Author's Note: Happy AkuRoku Day, ladies-and-maybe-the-occasional-gentleman! (I'm still believing I have a male reader out there somewhere. I have faith.) XD

This year, you all owe massive thanks to LadyNightRunner for your AkuRoku Day fic, because this is actually a commission for her! It's her prompt and her ideas, and she was kind enough to let me post it for you for AkuRoku Day as well. So go give her a big thank-you hug if you enjoy this little story! :D

And I'm also just going to hint that if any of you are not watching The Drabble Series, but would like a wee bit more of this story, keep your eye on that bad boy tomorrow. A surprise may be forthpopping. (Forthcoming+popping up=forthpopping.) ;D

Enjoy the story! 8D

(Warnings: implied vomity-puketimes, Axel with facial scruff, and boy on boy finger-snogging. You'll understand when you get there.) XD

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep! Beep! Beep! Be-crack!

Axel's hand crashed into the alarm clock weakly and he rolled over, grabbing the device and bringing it to within an inch of his face to fumble with the buttons and make sure the damn thing didn't do that again. He just…couldn't seem to find the right switch. His fingers lacked coordination, his head felt fuzzy and far away, and his arms were aching just from holding onto the electronic nuisance. A few weak coughs shook his body and he changed tactics, fumbling roughly at the casing before finding the lid and popping the batteries out. Then he dropped the whole thing onto his floor and went limp.

His throat was killing him. He was soaked in sweat but felt horribly cold. His head was throbbing. His stomach rolled unpleasantly. Absolutely everything…hurt. He coughed again, hacking uncontrollably for a minute. The pain of his muscles tightening to cough drove tears to his eyes before the fit subsided. When he could sort of breathe again, he flopped onto his back and lay there, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm dying."

No I'm not.

"I feel like shit."

No I don't. I can't feel like shit. Not today.

"…I'm going to be sick."

No. I'm. Not.

His head lolled to the side and he stared blankly at his bedside table for a full minute before remembering that he wanted to know what time it was…and then he realized that the clock wasn't there, it was on the ground, dead. He groaned again, which set him coughing again, which made fumbling for his cell phone even harder. When his coughing subsided and he found his phone, he despaired, discovering that he was running late for work.

I have to call off.

"But…"

I can't go in like this.

"But today is…"

Maybe some sleep…sleep for a while and I'll feel fine by tonight, for sure. Roxas'll never know.

The only problem with that plan was that Roxas would know. He'd know by lunchtime, at the latest. When Axel didn't show up at Roxas' desk to spend lunch together, Roxas would go looking for him, and then he'd find out Axel was sick, and there would be the inevitable I-told-you-sos, and Axel would be forced to explain why he hadn't gone for that flu shot when he told Roxas he had, and in the end their six-month anniversary date would be a disaster and Roxas would probably break up with him. He could see it now…

"Axel…I don't think this is working out. I don't think we're really good together like this. Maybe we should just go back to being friends…"

He groaned miserably, blinking hard. "I have to get up. Have to…get up…go to work…"

It took him a few minutes to sit up in bed. The motion made his head pound so hard the room went fuzzy. Still, with grim determination, Axel braced his aching body and forced himself to his feet.

The sudden height made him dizzy, the dizziness made his stomach turn over without warning, and Axel had to stumble-run across the hall as fast as he could and get his head over the toilet before it was too late.

He called in sick from his bathroom floor.

"And please, please don't tell Roxas I'm sick. Please Larxene?" He scraped his hazy mind for something that would make the fickle co-worker decide to agree. "You, uh…owe me." He was pretty sure. He couldn't remember what the debt was for, exactly, but he thought there was one.

Fortunately, Larxene agreed, provided that now they were "square," and Axel didn't even care if he'd just gotten a majorly unfair tradeoff of favors. He was a little too busy struggling to crawl back to bed. He didn't think he had any soup – not that he could keep anything down at the moment anyway – and he knew he didn't have any medicine, but some eternally optimistic part of his mind remained convinced that, if he could just sleep off the worst of it, he would be fine by his date that evening.

~o~

He woke with a start, not to the sound of his cell phone alarm, which he'd set for 6 p.m., but to some unidentified noise elsewhere in his house. He lay awake for a moment, listening for the sound again. It wasn't like…a door shutting? Was it?

"Axel? Are you here?"

