Fic: Ignite
Title: Ignite
Author: breathless_dawn
Rating: I think PG-13 will suffice, but beware for there are some implied sexual references.
Pairing: Axel/Kairi
Disclaimer: I am no king, therefore I own no Kingdom.
A/N: A little Axel/Kairi for my darling hope_assassin for putting in many hours to get Soul Eater back for us all! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!! *hugs you* Granted, a SE fic probably would have been more fitting, but I'm still getting my footing with the characters and such. But worry not, there will be SE fic to come some time in the future. Anyway, this turned out a tad darker than I originally planned, but I hope it's still to your liking, hope_assassin !
It is well past midnight and Kairi is gazing out of the grimy window, watching a star flickering, about to be consumed by ravenous darkness.
“You should be sleeping,” drawls a silky voice from the doorway. “You’ll ruin that pretty face if you don’t get your beauty sleep, princess.”
Kairi startles at the sound of his voice and turns around to see his silhouette leaning casually against the doorframe, the tips of his wildfire hair shining red in the dim light filtering in from the hallway. She marvels at his cat-like silence and wonders how long he’s been standing there. She shifts from one foot to the other and the warped wooden floor groans in protest. “I’m a big girl,” she says, “I don’t need you to tell me when to sleep.”
“Are you?” Axel asks, and she can hear the smirk in his voice. “You could’ve fooled me.”
She stares for a few more seconds before turning her back on him and fixing her gaze on the fading star. It has gotten dimmer in the short moment that has passed and she knows it won’t be long before the darkness swallows it up entirely. She can hear Axel’s boots thunking softly on the mildewed wood, coming ever closer, until he stops just behind her, so close that she can feel the heat radiating from his body.
He follows her gaze to the star in the distance and laughs humourlessly. She can feel his breath on the back of her neck. “There’s no hope for it now. Your penetrating gaze of purity won’t be enough to save that world, doll.”
Kairi frowns and whips around to face him. “People are dying! Do you even care?”
The corners of his mouth pull up slightly. “Can’t,” he says simply, and his gloved hand encircles her wrist. “No heart, remember?” He places her hand on his still chest, sneaking it beneath the fabric of his coat, pressing her fingers to his bare skin. She feels scar tissue beneath her fingertips and he is so hot she thinks liquid fire must run through his veins.
His hand releases hers, but she lets it linger for a moment too long before quickly pulling back. Her cheeks flush and she takes a step backward, trying desperately to control her heart, which has begun hammering a rapid tattoo against her ribs.
Axel takes a step forward for every step she takes back, and in three steps her back is against the wall. His hands are pressed against the bricks on either side of her shoulders and she is half-heartedly holding him away, her half extended arms acting a reminder of the necessary space, and her fingers are clenched, white-knuckled, around the fabric of his coat. “Axel…”
His gaze flits from her eyes to the hollow of her throat and back. She thinks he must see the accelerated jump of her pulse at the base of her throat because a smirk pulls at his mouth. “You’re afraid.”
She is, and it’s not only the hungry look in his emerald eyes or the fact that he could easily overpower and kill her at any moment that frightens her. It is also that she doesn’t care, that the overwhelming impulse to kiss him is clouding her mind and she can’t think straight anymore.
His knee slips between her legs and he leans forward so their foreheads are nearly touching. “You’re afraid because you want this.” And his hands ghost over her shoulders, her stomach, until his fingers are curling around her hips. She is not able to restrain the gasp that escapes her lips. “Because you want me.” He leans in even closer, until he is practically speaking into her mouth, and her lips part in anticipation of a kiss that doesn’t come.
“Tell me it isn’t true,” he dares.
Kairi thinks of a lot of things she could say to him at this moment, lies and other venomous words, but she can’t find the use in wasting her already shallow breath to say something he will be able to see through before the words have even left her lips. So she makes a split-second decision, and before she can talk herself out of it, she pulls him closer and kisses him clumsily on the mouth.
Axel’s breath hitches in surprise and she pulls back, blushing furiously. He chuckles in a self-satisfied way and leans down to whisper, “I win.” His lips brush lightly over her ear, raising gooseflesh on her neck.
When he lifts his gaze to meet hers, his green eyes are piercing, triumphant, but she can see the unmistakable want within their depths. “You’re playing with fire, princess,” he warns, moving the knee between her legs, causing her to shift uncomfortably. “You’re going to burn,” he whispers into her mouth before kissing her hard. And she can just see over his shoulder the moment the fading star melts into the inky blackness.
She knows there’s no turning back now. He won, she surrendered, and she has the burns to prove it.
A/N2: That last line can be interpreted any way you like, but I think it should be known that when I wrote it, I did not intend it literally.