Chapter 7
Roxas sighed softly and shifted his position against the cold wall. He had no idea how long he had been stuck in that little room with Axel; there was no way to keep track of the passing time like there was on the outside. There was nothing in the room, Roxas assumed, except for the bed Axel was laying on, and a toilet, he hoped. Speaking of the redhead, he had not said a single thing since Roxas arrived. Not that Roxas expected anything different from his mate. He wasn't really sure he liked confinement, though he could understand how a cold person like Axel would feel at home here.
"Excuse me?" Axel's voice demanded through the darkness. "What did you call me?"
At first, Roxas was mortified that he had said that out loud and even worse, that Axel had heard him, but then the mortification melted into anger. Axel had no right to treat him like this—he had done nothing to cause Axel to treat him in this way.
"I called you cold," Roxas said hotly. "Because that's what you are. You don't give a damn about me or anyone else. You push me away even though you don't know me at all. You don't even want to give me a chance or get to know me at all."
The tears he was struggling to hold back leaked out of the corners of his eyes. He brushed them away, glad that it was dark, and Axel couldn't see him crying.
"Why the hell are you crying?" Axel asked.
Roxas mentally cursed himself. He had a bad habit of voicing his thoughts out loud without even knowing it.
"Well?" Axel demanded. "I'm waiting."
"I don't give a damn!" Roxas managed to choke out. "Just leave me alone you cold, heartless bastard!"
"Is that all you have to say to me?" Axel said coldly.
"No!" Roxas yelled. "I'm not done, you jerk! Any normal human being who had an ounce of humanity in them would understand what I'm going through. I've just been taken from my home, my life, my family, and thrown into this place. I'm alone and I'm scared to death.
"And now, knowing that I have to spend the rest of my life with you makes it even more unbearable. Any normal human being would feel compassion, but I guess you can't do that, huh? You have nothing but ice running through your veins."
"Do you really think I care about what you think?" Axel asked.
"Of course not," Roxas answered. His words were cutting. "You don't give a damn about anyone except yourself."
"Fuck you," Axel snarled.
"You will eventually," Roxas muttered under his breath.
By some miracle, Axel did not hear him.
They spent the rest of the day in silence. Axel completely ignored Roxas and Roxas was quite content to return the favor. Roxas did not know what time it was when he heard keys jangling in the lock. A few moments later, the door opened with a loud groan.
"Who's there?" Roxas called.
"Relax, it's just me," Zack's voice said through the darkness.
"What the hell do you want?" Axel asked.
"I've got dinner for the two of you," Zack answered.
There was a pause and then a small light switched on. After a few moments, Roxas realized that Zack was carrying a small flashlight. He flashed it around the room to try and find where Roxas and Axel were.
"All right," Zack muttered. He vanished for a moment and came back with a ray. "This is for you, Axel."
He handed a tray to Axel, who looked down at the piece of beef on his tray and made a small sound of disgust.
Zack ignored him. "This is for you, Roxas."
He handed a tray to Roxas.
"Thank you," Roxas murmured.
He did the best he could to eat his dinner with the limited amount of light he had from the door and Zack's light. When he had finished, Zack took his tray away without a word. He came back briefly to take Axel's tray away and then he left them alone to their thoughts once more.
Zack entered the darkened apartment again and swiftly moved to the back bedroom. This time, he knocked on the door and waited for clearance before entering.
"Yes?" the figure asked.
"I just thought you'd want an update," Zack answered nervously.
"Yes, of course," the figure said smoothly.
"Director Xemnas decided on a punishment for Axel for disrupting the binding ceremony," Zack said.
"Oh?" the figure asked interestedly.
"Yeah." Zack nodded, though it was too dark for the figure to see. "Apparently, he decided to put him and Roxas in confinement together for three days."
"Hmm," the figure murmured. "I wonder what his reasoning is for doing that."
"I don't know," Zack said. "I brought them their dinner a little while ago. They both seemed to be all right, though the tension in the room was high." He paused for a moment. "Do you think Roxas will be all right?"
Even in the darkness, Zack knew the figure was smiling. "He's going to be fine. He's too much like his father."
Zack was surprised to hear that. "His father? I thought no one knew who the father was." He peered curiously at the figure, though it was difficult in the darkness. "Are you saying you know who Roxas's father is?"
