"All this time...and you never..." His fists clenched hard again. Roxas shook with frustration, glaring at his lover bitterly, his voice raised to shouting once more.
"Roxas-"
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" he snapped, causing Axel to flinch slightly. Moving his knees, the blond got right up into Axel's face, pounding a fist on his chest again. "YOU WERE ALIVE ALL THIS TIME, BUT YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME? YOU NEVER SENT ONE LETTER! YOU NEVER CAME HOME!" The boy choked out a loud sob before he pressed forward, burying his face in the redhead's chest, trembling terribly.
"I thought you were d-dead, Axel..."
The redhead looked down at him sadly, feeling fists change to hands as they clutched desperately in the fabric of his shirt. Slowly, carefully, Axel worked his arm around the blond again and held him close, running the hand over his back comfortingly. But he didn't speak, not even to say comforting words to soothe him. Even when Roxas was practically in his lap, clinging to him so desperately, all the redhead did was hold him tenderly. He knew words would not help now; they would only serve to rile the boy further, pushing him further away.
With time, Roxas calmed down on his own, slowly stopping the stream of sniffles and cries until he simply rested quietly against Axel, his face pressed into that warm chest, inhaling that scent of sweat and fresh spring grass. It was so familiar, brought back so many memories...
'Axel...He's really here.' Clutching the fabric of his shirt even tighter, Roxas found comfort in that. He wanted everything to be alright again...and yet...
With his voice hoarse from crying and muffled in Axel's shirt, the boy whispered, "Why?"
The redhead looked down at him sadly. With his other hand, Axel cupped the boy's face and gently tilted it upwards. Wet blue eyes met his, looking so soft and fragile. It very nearly broke his heart, but at the same time, he felt so much joy, just seeing Roxas again. The boy he had missed so dearly, still so beautiful with his puffy, red eyes and sniffling nose.
"I'm sorry..."
Roxas was prepared to snap back, to push away and demand an explanation, but the feel of soft lips upon his own silenced his frustration immediately. The caress of those lips was so familiar, so warm, that at first he kissed back blindly, unable to pull away. Axel gently caressed his cheek, wiping the left-over tears away as he caressed the boy's lips with his own, deepening the kiss.
In his heart, the boy was so happy that Axel was alive, that for several minutes he let his mind go blank, allowing the passionate kiss to continue. He wanted to forget the pain and sadness so badly, but as he opened his eyes and gazed into Axel's soft green ones, he knew he was giving in too easily. In this act, he was giving forgiveness before it was rightfully earned.
With only a small voice still protesting in his head, Roxas pulled back abruptly from the sultry kiss, catching his breath and letting the fog lift from his mind. Axel followed him quickly, hoping to continue, but Roxas refused to give in. With a deep scowl, the blonde pushed him back and slapped his cheek again. That would surely wake him up.
The redhead blinked, rubbing his now very red cheek. He looked very confused.
"Roxas-"
"No, Axel! Don't think that I'm forgiving you so easily!" The blond crossed his arms and looked away pointedly. He wanted to show Axel he meant business. "You're going to tell where you've been and why you didn't come home! I refuse to kiss or speak to you again until you do!"
After a moment, a startled laugh answered him. He turned to see Axel laughing loudly, so hard almost to the point of tears. Roxas blushed heavily, but sharped the glare at his lover.
"It's not funny!"
The redhead wiped his eyes and gave him an adoring look.
"Forgive me, Roxas. It's just...I worried for so long, that when I found you at last, you would be a different person. It killed me to learn that you became engaged to Xigbar; I was angry, but I understood how it could be possible. I came looking for you, only to find you being abducted. And just now, I saw you break down in tears. I feared that it was I who had done that, hurting you and disrupting your happiness, even now." The redhead's smile grew then.
"But now I see. You're the same stubborn boy I love...And you still love me."
Roxas blushed again, huffing and turning away from the man. In truth, he was struggling to keep a firm frown on his face. It was hard to stay mad at Axel, even when he spoke so foolishly. And Roxas had missed him so. He longed to let the redhead hold him, kiss him like he wanted... But right needed to be put to right, and simply apologizing did not make everything the way it was before. He needed to remember that, and Axel needed to remember it too.
The redhead stood up and took a step toward him, but Roxas was up quickly, taking a step back as well.
"I meant what I said, Axel! You're going to tell me everything right now, or I'm going home without you!" Even though he had no idea where he was or even how to get back. Axel probably knew this, but he mercifully didn't tease the blond for it.
Instead, he smiled helplessly, before looking back over the hill as he had done before. Roxas had a feeling he knew what the gesture meant. Xigbar and his men were still on their heels, and quickly approaching.
"I will...But perhaps we can talk while we walk?"
The boy nodded, but stood there still for a moment, firmly keeping the pout on his face. Axel laughed again, beckoning him down into the ravine with his hand.
"Then shall we?"
Roxas brushed the dirt from his clothes, turning his head proudly before he moved to follow Axel. They walked side by side down the hill, though the blond kept a small bit of distance between them, flinching and smacking him whenever Axel casually tried to reach for his hand. For his part, the redhead just smiled as he watched his lover struggle with himself. He knew Roxas wanted to forgive him, and would soon enough.
As much as he hated to think of it, he had earned this brief, pitiful display of coldness. And he deserved so much more.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Fire Swamp was a dark, dank bog, where mist rose up from the foul water and gathered at the base of the trees, obscuring the path through. The sky was almost completely hidden by the canopy, but there was just enough light to see what obstacles lay before them. Only now, as Roxas took in his surroundings with a kind of fearful awe, did the boy finally accept Axel's hand. And even though he claimed that it was only so Axel could lead the way, the occasional squeezing pressure told the redhead that that wasn't entirely true. He looked back every now and again as they walked, noticing how Roxas gazed around at the trees and the shadows. The boy was stubbornly avoiding his eyes for the most part, but his jumpiness only added to his frustrations, making him even more conflicted. Axel would laugh at him, only making the blond blush deeper and lengthening the time it would take to get back in his good graces.
