Moped Romance

Title: Moped Romance [5/12]
Pairing: Axel/Roxas, background Riku/Sora
Warnings: Boys speaking Italian, language, Roxas being a whore, highly embarrassing moments, high-speed races through Roman traffic, Larxene. And in this chapter – Reno, drag queens, Long Island Ice Teas and romantic settings.
Rating: R.
Beta: the BetaMistress alovelysilence
A/N: Inspired by experiences had by a good friend of mine while we were studying abroad in Rome, Italy, in the spring of 2009.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but I do get a kick out of writing for the fandom. I also do not own any of the songs mentioned; they belong to their respective artists and labels. In this chapter, Britney Spears.
Summary: Lost on the back alleys of Rome one night, Axel finds a savior in a young blond on a moped. A love story with subtitles.
In this chapter: The Italian dating scene is not quite what Axel expected – but when the possibility of a second date is in the hands of more than just Roxas, Axel makes a bid for the blond’s affections.

Cultural notes:
~ Coming Out is a gay bar/café about a two minute walk from the Coliseum; the description is pretty accurate too.
~ In case you’re unaware, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands and features a vibrant and diverse culture of entertainment well-known amongst college students studying abroad and such. The coffee houses are known more for their marijuana than coffee beans, and the red light district is pretty prominent given the status of legal prostitution. I’d like to go some time :D
~ Italian prisons – don’t ever go to jail in Italy. You’ll probably never leave. :/
~ on the Italian in this chapter – Roxas, when he’s around Axel, does his best to speak a sort of amalgamation of Italian and English. Axel does the same. Axel’s Italian, when he’s thinking, is choppy. Some people, and I’ve witnessed this, speak Italian better and more fluidly when drunk, even if they’re pretty new to the language. So that is what happens here; Axel also begins understanding the language better.
~ I use feminine pronouns when talking about the drag queen in this chapter since she is still in drag.
Another note: Sorry this took so long to post, I hope it’s worth the wait! My life has been pretty busy since posting the last chapter – I’m three weeks from graduating college, I’ve almost certainly procured a well-paying job for the summer, and I’ve been accepted into grad school! The last few months have also been a really distracting time as far as fandom goes; since posting Track 4 I’ve written three longer stories, two drabbles, and three kink meme fills, and thanks to the mechanizations of a certain lover/drama cultivator began a love affair with D.Gray-man. Haha, I’ve been a busy girl.
But wait, there’s more: As I write this, the lovely BetaMistress has finally completed her Honor’s Thesis, all 84 pages of it! She’s been working really hard on it for the last year, so leave her some congrats :D It focuses on gender and sexuality in Japanese comics and especially on boy-love, the women who write it, and the fans who read it! She’s considering posting it on her LJ if anyone is interested in reading it, which I will highly recommend.

Track 5 – Circus

There’s only two types of guys out there:
Ones that can hang with me, and the ones that are scared
So baby, I hope that you came prepared
I run a tight shift, so beware

I’m like the ringleader
I call the shots
I’m like a firecracker
I make it hot

“Dude, you in?”

Axel glanced up from his laptop over at Demyx. He had been attempting, for the last twenty minutes at least, to call his brother with Skype to no avail. “In on what?”

Demyx gave him a maniacal grin that should have frightened Axel to the core. Be that as it may, Axel knew Demyx had something crazy and downright awesome up his sleeve. “Amsterdam.”

“No shit! When are we going?”

“March thirteenth,” Demyx answered immediately. “We skip class that morning, take the Leonardo Express into Fiumicino, hop a twelve o’clock flight into Schiphol, take in the sights – ”

“The coffee houses,” Axel offered.

“The red light district,” Demyx countered.

“The sex museum,” Axel fired back.

“The coffee houses,” Demyx said dreamily.

“Dude, I already said that.”

“I know, but we’ll go to more than one. Fancy trying some space cake? My cousin said he thought he was a dinosaur half the time.”

“You lost me when you said ‘fancy.’”

“Anyway – then we’ll turn around and end up back here in time for class on Monday. No problem.”

“Sure, alright, count me in. Let me know how much the tickets cost so I can get the money from my brother.”

“Aren’t you Skyping him now?”

“Yeah. I’ll give him the heads up about it.”

Demyx chuckled. “Good luck getting it out of him.”

