And so it begins. Sorry, sorry sorry sorry to those waiting so effing long for this long-promised finale to the Another Life: Bond of Flame story. The story itself is on devArt, but as an... easter egg, if you will, the epilogue is here in its, er, full glory. All six chapters. Mini-chapters. nearly 13,000 words. The rating is mature for good reason, I'm afraid. F-bombs and some raciness throughout. Critique is welcome, as always, and I apologize in advance for any scarring on the part of OOCness, inaccuracies, loopholes, excessive worldbuilding, etc...

When the Kingdom Hearts Characters are mine at long last, I shall live on the royalties and be able to afford things like eating and rent. Until that time, whenever it may be, these people belong to Square Enix and, by some twist of copyrights, to Disney. This fic is a fantastic exploration of possibility and in no way asserts canon presented by the games.

Finale, Part II

Axel leaned over the controls, hammering buttons without really paying attention.

"You're not even trying," Roxas said from behind him. "You have to shoot the heartless."

Turning in his seat as the "Game Over" overtook the screen, Axel frowned at him. "I know how it works, Rox."

"Sure." Roxas shifted his bag where it crossed his chest and withdrew his vidphone from a pocket.

Rising from the chair, Axel stretched and snuck a peck on Roxas's cheek and turned to face the blond's blushed scowl with a brazen salute. He paid for his time and met the younger man outside. "Any other errands?" He asked.

"Nope," Roxas said, looking over the list he'd taped to the back of his phone. "Except your summons to the University."

Axel deflated a little inside. "Right. Let's get it over with."

Predictably, Axel's meeting was with Balthier. Roxas was left to his own devices, in this case his music player, in the reception area. Balthier led Axel back to an office in the same section and shut the door.

Bidden to sit in the comfortable chair before Balthier's enormous oak desk, Axel sat and rested his elbow on the arm rest, chin in hand. "I don't suppose this is the inevitable talk? Because you're a touch late. A baker's dozen of Roxas's devoted fans and family and god-parents, god-uncles and even a god-duck have got you beat."

"No," Balthier said tacitly. "I feel that it goes without saying that if you hurt that kid half the kingdom will brutally maim and slowly kill you. No need to be redundant." Reaching to a desk drawer, he pulled an envelope out of it. "No. This is why I called you here."

Axel took the envelope and looked at it. "What is it?"

Balthier merely gestured.

Shrugging, Axel slid his finger under the flap and tore it open. Inside was a folded letter of thick, slightly-textured letter paper that looked and felt extremely expensive. Tucked in beside it were four monetary notes whose individual value made Axel blanch. Finding Balthier's expression unreadable, Axel bypassed the notes daintily and withdrew the letter and scanned it rapidly, eyes widening in increments as he progressed. At the signature at the end, his eyes bulged widely, bright and astonished.

"This… this is…"

"A letter of acceptance," Balthier affirmed. "You've been enrolled in courses that start a week after New Year's. They should give you a good idea of how things work and what's been going on the past two decades."

Axel ran his eyes over the numbers, few though there were, included in the statement. "Who paid for this?"

Balthier smirked. "You're looking at a full ride courtesy of the King himself, as well as just about everyone who's been threatening to kill you if you hurt Roxas. Between all of them, your tuition is covered, your textbooks and supplies are covered, unless you choose something really obscure to major in, and a number of other things besides. It was also thought best that you live in Radiant Garden, so an apartment is on hold for you for after Christmas. So what do you think? Want to give it a shot?"

"Not to be rude, but no isn't even an option at this point."

"While it would be frightfully rude and ungrateful," Balthier said smoothly, "the reason it was given to me to tell you was to encourage you to refuse if you truly wish to. Nobody thought you'd say no to a benefactor. I am not a benefactor in this equation. I signed that page and I called you in today. Aerith and Leon have been managing the rest. So honestly, Axel, do you want to do this?"

