Rude awakenings

X

"Hey lovebirds."

Axel blinked in confusion as something tapped his forehead, waking him up from a most pleasant dream about bunnies. It was Demyx, he realized as he stared disorientedly up at his friend.

"grrrfnu…Umgh… what?"

Demyx crossed his arms and made a seriously weird expression. Somewhat like the bunnies in the dream. Several moments passed before Axel realized he was trying to look angry. The strange twitching of his face came from him trying to frown while his mouth involuntarily kept curling into a smile.

"I just thought I'd tell you I'm off to work," Demyx announced somewhere half between a grumble and giggle. "Thanks for all the sleep I was getting tonight, by the way…"

"Oh…" Axel realized it must be morning, and smiled sheepishly as he remembered his little adventure with Riku last night. Or rather, his many adventures. They were still lying tangled up in each other, Riku just now stirring into life beside him, and the blanket very nearly didn't cover them at all. He shrugged and couldn't quite keep the smirk off his face as he looked to Demyx again.

"Have a nice day?"

Demyx rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Yeah, thanks, you bastard..! What the hell were you doing to him anyway? Those moans were putting porn stars to shame!"

Riku gave out a slight whimper and seemed to be trying to hide his face in Axel's shoulder, but Axel just grinned and stretched his arms over his head. "Wouldn't you like to know! You've had your chance Dem-Dem…" Demyx hated when he called him that. "Now it's too late." He winked at him and earned himself another eye-roll.

"Jesus Christ… I'm out of here." Demyx made a last attempt to look severe. "At least clean your jizz off my couch and get dressed before I'm home! And I mean it! This is so fucking not okay, Axel!"

Riku didn't look up from Axel's shoulder until Demyx was out the door, but when he did, Axel had to bite his tongue to not laugh. His face was beet-red and his expression miserable, and it was just too damned cute.

"...Was he mad?" he asked shakily.

Axel chuckled and pondered the question while wondering if Riku would be terribly upset if he ruffled his hair. "I think he was at least trying to be," he concluded, contenting himself with stroking away a stray lock of hair that had stuck to Riku's cheek.

Riku grunted and watched him sullenly. "You seem to be in a good mood today."

"Weeell…" Axel grinned. Except for a few highlights, yesterday had overall been kind of shitty, but today was looking promising, for obvious reasons. "I got laid. And you're naked… and your hand is on my ass. Plus you're so cute when you're embarrassed." He pinched Riku's flushed cheek, and laughed when he slapped his hand away and glared at him.

"I'm sore. And sticky, and you're being obnoxious." He rolled over, turning his back on Axel.

"Don't think anything has changed just because of yesterday."

Whoa, a little grumpy, were we? Axel was feeling too good to let it get to him, but he decided to give the teasing a break anyway.

He petted Riku's hair carefully. "I know. I'm still an ass. It's just that it's the first day in a week I wake up without wishing someone would shoot me." Riku grunted something unintelligible which Axel suspected translated to 'I wish someone would shoot you'. He chose to ignore it.

"Come on, baby. You're still tired. How about we sleep for a bit longer?"

"I can't sleep. And I'm not a baby."

"Then I'll make you breakfast. You take a hot shower, and you'll feel a lot better."

"Maybe."

He still sounded grumpy, but looked a lot more collected as he rolled onto his back and looked up at Axel.

"You don't think this is embarrassing at all, do you?"

Axel raised his one uninjured eyebrow. "What, Demyx hearing us?" Was that what he was sulking about? He shrugged. "Everybody knows I have no shame. And you should know I take great pride in making you moan like a porn star."

He winked and Riku rolled his eyes. There was a small, reluctant smile though, and his blush intensified. "It was good…"

"Yeah…" Axel smiled back, infinitely relieved to see a crack in the ice. He decided to take a chance and bent down to press a light kiss to his cheek, and when Riku didn't protest he did it again. "More than good. I think you made Demyx question his sexuality."

Riku snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Seriously!" Axel grinned. "It's about time someone let him know what he's been missing. Do you know how many times I've tried to get him in the sack?"

Riku groaned. "I don't want to know!"

"Aww…" Axel smiled and rubbed his nose against Riku's. "Relax, it was a long time ago… and it wasn't like I was very serious about it. Or successful."

Riku wrinkled his nose and turned away.

"I know," he muttered. "Marluxia said Demyx is the only guy in town you haven't fucked."

Axel grimaced.

It bothered him very much that Marly had been talking to Riku when he wasn't there. If it had been up to him to decide, the two would never have met.

"He's one to talk… you shouldn't listen too much to what he says, you know."

