Burn It Down
Warnings: Fluff…and sexual innuendos? And lots of detail. Oh my god, no, not detail!
Info: This is Axel's point of view, because 1) I haven't told it from his side for a while and 2) I found it easier to tell from his side. So ha! And personally, this is my most favorite chapter yet. I know, Authoress' opinions don't count, but still! I love this one a loooooot.
Chaptaire Eight: Love is in the Air
o-o-o
I guess maybe…taking Roxas to the Festival wasn't one of my brighter ideas. But what the hell was I supposed to do? Leave him there to watch it, knowing he couldn't take part in the fun? I'll tell you what.
HELL. NO.
Besides, after I was all done announcing the beginning of the Festival, we were gonna have a lot of fun. Heh, heh heh… …what?
o-o-o
I tightened the last cord on Roxas's costume, tying it off and admiring my handiwork. Roxas was bent over forward, slightly, letting me tie up his costume from behind him. I smirked at this position, but Roxas didn't seem to pay any mind. I slid my hands downwards from his waist to his hips, and pulled him toward me. I heard him squeak, and my smirk grew as I closed my eyes.
Roxas was still a good few heads shorter than me, though it's a touchy subject with him. I had to lean forward quite a bit to nuzzle into his hair, breathe in his scent. His hands were on top of mine, at his hips; I could feel him, very tense. He relaxed after a few seconds, though his hands remained in their tight hold of mine. I chuckled, and released him. His blush was bright crimson, and he straightened his (very tight) clothes.
My blonde's clothing consisted of a black theme; sleeveless turtleneck, leather pants, boots, gloves. Everything was dusted with golden sequins at spontaneous points. His mask was also black, a fitting color. It went halfway down his face, a veil going a bit past his chin. His hair was tamed a bit, though it really didn't look much different.
He gave me a disapproving look (which was corrupted by the small smile I saw as he turned away), before moving towards the window. He pushed it open, and leaned on the sill. I was lost in the beauty of the scene in front of me; Roxas was bathed in the nearly sunset's orange glow, seeming as though that's just where he belonged. I don't know how long I stared at him, watching him look down at the city. But before long, a knock on the door resounded through the room, making Roxas jump and look around, ruining the scene. I sighed in slight annoyance as I went to open the door.
"Demyx?"
"Your--- Axel. The preparations are finished. It's nearly time to begin." Now, Demyx has been angry with me ever since Roxas came into the picture. Demyx didn't like him, though that's the understatement of the year. His feelings of hatred have grown over the year that Roxas had been with us, and so had his annoyance with me grown. I pretended not to notice, however; I'd had enough to worry about at the time.
"Good. Thank-you," I said, the note of finality in my voice very apparent. After a strewn-out glare at Roxas, Demyx turned around and stalked away. I closed the door, and looked back to the disgruntled blonde.
"Axel…why doesn't he like me?" he asked, brows arched slightly. I adopted a look of surprise on my face.
"I don't get that impression." I really needed to get a clue.
Roxas glared at me. This time I really was surprised. He hadn't given me that face in a while. "Stop playing stupid, Axel."
I sighed. This kid was really spoiling things, and right before my big plan… "Don't worry about it, Rox," I said, giving him a cheesy smile.
The funny thing about Roxas, is that whenever he's angry, and you make him smile, he gets even angrier, but he's laughing on the inside. I grabbed him and forced him into a hug, holding him in my arms like there was no tomorrow. He tensed, like he usually does, then relaxed. He returned the favor, looping his arms around my torso, and burying his face in my chest.
I pulled back a bit, Roxas pouting up at me, before I put a finger under his chin and lowered my lips to his. Roxas's eyes grew wide, while I narrowed mine so that I could barely see his surprised expression. He didn't usually reciprocate a kiss when I took him off guard with one, but this time he leaned up, his eyes closing. I smirked, and leaned down farther, feeling his hands creep up towards my hair, and fisting a handful of my spikes. My hands went down to his hips again, squeezing.