Axel hummed in agreement and went back to his table and laptop. Just as he was sitting down he heard the sound of an incoming call; he clicked the little ‘accept’ button and watched as the video window popped up, revealing his brother.

Though he was his elder by eight years, Reno could still pass himself off as Axel’s twin if he really wanted to. The only noticeable differences between them were their styles of dress, hair cuts, and tattoos. Reno was mostly distinguishable by his hair; he called it a statement, Axel just called it a mullet.

“Hey squirt.”

“You jackass, you’ve been ignoring my calls for the last half hour. What gives?”

“Sorry man, I was busy,” Reno answered casually, turning around briefly to wave at someone Axel couldn’t see. Horny bastard was probably screwing some poor chick up til five minutes ago. “Doing laundry.”

“It’s funny how much you seem to love doing laundry, seeing as I’m usually the one who ends up doing it.”

“And you’re not here to be my ready and willing slave – ”

“I’m never willing.”

“Beside the point. Man’s got needs.”

“Of course.”

“Clean underwear is a necessity, squirt.”

“Will you quit calling me that?”

Reno snorted. “So. How’s life across the pond?”

“It’s a lot better, actually.”

“Oh really. Should I be worried?”

“I have a date tomorrow night.”

“That so. Who’d you have to pay?”

“Shut up. I didn’t have to pay anyone.”

Reno just nodded, a small smirk on his face indicating he didn’t completely believe him.

“Why does everyone think I’d have to pay someone to go on a date with me? Seriously, this is getting ridiculous.”

“Because you’re an asshole.”

“You never seem to have an issue getting a date, but you’re all kinds of asshole!”

“I have class, squirt. Chicks dig that.”

“You? Class?” Axel snorted. “Obviously you’re still paying.”

“Uh huh. Let’s just see how fast you run out of money.”

“Well. Since you brought up money –”

“I knew it. You’re broke. You’re not taking any more of my money.”

“Come on! We’re planning a trip to Amsterdam. Could you please put some more money in my account so I can buy the plane tickets?”

“Amsterdam? That is truly a quality destination, my brother. I recommend the red light district.”

“I knew you would. So will you give me some money?”

Reno rolled his eyes. “I guess I can lend my little brother some money so he can get high legally. I’ll put some money in your account in a little bit.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, just bring me a few grams, will you?”

“That would be drug smuggling, Reno. And I’m not going to prison for you.”

“I hear Italian prisons are very accommodating insofar as your . . . needs.”

“No thanks, I’d be awaiting trial for, like, ten years.”

“Oh yeah, they’re just getting to try that girl they say killed her roommate, right?”

Axel nodded. “So I think I’ll pass on a stay in Italian prison, thank you very much.”

“Wuss.”

“Mullet man.”

“Hey,” Reno cut him off sharply, narrowing his eyes in almost-seriousness. “Keep the hair out of this.”

“I’ll go after your hair whenever I please, fucker.”

“See how much money I give you, kiddo.”

“Whatever.”

“Look, I have to go put another load of laundry in,” Reno said; Axel saw a pair of long legs just beyond him through the camera and he sighed. Knew it. “Be good, squirt.”

“Yeah sure. Say ‘hi’ to Mom and Dad for me, ok?”

Reno nodded. “No problem. See ya,” he said, then the video cut out.

“Dick,” Axel muttered, logging off his computer.

*

Friday finally arrived with much anticipation on Axel’s part; since Roxas had told him the name of a bar with a complete lack of more information, Axel was forced to use other means. Once again he turned to the school’s computer lab and discovered that the bar was actually in the ‘village’ Demyx had pointed out near the Coliseum, which would make it easy for him to get there by metro. He refused to allow Zexion or Demyx to try and help him get there, but they kept giving him tips so he wouldn’t get lost on the way as he was getting dressed. Otherwise they were pretty unhelpful, making bets about the outcome of the night.

“Five Euros says it’s a trap,” Demyx snickered.

“Ten says Axel gets lost on the way,” Zexion deadpanned, offering his palm.

“You’re on,” Demyx grinned maniacally, slapping Zexion’s hand to confirm the bet.

“Twenty says Axel makes an ass of himself and the brat kicks him to the curb,” Xigbar cut in.

“You’re all so fucking helpful,” Axel muttered bitterly, triple-checking his pockets for everything he needed before shooting them cold looks and escaping out the door; he heard Demyx’s muffled “Good luck” as he closed the elevator doors.