"Is it true?"

This was starting to look less and less promising. Axel had no wish whatsoever to discuss how many people he had fucked. He didn't even know. At first he had kept count, but he'd soon lost it and, well… there was a point where you just stopped caring.

"There are millions of people in this city," he told Riku. "Even counting out the women and children, I would've had to keep pretty busy to go through all of them, don't you think?"

"Is it more than twenty?" Riku asked stubbornly.

Axel almost laughed, but managed to keep his face straight. Is it more than a hundred, would have been a more reasonable question. He suspected it might well be twice that.

"What if it is?" The answer came out sharp, but he couldn't help it.

Riku frowned, but Axel could see a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. "Nothing," he said after a while. "It's just a lot."

"Maybe it is," Axel replied, and doubted he sounded much like he meant it at all. He would have considered himself virginal and pure if he'd only been with twenty people, but he could still remember a time when twenty had seemed an inconceivably high number to him too...

It was probably not a good idea to lose his temper over something petty like this, and after all it was a good thing that Riku wanted him for himself, so he let small smirk come over his lips and tapped Riku's nose playfully.

"Are you worrying about getting lost in the crowd? I can assure you there's no need, especially after tonight…"

Riku rolled his eyes again, but he was blushing as he turned his head away.

"It was just sex," he muttered weakly.

That was too bad… Axel had kind of hoped it was make-up sex. Very well, whatever it was, Riku's mood had to be considered much improved compared to yesterday. There still had been no calling him an asshole, no walking out on him or force-feeding him sandwiches, so perhaps it was at least a first step to making him forgive him?

"That's bullshit," he argued, leaning in to kiss Riku's neck. He hoped he wouldn't be in trouble when Riku saw what he had done to it… large hickeys bloomed red and purple all the way from his jaw line down to his collarbone, sharply contrasting his pale skin. "It was awesome sex. You're sure to be in my hall of fame now..."

Riku was unimpressed.

"..Your hall of fame?"

Axel chuckled sheepishly.

"Okay, that sounded lame. Just, you know... some times are a lot better than others. Some people, too..."

Riku snorted, and for a moment something very angry flashed in his eyes

"Some people, huh? Well, you can count yourself a member of my hall of fame too, if that's the sort of thing that makes you happy. It isn't much of an accomplishment, though. Much less crowded."

Axel ignored the snark in Riku's tone.

"Doesn't matter. I like having it all to myself."

Truth was that his hall of fame wasn't very crowded at all. There was Marly, who would probably forever hold the throne since the night of Axel's fifteenth birthday, a couple of hot strangers Axel could not remember the names of... Roxas would have to be counted from now on, too. But that was basically it.

He was not going to get into that, though. It was just fucking sad thinking about his mediocre – when not outright bad – sex life. Much better if Riku thought it had been all good.

He forced a smile, deciding it was time for a change of subject..

"Hey, listen baby..." He licked his lips, suddenly nervous. Shit, he just said 'baby' again, didn't he? "Uh, I mean Riku. Seriously, why don't you stay a couple of days? You could need a little break, you know, with that shit at school and your parents… You really shouldn't waste a trip like this just going home again! There's a lot to see here, we could have fun… and then we could go back together?"

Riku looked at him for a long moment. "...Together?"

Axel nodded, holding his breath while he fought to not flicker his gaze away.

He remembered telling Riku he loved him yesterday, which he hadn't seemed to believe in or appreciate much at all, really. Maybe he was supposed tell him again?

He chose not to. He wasn't sure how he felt about saying it today, and it wasn't worth the risk of pissing Riku off.

Nothing was said for some long and very agonizing moments.

"We still haven't talked," Riku finally said, sounding hesitant.

"We're talking now," Axel offered, although he wasn't sure it was in his best interest to have this talk Riku kept going on about. He suspected Riku would just ask him questions that didn't have any good answers, and then he would get hurt and go home.

"Not like this," Riku decided, blushing slightly again as his gaze flickered down their naked bodies.

"Oh?" Axel smirked at him, trailing a finger down his side. He was very, very pretty with his bad case of bed head and kiss-stained skin... A round six could definitely be managed. "Maybe there's something else on your mind right now?"

Riku's expression turned suspiciously sweet and he gave him a cruel, evil look that would have made Marly proud.

"Yeah, there is… you said something about breakfast?"