"Sorry. I can't tell you," the figure said after a long pause.
Zack swore under his breath. "Fine, be that way. I've gotta get back before they notice that I'm gone."
"Be careful, Zack," the figure said softly.
Zack grinned. "Always."
His father was yelling at his mother for one reason or another. He didn't really know. He huddled in the shadows, praying his father wouldn't notice him.
"Boy!" his father bellowed.
His breath caught in his throat and he scrambled to his feet. He hurried forward to where his father was waiting, knowing his father would beat him if he dawdled for too long.
"Y…yes sir?" he stammered.
"Clean yourself up," his father snapped. "We're having guests."
"Yes sir." He nodded and rushed to the back bedroom where his mother was getting ready.
"Oh, Axel," she said when he entered. "Hurry and clean yourself up. Your father is expecting company soon. Wash your face."
"Yes, mama," he murmured.
He scrubbed his face until his mother was satisfied it was clean and then waited as patiently as he could while his mother untangled his long red hair. Finally, she finished and the two of them went to the front of the house to wait for their guests to arrive.
His mother tried to put on a happy smile when the guests came, but Axel could see how much of a toll they took on her. She dutifully served them cheap beer and pretended not to notice their inappropriate touches. Axel sat in the corner and tried to be invisible.
He didn't understand when his father's guests became drunk and started raping his mother. He was much too young to understand what was going on, but he knew his mother was upset, and that made him angry. He rushed forward and swung his fists around, trying to drive the men off. At only six years old, he was not very intimidating. It made his father angry, but the guests found it entertaining.
"Look at this," one of the men said, chuckling.
"Leave my mother alone!" Axel demanded.
The men only laughed.
"Your son is very angry," a second man noted.
"I apologize, Ryan," his father said. "He doesn't know his place." Axel knew by the tone his father used that he would be severely punished later.
"No, it's all right," the man named Ryan replied. "I find it amusing, actually." He cupped Axel's cheek with one of his huge hands. Axel turned his head away in disgust. "Look at me." Axel responded by giving the man a good kick in the shin.
Ryan grunted and smacked him hard across the face, sending Axel reeling.
"He's spirited, that's for sure," Ryan muttered. "And he has a mean kick too." He turned to Axel's father. "Have you tried breaking him?"
Axel's father gave a low groan. "Have I ever! The kid refuses to break, no matter how hard I hit him."
"Then, let me suggest an alternative," Ryan said.
"I'm listening," Axel's father responded.
Axel woke trembling and sweating. He shot out of bed and stumbled through the darkness, trying to find the toilet. He barely made it in time as his dinner quickly left his stomach. He gagged after he finished throwing up and tightly clutched the sides of the toilet, waiting.
When it was clear that nothing else was coming up, he shakily stood and flushed the toilet. He rinsed his mouth out with water from the sink next to the toilet and laid back on his bed. He let out a long, shaky breath. There was no movement from Roxas's corner so he assumed the blonde was sleeping.
How very wrong he was.
Roxas knew there was something wrong with Axel. He was now more sure than ever. He also knew, however, not to ask the redhead, because that would not end well, so he kept his mouth shut.
He had just begun to fall asleep when he heard Axel give a short gasp. Mystified, he waited, listening. A few moments later, he heard Axel vomiting, then flushing the toilet. Then, he heard the sink running. At last, it fell silent, save for Axel's heavy breathing. It could have been a simple case of food poisoning, or a bout of the flu, but Roxas's instincts told him that there was something deeper going on with his mate. Frustrated, Roxas rolled onto his other side, and tried to sleep.
He woke with a start when he heard keys jingling in the lock. He yawned widely and stretched out, trying to get the stiffness out of his body while mentally cursing Axel for forcing him to sleep on the floor. He was so incredibly sore after spending the night there. The door opened and Zack came in, balancing two trays.
"Breakfast time!" he called.
He delivered Roxas his tray first and then went over to the bed where Axel lay. He was surprised when the tray was pushed back at him.
"I'm not hungry," Axel declared.
"All right." Zack shrugged. He wasn't about to push Axel. He had seen the outcome of that, and it was not pretty. "I'm going to have to report this to Dr. Vexen."
"Whatever," Axel said in a bored tone.
