come over there and
REALLY break open your head.
-Roxas

Are you SERIOUS? Ive been talking
about MOOGLES for the past threeweeks. He'll think I've finally LOST IT.
-Zack

...I will kick your ass if you don't.
-Roxas

Fine. But I'm blaming it on you if
HE goes into a coma this time.
-Zack

Roxas grinned in triumph and snapped his phone shut with a smug air around him. He had done his good deed for the day. Perhaps longer if Zack decided to marry him or something.

Axel had noticed him by then and was making his away across the stretch of white sand, trying not to trip over washed up driftwood and possibly fall flat on his smirky face.

"Hey," the blonde called out, biting back a laugh when Axel nearly stepped on a dazed seagull.

"Hey yourself, sunshine," the redhead retorted, stopping short of the younger teen and brushing sand off the legs of his jeans.

Roxas only watched with an amused expression on his face, feeling oddly at ease. Before, he couldn't even look in Axel's direction without feeling his stomach roll with sickness. But now, he finally understood. He didn't want to look away for the rest of his life. Not when they were finally together again.

Axel finally straightened out with a sigh and cocked his head, looking exasperated. "Roxas, Roxas, Roxas... what am I going to do with you? You tell me you'll be waiting in the next life and then freak out if I so much as breathe in your direction."

Roxas blushed, averting his blue eyes to the white grains of sand beneath his checkered vans. A crab skittered by, bringing the blonde back to the first time he had seen these islands, clad in a black cloak with Axel by his side. The mischievous redhead had dragged him under the shade of a paopu tree and kissed him, the taste of the fruit's juice still lingering on his lips.

"Do you know the myth, Roxy? If you share a paopu fruit with someone, your destinies will be tied together forever."

"Yeah, but you kissed me."

"So? It's the same thing, cutie."

Something warm was touching his hand, and when Roxas looked down, he noticed Axel's fingers curling slowly around his own.

"C'mon, let's walk."

Axel grinned, leaving Roxas momentarily breathless, and gave the blonde's arm a gentle tug, leading him down the beach.

"I spent quite a while looking for you, y'know," Axel began, chuckling at Roxas's curious expression. God. The kid was just too damn cute. "When Tifa told me her friend had a younger brother, I noticed the similarities and got my hopes up. Good thing I was right, huh? But you, you little shit... you just kept avoiding me!"

Roxas opened his mouth to articulate a very well-thought out protest (if he did say so himself) when Axel swooped down, capturing his lips in a gentle kiss. Roxas's knees nearly buckled and he was thankful for the steadying arm that instantly curled itself around his waist.

It wasn't like fireworks or some other epic thing they tried to depict in movies and books, but Roxas wasn't going to lie when he felt butterflies erupt in his stomach.

Axel's lips were warm and soft and so was his hand, curled into the fine hairs on the back of Roxas's head, pulling the boy closer, coaxing his mouth open with his tongue for a moment, and when he finally pulled away, Roxas was sure it was paopu fruit that he tasted on his lips.

x.x.x

As it turned out, Roxas had done the right thing in sending Cloud over to the hospital. Apparently, Zack nearly went into a coma, or something, and Cloud saved his life, or something. Roxas wasn't told the specifics and he quite honestly wasn't sure he wanted to know, but when Cloud came home the next day and barged in on Roxas and Axel getting touchy-feely on the couch, he abruptly shoved the redhead away, grabbed his brother by the shoulders and kissed him right then and there.

Roxas blinked, blue eyes the size of chocobo eggs, while Axel squawked indignantly in the background. "Mmhmmphmnn?" was all the little blonde managed, thinking that his older brother finally went and lost his mind somewhere on his way to the hospital, to his way back home.

Cloud pulled away, grinning to the point of nearly blindsighting Roxas and finally rounded on Axel, who shrunk back to the floor, unsure of what to expect.

"If you ever, ever, hurt my brother in any way, shape or form, if you think it, if you so much as dream about it, I will cut off your balls, boil them, chop them up and FEED THEM TO YOU. Do you understand?"

...Needless to say, Axel constantly felt faint around the older blonde whenever he was around him from that point on. Badass his fucking ass. He couldn't remember the last time a pixie made him cower.

A month later, in celebration of Zack finally getting out of the hospital with his head in one piece (or with the least amount of pieces as possible) and the confirmation of his new boyfriend (Cloud was embarrassed beyond belief when he learned that Roxas had actually set him up that day), the four of them were dragged to the beach by Tifa (who no longer wanted to stuff Axel's head in a blender because she thought Roxas was just the cutest darn thing), Aeris (who constantly doted and mothered Cloud and Zack), and Axel's sister, Kairi (who Roxas grew rather fond of, in a sibling sort of way).

It was Destiny Islands, and it wasn't hard for them to find a stretch of beach all to themselves, away from prying eyes.

