A/N: We've created a blog for the AU, kh-figureskatinghell on tumblr, so check that out for fanart and other extras, such as drabbles that take place in this universe but aren't part of the main story! Thanks!

Shine a little

It was probably a blessing that Friday had turned out to be such a long day.

Axel had been so exhausted by the time he returned home after dinner, that he'd passed out the second his head hit the pillow, barely making it out of his clothes before doing so. It was a sound, restful sleep, leaving him fresh for what was likely to be an even more grueling day.

It had also left him with a raging hard-on that he'd had to take care of in the shower, which he supposed was due to dreams of Roxas and his skin-tight skating clothes, and peeling him out of them. And Axel was supposed to get through two more days of that, skating on the same ice as him, likely without an opportunity to act on it if the day before was any indication.

When Axel arrived at the rink, it was mid-morning, and the visiting skaters had already been on the ice for hours.

"Look who finally decided to join the living."

Axel rolled his eyes at Demyx; he'd likely been here almost as long as the skaters. Demyx wasn't one to get angry, per se, but one thing he resented more than anything was something cutting into his sleep. "Look, I'm just following orders. 'Axel, honey, don't worry about doing rink duties. You need to focus on your skating. We're counting on you!' Annette insisted."

Demyx let out a derisive noise. "It would figure she'd favor you. Fucking lucky. Can you believe I've had to zam the ice three times already? Coach Blue-Hair insisted it be all smooth for her babies."

Axel shrugged. "Well, maybe you should take up skating and your parents will let you out of the more menial work."

"Yeah, thanks, no. I don't do sparkles."

Axel crossed his arms. "Dem. When have I ever worn sparkles? I'd sooner use Xion's skate blade to stab myself."

Demyx snickered. "Speaking of sparkles, you going to give Swan Lake a birthday present, or what?"

"What, you think I should? It's not like we're even dating. I kissed him once."

Demyx raised an eyebrow. "Maybe, but I'm sure you've done way more than that to him in your head. He deserves something for that, at least."

Axel narrowed his eyes. "He—"

His retort was cut off. "Demyx, I need a hand with the back doors. They're sticking again."

Demyx let out a groan. "Didn't we just WD-40 them last week?" He shot a dark look at Axel as he followed his dad; Axel only shook his head and shrugged.

It was true Mrs. Roulade had excused Axel from rink duties for the day, but Axel almost wished he could trade places with Demyx when he thought of the upcoming day with Larxene. Almost. And then he caught sight of Roxas on the ice.

He would've paused to admire the other skater no matter what, but he nearly did a double-take at the glaringly pink leg warmers Roxas was sporting. They weren't something he'd expect to see on Roxas, under any circumstances, but they were…cute. Any other thoughts he might've had were interrupted by Larxene's voice, cutting across the rink. He sighed and made his way towards the source of the voice.

There was a trick to dealing with Larxene when she was this cranky. Mostly it involved demurely following whatever orders she gave out.

"Those kids are irking the shit out of me!" Larxene waved a hand to indicate a small group of them horsing around on the bleachers. A few of them were skaters that Axel had seen during lessons, and a few he didn't recognize. "Keep them out of my way."

Axel's eyebrows crept up, but he nodded and without a word of protest, plopped down to one side of the group of kids, waiting until they noticed him.

"Hey Ax," one of the little boys piped up.

"Hey Nick. Did you tell these guys here that you're best friends with the star of the show?" And so Axel managed to entertain them for the better part of the hour, regaling them with skating stories, and even some of the mischief he and Demyx used to get up to. He had just launched into one of the latter, when Xion flagged him down.

"Sorry guys, gotta get to work!" The exclamation was met with a chorus of groans and protests. He grinned and winked. "I'll finish the story later, alright?"

Xion was giving him a dubious look. "Didn't Larxene tell you to keep them out of trouble?"

"I was!"

"It sounded more like you were inspiring trouble. Giving them ideas." Xion smiled, despite the chastisement. "Anyway, Larxene said she wanted us to get dressed so we can do our first run-through."

Axel nodded, and they made their way to the locker rooms together. He stretched his arms as they walked, letting his eyes wander. Everywhere he looked was a bustle of activity. Demyx was cutting the ice, a bored look on his face, a group of junior skaters were stretching in the lobby, and a handful of people were already grabbing food from concessions. Including Roxas, who was currently studying the menu with a look of disdain. Axel frowned. He'd had the same look last night at the diner, at least, when no one had been looking. For the camera, he'd been all smiles. Typical, from his experience.

Axel would've spent longer looking—was that his performance costume?—but he'd reached the locker room.

