A/N: Okay, so this is another one I reviewed myself so any and all mistakes are mine! You can't have them! *clears throat* Anyway... to avoid people sending me reviews asking, "Was that whole scene between Roxas, Hayner and Seifer really necessary?" YES, it is going to be pertinent to the story later on. Now enjoy.
Despite finding himself unceremoniously mated to a very resentful nineteen year old, Axel's life continued much the way it always had. He had sent a letter to his pack to tell them what had happened and though they had initially been upset about the potential loss of their traveling mercenary Axel had managed to convince them he could still move freely. And he could, since Roxas had (sullenly) accepted the bond. That had been three weeks ago and Axel hadn't seen the fiery blond since. News of a possible wendigo sighting had sent the hunter to the mountains and he had only just returned.
The auburn wolf winced as each step exacerbated his injuries but he didn't slow down. He wanted to get to the apartment. It was only when he turned onto the street that he realize he hadn't thought his plan through. It was early evening on Saturday and people would soon be leaving their houses to enjoy an evening out with friends and family. His own olfactory senses told him that Roxas had left the apartment complex approximately an hour ago. Whining in distress at being unable to enter the complex - his injuries prevented him from shifting to his human self - but unwilling to leave, Axel curled himself into the ninety-degree angle where the apartment steps intersected the brick wall and began licking his wounds while he waited for Roxas to return.
Roxas frowned down at his cup before knocking back the clear amber liquid, relishing the burn. It distracted him but not enough to ease the feeling of disquiet settling into his stomach. Something was wrong with the wolf.
"Dude!" Pence shouted as he tossed an arm around Roxas' shoulder. The chubby brown-haired teen was past tipsy and well into wasted. "When are you going to tell us about the red-head I saw you with a month ago? Is he your boyfriend?" Pence teased with a wink. 'Oh, if you only knew,' the blond thought silently, noting the odd look his friend Hayner gave him. The dirty blond boy was dressed in his usual camo pants with a t-shirt and green vest but he had been silent all evening, staring morosely into his beer.
"Oh, God, Pence, it's time to get you home," Olette stated, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. "Roxas, I'm really sorry about his improper questions," the slim, long-haired brunette apologized but Roxas shrugged it off.
"He always gets weird when he's been drinking. Come on, I'll help you get him to the car," he stated, standing and shrugging into his jacket.
"I should be getting home as well," Hayner stated, slipping off the stool. He momentarily lost his balance as the town's bully pushed past him, shoving the smaller man into the bar.
"Oops, sorry," the older man sneered. "Your ass was in the way." Roxas fully expected a fight to break out as it always did when Seifer and Hayner were around one another but Hayner merely sighed heavily and brushed himself off, wincing as he straightened and could feel the bruise forming along his ribs. He murmured a soft, "Whatever," before moving to help Olette keep Pence on his feet. Roxas shot his friend an assessing look before moving to help as well.
"Want to talk about it?" Roxas asked as Olette drove off. Hayner scuffed his shoe against the ground and shoved his hands into his pant pockets.
"If you tell me about the red-head Pence mentioned," he finally answered. Roxas' knee-jerk reaction was to say that he and Axel were just friends but the feisty blond obviously had something on his mind and Roxas was willing to bet it had something to do with Hayner's odd reaction to Seifer.
"We met five weeks ago," Roxas began and started walking back to his apartment. It was only five blocks away and once there Hayner could choose to sleep over or walk the remaining three blocks to his own apartment. "He's new in town and he saved me from getting jumped by some thugs." 'No need to tell him the whole truth.' "We kind of hit it off so…we're seeing where it goes. Neither of us has dated a guy before, so…" Roxas shrugged. Silence ensued and it lasted for a majority of the walk. Finally, one block from Roxas' apartment Hayner spoke.
"I think I'm in love with Seifer," he stated softly as he quit walking. Roxas stopped as well. He said nothing but he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "It's stupid, I know. I mean, we've been fighting since I was like, two, but…" he trailed off and sighed before running a hand through his gelled hair in aggravation. "I mean, you see how he treats me," Hayner continued, referring to being shoved into the bar. "So, what? I'm just supposed to walk up to him and tell him I love him so he can punch me?"
"I wouldn't punch you," a soft voice stated and Hayner whirled around to stare at the object of his affection.
