After a long day of delivering to every store in town and helping deliver a truck load of boxes to the new Community Theatre next to The Secret Place. Roxas finally clocked out and overheard Cloud on the phone in the office. Seems The Secret Place had made a new order that would take some time to get to the island. He heard his blond boss speak about some decent wood that came from the island itself but furniture seemed to be the biggest issue. He heard talk about a number of chairs, tables and not the normal ones for the public but truly expensive pieces. The kind that the nobility back in Radiant Garden owned. He left before he got caught eavesdropping and headed back home. He had an hour to get shower and get ready to head to the The Secret Place. Hopefully it wouldn't be too packed since this morning, every store had people in it. Many from Zanarkand and Radiant Garden respectfully.
Bombshell of Information
Chapter 10
He also so the motel near the docks had a tourist style bus sitting outside this morning. Did they plan to take guests elsewhere if the motel couldn't fit everyone in? It would be smart to have not just one but maybe more. There are at least three other empty buildings. Well, another across from the Community Theatre is empty but like that one; got bought. A sign on the door said owned by some Setzer person. It was gonna be a casino of sorts. Seeing as he couldn't see any other place called The Blackjack Club being anything else but that. After changing and leaving the apartments again. Roxas heads into town once more. Normally, only a few people were actually walking around at night. This time, more people were. The stores were also still open. Usually around seven, they all shut down but signs told him they closed at eight to accommodate the ones that got a room first then explored after. The blond just walked on to head to his normal nightly hang out.
On the way there, a voice had him stop in his tracks. A chipper, high pitched voice from behind him calling out his name. It had him turn slowly and with an obvious expression of stress, gets tackled by Demyx, of all people. Both went down and all Zexion does is walk over and look at him. Bending the top of his fingers to make a wave in his direction. Why were they here? Why did they have to pick the island...to come too? Roxas left to get away from them, to be free. He didn't leave to have Demyx follow him, friend or not. The blond just lay on the ground with Demyx atop him. All one could really do when Demyx is on them is wait for the vampire to stop rubbing his head like a cat. The action thankfully didn't last too long for him though the vampire stayed on top him.
"I missed you so much Roxy." He whines. "It just isn't the same there."
The blond just looks at him with no amusement towards his words. It had the vampire get off and let him finally stand. Dusting himself off to show the tackle didn't go over well with him. Roxas didn't even comment on what got said to him. All he did is turn and head down the street. Aware of the two following him and realizing that not only would they never leave him alone now that they knew he came here but the only true time he'd be away from them is daytime. THere went the freedom of night life for him. If only that bar opened during the day as well. Demyx asking him where they were going had him almost stop walking. Wishing to turn and just grumble a life then lead the off elsewhere but it would mean backtracking and he is already late. Not like Sora actually waited on him when opening but he enjoyed coming at least thirty minutes after they opened. The two could talk about the day, he could order food and watch the family just talk it out before they had any real clients walk in. As he approached the The Secret Place. Roxas pulls out his membership card then knocks. After a second of waiting, Goofy opens the slider.
"Membership card?" He spoke, still sporting the musketeer hat. Roxas held it up and the slider shut then the door opens. "Welcome back."
The blond walks through and before Goofy could shut the two out, got followed in by Demyx and Zexion. Making him just sigh with irritation. They were going to ruin what he had here. He knew it. Looking back at last, he just found a scowling Zexion pinch his nose shut.
"It smells of dog in here." the vampire scoffs, acting like he is ready to cough.
It also had him look at where Sora's family and himself stood. Every single one just froze and turned slowly to face the pair. Some even setting their glass and food down with pure anger in their expressions. Even Aurora, who usually is warm and welcoming looks about ready to throw a bottle or two at them.
"Well now, it smells of corpse but you don't hear us bitching about that now do you?" Sora's tone growls at him.
"Actually, you just did." Zexion spoke, voice sounding off due to the pinching of his nose. "So make your choice. Complain or be silent."
The brunet almost leapt over the bar but his mother stopped him by yelling his name. The few people that were there and clearly not part of his core family caught on and stayed silent. The few islanders that just didn't want to rock the boat even more. When Demyx and Zexion took a seat before Aurora but near Roxas enough to talk with him still, she simply looks at them with a "welcoming" smile. Clearly not wishing to serve either of them after such a comment. He wasn't sure why they would say such a thing though. These people weren't werewolves.
"I can't believe you are friends with werewolves Roxas. You know they smell right?" Demyx sighs. "I mean granted they have this...really sweet smell to their blood that just makes it soooo tempting to bite them but then you just get this really weird, animal like tint to it. Like…mince pie without the flavor."