His eyes bugged. Oh shit. It's Roxas. Axel flailed for his cell phone and saw the time – 12:30. Barely afternoon. Fucking Larxene. In a flash, he took stock of himself – still sweaty, gross, unwashed, unshaved, probably horribly disheveled and smelling funny. Shit. I can't let Roxas see me like this. He didn't look this bad even the morning after a night of wild sex. The way he looked would be such a turn-off right now…

But before Axel could even get as far as scrambling out of bed, Roxas was knocking on his partially-open door, pushing it open as he stuck his head inside. "Axel? Hey, I heard you were sick, how are you feeling?"

Kicking the covers off, Axel was sitting up and lurching to his feet the next moment, ignoring the miserable complaints of every muscle in his body. "Sick? I'm not sick," he cleared his throat hard to try to get some of the rasp out of his voice. His stomach was rolling sickeningly again, but he swallowed hard and tried to ignore it, tried to smile lazily and look calm. "I just didn't feel like going in to work today. Friday and all…" His stomach spasmed and his gag reflexes started tightening up. Trying to make it look natural, Axel eased himself back down to sit on the edge of his bed, hoping it would help his stomach settle.

Roxas eyed him skeptically, coming into the room. "Is that so? You kind of look like death though…"

Shit. "Nope, I'm fine," Axel tried to cover a cough and make it look like he was clearing his throat. Roxas' expression was a mixture of bemused and disbelieving – It's not working, shit. Roxas had reached the bed and looked like he was about to put a hand to Axel's forehead.

"Let me just check if…"

He grabbed at his boyfriend's wrist and whipped out his best defense – a sexy offense. And a smirk. "Oh, it's nothing baby. Actually, now that you're here, I feel better than fine. I feel amazing." He tried to do a spin-and-toss that would throw Roxas down onto his bed, but his weak, sore arms gave out at the first tug. So he instead worked on winding both arms around Roxas and pulling him close, closer, half into his lap where he could graze his fingers up the back of Roxas' legs and squeeze his ass a little bit… "You're on lunch break, right? Why don't we have some fun while you're here?" He swallowed hard again. His stomach wasn't cooperating at all. Maybe a distraction… He tipped his head up and started mouthing Roxas' neck, purring seductively, "Let's start our anniversary early, hmmm?"

All this took barely fifteen seconds, and Roxas' body was still a little stiff and startled, but Axel thought he felt his boyfriend relaxing a little, and it gave him hope that this was working. Now if he could just get his stomach to calm down instead of getting worse…

Roxas leaned into him, resting his weight on Axel's sore and aching legs, and his hands slid up Axel's arms. Thinking his tactic had triumphed, Axel got a little preoccupied with necking and forgot to be careful. Hands on his face seemed like a good thing…just for a moment.

He was firmly shoved back to see Roxas frowning at him, his hands still cupping Axel's face and now pressing his forehead too. "Axel, you're burning up! What the hell is your temperature? I thought you felt way too warm…"

Eternally optimistic, Axel couldn't stop trying. "I'm always hot for you, baby…" However, Roxas easily pulled himself free of Axel's arms – too weak to hold him there – and then he was shoving Axel onto his back.

"Lie down, will you? Just lie down…"

Axel's stomach made a break for freedom and his eyes bugged in a panic. "No no no, let me up!"

Thank God, Roxas must have heard something in his tone that made him listen, because he backed up, giving Axel the chance to dash to the bathroom for the second time that day. And thank God as well – there wasn't much in his stomach this time. He clamped his hand over his mouth and managed to get there.

When he could stand up again, Axel's first priority was clean up. He kept a tight hold on the sink to keep from falling over – his whole body felt like it was falling apart. He splashed water on his face and started brushing his teeth, taking stock of his appearance and feeling ill again at the sight. Maybe I can fix my hair a little before I go back… His head looked like an owl's nest that had been painted red. He spat in the sink and almost fell over as the room seemed to spin…

"What the hell are you doing now?" Roxas' voice asked from the doorway, and before Axel could protest, the shorter guy was at his side, pulling him away from the sink. "You need to be in bed, Axel, and don't try that 'I'm not sick' bullshit again when you just threw up. Come on."

"Just had something bad for dinner last night…feel fine now…" He mumbled weakly, trying to tug himself free of Roxas' hold and ending up leaning heavily on the shorter guy instead. The damn room wouldn't stop spinning…

"Yeah, right." Roxas gently but firmly forced him into bed and Axel felt his blanket being pulled over his body. "You have a fever, Axel. You're obviously sick, so stop with the bravado and stay put."