He was still thinking of Roxas while he retrieved his own outfit, so it took a moment to realize that the twinkling sparkle originated from his own sleeve. "What the fuck!?" He stared at it. He'd chosen a pair of fitted black pants and an orange dress shirt with a black vest for his exhibition. Simple. Except that at each cuff of the shirt, the simplicity had been robbed from him. His mind backtracked to his conversation with Demyx, I'd sooner use Xion's skate blade to stab myself, and Dem's snide chuckle.

Axel's eyes narrowed. Xion. Only she would dare, though he didn't put it past Demyx to egg her on. They were going to pay, later, and Xion was definitely going to get an earful when she finished dressing.

There wouldn't be time to pull off the clusters of rhinestones that had been fixed onto his shirt, and even if there was, he wasn't sure it could be done without damaging the shirt, so he pulled it on with a muttered curse.

He was lacing up his second boot when a movement at the door to the locker room caught his eye, and he looked up.

"Ah. Excuse me. I was looking for Roxas." Axel recognized the woman as the coach from Radiant Gardens.

Axel shrugged. "Not here. I did see him in line at concessions." The woman pursed her lips, propping a hand on her hip, though the gesture didn't seem aimed at Axel. "I can let him know you're looking for him, if you're busy."

She brightened. "Thanks, Axel, that'd be a great help. His next session starts in ten minutes. By the way—" she was cut off by the bright jingle of a ring tone. "Sorry, I have to get this." She offered him a smile as she accepted the call and moved out into the hallway.

Axel offered her a nod as he followed her out, then turned toward concessions. Roxas was seated, now, eating. Axel took his time approaching, appraising his rival's performance outfit. It, like the pink leg warmers earlier, was a surprise, albeit a less shocking one. He'd expected another of the sparkly, jeweled affairs that Roxas usually donned for competitions; instead, Roxas was in something that was as simple as Axel's own attire. In fact, after Xion's alterations, Axel was now the more glittery of the two.

Roxas's attention, when Axel pushed through the double doors, was on the Roulades, and two men that had just arrived. Axel cleared his throat, waiting until Roxas had turned to him. "So, that blue-haired woman—" He realized she'd been interrupted before she could introduce herself.

"Aqua."

"Yeah, her." Axel nodded. "She told me to tell you the next session starts in ten."

"Mm." Roxas turned back to the group still standing near the rink entrance. Axel flailed mentally, trying to find words to keep a conversation going; without a competition between them, he couldn't use his usual array of taunts. Did he wish Roxas a happy birthday, or ask what he would like as a gift? How did Roxas like it at Roulade—no, that was one he didn't want an answer to.

Instead, he said, "That your brother? Ventus?" It took effort not to slap himself for asking a question with such an obvious answer. Not only did the other man bear a strong resemblance to Roxas, but anyone who knew anything about men's figure skating in recent years knew who Ventus was. He offered a prayer to the heavens that no one else of note had heard his gaffe.

"That would be my brother." Yep. Good job, Axel. Roxas was already giving his attention to his half-eaten hot dog.

"Cool." Because there was just no saving face with that one. Axel pulled a hand through his hair. "I guess I'll see you out there." Roxas didn't even qualify that with a response, so Axel turned to go.

But he couldn't just leave it like that.

"Hey," he called, trying to catch Roxas's attention again. He didn't look up, but Axel said it anyway, voice low. "You clean up real nice."

And Roxas did look up, a blush coloring his cheeks—there could be no excuse of exertion, this time. "…thanks."

Axel's brows raised up. Had he caught him off-guard? A smile spread across his lips, a response already forming. Had to keep Roxas on his toes, after all. "When you're not half drowning in Swarovski, anyway." Axel didn't mention that he'd prefer Roxas in nothing at all. Maybe later, he might. He tipped an imaginary hat at Roxas. "See you in a few, Roxy."

Axel didn't wait for Roxas's reaction this time before turning back to the rink.

o - o

As the day wore on, Axel realized there was more down time than he'd been expecting. On the one hand, he felt a little guilty just standing around between his sets, while Demyx, some other rink staff, and volunteers were busying themselves with more set-up. If it were a hockey match night, he'd be there with them, manning the ticket counter or maybe handling one of those mishaps that always seemed to happen right before a game.

Now here they were, a figure skating event taking over the rink, and Axel didn't think he would've been able to bounce between rink duties and dress rehearsals.

He was nervous. The revelation hit him sometime while he was watching Roxas and Namine run through their program. For them, this was probably just another show, the same as a competition. For Ventus, waiting for his cue to step out, maybe it was a chance to be a part of the action, if only for a little bit, in the wake of his injury. Xion, standing next to Axel, probably thought it was all fun, mostly, with a chance to meet her idols, and much-needed help for her parents.

