This site keeps fucking with my bold, italics, and underlines. : I'm sorry if it's doing the same to you, I can't seem to fix it.

Title: Breathe
Rating: R
Summary: When he was with Axel, he wasn't sure if it was a good thing that it would mean nothing, or not. AxelDemyx with XigbarDemyx
Word Count:1858
Warnings:Axel and Demyx stuff, plus Xigbar and Demyx.
Set before CoM (or duringish)
A/N: Takes place after Beginning of His End.

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Breathe.

Axel tipped his head back, slouched on the couch with all the grace of a panther or some other huge cat that neither of them had seen, only heard of. It was only fitting, Demyx supposed, his eyes wandering over the other Nobody. Neither of them had ever seen one, and Axel was too different to be put into normal words, so some animal with all the grace that the redhead had, would have to fit.

As if sensing Demyx was thinking about him, Axel tilted his head and regarded the musician with half-open eyes. "What?"

"Nothing," Demyx responded, cursing himself when his fingers slipped over one of the strings, a sour note floating through the air.

One eyebrow rose in blatant disbelief, but thankfully Axel didn't press; he relaxed even further into the couch, wriggling around a bit as he tried to figure out the most comfortable way to lay down with his constricting jacket. "Superior's got issues," he muttered, gloved fingers working at the zipper, jerking it down and muttering under his breath when it got caught. "Yeah, jackets are so the way to go. We'll be sneaky and fuckin' uncomfortable at the same time, that's a great idea."

The music drifted off, leaving the room silent save for the zipping sound as Axel fought with the coat, finally arching his back sharply and shrugging out of it, kicking it away with a scowl. Somehow, Demyx had thought that the other man would be naked under the coat- that seemed like something Axel would do, but instead, he was wearing a pair of leather pants and a loose, sleeveless black shirt that made his bright hair stand out that much more. The black gloves alone might have looked weird on anyone else, without the addition of the coat, but he could still pull it off- or maybe, it was just that Demyx was so use to seeing the flame-manipulator with them, that it would be odd to see them off.

"Hey. You've got that weird look on your face where it looks like you're thinkin' again. What's up? And don't go 'nothing' because it's never just 'nothing' with you." Axel scratched at his stomach absently, revealing a line of tan skin from under his shirt, and Demyx shifted uncomfortably. "I'm serious."

"You're strange," Demyx stated, stroking his fingers over the strings of his sitar, keeping the notes quiet and mellow.

Green eyes narrowed with amusement as Axel snorted. "Sure, Demyx. You're one to talk."

Demyx could feel the heat rise in his cheeks and his breath whooshed out in a heavy sigh. He wasn't good with words sometimes- normally, he didn't need to use them since he normally kept quiet during meetings and the like. He wasn't the strongest member, there was no doubt about that and no one seemed to take him seriously save for Xigbar and Axel, though the latter seemed to find great pleasure in teasing him whenever he could.

"See? And you say I'm weird- you're the one that has the smallest attention-span ever." Axel slid off the couch and made his way to where Demyx was sitting on the ground. The sitar was pushed away, vanishing in a rush of bubbles that faded quickly as the water user wasn't concentrating on keeping it there. "Why do you do that?"

If he had a heart, Demyx was sure that it would be going crazy and beating audibly. Axel was close enough that the heat from the older Nobody was nearly palpable; something constant that was expected with his element. Another shaky breath was drawn in as the dirty-blond tried to figure out how to deal with this. The only reason that Axel got this close to him was when they were sparring, and even then, there was no extended touching besides a hand to help the other up. "Do… ah…what exactly?" he asked, mouth dry.

"That. You're breathing and blushing," Axel sounded both vaguely annoyed and pleased with this, his long, gloved fingers reaching out to work at the zipper of Demyx's own jacket, tugging it down with quick, efficient movements.

"A-Axel," Demyx shifted away quickly, pushing himself back across the hard marble floor of the room, the leather catching and jerking, sending him on his back uncomfortably. Another snort of laughter from Axel, the older Nobody crawling closer with that aggravating grace, quickly yanking down the zipper before Demyx could protest any further. "Would you stop? I kind of like having my coat on and what… what are you doing, Axel?"

There was a foreign look of confusion on Axel's face as he pressed a hand to the spot where Demyx's heart would have been, where it once was. "Relax, Demyx, I'm not going to light you on fire or something, I'm curious," he stated, removing his hand and pushing the coat further down around Demyx's slender shoulders, effectively removing any way for him to move his arms. "Do you miss it?"

Demyx blinked, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked up at the unusually serious expression on the other man's face. "Miss having… miss having a heart?"

Axel nodded, kneeling in-between Demyx's spread knees, that odd look still on his face.

"Everyday," Demyx answered truthfully, his voice low and almost wistful. "Every single day. Do you?"

