DISCLAIMER: We, of Eddie and Alex, do not own the rights to Kingdom Hearts.

"A present," Namine smiled as she walked up to the last door on the left. "From your brother, I believe."

"And this present would be?" Axel asked. He knew that his brother was known for eccentric and often dangerous gifts. He didn't want to go into the room and find it full of rocket fuel.

"A pleasant surprise," Namine smiled. "I assure you, it will not bite. Unless you ask."

"Unless I? What kind of present are we talking about here?" Axel stared at the short woman beside him. "I order you to tell me."

"I am under strict orders from your brother to remain quiet. Please, accept this room with the hotel's gratitude." Namine stepped forward and pressed a key card into Axel's hand. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call the front desk. Goodnight."

Axel sighed as he watched the petite woman escape into the waiting elevator. He swiped the card and entered the room, noting the lack of explosives or giant pythons, which had been his gift the year before. Instead, he found himself in one of the luxury suites for which the hotel was famous. Sitting on the low coffee table was a small card.

"Dear brother," Axel read aloud. "Wishing you the best of birthdays. I have left a surprise for you in the suite. Please enjoy it." Axel sighed and placed the card back on the table. He flung his heavy winter coat onto one of the chairs and walked into the small kitchenette. "Please enjoy what? The refrigerator doesn't even have food!" Axel ran a hand through his unruly red hair. "Dammit, Reno, why do you always set up these things?"

He walked toward the suite's bedroom, deciding whatever surprise his brother had given him could wait until the morning. But, as he opened the door to the dark bedroom, he paused. He could hear the soft snores of someone sleeping in the room. Had Namine accidently booked the suite for another person? He shook his head, feeling Reno had a hand in this somehow.

"Um…hello?" he called into the room. He flicked the light switch, hoping he could get the person to simply leave. Reno had been setting him up with random women for years, claiming that Axel needed someone around. However, after the fiasco that was Larxene, Axel had hoped his brother would give up. But, as he took in the room, he could only stare at the "present".

Leaning back against the wall was a young man with spiked blonde hair. A jacket was cushioned under his head and his shoes rested beside him. What drew Axel's eyes were the guy's hands. His wrists were bound in red ribbon and resting in his open palms was a small bow. "The heck?" Axel asked. The blonde stirred and opened dark blue eyes. "Uh…"

"Sorry. I must have fallen asleep," the blonde yawned. "You must be Axel. Reno said you two looked alike."

"Yeah. I'm Axel. And you are?"

"Roxas. Uh," he glanced at the ribbon around his wrists. "If I can get my hands undone, I can give you your gift."

"And that would be?" Axel watched as the other struggled to pull his hands free. "You want me to get that?" He finally asked when Roxas resorted to using his teeth to untie the ribbon.

"Thanks," Roxas grinned, holding out his hands. "And your present is a massage. Normally, I don't make house calls, but your brother was rather insistent."

"You're a masseuse?" Axel asked, untying the ribbon from Roxas' wrists. He had thought the guy was some sort of male stripper that Reno had contracted. When the ribbon finally fell away, Roxas rubbed his wrists to get the circulation back.

"Yep," Roxas grinned. "My family owns a small massage parlor down in Twilight Town." He stood up and Axel found that Roxas was a head shorter than him. Axel knew he was tall, but not that tall. "Your brother said you were having a hard time relaxing, so he asked if I'd make this house, er, hotel call, as you probably wouldn't come in to the parlor yourself." Axel nodded.

"I don't really have the time," he admitted.

"Have you ever had a massage before?" Roxas asked as he dragged a bag out from under the bed.

"Once. A couple years ago."

"Well, then I'll have some work to do, won't I?" He placed a small bottle of oil on the floor, along with a few towels. "I'll let you relax for a few minutes while I warm up the oil."

"Okay…" Axel watched as the petite blonde vanished into the kitchenette. He tugged off his sweater and lay down on his back, his hands fiddling with the edge of his t-shirt. He was beginning to drift off when Roxas nudged him with his foot. "Huh?"

"Well, I can't exactly give you a massage with your shirt on," Roxas smiled. "Unless you only want a neck massage, which is okay, I guess. Bit too much oil though…" he glanced at the jar in his hand.

"It's just been a while," Axel said as he tugged off his t-shirt and lie back down.

"Um, Axel," Roxas grinned at him. "Unless you want me to massage your chest…"

"Huh?" Axel blinked up at him sleepily before the message sunk in. "Oh, right." He stood slowly and turned back to the bed, flopping down onto his stomach. He didn't see Roxas' raised eyebrow at his antics.