X

Riku did feel better after he had showered. He was still sore, though… and his neck! This time, no makeup in the world would be enough to cover it up. Examining the marks in the bathroom mirror, he couldn't help thinking he looked like he'd been attacked by some toothless vampire, and he would have been very mad at Axel if it wasn't for the embarrassing fact that he could clearly remember himself moaning like a slut and begging for more as they were made. Maybe he didn't have much choice but to stay like Axel wanted, because he would rather die than face the people at home limping and bruised like this.

Truth be told, he wanted to stay anyway.

He could deny it all he wanted, but something had changed. In the shower, when finally he'd had some time for himself to think things through without being upset and sexually frustrated, yesterday's events started appearing in a slightly different light. There were so many examples of Axel expressing that he'd missed him and trying to coax him into staying that it was just ridiculous to believe that he didn't really feel that way. If he didn't, wouldn't he just have kicked him out when things started to get ugly?

He looked uncertainly at his reflection, fingering his bruised jawline. Axel did care about him. Maybe even more than cared..?

If he stayed at least until the hickeys had faded, maybe he'd have time to find out? Axel was right that it was a waste of a perfectly good trip just going home right away... The plane ticket had not been cheap, and once he was home again, all his savings would be gone. And he'd have to face his parents, which he really didn't look forward to. At school he'd probably be drowned in homework and assignments to make up for his absence, as well as be scolded by a host of teachers worrying about his future. And that was the easy part...

Thinking about his class mates made his stomach grow so cold he felt queasy.

He knew those were not good reasons to stay, but when everyone was going to be mad at him anyway, did it really matter?

He pushed the thoughts away and sorted out his hair and finished dressing. Then he found Axel standing by the stove, happily humming to himself while frying up some eggs. Riku recognized the tune; it was a cheesy love song Axel was deeply fond of, with some truly cringe-worthy lyrics.

He couldn't help smiling and walked up to stand behind him, placing his hands on his hips. Maybe he shouldn't be doing things like that, but after tonight it seemed pointless to resist. Axel already knew he still loved him and wanted him, so it would just be silly to act otherwise. Nevertheless, Axel's smile looked surprised when he turned to eye him over his shoulder.

"Hey, baby," he greeted softly. "Look, I'm making eggs for us!"

"I can see that," Riku commented, watching the eggs sizzle in the frying pan. He didn't like eggs, but he didn't have the heart to tell him when he was sounding so proud of them. And he decided to let the 'baby' pass too. "I take it that means your appetite's better today?"

Axel nodded, leaning back into his arms slightly. "Definitely. Even my head's good... so far, at least."

"Good," Riku murmured into his hair. "I was so worried about you..."

"I've survived worse," Axel replied dismissively. "I made coffee. Pour yourself a cup and sit down. I also raided Demyx' fridge, have whatever you want."

He gestured towards the small kitchen table where indeed everything Demyx seemed to have in breakfast-way was set out.

"He won't mind?"

"Nah."

Riku doubted the truth of that statement, but Axel turned back to his eggs, flipping them over in the frying pan, and started singing again. It was cute, and Riku felt a stab of something bittersweet in his gut. He would gladly eat eggs every morning for the rest of his life if Axel would be there making them for him.

He wondered what Axel had meant when he said they could go home together. Did he mean as a couple? It had sounded like he did, but Riku wasn't sure he dared believe it… He remembered cold fingertips drawing vaguely heart-like shapes on his skin.

Love and shit.

What if it was true?

I think so.

"I can wait until you're finished," Riku told him, pressing a little closer.

He wanted it to be true. And he wanted to kiss him suddenly, so he did; softly behind the ear.

Maybe he could call Kairi later and hear what she thought of all this. Selphie and Tidus always asked her for advice when they had love trouble… not that it seemed to help them much. They were both single, although not for lack of trying.

He kissed Axel again, more insistently, letting his hands slide over his hips. He liked the feel of his jutting hip bones, and he liked how his boxers were so worn thin and washed out they wouldn't sit tight on him and kind of just hung there threatening to fall off. He decided to help them along, hooking his thumbs under the hem and felt the soft skin underneath prickle under his fingertips.

There was a soft little oh sound from Axel, then a gasp at the third kiss.

"Baby, I need to concentrate!" he protested breathlessly. He was sensitive behind the ears, Riku remembered and kissed him harder, slowly, until he whimpered. "Mmh..! I mean, not that I'm complaining, but – ahh..! The eggs…"

"Fuck the eggs," Riku whispered, nipping lightly at his ear.

If it wasn't true, at least he could make sure Axel knew what he was missing. He reached around him, turned off the stove and dragged the frying pan off the hot plate.

"What are you doing – oh!"

Riku flipped him around and shut him up with a kiss. Axel's eyes widened and then closed as he gave up and kissed back, hands uselessly turning over the spatula he was still holding. Riku took it from him and put it away, then dragged him to the side and pushed him back against the sink.