Roxas surfaced from the clear-cut water, narrowing his eyes in attempt to block the sun, dazzling it's rays off the surface of the water like a mirror. Small fish swam past like flashes of silver, nibbling at the edges of his trunks as they swam past. He reached the shallow end and climbed to his feet, feeling rivulets of water run down his body as he shook his hair out. He didn't have to look to know that Axel was watching him as he sunned himself on the sand. Farther from the shore, the girls had gotten a game of volleyball going and Zack had made himself comfortable in a lounge chair with Cloud on his lap, poking fun at them from a safe distance.

Cloud laughed at something Zack said and reached back, lacing their fingers together. For a moment, Roxas felt his heart expanding in his chest like a balloon and he thought he was going to cry. Cloud caught him staring and met his eyes, blue clashing with blue, mirror images. They spoke wordlessly, through the air, through the water, through the soul... and then smiled in thanks. Nothing more needed to be exchanged, they knew just by looking, the amount of the other's gratitude.

Roxas chuckled to himself and broke their gaze, mentally handing Cloud back over to Zack. He clumsily made his way out of the water, running his fingers through his sagging spikes, and flopped down on top of Axel, who shivered and let out a groan of protest.

"Ungh.. Blondie, you're coooold, you know I hate the water.."

"Good." Roxas grinned and stretched his body out, sand-dusted legs tangling with Axel's and arms crossing themselves over the taller's chest. Axel arched his back forward, so that he could rest on an elbow, his free hand coming up to cup his boyfriend's cheek.

"Baby, sometimes I wish I was a fish because I think I drown in your eyes every time I look at you."

"...You are such an utter, pathetic excuse for a sap."

Axel laughed and tugged Roxas closer, pecking him on the lips. "Shut up, you little shit." He growled playfully under his breath, nipping at Roxas's lower lip and making the teen squirm against him, hips brushing together, heat blossoming in their abdomens like sun-yellow paopu flowers.

"Mmm... I want you," Roxas breathes out, dipping his head to press his lips against Axel's neck, feeling him shudder against his body from pleasure.

"Yeah, Rox, because public sex is so awesome that I would risk my life to do it right here and now and end up being tied to the top of a paopu tree, courtesy of Strife Numero Uno."

Roxas tried to bite down his laugh because he could feel it bubbling in the back of Axel's throat, and goddammit, he was trying to work up a mood. He opened his mouth, white teeth gently grazing over the sensitive spots on Axel's neck, making him hiss with arousal.

Of course... there was one thing that being with Axel taught him. Not just being around him, but being with him. Because it didn't matter where they were kissing, how they were doing it, or even if they already were doing it, if Roxas already had his head thrown back, desperately gasping out Axel's name as though it was his last breath of precious air... they were always, always interrupted, whether it was a cell phone, an alarm, Cloud (they prayed every time that it wasn't him), or a spaceship landing on the roof (which was really only a bunch of ripe paopu falling from their perches).

And they weren't pardoned this time either.

"Hey! You! Roxas! Quit, eating my brother and take the phone!"

Roxas jerked off the redhead with a breathless squeak when he felt something cold and metal jab into his back and rolled into the sand, cheeks flushed. Kairi towered over them, eyebrows arched high over her periwinkle eyes, one hand cocked on her hip and the other holding out an obnoxiously pink phone.

"Who... who is it?" Roxas asked, taking the device from the girl and checking the caller ID. Sora?

Kairi shrugged, flicking some hair off her shoulders in a sign of awkwardness. "My cousin. He says he wants to talk to you but... I don't even think he knows you. Do you?"

Roxas shook his head, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. That name had often flitted it's way through his dreams, but he had never actually met a Sora before. Not in this lifetime at least. He stood up, brushing the sand off his body and ambled up the beach, away from Tifa and Aeris's shrieks and Zack's cries of mercy and Cloud's laughter and Axel's and Kairi's mutters.

He brushed the hair away from his face and pressed the phone to his ear, letting out a deep breath before saying "Hello?"

The voice on the other line was so downright familar that Roxas lost his breath, vision going blurry for a moment, like he was thrown into vertigo.

"Roxas? It's me, Sora."

Roxas blinked, lips forming the other's named under his breath.

But when he finally spoke, there was no hesitation, no wonder, no confusion, because the moment the words spilled from his mouth, he knew, he knew everything.

"Hey, Sora. What's up?"

There was a shuffle on the other line, followed by a squeak of "R-riku!" and a bright laugh. When Sora returned, the blonde could hear the smile in the other's voice.

"Soooo, Roxy. Did you remember?"

The blonde cocked his head, feeling the corners of his mouth pull up into a grin. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing that Axel was giving him a questioning look. For a moment, the redhead was all he saw, surrounded by the blue sky and water and powder-white sand. There was a bright-yellow paopu fruit entwined in his fingers.

"...Yeah. I did."