The bar was easy enough to spot; along with a sign that displayed ‘COMING OUT’ in large letters, there was a lit-up rectangular sign with blocks all the main colors of the rainbow. Axel could hear the base pounding from inside the bar as he drew nearer, strobe lights changing colors in the venue. Groups of young, well-dressed and well-groomed men were already congregating outside, sipping beers and colorful mixed drinks as they socialized. He tried to make his way towards the entrance while several men – all gorgeous and speaking Italian that Axel didn’t quite comprehend – grabbed his ass and tried to pull him into their group. Once he was free Axel bolted for the clear glass doors, only to find himself within a crush of people in the cramped space. A well-stocked and colorful bar was to his right, a row of small tables crowded with people eating, drinking, and smoking to the left. Not seeing Roxas anywhere in the first room Axel made his way into the next, admiring the gay-themed Skyy vodka advertisements on the walls – he particularly liked the one of the two male hands touching the elevator hold button at the same time. It made him think of elevators and the things he never got the chance to do.

Finally he made it through into the next room segment of the bar; the second area was more of a lounge than a bar, with groupings of supple-looking leather couches and ottomans occupied by more people.

“Axel!” a very familiar voice called; Axel turned around, looking for the source. Roxas was standing amidst one grouping of couches, drink in hand, grinning and waving him over where he was sitting with several other teenagers. “I am glad you found your way,” Roxas chuckled when he got closer. He looked damn sexy, blond hair tousled artistically and blue eyes popping, emphasized by what might just be a hint of dark eyeliner. Dressed in slim-fitting dark pants and a deep burgundy dress shirt this time, Axel was certain that no piece of clothing the blond owned could possibly look bad at all.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Axel answered, letting himself be guided over to an open spot beside the blond. He looked around, recognizing Roxas’ three roommates and a few others he’d never met before.

“You know Hayner, Pence, and Olette,” Roxas was saying in his accented English. “This is Naminé,” he gestured to a petit blond girl, who smiled and waved. “Tutti – ciò é Axel.” Everyone, this is Axel.

Hayner made no move to acknowledge his presence, but the others seemed pretty friendly enough. Suddenly Hayner leaned in to Olette’s ear, whispering something; Olette rolled her eyes and shook her head, pushing him away playfully. Axel frowned – what kind of ‘date’ was this?

“Ti piacerebbe un bicchierino?” Roxas prompted.

Axel floundered for a moment, trying to translate the sentence back through the conditional until finally he decided Roxas was asking him if he wanted a drink.

“Sure, uh, sí,” he said. “Che cosa buono?” which hopefully translated to What is good?

Roxas chuckled. “Il té,” he said with a devious smirk on his face, which spread to the others. “The Long Island Ice Tea,” he clarified, “é molto buono.” The Long Island Ice Tea is very good.

The alarm at the back of Axel’s brain went off; that drink was almost 100% hard liquor. But based on some of the looks he was getting, it was a challenge. There was also a waitress waiting to take his order. He nodded, and Roxas turned towards the waitress to relay the message.

“Dove sei studiando?” Olette asked abruptly, obviously trying to break the awkward silence that had stretched on since Axel arrived. Where are you studying?

“Scuola Leonardo da Vinci,” Axel answered, glad for the distraction. “Negli stati uniti studio . . .” Axel searched for the words, “scienze politiche e italiano.” In the States I study political science and Italian.

“Ooh, é difficile?” Olette asked. Is it difficult?

Axel nodded vigorously. “É terribile,” he chuckled. It’s terrible.

“Che ti penso su le guerre?” Hayner interrupted, glaring at him. What do you think of the wars?

Axel felt his stomach drop; this was the sort of thing the study abroad coordinators had warned them about. “Non si piaciono.” I don’t like them.

Hayner continued barking at him in Italian, speaking so fast Axel couldn’t understand what was being said. “Non capisco italiano bene,” Axel tried to explain, but Hayner kept laying into him. I don’t understand Italian well.

After a moment Hayner seemed to say something particularly offensive; Olette’s jaw dropped and she elbowed him. Roxas cut in sharply, snapping “Ehi!” and glaring at Hayner. The others sitting with them looked uncomfortable. Hayner’s jaw clamped shut as he glared back.

“Uh,” Axel murmured, “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.” He got up and climbed around the others, making for the back of the bar where there was a line for the restrooms.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his arm; he looked down and saw Olette standing there with a sympathetic look on her face. “Oh, uh, hi Olette.”