"Gee...thanks. I'll keep that in mind next time a corpse decides to bite me. I'll simply remind them: "hey, one of you said I taste like an awful minced pie." Sora's sarcasm spoke, nearly shattering the glass in his hand. "But hey, it still isn't as bad as smelling and probably tasting like a dirty, corpsey body of dying flesh."
"Right and in the meantime, you wolves will still be Minced Pie." Zexion says.
"You know they aren't werewolves right?" Roxas spoke up. "Considering one of you told me that you hunted them all down."
Demyx laughs and with a waving hand in the air says: "oh come on Roxy, you know Axel liked to lie to your face about many things. After all…" he stopped waving his hand in the air. "You were his thrall for almost 30 years or so?"
The sound seemed to just suddenly stop at those words. Roxas didn't have to look towards Sora to know he didn't care for the tidbit. All he did is cover his face and hear lots of steps stand then. Moving somewhere while telling clients that they'd be back after a family meeting, with him present. The blond slowly looks up to see Aurora waiting for him to follow, Sora fading out of sight into a back room. She waits though and gestures for him to go first. Telling Zexion and Demyx to simply sit and be quiet and if either moved, she'd make sure they'd be banned for life. Even as he passed the two then her, she kept her eyes fixed on the pair. Following him into a very warm room with fancy chairs, tables and royal red carpet and dark oak walls. The kind of place only the most rich could afford to get into it. The door shutting had him jump and realize that the entire family is present, in one room.
"So…" Aurora began, making him slowly turn to look at her. "You are...were, a thrall."
"Wait, please. It isn't what you think. Really."
"Then explain what it is. Why didn't you tell us? She grills him, arms behind her back while heading to a chair close by her. "Why did you not trust us when we let you in and showed absolute trust." She sat, facing him. "You have the floor but you best tell us the entire story."
The blond looks from her then around the room then seeing Sora close by him. Sadly though, he is the only not looking at him. Looking away with shame and something else close to pain yet not. This wasn't the ideal situation and yet now, here it is. Breathing in then out, he looks at them all again and realized they were giving him this moment and only this moment.
"You all know I came from Radiant Garden, that is true. I never held that back from you. I was born there, raised there with my family. Back in nineteen ninety one, when I was twenty four, Axel and I met. We dated for a year though and back then being gay was frowned upon. So only my parents and sister knew. Well, eventually dad seemed to come around and the day I turned twenty five, I went to work and was told me and my father would talk. It wouldn't be bad though, it is talk is all." The blond stops and sighs as he sat in the closest chair to him possible.
Bringing all this pain he barely manage to repress. Being forced to look back upon the time where he had little to no freedom and lost everything. It proved harder than he originally thought but it is the reason this situation isn't what he hoped to run into so soon. Mentally, he just isn't ready to face this but this family would be taking no risk. He understood why they demanded answers but to the point of backing him into a corner? How is that fair?
"That same day, when I came home. I found my parents and little sister dead and all posed on the couch in a sitting position. Axel...proudly standing next to them. He said…" he covered his mouth and bite back the desire to cry. "He liberated me."
The tension in the room didn't change but glances towards the family made him realize that some had begun to catch on to what his relationship with the vampires actually is like.
"I tried to attack him…" The blond stood up and sighs, walking around the chair and leaning against it. "But being human meant he subdued me...easily and made me immortal. For years, he did that to me. Saying it would work, that I'd grow to love him...that I would desire the blood of another human but all it did was make me regret ever meeting him."
In the corner of his eye, he managed to Sora had moved closer to him.
"Another vampire, one that knew better let me get out and I fled here. All my stuff that Axel "Gifted" me is back there but I don't want it. I want nothing to do with him or that life." He looks at them now. "I swear to you, I was never a thrall. I was a prisoner there. I understand you don't like vampires but I am not here to...bring them down on you. I just want to have my life be mine."
When he stopped talking, he looked for some signs that they understood his plight and why he didn't want to bring this up. It's bad enough that he felt more like crying and curling up from all the pain it just brought back but held it all down. High hopes that they'd realize he had a traumatic experience that would stay with him for years.
"If I had known they were coming, I would have warned you but I had hopes they wouldn't find me. Now they have and it…" He breathes and shuts his eyes to keep his tears back. "Gods, I hope he doesn't find me. I can't take another round of that. I'd rather die than go back to that."
"Don't worry." A voice had his eyes shoot open and see Hayner, now standing up. "It won't."
Aerith sighs, "You aren't in trouble with us Roxas. After hearing your story, we get why you would keep that to yourself. You got...tortured with being kept alive by your family's killer." she let a deep sigh out. "I could never do that."
The blond crossed one arm and felt his tear ducts opening enough to make him cover his eyes with his free hand.
