For You

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Chapter Seven - Attack

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Two weeks closer to his birthday and Axel was feeling the excitement coursing through his whole being. Everything seemed to be looking up for him once he learned the slate-haired teen's secret. Even Roxas seemed to hold his tongue, forcing the fact that Axel wouldn't let the blue-haired man leave out of his mind.

"Hey, Roxy!" Axel gripped his friend from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around the smaller teen. The blonde didn't protest, turning to the redhead once the teen released him.

"What're we doin' for lunch today, Axe? You stayin' here?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah. Saï is busy. Said he was busy until sometime this weekend." Roxas couldn't help but smirk at the child-like expression that lined his friend's features. "Aww, Roxy, you're mean! Don't smile about that! It's bad news!"

Roxas' smirk grew at his best friend's whine and pout. "I'm sorry, Axe. You're just acting like a big kid. It's cute. Just be glad that you'll get to hang with him soon, though."

Axel broke into a smile before gaping at his friend. "Whoa, wait, what? You didn't ... You didn't snap at me for talking about my Saï!" The redhead gripped the blonde in another hug, snuggling into those golden locks. Before Roxas could reply or shove the redhead off, a voice broke through them.

"What are you doing still with that horrid excuse of a human?"

Axel turned to the slate-haired teen behind him, sighing, raising an eyebrow when he noticed the teen twice his size looming behind the younger. "Sorry about what happened to you, Zexion. I heard about it now. But I still love him." Turning to leave the younger teen that was so determined to get him away from his lover, Axel forced Roxas down the hall before him until he felt a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't the petite hand of his lover's nephew. Instead, bulky, sausage-like digits pulled him back, away from the blonde. "Wha-" was all he managed before he felt a balled fist collide with his cheek.

"Axel!"

Axel didn't realize what had thrown him to the floor until he felt the weight pressing down on his waist, his body being trapped beneath an immovable mass. Roxas tried to move towards him, but was shoved out of the way by the teen pummeling his best friend. Axel croaked out a warning, reaching out to the blonde. "Roxas! Just go! Don't get involved in this! Just go!" The blonde gaped at his best friend, about to protest before he watched those sausage-fingers wrap around the redhead's throat. Horror written on his features, he quickly darted away. Axel felt a stone sink in his stomach as he began his struggles.

A second fist was slammed into his cheek and he cried out in pain as well as he could manage, his breath being lost to the tight grip on his throat and his senses being knocked about as his temple crashed against the floor. "Do not kill him, Lexaeus. I do not need you to go to jail."

The orange-haired muscle-man grunted a growl at the slate-haired teen before loosening his grip ever-so-slightly, allowing the redhead to take in a few gasping breaths. "Leave Saïx, Axel. I won't allow you to continue with that ... thing."

Struggling, his fingers gripping uselessly at the digits still stealing his oxygen, Axel thrashed below Lexaeus. "Get this thing off me first." In response, the fingers were pressed deeper into his throat, causing him to gag, his eyes bulging in panic. Again, a fist rained down on his face. He felt the first trickles of blood begin to slither down over his lip, into his mouth and down over his chin.

"You are in no position to bargain." Axel groaned, glaring up at the slate-haired teen that stood behind his attacker, his eye slowly closing as it began puffing up.

"Just leave me alone, Zexion." The redhead groaned once more as he realized how slurred his voice had become. He could feel the bubbling blood in his mouth and almost began to panic farther before he realized that would only result in the grip around his neck tightening.

A swift kick to his writhing shin made him cry out. "You are not going to learn how horrid of a creature that man is, are you?"

"I just don't care!" Another kick and Axel tried desperately to pry the fingers off his throat. His vision was beginning to blur and he felt his world spinning. "Please! Just leave me alone!"

There was a loud thwack and the grip tightened before loosening slightly. Another resounding crack and Lexaeus hissed in pain. Axel wasn't sure what was going on until he heard the blonde scream out, "Get the hell off him, you big, ugly brute!" A third thwack and Axel could breathe as Lexaeus pulled back off him. The orange-haired teen growled, appearing to change targets before a fourth crash bounced around Axel's dizzy mind. The heavy teen was still sitting on his stomach, no signs of getting up any time soon. "Get away from him!"

"Who do you think you are, you little punk-ass kid?" Lexaeus shifted to his feet, shocking the redhead. He forced himself to look up at his best friend that had come back for him, noticing the meter-stick that was being held in both of the younger teen's shaking hands like a sword. A determined glower dominated his features and he moved forward, slamming the edge of the meter-stick down onto the bulky teen's shoulder, another thwack ringing out.

"Leave Axel alone! He didn't do anything wrong! Accept it, Zexion, or this thing'll be comin' at you, too!"

The orange-haired teen finally backed away, sick of being beaten with the stinging wood. Zexion didn't dare move out from behind his shield, but he still spoke with his cocky authority. "Would you really attack me?"

"Would you test it?"