“I’m sorry about Hayner,” she said sheepishly. “He is against this.”

“What is he against? Roxas invited me on a date, I don’t get what is going on.”

“Yes, a Roman date.”

“What does that even mean?”

“This is what it is,” she said patiently. “We go out with our friends. If we want to date someone we take them out with our friends, since our friends are very important.”

“What, no ‘dinner and a movie’ situation?”

Olette shook her head.

“So I have to get you all to like me.”

“Our friends’ opinions are very important. We will not date someone if they cannot be among our friends. And . . . you are American. We do not really expect a relationship to develop between you and Roxas. Hayner thinks Roxas is being stupid for entertaining you.”

“What did he say?” Axel asked warily.

Olette blushed slightly. “He, uh. He was wondering why you were still around. Since you got to have sex.”

Axel blanched. “So since we had sex I can’t try to see him again?”

Olette shrugged. “Hayner probably thinks you just wanted the sex. So he’s confused.”

Axel snorted in response. “Well fuck that. I like him. And I’m not going to let Hayner fuck that up.”

Olette’s smiled widened. “That is good to hear. You must prove him wrong.”

“Well, I mean, he has got a point – I’m not going to be here forever, but there’s no harm in it.”

Olette patted his arm reassuringly. “In bocca al lupo,” she said with a grin; literally in the mouth of the wolf but generally meaning good luck.

When Axel returned to the table his Tea had arrived; he climbed over the others’ legs and sat beside Roxas. He picked up his drink and took a deep sip, hiding the small wince at the strength of the drink. Tequila, gin, rum, triple sec, vodka – all deadly and in a tall glass, he was most likely doomed.

“Tutti ok?” Roxas asked, leaning in to him. Everything ok?

Axel nodded.

Hayner snorted derisively. “Americani.” Americans.

“Hai un problemma?” Axel asked sharply. Do you have a problem?

Hayner rolled his eyes and shrugged. Axel smirked and took another sip, smaller this time so he wasn’t kicked in the throat by the amount of alcohol. He had been fully aware of the amount of liquor in a Long Island Iced Tea – the recipe Coming Out used was just really potent and he didn’t want to be drunk too early in the evening. He thanked every deity in the universe that absinthe was not involved in the drink.

Pence elbowed Hayner in the ribs and chuckled at him; when Hayner scowled and snapped something under his breath and in Italian, Pence laughed at him again.

Naminé took the opportunity, while Hayner was distracted, to shift closer and lean in so he could hear her. Axel was pleasantly surprised that it was easier to understand her questions; after all, they were staples in the conversational Italian he was used to. What classes are you taking here?

“Ah,” Axel paused, thinking. “La storia d’arte, l’architettura, la lingua, l’arte.” Art history, architecture, Italian, art.

Naminé clapped her hands and grinned. Paint, pencils, what do you like?

“Le matite,” Axel nodded. Pencils.

Do you like landscapes, figures?

Axel shrugged. I’m not so good with landscapes.

Have you been to the Vatican Museums or the Capitoline to sketch?

Axel shook his head. Not yet. We’re supposed to go this week.

She smiled widely. I shall take you with me to sketch. I know the best places.

I’d love that. Just tell me when.

Naminé turned to Roxas, winking at him. I like this one.

Axel felt a thrill go through him, feeling suddenly much more confident around Roxas’ friends now that at least one of them deemed him good enough for the blond. And . . . that conversation had been incredibly easier to understand. He didn’t even have to think as hard to answer her, the words flowing easier as he relaxed among Roxas’ friends.

Stiletto heels clicked across the floor next to them, along with a boisterous, carousing voice that was both feminine and masculine at the same time. Roxas and the others, as well as the occupants of the tables across from them, looked towards the aisle and shouted happily in greeting; Axel followed their gazes to find a tall, statuesque drag queen talking with some of the others around their couches.

“Oy, Margherita!” Olette squealed, returning from her trip to the bathroom; she reached out and pulled the drag queen into a hug, despite Margherita being almost two feet taller than her in the heels.

“Ah, comé stai, carina?” Margherita asked, hugging her back. How are you, darling? The drag queen’s short, lacy black skirt revealed a round ass and an equally lacy black thong and garters, her corset top accentuating her thin waist. Dramatic makeup, complete with bright red lipstick and dark, glittery eye shadow, exaggerated her expressions even more. “E tu, Nami, Pence, Rox,” she continued, smiling brightly. “Hayner,” Margherita sniffed, less friendly.

