Shorties

"Roxas, what—what is that?" Axel was staring at the blue cup Roxas was pulling from the microwave.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Lunch. What does it look like?"

Axel raised a hand to his heart dramatically. "Lunch? Rox, that is, that's—" he sputtered, inarticulate for a moment, and then, "Please tell me it's emergency rations."

Roxas scowled down at his instant mac 'n cheese. "What's wrong with it?"

"Roxas." Axel draped a conspiratorial arm over the shorter man's shoulders. "That is nowhere near an acceptable choice for lunch. A poor excuse for noodles, drenched in an even poorer excuse for 'cheese sauce,'" he even curled his fingers in air quotes, "how can you subject yourself to that?"

Roxas's eyes slid to the side to regard Axel. "It just so happens that I like it."

Axel gaped, blinking, as Roxas shuffled back to the couch with his cup of Kraft macaroni and cheese.

Roxas glanced up from the TV, forkful of pasta halfway to his mouth, to see Axel still standing in the kitchen. He replaced the fork. "If it bothers you that much, I can add some protein." He unfolded his legs and crossed back into the kitchen, stepping around Axel to open the fridge. "I'm pretty sure I have some hot dogs left." A quick search revealed that he did, indeed, have a half-used package of hot dogs, and he placed one of those in the microwave next.

Axel watched, speechless, as Roxas cut it into slices and tipped them right in with the mac n cheese.

"Spaghetti Bolognese," Roxas announced, mixing the hot dog bits in.

Axel felt himself pale as Roxas took a bite of the concoction. He couldn't even begin to describe everything wrong with the food, with calling it—calling it— "Roxas—"

"Come on, Ax, time to get your ass beat at Smash."

Axel let out a small huff and dropped onto the couch beside Roxas, picking up the controller. "Pretty sure you've got it backwards, Roxas."

It became clear to Axel, after a few more visits at his new friend's apartment, that Roxas had no taste. Or rather, if he did have taste, it was that of a grade-schooler. Blue boxes of Kraft mac n cheese, Spaghetti-O's, hot dogs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Axel tried not to be offended, after all, not everyone liked trying foods outside their comfort zone, but. But.

He just couldn't sit there and watch Roxas stir butter and milk and yellow powder into noodles and call it mac n cheese.

"Roxas."

Roxas looked up from the pot he was stirring. "Hm?"

"Can I take you to dinner sometime? Please?"

It took Axel a moment to realize why Roxas might be blushing at the question, and Axel, in turn, felt his own face heating up. He was about to wave his hands and protest that he hadn't meant it like that, when Roxas turned his gaze back to his pot and uttered a soft "Okay."

His hands, already on their way up to protest, instead kept going, until he was tugging at a lock of red hair, awkward. He hadn't meant to ask Roxas on a date, but seeing Roxas's pursed lips and rosy cheeks, he knew he couldn't take it back. And suddenly didn't want to. He didn't know what to do with his hands after that, and so he shoved them in his pockets, rocking from side to side as Roxas poured yellow macaroni into a bowl. "I know a place that makes a wicked quattro formaggi." His voice came out uncertain, this time, and he bit his lip.

Roxas turned to him, raising eyebrows. "Quattro what?"

Axel nodded to the bowl in Roxas's hands. "It's a…cheesy pasta dish that'll make you forget all about Kraft."

"Sounds fancy." They settled back in front of the TV, and there was an unusual tension between them. He wondered if maybe he just hadn't noticed it before, or if it was new.

Roxas dressed up for their date. A blue button-down that brought out his eyes, black slacks. His hair immaculately styled. Axel's all-black attire wasn't much different from his usual, except for the blazer he tossed over it. The restaurant he'd picked warranted it. It had nothing to do with this being a date, with Roxas, and he was certainly not nervous. He just kept noticing wrinkles in the blazer.

Roxas scowled down at the quattro formaggi. "What is that?"

Axel looked at the plate. "Mushrooms. And parsley."

"What's it doing in my pasta?" He pushed some mushrooms to the side of the plate with his fork.

Axel frowned. "You don't like mushrooms?"

Roxas gave him a flat stare. "No."

Axel bit his lip. "Uh. Well, at least give it a try?"

Roxas huffed a sigh, obliged, twirling his fork until there was a sufficient amount of angel hair pasta on it, and brought the fork to his mouth. Axel leaned forward to watch, licking his lips unconsciously.

"Well?"

"It's okay, I guess." Roxas shrugged. "Too many different flavors, though."

Axel blinked. That had never been a complaint, for him, but the way Roxas said it made it obvious that it was. "Want to try some of mine?" He held up a forkful of his veal scallopini; Roxas made a face, and Axel frowned.

"No thank you, I'll stick to this." He went back to pushing the mushrooms to the side of the plate.

Axel winced internally; it was awkward as a date, and even worse, Roxas had practically rejected the restaurant he'd chosen.

So it was a surprise, when he pulled his car up to Roxas's complex, and Roxas cocked his head at him. "Aren't you going to walk me to the door?"

"Oh. I—uh-do you want me to?" He felt his face heating up as he fumbled to say the right thing. "But, you're not. You know. A girl?"

Roxas's lips curled up into a smirk. "I'm glad you noticed that much."

Axel bit his lip. "Uh. Uhm." He turned the car off. "Yeah. I can walk you up."

Axel toyed with the hem of his blazer as he strode up the walk, Roxas at his side. Nearly jumped when they reached the door, and Roxas murmured his name, "Axel. Thank you." Felt his breath catch in his throat when Roxas stood on his toes and pulled him down for a kiss. Silky, hot lips on his own, and his thrumming nerves calmed as he focused on Roxas, on the wet tongue already pressing into his mouth to deepen the kiss.

Axel had to catch his breath when they parted, and his pants felt more snug than they had a few moments ago. Roxas was looking up at him with darkened eyes, expectant. He hadn't invited Axel up, so he supposed Roxas was simply waiting for a good bye. Instead, he let out a muttered, "Maybe we should try Thai food next time."

Roxas laughed, and leaned up to give him a peck on the cheek. "Good night, Axel."

Axel eyed him, wondering if that had been an evasion or an agreement. He shrugged. "Good night, Rox." And just before the door closed on Roxas, he called back, "I'll make you appreciate proper cuisine yet!"