Roxas's back arched, and I leaned back a bit for air, but only got a second to breath; Roxas followed and caught me again before I knew what had happened. I laughed lightly into the kiss, which seemed to aggravate my cute little blonde, making me smile.
Just as my hands began to ghost the top of his pants, a shrewd knock resounded again. "Axel! You're going to be late! Now stop fooling around and get your ass out here!" came Demyx's furious shriek. I sighed, leaning back up, closer to my regular height, and pulled Roxas to me once more.
"I'll see you in a bit," I whispered into his ear. He nodded, and looked up to me.
"I'll be waiting."
I smiled, and walked towards the door, opened it, and left, resisting the overpowering urge to look back to where I knew Roxas was standing, and where I knew he was watching me with that look of disappointment in his eyes. I shook my head slightly, mulling over how much Roxas had wormed his way into my heart. It still leaves me wondering today, really…
But, back to the task at hand. Demyx was babbling on about the importance of punctuality and how a prince such as myself should honor it, and so on. I tuned him out, thinking of the night to come. I ran through my mental checklist:
Open the Festival.
Talk to important people.
Mess around and make it look like I'm doing something.
Find Roxas.
Mess around with Roxas.
Reappear at the Festival for the second night.
Redo steps 2-5.
Reappear at the Festival for the third night.
Redo steps 2-4.
Show Roxas what I've wanted to show him.
Get Roxas back to our room.
Mess around with Roxas some more.
Declare the end of the Festival.
I went through my list over and over again, only paying attention to Demyx when he announced, "We're nearly here, sire."
I jumped, and straightened my own costume; maroon, of course; long pants, sleeveless shirt, and short cape. A lot like Roxas's, minus the sequins. Those things get everywhere. They're a bunch of bastards to clean up. My mask fit easily onto my face, feathers pasted all over the place on it; it covered my eyes, nothing more. Who the hell wears a full-face mask at a masquerade? No one, that's who.
Anyways, I arrived at the scene of the party, many people congregated in the square, eagerly awaiting the time for the party to begin. After one of the royal family announces the beginning of the Festival, tradition demands that it begin with a parade, of a sort. Women from the highest classes dress up to whatever the theme is, and this one is masquerade; mystery and magic, in other words.
Though I am royalty, not even I am allowed to see the women's costumes before the parade. It is considered a sort of 'taboo', if you will.
When I had stood up at the front of the square, silence immediately followed. I stood quietly for a moment, resisting the urge to shudder at the eeriness without any sound.
"Welcome, everyone. Tonight, as you all know, is the first night of Festival; one of the biggest holidays we in Hollow Bastion celebrate. The theme that we support tonight, a masquerade of sorts, includes all that is mysterious! Everyone, whether they want to or not, will enjoy themselves, simply from the wondrous and beautiful call of magic!
"Though we are in the middle of hard and trying times, we who are determined do not forget how to relax; we who are brave do not forget to remember those who can no longer enjoy the lustful call of our Festival; we who are strong do not forget that we will prevail!"
This earned me many cries and shouts of approval. I let them carry on a bit, hearing a few whistles in amongst the shrieks of agreement, before I put a hand up, and silence reigned again.
"We do not forget; and that is what makes us who we are. We are Hollow Bastion! Let's give everyone, everywhere, something that they will not forget either!"
With that, I stepped down, hearing the applause and whistling overtake the silence once more. A few seconds later, however, they quieted down again, a bizarre fog covering the expanse of the square. Exotic music, starting low, then getting louder and louder came creeping up from the main street. The Festival had begun.
Women were dancing, wearing what you might consider a sort of genie outfit, were ensnaring everyone's attention. No one could look away, not even if they wanted to. They sang their song, accompanied by various instruments and what I could distinctly recognize as a tambourine, in a native tongue, one that many had forgotten. However, it was still one of the most beautiful songs I'd ever heard. They were like Sirens, beautiful creatures who drew men toward them, only to trick them and kill them; proving that beautiful women are some of the darkest creatures of the underworld.