Pence started outright laughing at Hayner’s obvious discomfort; Roxas giggled, leaning in to Axel’s shoulder as he held back from laughing hysterically.

“Ahi, - chi sei?” Hey, who’s this? Margherita asked, her gaze falling on Axel. Roxas introduced him while she fanned herself. Then she continued speaking, but Axel didn’t quite understand; whatever she said she was purring, tugging at the edges of her skirt demurely and revealing a glimpse of the front of the thong and the bulge she wasn’t trying to conceal any more.

Roxas slipped an arm around Axel’s shoulders possessively, leveling a slight glare and a smirk at Margherita.

Margherita cocked her hips and chuckled, saying something to Roxas in Italian that Axel didn’t quite catch. Roxas snapped back at her, the smirk never really leaving his face even then.

“Fai attenzione,” Margherita said flirtatiously, tapping right beneath her lips. Be careful, she’d probably eat him alive given the chance.

“What’d she say?” Axel muttered to Roxas.

“Margherita was wondering who you belonged to,” Roxas answered, looking at him through lowered lashes.

Axel chuckled and finished the rest of drink. Roxas was on a first-name basis with one of the drag queens frequenting Coming Out. He could totally dig that. He just wasn’t going to tell Marluxia where the other drag queens hung out.

By one in the morning Axel had downed a total of three Long Island Iced Teas, and was, in a single word, blissful. He was speaking in Italian easier, the liquor slicking his throat so the words slipped forth freely; at least they were making sense – they must have been, because all of them were chatting as though they’d been friends forever. Roxas remained a solid, warm presence at his side throughout the night, though by drink number two Roxas had an arm wrapped firmly around his waist and a hand rubbing his upper thigh.

By drink number three Axel’s hand was cupping Roxas’ ass and he was murmuring drunkenly against the blond’s neck, Roxas giggling at the onslaught.

Suddenly Roxas was standing, tugging Axel along with him through the crowded bar. They were outside within minutes, the air chilly without their jackets on. Roxas was pulling him out on the streets near the Coliseum, tangling their fingers together as they walked along the side of the bar.

“You are doing well,” Roxas said with an inviting smile, hands warm against the chill. “They like you a lot.”

“Think they’ll let me come out with you again?”

Roxas nodded confidently. “Sooner than later. You should meet us Sunday.”

“Just tell me where.”

“Via del Corso. We will be dancing,” Roxas grinned, nibbling on his ear.

“What should I listen for?”

“Lady GaGa.”

“I’ll be there,” Axel said, squeezing his hand.

“You better,” Roxas threatened lightly, as though he didn’t doubt Axel would at all. “It is beautiful, right?” he asked, nodding his head off to the side.

Axel followed his gaze and looked up at the enormous ruin of the Coliseum, its gold, purple and blue lights illuminating the magnificent architecture softly. The building itself was almost glowing, a regal and awe-inspiring aura that caught Axel off-guard. It was . . . romantic, he decided, then immediately blamed the amount of liquor surging through his veins for making him so sappy. “Yeah . . . it’s gorgeous.”

“Come,” Roxas said suddenly, tugging him by the hand towards the ancient monument, the inviting smile back with full force.

Axel followed him across the street, barely checking for the rush of cars and mopeds that were so common on the Roman streets. The blond leaned against the ledge, crossing his arms over the tops of the wrought iron fence, pulling Axel next to him to look up at the glowing building. Axel grinned, leaning in and wrapping his arm around Roxas’ waist to pull him closer. Roxas laid his head against Axel’s shoulder, then tilted his head up and closed the (already small) distance between them, capturing his lips in a deep kiss.

Axel felt his insides warm and his heart beat erratically in his chest; he could taste the mango liquor on Roxas’ tongue from his Cuban Beach, the cigarette smoke on his breath, the faint remains of Chap Stick on his lips. His arms enveloped the shorter boy, wrapped around him tightly as his fingers scratched over his shoulders. Roxas arched up into the kiss, mirroring his grip and pulling Axel against him so he was pinned against the fence. The rest of the world disappeared with the kiss, dissolving to focus completely on the boy in his arms, against the fence looking out at the lit-up Coliseum, the warmth of his pliant body spreading to Axel’s.