Axel leaned back in his chair, withdrawing into himself and trying to shove out of his head the memory of the huge numbers printed into the page. He'd leave Castle Oblivion and live in the middle of Radiant Garden, his old home. And when Roxas graduated, he'd join him there, friend or lover.

"Yeah," Axel said finally, meeting Balthier's eyes. "Yes I do."

"Good. And before you ask, the money in there is all yours. Merry Christmas from the University. Except Aerith. Apparently she has something else in store for you? She didn't say, except that Roxas already has it."

Axel tried to keep his composure. "Yeah, Roxas said something about it." Three little words on the subject, in fact. He'd been sleeping poorly since the idea had been put in his head.

Balthier raised an eyebrow at the young man's discomfort and waved a hand. "Very well, then. It's almost Christmas after all, so I'll send you on your way. Thank you for stopping by. We'll see you in January then?"

Numbly, Axel nodded and blurted a heartfelt, if awkward, 'thank you.' Pocketing the letter and the cash, he joined Roxas in the reception area.

"Hey," he said, still thinking about the big numbers and three little words.

Roxas looked up and pulled off his earphones. "Hey. Ready?"

"Yeah."

Oblivion lived up to its name that Christmas Eve. It was devoid of life and sound, absolutely silent and still as the last of its denizens came home to pack up some clothes and depart for the holiday. Axel's heart had begun to pound wildly, feeling the end was nigh. It was time. Hauling his bag out to the front door, he leaned against the frame and tried to breathe slowly.

Roxas finally peeked out from around the corner, seeming his usual self but incapable of eye contact. "Shall we?" He asked.

Axel nodded and reached for the door handle and met Roxas's hand there. Both of them flinched and withdrew the limb, wide-eyed and flushing, until Axel cleared his throat in the silence and opened the door.

The train ride back to Radiant Garden seemed much longer this time. It was also much more packed. Known for its cultural embrasure, the city was packed with tourists and refugees and natives alike, people swarming the snow blanketed avenues in soft furs and puffy, snug parkas.

"The Night of Lights," Roxas murmured, leaning toward the window to watch Radiant Garden come back into view, the night sky lit by street lamps and the reflective glow of the snow.

"Hmm?" Axel asked softly, leaning in close to hear better and feeling a flutter in his stomach as his brain registered Roxas's leg pressed against his own.

"The Night of Lights," Roxas said without turning, his ears suspiciously red. "On Christmas Eve everyone gathers in the square around a central item, a fountain or a decorated tree, in the dark. Then, at midnight, the icon is lit and then everyone in the crowd lights a candle or turns on a flashlight or ignites some form of light. The whole city lights up, and Merlin sets off fireworks. Then little cups of mulled cider are passed out and everyone drinks and sings carols for a bit. Then the city workers dim the lights of the icons until they're dark and everyone takes their lights home."

"Do you want to go?"

"Yeah," Roxas said. "If you want to, I mean…"

"I want to." Axel blurted, heady with the nearness of the other's body.

Roxas turned and smiled. "We should find something to do for the next three hours then, huh?"

Axel nodded. "How about dinner?"

"We can just eat when we get in," Roxas pointed out.

"No," Axel said, reaching for the envelope in his pocket. "I'd rather use my Christmas bonus to spoil you."

Roxas looked at him for a moment as though he couldn't quite believe what he'd heard. Axel was having a little trouble believing the words had left him, himself.

"Okay," the younger man said softly, ears reddening again.

Once off the train, Axel's heart leaped into his throat again. They had to check in with Aerith's gift, two pre-paid nights at a ritzy hotel, and get their belongings settled, which meant for both to sling their bags onto the bed, struggle to not run into one another on the way back out, and nearly forget the keycards in the process.

Axel stuffed his card in the envelope, safe in a zippered pocket, and followed Roxas down a salt-strewn cobbled road. People passed chatting and laughing and crunching the ice and snow under their boots, and for once neither Axel nor Roxas stood out in the crowd. Feeling brave in the anonymity, Axel reached for Roxas's hand and found it was already halfway across the space between them and reaching for his own. After a little bumping and blind arranging of fingers, they finished the trip with hands comfortably twined, and parted only when Roxas stepped up to the door of the pastaria and asked after open seats.