Zack waited for Roxas to finish his meal before taking both trays out. He set them on the cart used to bring them to the confinement area and locked the door to Roxas and Axel's room. He whistled tunelessly under his breath as he wheeled the cart out of the confinement area. He left it in the kitchen and made his way to the medical facility. It was deserted, as usual.
"I need to speak to Dr. Vexen," he told the receptionist on duty.
"I'll see if he's available," the receptionist said with a yawn.
"Tell him it's urgent," Zack said.
"All right." The receptionist nodded.
She vanished into the back. Zack paced around the small reception area, trying hard to not lose his temper. At last, the receptionist reappeared, followed by Dr. Vexen.
"Come on," Dr. Vexen said. "We can go into my office to talk."
Dr. Vexen's office was small and crammed with books. Bookshelves lined the walls and even more books were stacked in messy piles on the floor.
"What can I do for you?" Dr. Vexen asked, closing the door.
"I just wanted to let you know that Axel refused his meal this morning," Zack answered.
Dr. Vexen frowned. "Did he give a reason?"
"He said he wasn't hungry," Zack answered.
"We don't have a problem with anyone else here, just him. I swear sometimes he does it on purpose just to get on my nerves," Dr. Vexen muttered.
"Sir?" Zack asked, confused. "Has this happened before?"
"Oh yes," Dr. Vexen answered. "This is not the first time this has happened, nor do I believe it will be the last. That being said, it is still a great concern to us. Tell me, are you scheduled to bring Roxas and Axel all their meals in confinement?"
"No." Zack shook his head. "I was only to bring them dinner last night and breakfast this morning."
"Did Axel eat his dinner last night?" Dr. Vexen asked.
"Yes, though he hardly touched his beef," Zack answered.
"What was served for breakfast this morning?" Dr. Vexen wanted to know.
"Pancakes and bacon," Zack answered.
Dr. Vexen did not speak for a while and seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he said, "I want you to keep an eye on Axel for the next couple of days and observe his patterns of eating. I want you to note what he eats, how much he eats, and what he refuses to eat.
"I'll speak to Director Xemnas and see that you are scheduled to bring Roxas and Axel their meals for the duration of their confinement and put on cafeteria rotation for the next week or so in order to properly observe Axel's behavior."
Zack nodded. "I understand."
He left the medical facility and went down the hallways. He knocked on the apartment door.
"Come in," a voice said.
Zack opened the door and entered the apartment. Unlike the previous two times he entered the apartment, this time it was lit.
He was in the kitchen, standing at the stove. When he heard Zack's clumsy, heavy footsteps on the tile floor, he turned, his blue eyes widening at the sight of him.
"Zack, what are you doing here?" he asked, abandoning whatever he was doing at the stove. "I wasn't expecting you to come."
"I just came by to warn you that you might not see me for the next couple days," Zack said. He let out a long breath. "I'm being assigned to watch over Axel for the next couple days."
"Why? What's wrong with him?" he asked.
"He refused his meal this morning," Zack answered.
He frowned. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"It's mostly precautionary. It's probably nothing, but apparently, Axel has refused meals before. Dr. Vexen just wants to make sure there's nothing wrong with him."
"I see," he murmured.
"I'll try to come and see you when I can, but I don't want to arouse suspicions," Zack said.
He nodded. "I understand."
There was a brief pause and then their lips came together.
"I…can't stay," Zack whispered, pulling away.
"I know," he replied. "Just…please."
He brought their lips together again. Zack could taste the desperation in the kiss, the rough pleading to not leave yet. Zack obeyed, though he knew he was not the one he really wanted right now. It had been nearly five years, but the pain was still there.
At last, Zack regained enough of his self-control to pull away.
"I have to go," he said lamely.
"I know," was the response.
"I'll see you later…Cloud."
Roxas blinked as the room was suddenly filled with light. He had been so consumed with his thoughts that he had not heard the door being unlocked. He and Axel had had another argument that had evolved into a shouting match. The thing they had been arguing about was hardly important, but Axel had started to become more irritable, and another argument had been inevitable. They had called each other every nasty name they could think of and condemned each other to very unpleasant places. They had only just lapsed into an angry silence and Roxas was still fuming when his thoughts were interrupted by the intruder.