It was more, for Axel. His success at Sectionals had been the catalyst for the event, and for those who'd gathered to help support the rink, he was the star skater. Sure, the Strifes and the rest of Radiant Garden had brought along a contingent, but Axel was the one representing his rink. And this was his home. There was a lot at stake, for him.

Axel sighed and crossed his arms. He would be fine. He'd made it this far.

He focused again on Roxas, in red and black, movements fluid and full of grace. Red really did suit him. He wondered if Roxas had ever been nervous about skating. If, in a family known for producing stars, Roxas had ever felt a similar pressure to succeed. There were a lot of things he'd become curious about, when it came to Roxas.

The kiss from sectionals was still vivid in his mind, Roxas's teeth on his bottom lip, their tongues meeting. He wanted more…

Axel straightened abruptly, turning away from the ice before his thoughts started going elsewhere. He needed a distraction, but not that kind of distraction. In any case, Roxas was…well, he might've responded to the kiss, but he'd been cool towards Axel since arriving at Roulade. Civil, without the usual competitive vitriol that peppered their encounters. Axel chewed his lip. Maybe he did owe Roxas something. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Roxas might like for a birthday gift.

There were still at least ten minutes before he and Xion went on, and that was assuming that the Strifes' coach didn't stop them to break down their performance. He let his eyes wander as he considered his rival.

His gaze landed on the little shop tucked in one corner. It didn't offer much, in the way of supplies, but on display were shirts with 'Roulade Ice Arena' emblazoned across the chest, along with a penguin wearing ice skates. Xion had designed them as a project for school, and her folks had liked them enough to print them. Axel smiled at the memory, and then his smile widened, as he had a thought.

Axel picked his way to the register attendant, a teenager who usually manned the store when the rink got busy. "Hey, Cooper."

"Kupo," the kid corrected. Or maybe it was just something he said. Axel still hadn't figured it out.

"Uh, right. Anyway, I left my wallet, but I wanted to grab a hoodie. Can you make a note for Annette that I'll give the money later?"

The question was met by a raised eyebrow, and then a shrug and the scratching of pen on paper.

"Right." Axel picked a hoodie from the rack along one wall and waved it at the kid. "Oh yeah. And can I borrow a pen and some paper?"

Axel leaned over the counter, sweatshirt under one arm, biting his lip as he thought of what to write. He put the pen to the paper, then lifted it up, hesitating. I'd rather give you a kiss, but this sweatshirt will have to do for now. Happy birthday, Roxy. Call me, I'd like to take you out sometime. —Axel It was perhaps a little cheesy, but it got the point across. He hoped.

He wasn't sure he liked the message, but he folded the note and slipped it into the sweatshirt pocket, anyway. It would be big on Roxas, he thought as he rolled the sweatshirt into a bundle. The image his mind conjured up was cute, to say the least, and he didn't think that Roxas swimming in a hoodie was any less appealing than Roxas in his skin-tight pants.

Roxas was still on the ice when Axel reclaimed his place next to Xion and, five minutes later, as the Strifes were stepping off, Axel still hadn't come up with anything to say to Roxas.

Xion looked back at him as she moved to step onto the ice. "Ax, you coming?"

"Yeah, one sec." He turned to Roxas, whose face was still a mask of concentration. "Roxas." His rival looked up, blue eyes flashing. "Here, this is for you." He held out the bundled sweatshirt.

"Uhm." Roxas accepted it, expression puzzled.

Axel winked at him as he pulled off his skate guards, but didn't wait for Roxas's reaction as he moved into position for his and Xion's program. A glance at Xion showed she was perhaps as perplexed as Roxas, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted Demyx at the sound booth, shaking his head.

Axel's lips turned up in a wry smile. Well, now he was sure to never hear the end of it from Demyx.

His mind still on Roxas, Axel almost missed his cue. It was the spotlight descending on him that brought him to the present. That, too, reminded him of Roxas, his advice the night before about moving with the lights, and trusting them to be where he needed them.

Axel took a deep breath and let it out. Pushed Roxas from his mind, and focused on skating, the feel of the ice under his blades. Let his nervous energy out in the lines he left as he bent his knees in a deep edge, and a double toe-loop that coincided with Xion's. Side by side camel spins. He ticked the moves off as they executed them, each one leaving him feeling more and more at ease.

Even Larxene's voice interrupting them for corrections felt natural. Business as usual. Axel wondered if his nerves had stemmed from all the standing around, his energy building in anticipation.

And perhaps from the blue eyes that were on him when he skidded to a stop at the end of their run-through. Axel couldn't read Roxas's expression. Not so different than usual, except he wanted to know what Roxas was thinking, watching Axel on the ice.