By the time Axel thought of something to say to that, Roxas had vanished from the room.

"Fuck," He mumbled into his pillow. This was going just about as badly as possible. Although part of him was happy that Roxas was here – that part which was always totally smitten with Roxas – most of him was sinking into despair as his boyfriend got a better and better look at his weak, wimpy, pitiful side. "Crap."

He shivered and snuggled further under the blanket. His head felt like it was splitting open, and the daylight from the living world beyond his window was making him want to die, so Axel let his eyes fall shut. Just for a minute…

~o~

"…Open your mouth already? Take a sip…okay swallow. There…"

Axel coughed, almost choking. More water was pressed to his lips as soon as he could breathe, and the world slowly resolved into something a little less hazy as he drank. It was later in the afternoon, Roxas was putting away some pills, and there was a tray set on a nearby chair. It dawned on Axel that Roxas had just been making him take some kind of medication.

"Wha's that?" He coughed again. His voice hurt.

Roxas glanced at him and sat on the edge of the bed, showing him the Rx bottle quickly before putting it aside and reaching for the tray. "I went to the pharmacy. You don't have anything for a flu, and you've a fever of a hundred and four. I debated taking you to the E.R., but this is supposed to work pretty well. You have to take it with food though, so try to keep some of this down? If you can't, or if you aren't better by this evening, you're spending the night in the hospital."

Groaning, Axel became vaguely aware of a cold compress on his forehead, which felt rather nice, really. Then Roxas was blowing on a spoonful of what looked like chicken and rice soup, preparing to feed him. Axel started weakly struggling to sit up right away. "I, hang on, I can eat, it's okay Roxas…" Blue eyes glanced up at him, but Roxas complied without comment, dropping the spoon and helping Axel rearrange his pillows.

Taking it slowly, Axel managed to eat a bit, and his stomach didn't revolt at once, so he hoped that it would stay down. Roxas brought a new cold compress, chatting casually as he placed it on Axel's burning forehead, "In an hour I want to take your temperature again, and after that if you can stand for a bit you should try a cool shower. Then I'll run out to the store for more supplies. I only stopped by my house on the way over to pick up some canned soup when I heard you were sick…"

"It's really nothing you need to worry about…" Axel interjected, a little dismal as his brain started working a little better. "I mean, thanks, but you can go back to work, really. I'm fine."

Roxas arched an eyebrow at him. "It's afternoon already, Axel. I'm not going back for just a couple hours on a Friday. I told them I'm taking a half day off. Didn't you hear what your temperature is?"

Avoiding Roxas' eyes, Axel mumbled, "When did you even take my temperature?"

A sardonic glint in deep blue. "I violated you with the thermometer while you were asleep. Told you I wanted to top more often." Axel blinked in shock, instantly clenching a little to test how his body felt. Roxas winked and leaned closer, pecking the tip of his nose before backing up again, out of the "germ zone." "Just kidding. But I was tempted. Maybe when I'm done doctoring you back to health, we'll have to play 'doctor' some time." He grinned naughtily at Axel and picked up the tray to take it back to the kitchen.

Green eyes watched Roxas go – or rather, watched the seat of his slacks – while Axel's mind provided him with a few very vivid mental pictures. He blushed and ducked his head as soon as Roxas had left the room, struggling to suppress a giggle. He's such a tease. Axel loved that. For that twitterpated moment, Axel's fantasies managed to win out over reality, and he forgot that he was sick and nasty and any naughtiness with Roxas was going to be put off for a while. Then his pounding head gave him a stabbing reminder of his condition and Axel groaned and rolled over in bed. It's awesome to see him, but I have to get better. Fast. We have dinner reservations and…things… Axel still held onto his optimistic hope that he was getting better. He hadn't thrown up the soup, right? So he'd be fine by 7:00.

Roxas came back in with a fresh glass of water. "Why don't you have anything in your fridge except beer and Kool-Aid? Would it kill you to drink something healthy, like OJ?

Through a thickening haze, Axel turned weakly to look at Roxas. "I had milk…but I ran out…"

Roxas slipped a coaster under the glass and set it within reach. "Well, when I go out later I'll get some. You need basically everything. Forget taking care of a flu, you don't even have anything for a cold. Are you an idiot, or just that optimistic?" Roxas smiled gently as he said it, and his hand brushed Axel's face, feeling his skin and checking the cold compress. Axel shivered a little – Roxas fingers were nicer than anything he could remember feeling, in that moment.