Once the magical fog was almost completely gone, the women stopped in the middle of the square, their song ended. I clapped along with everyone else, and decided to get the bad part of this festival over with.
I couldn't help thinking that right about now, Zexion was helping Roxas escape from the castle, and was bringing him to our designated meeting spot. Zexion was to keep Roxas safe, until Demyx could get there to help him do his duty. It was doubtful that even if someone noticed him, they would know he was from Radiant Garden. With that notion as the basis of my plan, I had him join the festival, ignorant to apparent dangers.
I talked to various barons and counts, dukes and their wives alike; this part was always a most atrocious and trying task, but I did my best to make it look like I really cared about their latest mistresses, the way munny was gaining and losing its value. I tried to listen, I really did. But just then, I couldn't get a certain blonde haired boy out of my head.
Once I had talked to a great deal of highly influential people, I decided that was enough. I went around, asked how different people were enjoying the party, and eyed a couple of pretty girls. Now, I may not prefer the female end of the species, but that doesn't mean I can't find them attractive. That being said, when they found my gaze upon them, they blushed and twittered in high-pitched voices. As if I couldn't hear them. I sighed, immediately remembering why I would choose Roxas over one of them, and in turn remembering that he was waiting for me. I smiled as I remembered his last words to me before I left, and started going towards one of the less occupied areas of the large square.
Once I made it over there, I immediately spotted Demyx, who was talking to Zexion. But I didn't see Roxas. I headed over to where they were, looking desperately around. Zexion noticed me, brushing his violet hair back, and bowing. Demyx also noticed, nodding his head.
"Your mistress awaits you over there," Demyx said, pointing towards the top of the stairs. I heard the snarl in his voice, but let it go. I also noticed his choice of words, raising an eyebrow at him for a moment, but disregarded that also. I looked over towards the top of the staircases that lead down the dancing floor, and saw Roxas, beautiful Roxas, standing in the middle point of the two downward spiraling staircases.
He leaned upon the seemingly frail railing, staring out at the waning dusk, his hair turned almost as red as mine from the sun's futile attempt to stay in the sky. The sight took my breath away. What seemed several eternities passed before I remembered how to move again, and I walked slowly over to him.
I did not worry about anyone finding out that Roxas was a guy; many women these days had shorter hair, and not all of them wore dresses to the Festival. So he could easily be mistaken for a young girl, and nobody is any the wiser on my discreet preference. Roxas must have noticed this also; he didn't seem too worried in his calm position.
I put a hand on his shoulder, and saw the expected flinch. He relaxed immediately once he turned, and caught sight of me.
"May I have this dance?" I asked, bowing slightly and holding out my hand. Though I couldn't see it through his mask, I could imagine the way his eyes widened, and his cheeks turned pink with a blush. I kept myself from laughing, but couldn't stop the smile that had worked its way onto my lips. When he took my hand with his own several seconds later, I carefully led us both down one of the spiraled staircases.
A new song began, and we both got in position. I wondered for a moment if Roxas knew how to dance like this, but was reassured once I felt his left hand on my shoulder, his right in my left hand. I moved my other hand to his waist, which slipped to his back for a moment to pull him closer. When he let out a noise of surprise, I couldn't help the few snickers that escaped me, for which I earned myself a haughty glare.
"Awww, did I make Roxy mad?" I asked, laughing throughout the sentence as we moved.
"Hmph. At least I'm not a pervert who delights in young boys," he said.
I thought for a moment before saying, "Would you have it any other way?"
He remained silent for the remainder of the dance, and with a last bow, I got on one knee and brought the hand I still held to my lips and kissed the knuckles. I flitted my eyes up to Roxas's, lips still not leaving, and we remained stationary for a few more seconds, pairs of people dancing around us, the song already well passed the beginning. I stood, still holding Roxas's hand, and lead us back up the stairs, and off to a rather secluded corner of the square.