"Pasta?" Axel asked as they were led inside to a table for two.

"I like pasta," Roxas said, and sat in one of the wiry chairs. "And so do you. Besides, this place is expensive enough to be considered spoiling and takes advantage of the new law."

"What new law?"

"Radiant Garden's drinking age is fifteen," Roxas explained, "and they finally passed an amendment to include off-world qualifiers. Like me."

"I definitely don't remember that."

"It used to be eighteen," Roxas said. "but so many of the worlds yielding refugees didn't even have a legal drinking age, or not one closely observed. Lowering the age helped."

"Couldn't people just travel in, then, with that new bit, and get however much they want?"

"Sure," Roxas said. "But alcohol isn't allowed on trains or in the spaceport. You can come in and buy as much as you want, but you can't leave with it."

"Oh."

Smirking, Roxas palmed his identification to the waiter and Axel followed suit. Then the blond ordered them both drinks and a basket of bread. Then they were left alone with their menus.

Axel couldn't deny that the place was expensive. He also found he couldn't deny that they had extremely good food. Both of them left happy, if a little buzzed, and full.

They spent a generous amount of time wandering the area after that. The shopkeepers had left no room for doubt that it was Christmas Eve and the Night of Lights. Warm light glimmered and sparked from every window, drifted in patches across the snow. They passed restaurants, some multiple times, and found their tables filling in the windows.

"The closer you get to eleven p.m.," Roxas narrated absently, "the more full the restaurants get. Ideally, you go out at ten, eat, and head over to your destination around eleven or eleven thirty."

It was also hard to find candles. They finally found a little novelty shop that had three orange scented candles left. Roxas picked out two of them and Axel snuck in and paid for them, earning a look of reproach from the blond. Axel cheerfully ignored it and claimed his candle for a sniff of the wax. "Oranges?"

"It doesn't fit the season well, but it'll smell better when you get it next to the mulled cider later," Roxas pointed out, leading them over to a central square whose icon was an enormous fir tree studded with gleaming glass bulbs and balls, sparkling tinsel and colored ribbon mixed with white.

"More cultural symbolism?" Axel asked softly, fingering a strand of ribbon as they examined the huge tree. Roxas nodded and pulled him back toward one of the benches lining the square and they sat. "Should we head up to the front soon?"

Roxas shook his head. "View's better from here. Trust me."

Axel checked his vidphone. Eleven-thirty. "Does it begin at midnight?"

"Yeah," Roxas said, and launched into an explanation that the show didn't technically begin until all the restaurants and businesses had closed for the evening and the employees were ready to join in, too. "Because when you think about it," Roxas said, "There's no business to be had at that time anyway, and it's unfair to just pass them by when they're already integral to the tradition."

The square filled up slowly, then more and more rapidly. Roxas kept to the bench, and Axel stayed with him, their hands tangled again. Axel played with his fingers absently to pass the time, feeling their shape and temperature. It gave him a violent start when everything suddenly went black.

"Shh," Roxas said, giving his hand a squeeze. "Hold up your candle," he whispered.

Scooting in a little closer, Axel held it up and out toward Roxas, who had the lighter, only realizing after a moment that he could light it with his bare hand. He rejected the idea, as it meant he didn't need to lean so close. A soft murmur rode through the crowd clustered around the tree.

Then, a star appeared. Dimly at first, then smoldering bright silver as the tree beneath it slowly took shape, sparks of white light thrown off the glimmering ornaments and the sheen of the ribbons. Beside him, Roxas flicked the lighter on, as did many others in the square, and lit their candles. The smell of oranges rose in the air, mingling with cinnamon, honeydew, berry, pine, and a dozen other flavors with mixed results. Not far from them, Axel thought he smelled spiced rum and grinned. If you could smell it, there was a candle for it.