"I never get sick," he murmured, then coughed.

"Looks like you did this time," Roxas observed dryly.

Axel flinched a little. "I'll be fine by tonight, babe. Our anniversary…"

But Roxas cut him off. "You can stop talking nonsense right now, Axel. You're going to be in bed all weekend; we're not going out with you like this. I already called and transferred our reservation to next weekend. So just get some rest."

Crap. Crap crap crap. "No…don't need to do that…be fine, I swear. This's nothing…"

His mattress shifted with Roxas' weight as the young man sat down again. "Axel. The flu, which is what you have, is not nothing. It won't be better tomorrow like a 24 hour bug. That's why it's worth getting a shot for. Although now I'm sorry I made you go do that since you still turned out to be one of the few people who get sick anyway."

Gentle hands had moved to rub over his shoulders and biceps, caressing away some of the sickly soreness in them, but Axel was more concerned with trying not to look like he was hiding anything. "Yeah…oh well. It's okay." His words came out a little slurred. He felt so tired…

Roxas stopped. Blue eyes narrowed at him. "You did go get that flu shot, right?" Axel's stomach flipped over. "…Because you told me you went. You didn't lie about that, right?"

Trying to meet Roxas' eyes, Axel found himself staring at his boyfriend's chin. "Of course I went, no problem. Why?"

Sitting back suddenly, Roxas huffed. "You really didn't go, did you?" Shit. Roxas was giving him a long, silent look, but Axel couldn't seem to get his fuzzy thoughts out of his dry mouth. Then Roxas was leaning forward again, handing him the water. "Have some more to drink, Axel. You need fluids."

It wasn't hard to guess, from Roxas' expression, that the subject was far from closed, but Axel was too exhausted and sick to worry much about it at the moment. A vague feeling of dread hovered in his stomach as he wondered just how long he had before the hammer fell. Axel sipped the water miserably as Roxas left, returning a moment later with another cold compress. He was trying to think of something so say to make all this better, charm Roxas into not being frustrated with him…maybe get his boyfriend to smile. But his eyelids felt so heavy and his brain felt so foggy…

He didn't notice when Roxas grabbed the glass just before it slipped out of his hand. A soft voice called him back from sleep for a moment, "Sleepy? I guess the pills' side effects weren't kidding. You wanna go ahead and take a nap now, Axel?"

He tried to nod and agree, but probably only managed some incoherent mumbling. But Roxas – if Axel's eyes weren't tricking him – just smiled gently. He's so lovely…

"Okay. I'll run out to the store now, instead. Go to sleep. I'll be back before you wake up." The weight lifted off the mattress, a gentle touch rubbed over his shoulder, and Axel was asleep.

~o~

A cold touch woke Axel up – Roxas changing the compress yet again. A single lamp was turned on, softly lighting the room – it was dark out now. Axel must have slept for hours.

"What time's it?" He mumbled blearily.

"Temperature-taking time," Roxas smiled, popping a thermometer in his mouth.

"Whif meanf whap?" Axel tried to ask around the plastic stick.

Roxas hushed him quickly. "No talking. Keep it under your tongue. And it's like 7:45."

Fuuuuuck. Axel groaned internally. He really had made them miss their anniversary.

"Think you can handle some more food in a bit? Without throwing up?" Axel nodded, obediently keeping his mouth shut. "Good," Roxas continued. "How about showering? Think you can stand up that long?"

To that, Axel innocently shrugged his shoulders – never mind that they ached and didn't like the movement. Roxas must have caught a twinkle in his otherwise miserable eyes, because he grinned and gave him a knowing look. "Well, you're gonna try, and I'm not going to get in with you. If you've got the energy to be thinking about that, you can stand up in the shower by yourself." Axel began to attempt to mumble a protest, but Roxas cut him off at once, "Mouth closed! The thermometer's not done."

He knows me way too fucking well. Damn. Axel supposed that was what happened when your boyfriend had been your best friend for eight years, since you were practically kids.

The thermometer beeped, and Roxas removed it. His brow furrowed a little at he looked at it. "A hundred and two point five. Better, but not enough. Time for a shower." He helped Axel sit up slowly, which made him feel lightheaded again for a moment. Axel paused, blinking and trying to steady the room. It wasn't as bad as that morning – at least he didn't throw up this time. Roxas brought his towel and seemed about to start helping him undress. Again, Axel quickly moved to dissuade him.

