A/N: Another tiny little drabble request someone made in the KH yaoi community: "Axel/Sora, you had a hearbeat; he didn't, PG-13+." Failed in the last part, but that's to be expected; I'm a sucker for fluff. Review if you're inclined; it's fun.

Heartbeat

Axel can't help but think he's settling for second best. He had spent ages courting Sora from the light, trying to extract the boy he knew, the Roxas he remembered. But Roxas never showed his face, and somewhere Axel thought he could see that Sora's eyes belonged to Roxas, even if it's really the other way around.

None of that seemed to really matter when they come together, defying the black-and-white view they should have of each other, falling into a spot that's comfortably gray. Their kisses are frantic, hurried, rushed, the way their entire lives are, like they're trying to compress so much into not nearly enough time. And when the zippers come down and they hold on tight to each other, it's hard to really forget it.

There's Sora's heart, beating frantically; there's nothing where Axel's heart was.

And sometimes Sora thinks about it too, perches his head on Axel's shoulder while they still have some time. He knows he's just a substitute; he's heard Axel say—moan as much. And he asks if there's anything really different between them.

Axel's answer is faraway, like he's talking to a ghost.

"You have a heartbeat…he didn't."

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