The city was bright again, softly glowing in the light of thousands of little candles. Right next to the tree were Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the three good fairies, holding red, green, and blue candles respectively and singing softly. Others around them took up the melody, a few the harmony, and Axel didn't recognize the words, but didn't mind listening as Roxas joined in.

Not long after the singing began and a soft chorus hung over the city, a gentle hum of unified voices and candlelight and mingled scents, a loud pop and a crackle heralded the first of the loud, colorful fireworks. Merlin worked dragons across the sky, seemed to pull stars down from the heavens and released them with a bang, the little sparks of light exploding into spackle flower. Well-wishes danced across the sky, Keyblades fought purple Heartless and silver Nobodies, the faces of old heroes flashed in colors and Axel gasped when he saw Roxas's face.

"Ventus," Roxas said softly. "He looks everything like me, but we're not the same. He was before my father's time."

Axel nodded. In a final burst of shapes and colors, the sky flashed bright white with a final surge of silvery bursts and then, right on time, the icons went out, leaving only the people and their tiny lights. Roxas stood up on the bench and hopped up to the road level. Axel followed suit, dripping hot wax across the paving stones. They took little cups of hot mulled cider from a trestle table and set off at a walk. Roxas wove along alleys and sidestreets, sidestepping the crowds and leading them effortlessly back to their hotel room, where they opened the curtains far enough to safely settle the candles on the window sill and dimmed the lights.

Back in the warmth of the room, Roxas seemed about as nervous as Axel felt. Both retrieved their travel bags and fished inefficiently around the contents for a change of clothes and experienced a guilty pang for wanting to change in the bathroom. Axel got creative and pretended to need to use the bathroom and changed in there, flushing the toilet on his way out. Roxas followed suit.

Alone in the room, Axel kicked his bag over to a corner and sat down on the side of the bed closest to the window, trying really hard to not think about sex. He even achieved it, until Roxas vacated the bathroom and stirred up a flurry of exorbitant acts in Axel's imagination. The boy took one look at Axel on the bed and his head lurched, like he'd choked on his own spit and tried to cover it up, and went to a little cabinet. From it he withdrew a little bottle, unscrewed the cap, and downed it.

Axel joined him. "Liquor?"

Wordlessly, Roxas handed him a little bottle and went to turn off the lights. Only the candles illuminated the room now, and the boy moved them to the desk and shut the curtains. Then, he fidgeted, picking up a discarded shirt, Axel's, and rolled it up for tucking in an empty bureau. Watching him in the pale gold light and heavy shadows, Axel finally felt sure of something and stood. Removing a pair of pants from the blond's grip, he took him by both hands and led him over to the bed. Pulling the coverlet and sheet back, he laid him down and climbed on the mattress after him, sitting on his knees astride Roxas's hips.

"If there's one thing I know," Axel said wickedly, kissing Roxas's jaw while whispering in his ear. "It's that you like watching me. So pay attention." Then, leaning back on Roxas's upraised knees a little, he pulled his shirt over his head and flung it aside. Then he unlaced his pants, worked the elastic hem over his hips, and stood up to peel them off. Then he knelt again, sliding his hands up Roxas's stomach to his chest, pulling his shirt up over his head and tossing it aside. Then eased off his pants, sliding his pale legs free. Axel looked him over slowly, enjoying the view immensely before he covered Roxas's body with his own, their hips meeting and grinding as Axel shifted and fingered Roxas's nipples and sucked greedily at his lips before leaning in for a deep kiss. Their tongues slid together easily, weaving and probing and arching. Then Axel broke the kiss and leaned back slowly, running his hands greedily all over Roxas's body as he lifted his away and arched back. Where his body met Roxas's, his hands changed course and slid up his own thighs, fingers sliding just under the waistband of the very last of his clothing. He turned around and, still straddling Roxas who had other reasons now for not making eye contact, worked off the final garment with far more effort than was strictly necessary. When it had slid over his buttocks, he slid his hands down over the flesh, feeling silly but hearing Roxas's breathing speed up. Finally getting the garment off, he lowered himself back over Roxas, this time with his face to the boy's hips, fingering the hard bulge beneath the only boxers left between them. Roxas moaned, eyes half-lidded and face crimson. Axel threw the boxers away from the bed and slid his hands down the insides of Roxas's thighs, drinking in the sounds as he slid his mouth over the firm, naked cock between them.