"It's okay, I got this, Rox." It wasn't like Roxas hadn't seen him naked – duh – but he didn't feel like he was looking even remotely sexy right now, and he was very afraid of killing Roxas' interest in his body. Which seemed reasonable to Axel, since Roxas hadn't even developed that interest until about a year ago, and therefore had a good seven years of practice at not wanting to do him.

Handing Axel the towel, Roxas turned to go, leaving some parting instructions. "Make sure the water is lukewarm, not hot or cold. Cool, maybe, if it's comfortable, but don't chill yourself. I'll make you some Cream of Wheat, okay?"

"Okay."

Axel undressed and got in the shower, steadying himself against the wall. The water was a bit of a shock, at first, but it did feel nice. It cooled his overheated body and rinsed away the nasty, unwashed feel of old sweat. Axel soaked his head and hoped it made him look like less of a walking disaster. Beyond a rinse, however, he couldn't really manage. Standing up started to make him feel dizzy, and Axel left the shower fairly soon. If Roxas hadn't been there, he would have wrapped a towel around himself and tumbled into bed again just like that. But Roxas would yell at him for that, and then make him sit up and submit to being dried and clothed in pajamas…so Axel sat on the toilet for a minute to regain his strength and clear his head, and then he slowly got himself dressed.

Roxas brought him supper in bed – Cream of Wheat and OJ. Not exactly something Axel had planned for their anniversary dinner. Roxas, however, didn't seem bothered at all, and devoted himself to taking care of anything Axel might need. And, when Axel's body started whining for more sleep, Roxas tucked him in and wished him a gentle goodnight and a "Happy Anniversary, Sneezy," and went to crash on Axel's couch – close enough to be there if he was needed, not close enough to catch Axel's flu.

Axel stared at the ceiling despondently. I have the best boyfriend in the world. "…Crap."

~o~

Axel spent Saturday in bed. Roxas spent Saturday in a chair beside Axel's bed, with either a book or his laptop – laptop when Axel was awake and feeling well enough for a game or movie, book when Axel nodded off, too tired to keep his eyes open anymore.

Axel hacked and coughed and felt miserable, and Roxas did everything he could to help Axel feel better. He made soup and brought OJ and water and dosed Axel with medicines. It helped – Axel couldn't remember the last time he'd been really sick and had someone there to take care of him. It made a huge difference. But it didn't cure him right away – some things would just take time.

Sunday was a little better – Axel's fever was down, easing Roxas' worries and Axel's sufferings a bit. Axel tried to get up and do more things for himself – like shave, for heaven's sake – but he got tired and dizzy quickly, and then Roxas would take over and send him back to bed. He did manage to get rid of two days' worth of stubble, which eased his mind a little. Roxas had expressed his unimpressed feelings on facial hair in the past – mostly when commenting on some other guy's beard – and Axel had filed those comments and vowed to remain clean-shaven. Anything to keep Roxas as attracted to him as possible.

…Although having a smooth chin again probably still didn't outweigh the rather disgusting amount of coughing Axel was still doing, but one thing at a time. Being extremely ill had a way of making it twice as hard to impress one's boyfriend.

Most of that day was spent in quiet activities, much like Saturday. Roxas tried to keep Axel from getting bored. They talked a lot; Axel working his words out around an ever-present cough drop in an effort to keep from interrupting the conversations with coughing fits. The conversations would start out simple – opinions on movies, games, or things going on at work – and somehow almost always ended up much deeper than they'd started – life directions, the way they saw the world…their relationship. Somehow that last one only seemed to get talked about "accidentally," like this. And Roxas was clearly getting used to the pattern. Minor relationship issues – things that didn't need to be taken care of at once – were often filed away and saved for a time when they were already talking. Like now, and like Axel's little shot-evasion lie.

Roxas wanted to know what was going on. "Why did you tell me you went? What's the big deal anyway? I know shots are no fun, but with the number of people who get sick at work and how much we're around them, it's just common sense."

As much as Axel didn't want to tell Roxas the truth, he couldn't keep lying now. Roxas knew, and Axel had already learned that insisting at this point would only start a fight. So he really couldn't stick to his lie now – after two days of being weak and helpless in front of Roxas, not to mention physically unappealing, a stupid fight would probably be the last straw. No way Roxas would want to stay with him anymore. Not when their friendship had been so fun and relatively easy and dating came with downsides like this.