Once there, I put my arms around Roxas's waist, and pulled him close to me. He put his arms around my shoulders, nuzzling into my chest. I leaned my head back against the wall, enjoying this beautiful moment. I felt Roxas's hands traveling down my arms, after that they slid down my torso, and down to the top of my pants, resting a little below my hips.
Roxas looked up, and met my gaze, a warning clear in my eyes. He challenged that, by going further; he slipped a finger underneath the top of my rather tight leather pants, and giggled. I growled, and pulled his mask off.
"You do realize what you're doing, right?" I asked, just to make sure he knew the consequences of his naughty little actions.
"No, I don't- please, do tell," he responded, getting that innocent look in his eyes. I had to close my own to keep from switching our positions and pushing him against the wall and---well.
"You're about to engage yourself in something I have no intention of putting you through," I growled, trying (and failing dismally) to control myself. I took shaky breaths as his hand continued to move farther. My hands went to his shoulders.
"Oh really? Is that so?" he asked, a touch of playful banter in his tone. I could tell he was smiling; he was enjoying this, the little bastard.
I couldn't take it anymore. I just couldn't. I grabbed his wrist, pulled his hand out of my pants and pushed him against the wall, immediately attacking his throat with my mouth. His hands went up into my hair, fisting and letting go every few seconds.
I let back, catching my breath for a few seconds, then let our lips collide together. Roxas stood as high as he could, his arms around my neck, hands still in my hair. My own hands were at his hips, squeezing every once in a while, making him moan quietly.
I heard footsteps pass by not too far away, and broke off from Roxas, from whom I know I heard a whine. I smiled again at his cute antics, looking away and towards the busy square, still in my line of sight. I figured that we'd better either stop, or go somewhere with more privacy, or risk getting caught; I personally was up for number two. I handed Roxas back his mask, and watching him put it on with that cute simpering pout on his lips, and laced his fingers with mine as I lead us back to the square.
You see, since the square is right out in front of the palace, I can go back near the palace without anybody giving it a second thought. I also knew about this small courtyard, surrounded by trees and other plants that make it impossible for any outsider to intrude in unless they know how to get in. As far as I know, Demyx and I are the only ones who are aware of it.
Like I said, it's rather small; it has high walls covered with vines, large trees that are more than twenty-five feet tall on the sides, soft grass on the bottom, and a single tree in the middle. I led Roxas for a few minutes, knowing he was curious as to where I was taking him. I stopped in the middle of a hallway, and kicked the bottom part in; it was a false wall right there, covering the entrance to my 'secret hideout', as it was when I was smaller.
I ushered Roxas in, he bent over and got on his hands and knees, crawling through the small space for a few yards, and coming out to find the night sky above him, and foliage surrounding him. It was nearly a full moon tonight; tomorrow was the exact full moon, as it always was on the second night of Festival. I made sure to close the door behind me, and emerged a few seconds after Roxas.
He turned to me and smiled. "This place is beautiful."
"So are you," I said, walking up behind him and embracing him again. He held my arms loosely in his grip around his chest, and looked up, past the tree and at the star-filled sky. Roxas turned around in my grip, and looked up into my eyes. I felt like he was looking straight into my soul.
"Axel…do you love me?"
I was quite taken aback at this question. I mean, the answer was obvious; of course I did. But how was I supposed to say that? 'Yes Roxas, I've loved you ever since I first saw you, in the midst of battle!' I think not. So I blinked a few times, and came to a decision.
"Yeah…I think I do." Now, I could have been brassier on that line, but hey; the content of the answer is more important than the way you say it, right?
Roxas smiled. "Then show me."
A/N: Oh, WHO'S EVIL? ME, THAT'S WHO! Ha, hahahahahahaha! You know you love me anyway! Heehee, this chapter is longer than usual, and I have to break the first day of Festival in half. Well, more like three-fourths of it in this chapter, one-fourth of it next chapter. Wheeee. Okay, please tune in next time for---! The next chapter! YAY!
The end is near… -Revalations-