"What is it?" Roxas snapped.
"Jeez, no need to be bitchy," Zack said from the door. "I just came to tell you that your time is up. You're being released."
"Already?" Roxas wondered.
"Yeah," Zack answered. "It's been three days."
"Wow," Roxas said softly.
"Yeah," Zack said. "Come on. I'll take you." He looked in Axel's general direction. "Someone will be by to get you in a bit."
"Why does he get to be released first?" Axel demanded.
"I don't know," Zack answered hotly. "I'm just following orders."
"Stop being such a bitch," Roxas suddenly snapped.
"Fuck you," Axel responded.
"You will," Roxas said.
"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot pole," Axel growled.
Roxas laughed quietly. "You won't be like that forever."
"Watch me," Axel snarled.
"Oh? A challenge?" Roxas asked. "I would love to see you try avoiding me once my heat comes."
"I will stay away from you," Axel growled. "Heat or not, I will never come near you."
"Are you two done?" Zack asked, trying hard to not laugh.
He had never heard anyone bicker with Axel so much before, but obviously, Roxas wasn't taking any crap from Axel. He had never met such a strong-willed person before.
No, there was one other.
"Are you okay? You look like shit!" Demyx blurted out when Roxas entered the dormitory, earning him a jab in the ribs from Zexion.
Roxas merely laughed. "Yeah, I know I look like shit. I haven't been able to shower in three days."
Demyx took the opportunity to start talking about everything Roxas had missed. As Demyx jabbered on, Zexion studied Roxas's face closely. He smiled, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Clearly, something had gone on during the confinement. When it was time for breakfast, Roxas excused himself to take a shower, and Zexion made up his mind to skip breakfast too in order to talk to him privately.
"So how was it really in there with Axel?" Zexion asked once the dormitory was empty.
"Not good," Roxas admitted. "It was a long three days."
"What happened?" Zexion asked as Roxas gathered his shower things.
"Well, for the first part of the first day, we sat in total silence. Then, I accidentally called him cold to his face and, as you might imagine, he wasn't too thrilled to hear that," Roxas answered. Zexion nodded, wincing at the image of Axel's angry face. "We ended up getting into an argument. Day two was spent in complete silence, and then today, we got into another argument that ended up turning into a shouting match."
"Wait." Zexion blinked, confused. "You and Axel shouted at each other?"
"Loudly." Roxas smiled. "It turned into a contest of who could insult the other better."
They had arrived at the community bathroom. Zexion waited outside while Roxas showered and then the two of them made a quick stop at the dormitory before heading to class.
It was apparent just how much had changed between Roxas and Axel when Roxas stepped into the classroom. Axel sent a cold glare his way, but Roxas simply returned the glare. Axel's scowl deepened, but Roxas did not appear to be intimidated. His gaze was level as he stared back at Axel. Neither of them seemed to want to give in. Zexion put a hand on Roxas's shoulder, wondering for the first time if he would have to restrain Roxas. A tense minute passed.
"Come on," Zexion finally dared to say. "Let's go take our seats. Class is going to start soon."
Reluctantly, Roxas tore his eyes away from Axel. He allowed Zexion to lead him to his seat. Demyx looked at Zexion in surprise. Zexion merely shrugged.
Roxas's behavior did not wear off after several days, or even several months. He acted the same around everyone else, but when Axel was around, he became silent and moody. Life settled down after Roxas's arrival, but the talk did not die down.
Rumors flew about Roxas and Axel's standoff in confinement and their new standoff that had come as a result of it. People were even starting to place bets about their relationship and whether one of them was going to crack or not. Demyx believed that Axel was never going to come around, but Zexion wasn't so sure. He had a feeling that Axel loved Roxas, but was trying to deny it. That was why he was so hostile toward him. True, he was hostile toward everyone, but he seemed especially hostile toward Roxas. Somehow, everything would work out, one way or another
Author's Notes
This chapter was supposed to be posted last week, but we all know that didn't happen. This chapter introduces the Cloud subplot which wasn't present in the original version. Also, Zack. I couldn't find anyone to fit the role of Ryan who's such a minor character anyway it doesn't matter. So he remains an original character.
I'm going to be holding off on posting a new chapter next weekend because I'm going to be out of town so the next chapter won't be posted until the first of February.