Beneath him, Roxas arched and groaned, gasping. Axel savored it, caressing the rod with his tongue and sucking its tender head. Hearing Roxas's voice escape him in little, desperate moans made him almost painfully hard. Withdrawing his mouth and listening to Roxas beg him not to stop before he finally settled back down, he slid his hands down to the back entrance and probed gently there. Roxas gave a little shout of panic and Axel looked up. "I won't hurt you," Axel said softly, trying to comfort him. Caught in the moment, Roxas shook his head, frantic. "Are you scared?"

"Yes… I'm sorry. I just…"

"Shh," Axel said. "It's all right. I'll show you there's nothing to be afraid of."

"No…"

Axel moved over him and put a palm to Roxas's pale face. "Hear me out. I won't do anything to you I wouldn't have done to myself." Kissing the boy soundly, he withdrew and settled himself slowly over Roxas's cock, sitting below his belly in a way that completely exposed him. Roxas gasped, his chest rising and falling rapidly, muscles clenched and back arched. Pulling himself nearly completely off the boy's member, Axel lowered and took him in again, moving a little faster with every thrust. Roxas had thrown his head back when Axel called to him, pleading for him to look up. Roxas met his eyes and nearly came, renewing his thrusts to match Axel's rhythm.

"I want you," Axel moaned, stroking his cock where it stood, bare and hard and slick with early come. "Oh, Roxas…"

"Okay," Roxas said softly.

Axel looked up and paused, watching the boy steadily, carefully searching his face. "What?"

"Okay," Roxas repeated, beet red. "Show me what it feels like."

Off of him, Axel rolled Roxas onto his belly and pulled his hips up so he rested on his knees. Then, with one slickened finger, he worked him open carefully, gently, until his cock slid easily in.

"Nnn," Roxas moaned. Axel settled across his back, thrusting slowly, and laid his free palm over Roxas's lower belly, fingers just brushing the base of the boy's cock. Roxas shuddered deliciously and moaned, and Axel thrust harder, picking up speed and angling so that he hit the sweet spot deep inside. Desperately keening, Roxas moaned and called Axel's name. Axel thrust a while longer, and almost lost himself in it before he pulled out and laid Roxas on his back. "I hate you," Roxas gasped.

"You have a choice," Axel said wickedly. "Either you come inside me or I come inside you. Which is it?"

Roxas scowled up at him, spreading his legs. Salivating, Axel rolled him onto his side, lifted one of the boy's thighs and drove himself deep inside, hitting him hard and deep until Roxas gave a shout and spattered his belly and the sheets with white. Axel lost control then, and thrust wildly and hard into him until he came himself. Panting, he withdrew and collapsed beside Roxas on the bed. When he had the strength to lift himself up on an elbow, he reached over and brushed Roxas's sweaty hair out of his eyes.

"Are you all right?"

He'd waited too long. Roxas had already fallen asleep. Taking it upon himself to clean them both up, Axel crawled back into bed afterward and pulled the blankets in around them both. On the desk, the candles burned lower and lower, then went out. Pulling Roxas in close, Axel rested his chin on the soft blond hair. Roxas shifted, and looked up at him.

"Sorry," Axel said. "I didn't mean to wake you. Are you okay?"

Roxas snuggled closer. "Mm. Felt really good."

"You're really okay?"

"Axel," Roxas said, lifting his head to meet his lover's eyes. "I'm fine. I'm exactly where I want to be. Plus, you're naked. Go to sleep." With that, he snuggled up against Axel's chest and closed his eyes, breathing slowing to the steady rhythm of sleep. Axel sighed and leaned back into the pillow, falling asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes, at peace and at home.

End.