Still, the truth… I'm so pathetic, he'll be so disappointed… Axel had made sure no one but his mom knew this. In eight years, Roxas had never found out.

But Roxas wasn't backing down. "Seriously, there has to be a reason, Axel. I know you. You're not just contrary for the sake of being a jerk. What's going on?"

Fuck. Axel glanced away, staring at the wall, and his voice was barely audible as he mumbled, "I hate needles."

Roxas didn't seem to see anything unusual in the statement, and answered in the same exasperated tone, "Who doesn't? That's no reason to lie to me…"

"I really hate needles," Axel cut in suddenly, a little louder. Roxas didn't answer, and a quick glance showed him to be blinking at Axel. Crap. He hoped his voice wasn't wavering. "I'm scared to death of them. Medical-type needles, I mean. I can't deal with them at all." He was staring at the wall now. "That's why I couldn't go.

"…Well, if you'd told me, I could have gone with you to hold your hand or something…" Roxas ventured.

"No," Axel cut him off again, then struggled to explain. "That…wouldn't help. And I didn't want you to see… The last time I had to get a shot, I was a teenager, and they had to have six nurses hold me down. I was screaming and crying like a baby. I couldn't stop. I tried, but…" He glanced at Roxas briefly again. "I didn't want you to see that." Please don't break up with me now.

For a long moment, Roxas was quiet. Axel glanced at him again – the silence was unnerving – and he wasn't sure what to make of Roxas' expression. His brow was furrowed, but it didn't look like a disgusted face so much as…bemused? When Roxas finally spoke, he sounded skeptical.

"So…what? You thought I'd break up with you because you have a phobia?" Axel's eyes went back to the wall. "Wait…really? You did think that?" Now Roxas sounded amazed.

Axel tried not to pout. "I wouldn't blame you, I mean, it's not a pretty sight…"

He was interrupted by Roxas snorting and releasing a sudden laugh. Axel looked back, surprised to see his boyfriend's face completely relaxed and smiling. "Jesus, Axel, I was worried you'd cheated on me or something. And it was just stupid needles."

"Cheated?" Axel's eyes went wide with shock. How could Roxas even think that? It was beyond impossible! "How could you…? I would never… No!" He wanted to say more, to make it clear, but shock had erased most of his words and he didn't know how to tell Roxas that no other human being on the planet so much as entered into the fringes of his notice because everything inside him was too wrapped up in Roxas to even see anyone else.

But Roxas was chuckling again, ending with a sigh and reaching out to brush Axel's hair back from his face. "I guess not. So hey…this may sound random, but…remember that time I was in the hospital with a concussion?"

Axel blinked. Huh? "From the Struggle match, while I was out of town? And you wouldn't let me kill Setzer when I got back?"

A grin. "Yeah. Because there wasn't really any Struggle match while you were gone. And Setzer didn't give me the concussion."

Huh? Axel frowned. "So…"

"Actually, I'm terrified of mice. This mouse got in our house one day, and all I could do was scream like a girl and jump on a chair. But it was still running around and my mom was trying to get it, and I kept screaming and panicking and got so lightheaded that when she caught it I just fainted. And I fell off the chair and hit my head and that's how I got the concussion." His smile became rueful toward the end. "I…didn't really want to tell you that. So I made up the Struggle thing. Sorry." He brushed Axel's hair again. "Does that make you want to break up with me? Because I'm a pathetic weenie?"

He just stared at Roxas, caught between laughing at the hilarious mental picture of Roxas standing on a chair and screaming…and the need to violently deny that this gave him any thoughts of breaking up. "I…uh…wow." He smiled helplessly. "You're…so cute."

Roxas snorted and started laughing at that, which just set Axel off, and for a minute they just laughed together. Then a fit of coughing interrupted the fun and Roxas quickly handed Axel his water. When the coughing passed, Axel focused on catching his breath, while Roxas returned his hand to Axel hair, stroking through unbrushed strands, then trailing lightly down the side of his face.

"If I'm cute for being scared of mice, you're just as cute to me. Silly." A fingertip drew a line down Axel's nose.

He sighed. "Am I cute now? Phlegm and all?"

Roxas' finger traced lower, caressing lightly over his bottom lip, back and forth slowly. "You have no idea," he answered softly. "You should see the things I've been thinking of doing to you. Thank your contagious flu germs for all the rest you've been getting, because on my own, I wouldn't have had the self-control to leave you alone." Two fingers brushed a little firmer over Axel's lips…like a hinting fingertip kiss.

