Warmth

767 20 10
                                    

Finally, a day off to just relax and do anything you wanted to do.

And by anything, you knew that meant sleeping in and vegging out on the couch binge watching your favorite show to your heart's content.

You stretched your arms above your head as you got out of bed and heard your phone ping, notifying you of a text message. Unlocking your phone to see who it was, you instantly turned red when you saw the name Axel appear on the screen.

'Playing hooky from training today. Any plans?'

The heat in your face kept growing as you smiled and typed back to him: 'Bumming it at home. Wanna come over?'

'Give me an hour. Coffee?'

'Sure, my usual please ;)'

'As you wish.'

Although your plans were to hang out in sweats all day, having Axel over meant you should definitely shower before he got there. You jumped out of bed and turned the hot water on, taking your time and used your favorite scented soap. Then, wrapping your hair up in a towel, you slipped into your favorite yoga pants that accented your curves, a long sleeved gray shirt and fuzzy socks. As you finished getting dressed, your doorbell rang letting you know that Axel had arrived. You quickly unwrapped the towel from your head, letting your still wet hair fall down to your shoulders and ran for the door.

Axel stood in the doorway with a smirk on his face, holding a caddy with two cups of coffee and a small box of donuts. "Knowing you, you haven't eaten yet. And it's, what? Only after 1pm?"

Rolling your eyes, you took the coffee cup that belonged to you from his hands. "Don't judge me! I've been working my butt off for weeks. I deserve to sleep in once in a while."

"Yeah, that's true. I haven't seen you since we went out with Roxas and Xion a couple weeks ago. Does bossman have something against you having a personal life?"

"Nooo, it's just been really busy since the Bistro earned its fourth star. I had to hire two more waiters in the last month because we've been so busy." Your job at Le Grande Bistro was great, despite it being hectic. Uncle Scrooge had promoted you to a manager position, making you in charge of all the waiters and bartenders, handling payroll and keeping track of the restaurant's daily income. Lately you've been working from open to close, and even a few hours after, just to keep up with all your responsibilities. When Uncle Scrooge noticed the dark circles under your eyes (and chugging four cups of coffee a day), he knew he had to give you a few days off to rest.

Axel opened up the box of donuts and stuffed a glazed one in his mouth. He took a sip of coffee before he even finished his mouthful of the pastry. "Well, enough talk about work. We have the entire day to bum out and not use our brains. So, what should we watch first?" Taking your hand, he led you to the couch and the two of you plopped down to turn down the TV.

Once again, you felt your face flush when he put his arm around you. You wondered if you were ever being obvious about having a huge crush on him. Almost every time he got close to you, even when it was an accidental brush of your shoulders, your face instantly turned red and you hid your face behind hair falling in front of your eyes. You could have sworn once or twice hearing Axel chuckle at you, but maybe you were hearing things.

Hours passed, full of episodes of the Office, Ant Man and the Wasp and plenty of laughs coming from both of you. At some point you felt yourself start to get cold, but laziness was consuming you and you didn't want to get up from the couch to grab a blanket. Axel glanced down at you and laughed. "Cold?"

"No, I'm fine."

"[Y/N], I can hear your teeth chattering."

"I'm okay, really. I'll get used to it in a few minutes."

"Or... I can keep you warm maybe?" He smirked and gave you a wink, sending chills up your spine. You swore it was too easy for this man to make you melt into a puddle.

"What do you mean...?" you raised an eyebrow and tried your hardest not to seem too obvious.

"My body temperature runs a little warmer than most people. Ya know, the flames and all. Kinda like a mobile space heater. Wanna give it a shot?"

You hesitated for a moment, but gave a small nod and moved closer to him. Axel wrapped his arms around you in a big hug with your back against his chest, his fiery red hair tickling the back of your neck. You kicked your feet up over the arm of your couch, and he moved his to the coffee table in front of you, being careful not to knock over the empty box of pizza that you both neglected to throw away. His heartbeat thumped against your back, and it seemed a bit faster than a normal speed. Was he... was he as nervous as you?

You continued to shiver against him, and he let out a soft laugh. "Geeze, you weren't kidding. You're freezing!"

"I'm almost always cold," you laughed.

"No wonder you're so grumpy in the winter," he mused. You let out a laugh a little louder than you intended and you brought your hand to your mouth by instinct. Axel started full out laughing now, and God was it a sound you loved so much. It was so melodic and contagious that you started laughing with him, despite the fact that you were both laughing at yourself.

"Still cold?" He asked, wiping a tear from his eye.

"A little bit..."

He stood up from the couch, taking your hand in his, and started to lead you into your bedroom. You didn't make your bed that morning, so blankets and pillows were sprawled out all over your mattress, but Axel didn't seem to mind. He nodded towards the bed, indicating you to lay down, and you felt your feet become cinderblocks. Axel rolled his eyes and laughed. "Relax, just lay down. No funny business, I promise," he said and raised his hands up in defense.

You obliged, laying down on your favorite side of the bed and watched as he joined you, bringing a blanket to cover you both. Once he got comfortable, he took your hips and brought you close to him to a spooning position, his arms once again embracing you in a warm hug. Both of you just lay there silently for a few minutes, hearts beating loudly in your own ears but silent to the other's. Axel took a deep breath.

"You know [y/n]... I've been thinking about this for a while. Thinking about you," he whispered. Your eyes widened as you listened to his confession. "I just wasn't sure how to explain it, I guess. Not having a heart for almost a decade, it's been an adjustment for me to figure out the feelings that I've been experiencing lately. I-I really like you, [y/n]."

You shifted on the bed and faced him, looking straight into his piercing emerald eyes. "Axel... I feel the same way. I've liked you for a while too, but I didn't think you felt the same way. I was afraid to say something to you because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. I love hanging out with you. You make me laugh and smile, you're really sweet and a total goofball." You took a strand of his hair and twirled it lightly around your finger, and you both laughed. Axel smiled and took your hand, interlacing your fingers with his. Your faces were inches apart now, and he started to close the space between you. It felt like forever, but once his lips were on yours, you felt fireworks explode inside you. The kiss grew deeper, Axel keeping your hands intertwined and positioned himself almost completely on top of you. He wasn't kidding: he really was like a space heater! His warmth had enveloped you, and you never felt more happy than in this moment. You never wanted it to end.

Axel broke off the kiss and smiled down at you. "Are you warmer now?"

"Oh yeah, much better," you answered slyly.

Chuckling, he rubbed his nose lightly against yours. "Good. I'll always be here to keep you warm. Got it memorized?"  

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