"Seifer, what do you want?" Roxas demanded, not wanting the older man to hurt his friend even more.
"This doesn't concern you," Seifer snarled at Roxas, his eyes never leaving Hayner's. The smaller blond was trying to inch away from the bully. "I wouldn't punch you," he reiterated. Hayner scoffed at the beanie-wearing man.
"And what would you do?" he demanded hotly. "Shove me against the bar again so I can have matching bruises?" Seifer's smirk was the only warning the two nineteen year olds had before the older boy pinned Hayner against the brick of a building. Roxas moved to help his friend but thought better of it after witnessing Seifer's tongue slithering into Hayner's mouth. Turning on his heel, the teen finished the walk to his apartment by himself, his heart aching for a certain red-head.
Roxas heard the whine as he was attempting to dig his keys out of his jeans pocket. He paused and listened, trying to locate where the noise came from. As another muffled whimper pierced the air, the blond moved toward the shadows and barely discerned a huddled mass in the corner. Creeping closer he clearly made out the shape of a dog.
"Axel?" he asked softly. Green eyes opened and gleamed at him and a small tail-wag confirmed the blond's theory. "What the hell? Why didn't you just let yourself in?" he demanded softly. He didn't want to look like a total idiot if someone caught him talking to a dog. Axel whimpered at him again and Roxas took a closer look at the auburn wolf. His fur was shaggy and unkempt and the blond could clearly see that the werewolf had lost a lot of weight in the past three weeks; he rested a hand on the matted fur and could easily feel the ribs. He stroked the fur and curled his nose in disgust as he met a wet, congealed mess. Drawing his hand back he could smell the distinct odor of blood. "Dammit, Axel, what the hell did you get yourself into? Think you can get yourself into the apartment?" Roxas asked. "I don't think I can carry you." Axel gave a small lick to the blond's hand before dragging himself to his feet with extreme effort. Roxas could clearly see the wolf's legs shaking and hurriedly unlocked the complex's door, glad that he shelled out the extra money for a first floor apartment. Axel wearily dragged himself up the complex steps and into Roxas' apartment before finally allowing himself to collapse just inside the door.
Roxas rushed around his apartment, frantically trying to think of what to do with the injured werewolf. He couldn't take Axel to the hospital as long as he was in his wolf form, but Axel seemed unable to shift back to his human form. The blond had no idea where to find a vet hospital - he had never owned a pet before - and could he take Axel there without the veterinarians suspecting anything? He supposed the first thing he should do was to try and see how badly the wolf was injured. Grabbing a washcloth and dampening it the blond began wiping Axel down. After three strokes with the washcloth, Roxas decided to change tactics and drag the injured wolf to the bathtub.
Running warm water, Roxas let the tub fill while he went and covered the couch under thick blankets before preparing a meal for Axel. As he scrounged around his kitchen, the blond suddenly realized how little he knew of his mate. 'What the hell do werewolves eat?' he wondered. Roxas vaguely remember some documentary about wolf culture and he supposed steak would work. He pulled the red meat out of his fridge and sat it on the counter, staring at it. Would Axel eat it raw? Or should he cook it? He was still pondering this latest quandary when the sound of swirling water caught his attention.
"Shit," he muttered, rushing to the bathroom. He was afraid the water had overflown, but there was still a good six inches between the water and the edge of the tub. The noise he had heard was that of Axel dragging himself into the tub so that Roxas wouldn't have to lift him. The panting wolf sat in the water, struggling to hold his head up. Roxas cursed internally. Why hadn't he figured that Axel would want to lie down? He flipped the tub's drain and allowed the water to lower. Axel gave a grateful yip and slid down onto his stomach. Roxas re-plugged the drain and began rinsing Axel's fur. He found quite a number of scratches and several deep lacerations that would require some type of medical attention. As the water became murky the blond drained the tub, wrapped a towel around the wet wolf and lifted Axel out before carrying him back out into the living room and setting him on the couch.
'Would Kairi know what to do?' he wondered. Chicks dug animals, right? If he remembered correctly, Kairi even volunteered at an animal hospital. Or did she actually work there? Roxas glanced at the wolf. Axel hadn't moved from where Roxas had set him, even though it couldn't have been the most comfortable of positions. Fearing that Axel would die of blood loss he dialed Kairi's number. He'd deal with her questions after Axel was better.
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