There was a long moment of silence, filled by a gasp as Axel grabbed Demyx's chin and pressed their lips together in a hard, awkward kiss. Startled, Demyx gasped, fingers digging in the leather of his coat as Axel's tongue slipped over his bottom lip and then he was kissing the blond harder, with more confidence and heat. Helplessly, Demyx tried to reciprocate, a small noise escaping him when Axel's free hand slid over that empty spot in his chest. The coat was uncomfortably warm now, his skin hypersensitive- feeling every shift as Axel's hands began to explore, sliding down and under Demyx's loose shirt, leather-clad fingers skimming over taut flesh. Maybe it was good that they didn't need to breathe anymore- certainly it would only get in the way of kissing so long.

"Axel!" Demyx couldn't hold back the startled exclamation as Axel tugged him up and forward, their hips connecting solidly sending a wave of heat through him that had nothing to do with Axel's powers.

'As a Nobody, you cannot feel anything, so do not get any false ideas. You are nothing more than an empty shell of what you once were; only you're more useful like this. Once Kingdom Hearts is whole, we will all be complete again, but until then, do not forget what you really are.' Demyx could hear their Superior's voice in his head as clearly as if he were speaking to them right now. They were Nobodies, so they couldn't feel anything- so why could he feel every little move that Axel made, from the press of his fingers into Demyx's waist, to the heat of their mouths together, to the way the leather was sticking to his skin. This certainly felt like feeling, but the Superior wouldn't lie to them about such a thing, right? They were in this to become whole again, surely he wouldn't lie to them about anything so trivial?

"He's a fucking liar," Axel groaned into Demyx's mouth, pressing their hips together with an awkward little thrust. A soft cry escaped Demyx's parted lips as Axel seemed to lose interest with kissing and was instead trailing his mouth down the smooth line of the blond's throat. "You can feel this, right?"

Of course he could, of course. It was in that instant that he realized something- it was going to mean something if he did anything else with Axel. Regardless of if they had hearts or not, if any of this continued, it was going to mean something to both of them and that wasn't allowed by any means. "Axel, Axel, stop." He pushed at the taller form, clumsily supporting himself with only one arm. Axel did pull back, his eyes darker than normal, cheeks carrying just the slightest flush.

"What?" he demanded, licking his lips absently. That uncertain, trapped look was on Demyx's face again, and somehow he knew that whatever came out of the musician's mouth next wouldn't be good.

"Will this mean something?" Demyx asked, pushing himself back after pulling his coat back up and over his shoulders.

Green eyes narrowed with realization at what was being implied. "No," he lied, jaw clenching when he realized that this was the wrong thing to have said.

An excuse wouldn't do here, Demyx knew. What kind of an answer was he expecting? A 'yes' would mean that he would have to stop this, just like the 'no' did, so why had he even asked. "I've gotta go."

"What the hell was I supposed to say?" Axel demanded, standing up a scant second after Demyx did. In a quick move, he grabbed the collar of the black coat, tugging Demyx toward him, heedless of the startled cry of shock that echoed through the room.

"I don't know," Demyx answered truthfully, prying at the tight grasp of hands that were cutting off his breathing. If anything, this made Axel angrier, the harsh shake making Demyx's teeth clack together audibly.

"You don't need to breathe, idiot, so stop looking for excuses," he growled, holding the blond for a moment later before shoving him back with a quiet sound of disgust- directed at himself or Demyx, he wasn't sure. "Go. I'm sure the Superior has some lovely little side mission for you to do or something. I'm sure there are Heartless that are around just waiting to be killed."

Demyx could only stand there and stare at the ground, hearing Axel stalk off and grab his coat before vanishing through a portal he had summoned. The room was eerily quiet and a second later, Demyx brought forth his own portal, stepping in quickly, only to reappear in another room.

--

"The fuck? What're you doing in here, kid?" Xigbar demanded, his good eye sweeping over the uncharacteristically quiet Nobody who stood there, his jacket half zipped, hair mussed and his lips looking like- "Whoa. Who've you been making out with?"

Demyx shook his head hard, biting on his bottom lip before taking two quick steps to where the older Nobody was standing with a bemused look on his face. "It doesn't… it doesn't have to mean anything, right?" he asked, forcing his shoulders to go straight, meeting Xigbar's eye.

Surprise flicked through him, but he said nothing, instead choosing to pull number IX to him, a small smirk curling his lips. "No," he promised, large hands resting on Demyx's shoulders. "It won't mean anything."

"Good," Demyx breathed out, tilting his head up to meet the slightly chapped lips of the sniper. If it didn't mean anything then he wouldn't have to worry about feeling anything- there were no unspoken rules that were being broken and no non-emotions attached. That night, Demyx didn't breathe at all- he didn't need to, as a Nobody. Axel had taught him that much, at least.

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Mm, Xigbar. Let me know what you guys thought?