Abruptly Axel’s world was jarred by the sounds of foreign giggles; at first he ignored the interruption, but as it persisted the world around him returned to view. The Coliseum, iron fence, the main road behind them . . . the tiny clicking noises of a camera phone and muffled giggles. Still deeply involved in the kiss Axel opened his eye and glanced over at the source of the giggles.

Olette, accompanied by Margherita, Hayner, Pence, and Naminé, was blushing and giggling as she took pictures on her tiny Italian phone. She waved energetically. “Ciao!”

Roxas broke away from the kiss and made a vaguely outraged sound, reaching out to snatch her phone away; Margherita grabbed it instead, cooing and fanning herself as she admired the image on the screen. Hayner was just shaking his head, thankfully not making any comments. As Roxas made another grab for the cell phone Axel backed off a little to give him room to chase. He darted over to Margherita, snatching the phone from her hands to get a good look for himself. After a moment he grinned and leaned back against Axel, holding the image up for him to see.

Axel adjusted the cell so he could see it better, smiling wickedly at the image they made: so completely involved in their kiss, arms wrapped around shoulders – wait, when had Roxas’ hand migrated to cup his ass? He laughed, planting a wet kiss on Roxas’ cheekbone, right where his blush extended cutely.

*

It was two thirty; the metro had stopped running, as had most of the bus lines. Coming Out had closed, patrons left loitering out on the patio or leaving to continue their night in other destinations. Axel had sobered up slightly, though the gin and tequila were certainly still working their magic on his inebriated brain. Roxas was in a similar state, still extremely friendly and liberal with the placement of his hands. He’d expressed his desire to take Axel for a drive before returning to the apartment, which had Naminé and Olette exchanging glances and grins as they straddled Olette’s orange and white moped. Hayner and Pence had seen another friend of theirs and were headed to the Ice Bar with him; Axel decided that sounded like an awesome place, and that he and Roxas would go there at some point.

At the moment however, Axel was strapping himself into Roxas’ helmet while the blond prepped the moped for a drive. A brief thought about driving while inebriated flew through his mind, but Roxas knew what he was doing and was more sober than him. He straddled the moped behind Roxas, his arms wrapped around the blond’s waist as the vehicle lurched forward and picked up speed. He shifted forward a little more and leaned his chin on the blond’s shoulder, the cool breeze hitting his face while strands of blond whipped across his cheek.

The streets were relatively empty, so Roxas was able to drive at a more leisurely pace. They drove by the Forum, the illuminated ruins lighting the way towards the Victor Emmanuel monument and the older city center. Axel took in the city as they passed through, realizing they were heading in the direction of the Vatican, which was also lit up in the darkness – light blues and greens illuminating the dome and regal columns.

Roxas slowed as they came up on the architectural outstretched arms of St. Peter’s, until he pulled the moped to a stop at the separated, rounded barriers. He put his feet on the cobblestones and pushed the moped through into the courtyard. They moved towards the center and the large glowing fountain; Roxas cut the motor and twisted around, taking Axel’s helmet off. Axel moved off the back of the moped and sat on the stone edge of the fountain, while Roxas swung his leg over the handlebars and planted his feet on either side of Axel’s legs against the edge of the fountain.

“Did you have a good time?” Roxas asked, tilting his head to the side.

Axel nodded. “I’ve had an awesome time. I’m glad your friends ended up liking me. Though you could have warned me I was going to have to impress your friends if I wanted to keep seeing you,” Axel laughed, kicking playfully at Roxas’ leg.

Roxas burst out laughing, kicking him back. “You have their approval. And I like you.”

“I guess that makes up for my trauma.”

“Your trauma?” Roxas snickered. “Ah. It is worth it, right?”

“Oh, you’re very worth it,” Axel said with a grin.

Roxas raised an eyebrow at him, smiling softly. “You are so very strange,” he said in response.

“Was it worth it, giving me a chance?”

Roxas made a show of thinking, a smirk lighting up his face. Then he nodded. “You will have many more chances as well.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, when you keep coming out with us!” Roxas laughed, reaching over to poke Axel on the nose. “If you are with me my friends are yours as well. They will keep an eye on you.”

Axel caught his wrist and pulled him off the moped, tugging Roxas closer; the blond giggled and stumbled forward to straddle Axel’s thighs, with his knees on the flat part of the fountain.

“Fai attenzione,” Roxas whispered in his ear. “Il Papa abita qui.” Careful, the Pope lives here.

