Axel / Lea x Reader One Shots (Requests Open)

My Angel

"W-What did you call me?"

Axel raised his eyebrow at you, surprised at how taken aback you sounded. "Uhh... I said you're an 'angel'"?

The word struck you so deeply, you weren't sure how to react. What was this feeling inside? Confusion? Anxiety? Pain?

All of the above, and so much more.

You were so unused to being called something positive by someone close in your life. For most of your childhood, your parents went our of their way to make sure of that. Never once did they call you 'angel' or 'sweetheart'; no, more like 'pathetic' and 'worthless'.

What hurt the most was that you didn't do anything wrong to justify their actions, either. They were jealous of you. Jealous of the fact that you were living your life in a way they never could. Trained for combat at a young age thanks to Leon and Yuffie, learning spells with Aerith and Merlin. Fighting the good fight for people who couldn't, including your parents. And it angered them. So they resorted to name calling to drive your confidence down the drain into a deep abyss where you hid for years and years, even after finally leaving them behind.

Their voices never ceased to ring in your ears every day. No matter how hard you tried, you always judged yourself because of them. So when Axel said you were an 'angel', it seriously caught you off-guard. It made you sad and angry that it's taken so long for someone to finally appreciate you, and yet you felt a strange warmth deep inside your heart: happiness, confidence, love.

This is love.

Axel continued to watch you carefully as you contemplated all of these thoughts. It looked as if you were short-circuiting: your face a mixture of panic and giddiness, not to mention you sounded short of breath. Of course, you never told him of your past home life. Most of your life was living in fear of your parents, being called something for doing the smallest actions. If you could, you'd forget everything in a blink of an eye.

"Are you okay?" His voice came suddenly, snapping you out of your deep thoughts.

"Y-yeah, sorry. It's just that...no one's ever called me that before."

Walking over to the couch where you sat, Axel wrapped an arm around your shoulder and invited you to snuggle beside him. "But it's true, ya know. You're selfless, kind and caring. You... make me a better person. You're my angel."

Tears welled up in your eyes, spilling over your now beet-red face. Not even in your wildest imaginations did you ever think you'd end up with someone who recognized you for who you were and treat you with the kindness you deserved. And here he was, right in front of you! You felt like the luckiest person in all the worlds.

Worried that he offended you, Axel stammered. "I could... say something else? If you don't like it, I mean."

Shaking your head, you smiled for the first time as you nuzzled into his side. "Angel is perfect."