Without thinking, he pressed his lips against Roxas' fingers, retuning the "kiss." All his worries evaporated, leaving him…just amazed. I'm pretty sure I don't deserve this guy. Damn. "Remember that thing I said in the beginning about being in love with you?" Axel murmured against the continued caresses.

"Yeah?" Roxas breathed, pressing a little harder.

"Well…" He met Roxas' eyes. "I'm really, really in love with you."

Blue eyes stared back at him, warm and smiling, with an edge of heat flickering in them. "Me too."

Axel wanted so badly to lean up and just kiss the breath out of Roxas, germs be damned…but then his boyfriend pressed one more firm caress over his bottom lip and…pushed his thumb into Axel's mouth and started sliding it in and out, rubbing over his tongue.

His breath hitched and he groaned a little. Oh my God that's hot. He responded automatically, answering Roxas' pressure with his own and sucking on the finger to pull it deeper. Roxas' expression cracked in a sultry grin and he added more fingers, slipping them into Axel's mouth and watching him with burning blue eyes. Axel's breathing became heavy. He'd had no idea that fingers could pull the same moves that a tongue could…but right now, Roxas' fingers were exploring his mouth the same way Roxas' tongue always did. They were making out. And it was a little weird and different, but it felt good, and Axel wasn't about to complain.

"You look so sexy right now," Roxas breathed. "Your lips look…mmmm. Sometimes I peek at your face when we're making out, because you make the sexiest expressions, but…I can never see your mouth." The fingers swirled in a deeper caress. "It looks so…yummy."

Axel tongued Roxas' fingers more eagerly to express his feelings on the subject – something along the lines of Your fingers are yummy too, or Come taste it for yourself, and probably a bit of Please let's get off during this. Unfortunately, he didn't have his mouth free for talking and persuasion, like Roxas did, and after a few more pleasure-soaked minutes, Roxas slowly withdrew his fingers, and no amount of sucking them back in could keep them in Axel's mouth.

For one heartbeat, Roxas contemplated his saliva-coated hand, and Axel contemplated Roxas and imagined him licking over his fingers, slow and sexy. He would love to see that…

And then a cough shook Axel's body and sent him into another fit, and when it was over Roxas had handed him his water and was cleaning his hands with the always-close-by hand sanitizer, smiling ruefully. "The rest will have to wait until you're better."

"I thought I'm cute when I'm sick?" Axel teased a little weakly.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You're cute all the time, but if I get sick that'll just mean a longer wait before we can make love again. Especially because I'm a grouch when I don't feel good. Heaven help you if our roles are ever reversed and you have to take care of me."

Axel grinned. "Then heaven help me when that happens, because baby, it will eventually, and I'll be there."

A snort. "I can't believe you just made the flu romantic. I'm making you some soup. Here, have another cough drop."

Still grinning, Axel again watched Roxas' ass leave the room. He had a feeling the sight of that backside would speed up his recovery more than all the soup in the world.

~o~

Axel wasn't well enough for work on Monday, but Roxas had to go. Even though he felt better, it was the worst day yet – long, boring, lonely. Axel fought tooth and nail to go to work on Tuesday, but Roxas wouldn't let him until he was almost all the way better. He kept staying over at Axel's place, however, only swinging by his own apartment for clothes and toiletries and stuff. It was supposed to be so that he could keep "nursing" Axel…but it might have been more just an excuse to spend time together.

Either way, Roxas' insistence on recovery paid off – Axel was well enough to make it to their six-month-and-one-week anniversary dinner. And Roxas didn't get sick either, thanks to the miracle of dreaded flu shots and tons of hand sanitizer…and saving any "up close and personal" activities until Axel wasn't contagious anymore.

Of course, when Doctor Roxas finally cleared him for naughty behavior, Axel made sure to repay all the Tender Loving Care by giving Roxas a night he would remember for a while.

In the end, they both had to admit that the flu came with a few perks.

~o~

Note to readers! Hey guys! If you read this because you're into Axel and Roxas and that's pretty much it, well...thanks! I hope you liked it! :D But if you also wonder if this Kurosora1984 lady has anything else to entertain you, and if you are even a little interested in other guys getting their sexy romance on, check out my current original story on FP! Links in my profile! Thank you, dears! :D