“Then the Pope can be a voyeur,” Axel chuckled. “I’m sure he sees enough.”

Roxas chuckled heartily and kissed the edge of his mouth. Axel tilted his head to fully capture his lips and deepen the kiss. The blond relaxed against him, his back curving under Axel’s touch as he moaned into his mouth. Axel slipped his hands under the blond’s shirt, sliding up over his back and shoulders.

They lingered for a while in St. Peter’s Square; Axel lost track of time in the warmth of the blond’s embrace under the glow of the Vatican. Some time later Roxas pulled away from his embrace and stood, pulling Axel up with him. “I have work tomorrow,” he was saying. “And your apartment is close, I will drop you off.”

“Wow, it’s almost four,” Axel mused as he looked at his watch. He took the offered helmet and buckled it under his chin. “I’ll have to get one of these for myself if I’m going to be going out with you more.”

“Yes, since your head is too big for my helmet,” Roxas chuckled, throwing his leg over to the other side of the moped. Axel resumed his position behind Roxas and wrapped his arms securely around his waist since he was starting to feel sleepy. The blond revved the engine, and they were moving again.

“Hey, so you think I can get your cell number now?” Axel asked. “So I can call you to go out or something?”

Roxas nodded. “Of course.”

“Don’t say ‘of course’ now, you wouldn’t give it to me last week,” Axel teased.

“I thought you used me,” Roxas admitted. “Not that we usually have big expectations or anything.”

“I know, I screwed up.”

Roxas turned his head to glance back at him with a smirk. “No worries. You are forgiven.”

“Thank you.”

Roxas nodded and didn’t speak the rest of the way, taking turns left and right until he slowed down in front of Axel’s apartment. He twisted around in his seat, holding his hand out. “Cell?” Axel pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to him, unsnapping the clasp on the helmet. A few moments later Roxas handed the phone back, grinning and pulling him in to another kiss. Then he planted a hand on Axel’s chest and gently pushed him away. “Ci vediamo,” he whispered. We’ll see each other.

Axel fitted the helmet on the blond’s head and dismounted from the moped; once he was at the door Roxas beeped the horn and sped away. Chuckling to himself, Axel made sure his phone was securely in his pocket and unlocked the front door, letting himself in and taking the elevator up. He could already feel the sleepiness setting in and fought to keep himself awake, though by the time Axel stumbled into his apartment and fell onto his bed face first he was snoring.

*

His skin felt warm, Axel realized, disgruntled by this development. He’d been sleeping deeply, peacefully – but then the sun started hitting his face, making his nose twitch. Axel shifted in his sleep, frowning and nuzzling into his pillow, immersing himself once again in his wonderful dream involving a blond and a moped.

Then he heard a giggle. Axel’s brow furrowed and his frown deepened.

Another giggle. This time accompanied by the pattering of large bare feet. Giggling again. Then –

“Geronimoooooo!”

Axel’s eyes flew open in fear only seconds before a large, heavy body landed on him and started tickling him. “Gerroff me!” Axel yelled, his shouts muffled by the pillow and Demyx cackling in his ear. The redhead threw elbows back at his friend, who was far too awake for this time of the morning.

“When’d you get home?” Demyx was giggling, still tickling him. Finally Axel managed to throw him off; Demyx grabbed his ankle as landed heavily on the floor, and pulled Axel out of bed to the floor beside him.

“What the hell?” Axel yelped. “You little bitch,” he sniped.

“How was your night?” Demyx asked, ignoring the venom in his tone.

“You all owe me money,” Axel grumbled, picking himself up to crawl back into bed. “I got home around four. Lemme sleep.”

“But it’s, like, two.”

“Fuck’ff,” Axel muttered, pulling his blankets around him again.

Instead of leaving him alone, Demyx jumped on the bed beside him and leaned his chin on Axel’s shoulder. “So how’d it go? If I owe you money, tell me. Tell me tell me! What’s a Roman date?”

Axel groaned. “You go out with the person’s friends. If they like you, the chances of you dating them goes up. I did fine. Leave me alone.”

“Ugh, you’re such a bitch when you’re tired.”

Axel grumbled and swiped blindly at Demyx as if swatting a fly, pushing him away. “Go ‘way.”

“When are you gonna see him again?”

“Tomorrow, they’re going to be dancing on Via del Corso. Now go away, I need my beauty sleep.”