"You know that's probably bad for your back," Roxas sighed. When Axel didn't respond, he simply shrugged and knelt on the side of the bed. "The first part is just to find all the spots of tension, so bear with me if I accidently tickle you."

"Not ticklish," Axel mumbled.

"We'll see." Roxas dipped his fingers into the jar and spread the oil across his palms. Axel tensed when he felt Roxas' fingers gently probe his spine. "Relax. It won't work if you don't relax."

"It feels weird," Axel complained.

"I've heard that before," Roxas rolled his eyes and continued the gentle probing across Axel's back. When he ghosted over Axel's ribs, he heard a faint squeak from the older man. "Ticklish?" he asked.

"No," Axel denied. When Roxas ghosted over the same spot, he tensed and hid his face in the bed. "Okay, so I'm ticklish," he muttered.

"Don't worry. I'll avoid that spot when I actually begin the deep massage," Roxas grinned. He tilted more oil into his palm. "This might hurt a bit, but I'm targeting your muscles."

"Okay…" Axel tilted his head slightly to look at the blonde. Roxas' eyes were intent on Axel's back and the hands that prodded against Axel's spine. Although Axel had never thought of any male as pretty, he suddenly found himself admiring the play of the light in Roxas' hair. The blonde bit his lower lip as he increased the pressure he applied, and Axel's breath caught.

"Sorry. Was that too hard?" Roxas asked. His hands left Axel's back for a moment, and Axel suddenly missed the warmth.

"No, it's fine," Axel sighed. "It actually felt really good." Roxas nodded and resumed kneading the redhead's muscles, swiping his thumbs over Axel's shoulder blades. Slowly, the tension along Axel's back eased. He had to suppress the groans of pleasure as the blonde managed to undo each knot of pain. As the blonde's hands gently prodded the back of his neck, he felt his hold on consciousness slipping.

"Hey, you okay? Normally, people aren't this…quiet," Roxas peaked under the fringe of red hair. He had felt the redhead loosening under his hands, but he hadn't expected to find the man fast asleep. "Well, okay. I guess that means I'm done." He sat back on his heels and tapped his chin. "I wonder if I still have some tea in my bag."

As Roxas looked over his shoulder at the redhead, he smiled. His brothers wouldn't believe him when he told him he'd had a cute redhead fall asleep for him. He grabbed one of his towels and dried his hands while he thought up a plan. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his notebook and wrote a small note to Axel, leaving him the business card for the parlor. He only hoped the redhead would visit soon, even if it was only business. Humming, he went into the kitchenette and made a cup of tea, knowing that Axel probably wouldn't wake soon.

"He fell asleep," Namine guessed as Roxas entered the hotel's main hall, his bag slung over his shoulder. Roxas nodded and the petite woman just shook her head. Roxas had a slight grin on his face, and she knew that if Reno didn't convince Axel to go to the parlor, Roxas most certainly would.

.....

Axel woke up as the sun streamed in through the open window. He noticed that for the first time in weeks, he didn't wake with aches and pains. The blonde masseuse came to his mind and he groaned. He'd fallen asleep during the massage. How lame could you get?! As he rolled over, he felt the crunch of paper. "What the?" He reached back and pulled off a note taped to his skin.

"I hope you liked the massage. Here's my card if you ever need to relax again," Axel read aloud. Under the message was a small business card for the massage parlor where Roxas worked. He smiled softly and stretched like a cat, his relaxed muscles rippling under the skin of his back. He wondered if he'd see the little blonde again.

Namine blinked when she saw Axel leaping down the last staircase. She'd known the man ever since he'd moved to the town, but she'd never seen him that relaxed and happy. "Have a good night?" she asked as he placed the keycard on her desk.

"I fell asleep," he admitted. He didn't admit that he'd been sad that Roxas hadn't stayed.

"Roxas mentioned that. He left you something," she reached under her desk. "He left you a present." She gave him a small box. Axel peered curiously at the box, which was wrapped in the same red ribbon Roxas had worn around his wrists. He slid the ribbon off and flipped open the lid. Nestled in light blue paper was a tin of green tea.

"Tea?" he asked. He noticed a small card attacked by a string to the tin. "Helps to relax the mind, body, and soul," he read aloud.

"Maybe you can ask him how to brew it," Namine smiled. She glanced at her computer. "Oh, and Reno left a message around dawn. He wants to take you to the yearly dinner. Said you could bring a date, if you wanted. Have anyone in mind?"

"I might," Axel said evenly. He bid farewell to Namine and left the hotel, wondering if he could find the "Lionheart Massage Parlor" before Reno decided to simply pick his date for him.