Zexion's grin slipped away as Roxas stepped forward, moving over Axel's crumpled body, bringing his weapon down on the muscle-bound teen, causing the stick to shatter into two pieces, the end being left sharp and far more dangerous. "Get away from here, you jerk-offs!"

Zexion glared, growling at the moaning redhead. "I will be informing the authorities about your relation with my uncle, Axel." And then the threat was gone, running down the hall, the behemoth galloping with surprising speed behind its master. Axel didn't bother to respond to the slate-haired coward.

"Axel, are you okay?" Roxas fell to his knees beside his best friend, pulling the teen's head into his lap. "Axel?"

"Rox? ... Rox, that was ... that was really brave of you."

"You were in trouble. I wasn't just going to leave you there."

"Thanks, lil' buddy." Axel's consciousness was waning, his head throbbing with pain. Already bruises were forming on his neck and cheek, blood dribbling down over his chin from his split lip. "Can I ... ask another favor?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Call Saï. He needs to know. I need him to come get me."

"But-"

"I need him to come get me, Rox."

The blonde sighed. "Where's your phone?"

"Pocket."

Roxas shuffled his hand into the elder teen's jean pocket, producing the phone that, thankfully, hadn't been landed on in the tussle. His fingers worked through the speed-dial, thankful that he had been correct about the redhead placing his lover's number in the midst of his best friends. He waited for painful seconds for the blue-haired man to pick up, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Axel? Is this you?"

"Kinda. It's Roxas."

"Roxas? What's the matter? I told Axel to call me only if it was an emergency when I was at work."

"Well, I'd call this an emergency."

Silence met his words for a moment until Saïx regained his bearings, his voice hurried and urgent when next he spoke. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

"Not really. Axel's hurt. He just got the shit beat out of him by some hired muscle working for Zexion."

"Zexion hurt Axel?"

"Zexion's lackey, yes."

"Is he okay?"

"He'll live. He's just asking for you now. He needs you. ... That's hard for me to say, you know."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

Axel prodded the blonde, having regained enough senses to be able to make a proper sentence. "Let me ... talk to him." Roxas informed Saïx of the passing of the phone before he handed the device down to the drowsy redhead. "Hey, babe. I know you said only in emergencies, but, I need you right now."

"Are you going to be okay? Should I take you to the hospital?" Axel shook his head before remembering he couldn't be seen.

"I'll be okay. I've been better, but as long as I'm not in school, I'll get better."

"Alright, well, I'll go tell the boss that I'm leaving for a while and I'll see you soon, okay, babe?"

"Alright."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

Roxas took the phone back from the pained teen, ending the call and slipping it back into Axel's pocket. "So, what now?" Axel had closed his eyes, trying to dull the pain.

"I need to get you out to the theatre doors. Do you think you could help me?"

Axel nodded, but groaned at the movement. "Yeah, I think I can manage. At least a little." The blonde helped the elder teen to his feet, supporting Axel with his hand around the redhead's waist. He heard the taller teen chuckle and glanced up to see what was so funny. "You're face is really red," Axel supplied, squeezing the blonde close, smirking even though it forced fire over his lip. Roxas frowned, but the red in his cheeks grew deeper.

"Well, duh. I just broke a meter stick over some dude's head."

Axel shuffled along, emerald orbs grazing over the blonde. "Are you sure it isn't because you lo-"

"Don't say it, please."

The elder teen pulled the younger closer, hearing the defeat in the smaller's voice. He didn't want to push it, but he was having a hard time resisting the urge to gloat that he had been right. Only the pain was holding him in check. Roxas wasn't looking up at his best friend, focusing on getting the two out to meet with the redhead's lover.

"You know ... I know you know that you were right. I like you, a lot. That's the only reason that I slammed that Lexaeus dude. I just don't want you to say anything about it. The last thing I need is you gloating about it. And I don't want you getting a big head."

Axel smirked despite the pain, seeing the meeting spot approaching in staggering steps. "So, me and Dem finally wore off on you, eh?"

Roxas didn't answer, focusing on getting the steadying redhead to the spot where his lover was supposed to sweep him away. "Rox." Axel became deadweight to the blonde, slumping down on him. "Rox, you know that I love Saïx, right?" The blonde refused to open his mouth, dragging the resisting teen. "Rox?"

"Yeah, I know."

"And you also know that I love you and Dem, right?"

The blonde raised an eyebrow, prickling as he watched the familiar car move up beside them. "You ..."

"In a different way. You two are my best buds, Rox. Without the two of you ... Without you ... Jeez, I woulda died today. But you saved me. Thanks, man."

Roxas looked down at the ground, feeling the weight shift from his body. "Axel!" The redhead was almost at the blue-haired man's vehicle. He stopped, one hand on the handle, waiting. "Stay safe, okay?"

Axel smirked back at his best friend, feeling the ache of the bruise welling up on his cheek. "I do my best, bud." The blonde couldn't help but smile, reassured, as the redhead slipped into the car.

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To be Continued

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Please don't hate me or Zexion. :D He's still a good guy. Just doesn't want anyone else going through what he had to live through. Even though it was his own fault. :D

~xbuttonsx~