"You have our sympathy." He heard.
He let out a sad laugh as the tears kept coming now. No point in stopping the flow now. They were out and were seen. Even with just his mouth covered and eyes looking at the family in front of him. They were on his side and didn't plan to make him an enemy. Hell, they were understanding of his plight to the point where all the tension from before is gone. Replaced with sympathy. Then again, the vampires had harmed one of their own family members so clearly, they felt the sting before.
"Sorry," He says wiping his tears as fast as he could. "I haven't...talked about this in years."
"Crying doesn't make you weak. It is painful so it's only natural to cry." Aurora spoke up walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. "They have harmed us too Roxas. We cried over it as well."
Those words only served to make him cry more but he breathed and stopped himself short.
"So don't worry. Human as we may be, we can keep you safe."
Sora scoffing had Roxas look towards the brunet, "human huh?" The brunet looks at him and sighs. "Sorry."
"No, it's fine. You guys got insulted by those two referring to you as dog when...you aren't."
That had the brunet fidget and look away then look back at him, "Before you say anything else, can I ask you something?" Roxas nods so Sora continued. "What's...What's it like to be human?"
The blond's hand lowered, "What do you mean by that?"
With a sigh, Sora held up his hands and makes his nails grow and eyes turn an unnatural bright gold with fangs instead of normal teeth in his mouth, "what's it like to be human?" He asks again. "Because we aren't human."
Slowly Roxas looks away from the brunet to the rest of the family to see the same long nails and glowing yellow eyes. The comment and insult of dog finally made sense at last. They were werewolves. Yet, they never tried to imprison anyone or harm anyone. They opened a bar and served drinks, lived normal lives...lived like a human with a life. They blended in so well that no one clearly knew that a werewolf had been cooking their food, making their drinks...and the gold jewelry made sense now too. Wolves were weak to silver, like a vampire.
"You really are…" He looks from each one and sighs. "Okay, wow. How…"
"Why do you think my family is here, on the island?" Sora asks him, making him look at him. "We used to be everywhere but vampires and hunters tracked us down and now, if we ever leave the island. We risk what is left being hunted, turned into pets…"
"But we aren't like the vampires. We can't turn anyone into one of us. The only one that has been turned is Tidus." Aurora explains. "Otherwise, you must be born with this curse."
"We don't even know how Auron manage to turn me," Tidus shrugs. "Sucks but it happened."
"And now we are more careful and hide in safe shelters until our pups are over 25. After, we can control the animal in us." Aerith tells him. "We don't want this but it's how we must live."
"We are monsters." Sora sighs, looking down while Roxas's stare returns to him. "We aren't human. We can only look human."
"You aren't though." The blond sighs, walking towards him. "I have been with a monster Sora." He made the brunet look up. "I got tortured, held captive and bitten by one. You haven't shown any signs of those behaviors." He moved his hand away. "You live like a human. So all of you, are human."
The family stood and left them alone. The last being his mother telling him he had client's to tend to after. Shutting the door and leaving them to their private talk. Even if he could barely keep his eyes locked with Roxas's for a longer than a minute. He had lied to the blond who has been human this entire time after all.
"You aren't...dating a human Roxas. My kid may be a werewolf. I will always be a werewolf. I am no better than a vampire."
"But a vampire takes the blood of a human to live. You don't need anything but human food. The same food I eat is what you live on, how is that being a monster?" The blond counters. "You aren't this...horrible being Sora. I mean it. Your family is far from that. Just cause you are an animal during a full moon doesn't make you a monster. It's what you do with it that does."
"I could kill you."
"Have you yet?" the blond crosses his arms. "What did you do the first full moon I lived here."
"I...went to my silver closet and locked myself up."
"And before I arrived?"
"I did the same."
"A monster, wouldn't do that. He'd roam free tearing people apart and show no remorse. You don't want that therefore aren't one. I mean it when I say I have been with one. If Axel couldn't drink from me...he would tear someone apart and kill them." Explains Roxas. "But you haven't, don't want to. This feeling of being a monster is just cause you are insecure about who you are right now."
"You lost a family to a monster."
"And it stings, always will. That pain won't ever be gone but I have to face it every day and I am doing my best. Which means if I can face my demons one day at a time, you can do that too."
It got quiet again but Sora is no longer looking at him. Instead, he is looking away. Guilt all over his expression.
"You really aren't a monster. I wish you could see that. You're already human." Sora looked at him. "I mean it."
He didn't get anything spoken to him but the brunet pulled him into a hug and held on.
"If I help you face your demons, would you help me?" Sora asks.
Roxas let a light laugh out as he hugged back, "You don't have to make that deal with me. I already agreed the minute I heard you call yourself that."