"This way, Roxas." He gave a small, encouraging squeeze to the hand clasped tightly in his, and Roxas looked away from the gnarled tree he had been eyeing for several minutes already. Meeting amused, sparkling green eyes, the blond huffed heavily, striding forward more courageously than he probably felt. He didn't need Axel to lead. Earlier, when he had been so exhausted, Axel had offered to carry him for a while. But Roxas refused that as well.
He didn't want Axel to see him as weak. At least, not any more weak than the man should have guessed already.
As they walked, the redhead began again. "So, as I said, the part about my saying 'please' was all true. Roberts was intrigued by my appeal, and decided to keep me around as a valet."
Roxas took a moment to process this, accepting Axel's other hand as the older boy helped him over a thick fallen log.
"But how can that be? I thought the pirates never take prisoners."
"True, not many have before," Axel said causally. "But I'm very thankful that he did. I'll never know what that man had buzzing about in his head...but the rest is history. I am now in charge of the dread Pirate Roberts's crew."
"But he's been marauding twenty years!" the blond replied, looking briefly to the side as he saw a rush of movement behind the trees. A moment later, he swore he must have imagined it.
"You only left me four years ago. Almost five. Why would he give over command of his ship to a valet?"
"Well, I'll tell you," the redhead replied, grinning widely. "You see, about a year or so ago, I was called into his cabin to speak with him. He told me that I had worked hard, and that he had deemed me worthy of knowing his secret. 'I am not the dread Pirate Roberts,' he said." Roxas looked up at him, forget for a moment that he was supposed to be angry. His eyes widened, rapt with attention, and Axel chuckled lightly at his curiosity.
"It's true," he told the boy, "He went on to tell me that his name was Ryan, and he had inherited the ship, just as I would inherit it from him. The man he inherited it from was not the real Roberts either. It turns out the real Roberts had been retired fifteen years, and was living like a king in Patagonia."
"That's...amazing..." Roxas was astounded to think that the terror of the high seas was really a succession of men, passing on a single ship from one to the next. The pirates had such a reputation now...
Remembering something about the conversation, Roxas turned back to Axel and asked honestly, "But wait, if you are in charge of the ship, then-"
The redhead seemed to have sensed the question, because a finger flew to Roxas's lips and cut him off. Axel smiled warmly. "Now that I've found you again, I shall retire and hand the name over to someone else." When Roxas went to protest, Axel shook his head. "A pirate ship is no place for us. It is a hard life, full of grit and pain, and I would never wish it anyone, especially those with a means of escaping it."
"Axel-"
Just as Roxas spoke, there came a strange sound. It was the sound of popping coming from the ground, and Axel immediately looked around, scanning the ground for disturbances. Before Roxas could eve ask what was wrong, a column of fire rose up from the ground beside him, so close that he could feel sweat beginning to drench his forehead. He moved too quickly in a moment of panic, and cried out in pain as the fire scorched his hand. The fire disappeared almost as quickly as it had come, and Roxas hunched over on his knees, whimpering and cradling his left hand.
"Roxas!" The redhead was by his side instantly, checking to make sure he wasn't burned anywhere else. Tears were streaming from the blond's eyes as he crushed the injured hand against his chest, hoping in vain that pressure might take his mind of the searing pain of the wound. It was so painful, he almost couldn't take it.
"Roxas," Axel said, more calmly this time, as he reached out for the hand. "Let me see it."
"H-Hurts..." came the soft, pained murmur. Roxas was keeping his head down, trying to hide the tears, but he couldn't keep the tremors from his voice.
"I know, Roxas, but you have to let me see it." After a few more minutes of coaxing, the boy reluctantly extended his hand. Axel took it gently in his and examined the burn. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't fatal either. He ran his thumb over the red area lightly, feeling Roxas flinch and try to pull the hand away.
"It's alright," the older boy soothed, pulling a small canteen of water from his bag. He opened it and tested that the water was cool before pouring it over the hand. Roxas hissed a little, but then sighed as the sting was relieved a bit, if only temporarily. Axel then pulled out a tiny vial from his pocket, which turned out to be some kind of lotion. Roxas watched curiously as he rubbed the gel between his fingers.
"It's always good to come prepared," the redhead said simply, beginning to rub the stuff over Roxas's wound. "This should help with the pain and prevent infection. I'll wrap it lightly for a little extra protection." Suiting word to deed, he tore one of the sleeves of his shirt slightly and used the material to wrap the hand. It was loose enough to let the wound breathe a little, but not enough that the bandage would fall off.
Roxas wiped away his tears with his good hand, blushing when Axel kissed the back of his left hand, right over top of the wound.
"H-How did you know to bring that?" He indicated the vial now laying empty on the damp grass. Axel smiled, setting his hand back down on his knees.
"Well, when one might venture into a place called 'The Fire Swamp,' it helps to educate oneself and take precaution." The blond blushed darker and looked away, but a hand touched his cheek and turned it gently to face Axel again. The redhead leaned forward slowly, giving Roxas plenty of time to back away if he wanted. But he didn't want to. Not this time.
When Axel's lips closed over his this time, Roxas didn't think of pushing the man away. There was no need. Axel had never meant to hurt him in the first place.
The kiss was warm and sweet, and Roxas found that he loved every minute of it. It didn't make up for everything, but it was enough for now...