Oh you guys are in for a treat
I hope you all enjoy this :)
The Priestess
Axel couldn't stop tapping his foot. The echo bounced off all the walls in the room. And it was taking everything in Roxas not to slap the man. They had woken up early in the morning with Axel's head resting on Roxas's chest. What should have been the start of an awkward day fizzled away when Roxas quietly asked if the redhead was feeling any better.
Now the two were eating breakfast alone since they had slept in, "So more training today?" Roxas asked to try, if anything, to get Axel to stop that blasted toe tapping.
"Yeah. Your brothers are improving faster than I anticipated. Let's hope you learn just as quickly as them." Axel finished the last of his food and stood from his stop, "I should head out there and see if Sora and Ven warmed up or if they're lazing about." The sadistic smile on Axel's face told Roxas that the redhead secretly hoped that his brothers hadn't warmed up.
Roxas watched the man go and let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he and Axel had come to their agreement, and things seemed to be progressing quite nice. But there was a nagging voice in the back of the blond's head that told him that this was all an act. Nothing Axel was doing was sincere and he was just playing Roxas.
The blond shook his head and stood. He did not care about what Axel's motives were. What Roxas wanted was for the chance to bring his best friend to his new home. So why did he feel disappointed?
~X~x~X~x~
"Can we stop now?" Sora panted. He was doubled over with his hand holding him up by his knees, "I still have to report to General Basch."
Axel looked up at the sun. It was too early to stop. They still had a good hour left. But the redhead had other things to occupy his mind with, "I don't see why not. But tomorrow I want both of you to work twice as hard. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Both Sora and Ventus chimed in unison.
Sora quickly left so he could grab a nap before he needed to meet up with Basch for his second round of training. Ventus went to retreat back into the castle but was called back by Axel.
"I need your help with something." The redhead looked a bit nervous. He rubbed his arm and looked around to see if there was anyone in earshot.
Ventus approached Axel with a smile, "Yeah? Do you need any Roxas advice? Because I'll help you as long as it's not to extort him or anything."
"No, I just was just curious about this kingdom's religion. I know Carbuncle and Ifrit ideologies are different, but I wanted to see where they were similar too. One of the reasons for the war was because of our gods. So, if mine and Roxas's marriage was to end the war, wouldn't it also make sense for us to understand each other even on a religious stand point? That way something like this won't happen again." Axel explained.
"Yeah? That's awesome!" The blond bounced on the balls of his feet out of excitement, "But I don't think I can properly explain things to you. Why don't you go to the temple? I'm sure the priestess would be more than happy to answer any questions you have."
Axel nodded. Maybe talking to her would help more then Ventus. The redhead had other questions that needed answering, but he wasn't sure Ventus was the right person to ask, "I think I'll do that. Thanks Ven." The redhead excused himself so he could get his horse.
As Axel rode through the town he was surprised at how friendly everyone was. People didn't seem to fear him as he trotted down the streets. Instead they all would wave or call out a hello. The temple wasn't hard to find. It sat in the middle of the town. The tall steeple could be seen over all of the houses and businesses. The large stained glass windows reflected beautiful colors onto the ground and shimmered in the sunlight. Axel tied Zephyr outside and walked in.
The inside of the temple was eloquent. The long pathway was covered in a soft purple rug. Flanked on both side were columns of marble that were wrapped in gold. At the end of the walkway was a statue that was so large it almost touched the glass ceiling. Carbuncle was usually depicted as a small god. It almost looked like a fox, but instead of one tail it had three. In the middle of the god's forehead was a large ruby that glowed in the afternoon sunlight.
"What a sight." A voice said, making Axel startle. A young woman walked into the light. Her dark pink hair that was tied off into pigtails fell in ringlets over her shoulders. A pink crop top and loose brown skirt showed off the girl's slim midriff. The beads on her many necklaces and bracelets jingled with her every move, "It's not every day that we see a prince from a foreign kingdom in a sacred temple of another god."
"Who are you?" Axel demanded. He didn't know why he felt so uneasy. It may have been something to do with her all-knowing, bright green eyes.
The girl just smiled and tilted her head, "My name's Vanille. I take care of this place."
"So you're the priestess?"
Vanille nodded and touched the side of the Carbuncle statue, "I am. And we've been waiting for you, Prince Axel. We understand you have something important to tell us."
The man swallowed. How did she know his name? "How would you know why I came?"
"You're afraid. You seek answers that only I can give." The woman walked away from the statue and approached Axel. Her hand clasped behind her back as she walked closer, "Why would someone as loyal to Ifrit as you come to Carbuncle for sanctuary?"
"I was just curious about the war and how our deities played in it. I mean Carbuncle's supposed to be peaceful, so wouldn't the people here be as well? Why would the war last so long?"
"Is that really your question?" Vanille hummed in disappointment, "Well I guess I'll humor you for now. Ifrit is God of War correct?" She didn't wait for the redhead's answer, "Carbuncle does teach peace, but he also is the god of defense. You attack us and we'll protect our own and destroy anyone who dares come after what we cherish the most. Your ancestors long ago wished to possess something of ours and wanted to take it by force."
"So we caused the war?" Axel was taken aback by that. His whole life Axel had been taught that Lamina invaded their lands.
"Yes. There are some things that should not be gathered, and Ignis wished to possess them for power. And try as we might, our treasure still ended up in your family's land not too long ago." Vanille frowned and looked back on the statue, "Carbuncle said to not worry, it's in good hands, but I still can't help it."