"I thought you were hungry," Axel gasped softly, lips never leaving his. His eyes looked genuinely surprised.

Riku didn't answer, just stepped closer and kissed him harder. Axel sighed contently, and wound his arms around his neck, returning the kiss. His mouth was warm and soft, tasting of smoke and coffee. Of him. Riku's knees buckled and he grabbed at Axel's hips, groaning helplessly as he felt himself getting hard.

It had to be true, or he would have to give this up again. He wasn't sure that was even possible.

While in the shower, his head had been full of images from the night before and even though his ass stung and it hurt when he put fingers inside to clean himself, his cock still stiffened. It wasn't just that he wanted Axel, he wanted sex. Preferably with Axel, but still.

Last week when they'd been apart, he'd been so desperate he would have let Tidus fuck him.

Tidus didn't want to fuck him though, and neither did anyone else. Well, maybe the girls, but that didn't help much. Perhaps that guy Selphie liked who turned out to be gay? But you couldn't just go up to someone and ask if they wanted to have sex, could you? Or..?

How could Axel have found so many men to sleep with? Even if he probably wasn't shy to ask, how did he know who to ask? It couldn't just be guessing. There were probably clubs and websites and signs and all sorts of shit Riku didn't know about. But he didn't want to know!

What he wanted was right in front of him.

He pulled Axel closer and kissed him breathless, tongue sliding wet over his lips and in between until his head was spinning and his groin aching. Gasping he kissed along Axel's jaw, over the pulsing vein in his neck, until he found that spot behind his ear again. Axel whimpered, turning his head to give better access. There was something desperate about the way his hands clutched at Riku's hair, how his hips pushed against his.

Maybe Axel also preferred sex with him..?

He still had his thumbs hooked under the hem of his boxers and with a determined tug he yanked them down until they fell and pooled around his ankles. Axel's cock bounced out, as hard as his own. Riku grabbed hold of it, electric shivers racking his body as he remembered it inside him. The pain he still felt was suddenly erotic, and he bit lightly at Axel's neck as he groaned against his skin.

Axel's breaths had turned heavy, and when Riku leaned away to see his face, his eyes were so soft and glazed he looked feverish.

He loves this, Riku realized. Being surprised; not having to ask. He pushed him back harder, then grabbed him around the waist, lifting him up to sit at the counter.

"Oh," Axel whispered.

"Yeah," Riku replied hoarsely. He wanted him too much to let it stay just hands and mouths, but he felt too sore to let Axel do him. Leaning forward he kissed him again.

Axel's arms wrapped around him, hands going up to fist his hair, sliding under his shirt; grabbing, pulling, wanting. The rest of their clothes disappeared, Riku could not say how. All his focus was on Axel's mouth opening so perfectly under his. Raking his hands down the naked insides of his thighs, stroking his cock, fingers inside him... Making his heart beat even faster, his breath come out in short hot puffs, drawing those moans from deep down his throat.

How could anyone else ever compare?

"Stay there."

Axel gave out a whine of disappointment as Riku untangled from him.

"I'll be right back," he assured him. Beside the couch in the living room he found the lube, the bottle lying discarded under Axel's underwear. Riku grabbed it, hurrying back.

Axel sat as Riku had left him, at the edge of the counter with his legs spread wide. He was fondling himself but when he heard him enter the room, he looked up with a wanton, wicked grin, eyes sparkling above his tattoos.

Riku swallowed hard, feeling blood rushing to his cheeks and hardening his cock. Wordlessly he stepped back in between his legs, letting his hands run over his chest, over his tiny nipples, then down his sides and under his thighs until he could grab his hips. He lifted slightly, bringing their crotches closer together.

Axel watched him silently, licking his lips as their cocks rubbed together and Riku squirted the lube into his palm. He smirked at him, and saw his eyes darken with lust.

They kissed again, Axel moaning and wrapping his legs around his back. Riku took both their cocks in his hand, stroking slowly. The lube made it all wet and slick, matching and Axel's tongue in his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, feeling his balls drawing together tighter.

This was the worst part. Axel always got him so worked up he was feeling like he would come any second long before they got around to penetration. And when they did…

Riku could not understand how Axel could fuck him like he did and last so long. When he was in Axel, he had to focus hard on holding back, because just seeing himself buried inside him and feeling that tight, wet heat squeezing his cock was enough to push him right at the edge of orgasm.

Maybe it got better with practise? It was embarrassing, though.

"Fuck," he groaned, "you make me so…"

Axel chuckled, giving him one of his crooked grins. "Well, they do say eggs are an aphrodisiac... I'll fry some up whenever you want if this is the thanks I get."

"Whenever I want?"

Riku wondered if he should tell him he'd just been thinking he wouldn't mind waking up to the sound of Axel singing in the kitchen every day for the rest of his life. It would probably ruin the mood.

"I don't even like eggs," he said and kissed him again.

X

"I confess I have no idea what goes on in your dirty little mind," Axel sighed happily afterwards, "but I really appreciate it."

Riku grunted out a chuckle, still feeling a bit woozy after his orgasm. He had a dirty mind? Well, maybe he did. He'd just fucked a guy on the kitchen counter in someone else's kitchen after all... but he was pretty sure it was nothing new to Axel.

"I don't think the neighbours enjoyed the show, though…" Axel continued his musings.

Riku had been feeling perfectly content, standing there in all his naked glory, dotting kisses onto Axel's neck while still buried inside him, but now he froze.

Shit.

The layout of the room suddenly flashed before his mind's eye and oh, fuck, fuck, FUCK. They were right in front of the fucking windows. Had Axel known all along?

He stared at him, taking in the ill-hidden amusement written all over his face. Yep. All along.

"God damn it," he groaned. "You knew! Why didn't you say something?!"

Axel just laughed at him. "No way! What if you had stopped?"

Grumbling a curse, Riku turned to see how bad it was… and it was pretty bad. The houses stood tight together, so the neighbouring windows were not more than ten metres away. You could clearly see what was going on in the rooms behind them.

"Axel..!"

"Don't be mad! I thought you knew!"

"No, you didn't!"

Riku wasn't just mad, he was mortified. The windows right across from them had the blinds pulled down, however. He pointed it out, and Axel grinned.

"Yeah, sorry," he said apologetically without actually sounding apologetic. "I'm afraid they weren't down at first. They only did that after they saw what we were doing... Oh man, the guy's face..!"

Riku groaned again, his embarrassment knowing no bounds. He wanted to sink through the floor or at least run and cover himself up, but it was a little late for that now, wasn't it? How long could it have been? Half an hour? Or more?

Everybody knows I have no shame. Yeah, he could clearly see that! But he had! Fuck!

"You..!"

He was about to chew him out real bad, but looking at him he suddenly didn't feel like it anymore. He looked so happy… and quite smug, as well. Riku suspected he had looked forward to tell him they'd had an audience, because for some annoying, childish reason Axel thought it was very funny when he was embarrassed. After letting out a string of half-choked noises of indignation he chuckled despite himself.

"You're hopeless," he contented to say. "I give up. I guess I should be thanking my lucky stars they're not my neighbours…"

"Yeah… that would have been really unfortunate," Axel purred, grinning at him before nuzzling his face into his neck. "Because your neighbour doesn't mind seeing you naked at all…"

Riku gave out a tired laugh, kissing his temple right above the bruising. "Moron," he murmured, plucking at a red lock of hair. His heart felt like it was swelling, threatening to burst out of his ribcage. I love you, Axel, he wanted to say. He wondered what sort of answer he would be getting this time, if he told him. It felt a little too risky to try and find out, and suddenly he felt sad.

How could it be that it was so hard to say what you felt when it was so easy to be intimate physically? And why was it so easy to say something wrong when everything felt so right?

"I've had enough of involuntary exhibitionism for one day," he stated. "Let's clean up and get dressed. I'll stay for a couple of days."

Axel's head snapped up so fast at that, he almost hit Riku in the chin.

"Really?!" he exclaimed breathlessly, eyes suddenly wide and shiny.

Riku nodded, and felt that swelling in his chest again as Axel's expression changed into one of pure, childish happiness.

"Baby..! You're a perfect, beautiful angel! I knew you'd come around!"

"If you keep calling me 'baby' I'll change my mind," Riku told him, flicking his nose.

"Like hell you will!" Axel grinned at him. "This time it was makeup sex and don't you deny it!"

Riku huffed, giving him a mock glare.

"I should bend you over and fuck you again," he grumbled.

Axel just looked hopeful.

X

AN: Posting this even though it's really just part of a longer chapter. I need to get it out so I stop can stop editing and get on with the rest! Anyway, I think it can stand on its own and you poor readers deserve an update! Haha, some of you were so worried at the end of the last chapter, and then I come pouring this bucket of fluff over your heads... :)

Peace out!

EDIT: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu! How do I manage these things? I missed adding the last part! I thought it seemed short even for a short chapter! Ok, NOW it stands on its own!