What the woman was saying confused Axel, "What do we have? I've never heard of these items."
"The knowledge of the items was lost early in the war. It would have been too dangerous for others to know. Only the caregivers of the temples know each kingdom's respective item. I'm sorry but I cannot tell you anymore. It is for the best." Axel frowned at that. Now he was more curious than before. He wanted to ask more but Vanille spoke again, "Now it's my turn to ask something. Why are you really here Prince Axel?"
"I…I've gone against one of Ifrit's laws, and now I don't know what to do. I keep having these dreams that wake me in the night, and I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts at all. Yet my body betrays me." The redhead looked away, ashamed of what he was saying and even more for what he was thinking.
"And what law would that be? Did you happen to fall for our littlest prince? Are your dreams of you and Prince Roxas? You are afraid to be cast into Hell because of your homosexual relationship, aren't you?" Axel tensed at her words, giving Vanille her answer, "You must realize that your marriage with Prince Roxas not only united kingdoms, but also deities. Maybe it's time that you started to find peace in yourself and accept who you really are. I can smell fire and ash on you. Ifrit smiles on your marriage. The old ways are done with, so you can love and embrace your husband with no shame."
Axel didn't look convinced, but it seemed like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders, "I never said I loved him."
The priestess gave the redhead one last smile, "I'm afraid it's getting late and I have other duties I need to go attend to. It was lovely meeting you Prince Axel. I wish both you and Prince Roxas a happy and prosperous marriage." Vanille bowed and went to the back of the temple.
Axel heard a door open and close somewhere and assumed he was now alone. The redhead looked up at the statue and frowned. So Ifrit and Carbuncle were united as well now? He had never heard of something like that happening before when kingdoms married into each other before.
~X~x~X~x~
"Did you have fun?" Roxas jumped up from the stair case he and Hayner had been sitting on and leaned over the banister to greet the man who had just walked into the palace.
Axel quirked an eyebrow at the blond, "I guess? What are you doing up there?" Despite himself Axel felt a smile spread across his face as he looked up at Roxas.
Roxas tilted his head to the side, "Waiting for you. What does it look like?" Axel heard Hayner groan from his seat on the stairs. Who knew how long Roxas made him sit there.
"Yeah? Why would you do something like that?"
Roxas looked flustered for a moment. Almost like he didn't even know the answer, "Well, Ven said you went out and I just wanted to know if you enjoyed your time out in town. I mean you were out all day so you must have liked it right?"
It was late in the day. Axel couldn't go back to the castle after he had left the temple. He just wasn't ready to go face Roxas, so he rode his horse around and explored the town until the sun started to set. The prince even talked to a few of the locals to pass the time. Everyone seemed happy to meet him and all extended their congratulations back to Roxas. Most of the people offered him food or some trinket in respect.
"Yeah, it was fun I guess. The people here are really nice."
"Oh? They're not like this to you in Ignis?" Roxas cocked his head to the side. It was obvious he was trying to get a feel for his new home.
Axel just shrugged, "Not really. They're respectful most of the time. But they tend to leave us alone for the most part."
"Oh. Well at least you enjoyed your time out." Roxas smiled and Hayner gaged somewhere in the background. The younger price frowned and turned to glare at his friend, "Don't you have a nurse or someone to go woo?"
"Whatever. You're just jealous." Hayner ran up the stairs to go find his girl, leaving Axel and Roxas alone in the entranceway.
"So," Axel suddenly realized how alone the two of them were. He could feel his heartbeat quicken. Shit when did this start happening? "What did you do all day?"
"Nothing much. I wanted to go out riding, but Olette wouldn't let me." The blond crossed his arms and pouted a little bit, "So me, Ven, and Sora played a board game. Did you know that since you cut them some slack Captain Basch went extra hard on Sora?" Roxas laughed a bit, "He could not stop bitching about how tired he was and he was covered in bruises."
Axel cracked a smile as well, "Well it looks like I can't do that again. Or maybe I should talk to Basch and intensify Sora's training. I mean he still has enough energy to talk, so we must be doing something wrong."
"Don't you dare." Speak of the devil. Sora was walking down the stairs, clutching onto the banister for balance, "I can barely stand as is."
"But you still are, so that just means you have enough energy left. Maybe I should have you run an extra lap while carrying weights." Green eyes looked the brunet up and down, "Yeah that should work. And of course Ven'll have to do it too."
"That's just evil." Roxas mumbled.
Axel looked down on the blond, "Yeah? Well you'll hate me even more once you're healed up. I'll work you twice as hard so you can play catch up."
Sora pointed at his shocked looking brother and laughed, "Ha! Soon you'll know my pain!"
"What are you laughing at? At least I won't have Basch on my ass when it's over." Roxas spat back.
Sora slowly made his way down the stairs, "Better than having Axel on it twenty-four seven. But I'm pretty sure you're used to that by now." The brunet stuck his tongue out.
Roxas glared daggers. It was war.
"At least I don't look like Vanitas."
Axel stood in between the brothers, just in case things heated up anymore.
"Well at least I have muscle. I bet you wouldn't last a day under the harsh training."
"I'll show you muscle." Roxas started to storm up to his brother, only to be halted by a strong hand holding his upper arm, "Let me go!" He tried to pull out of Axel's hold but the man was too strong, "Axel let me the fuck go!" Tears started to prick at his eyes.
"Roxas calm do-"
"No!" The blond kicked Axel in the shin. The man cursed out in pain and let go of the slim arm. In a flash Roxas was up the stairs and out of sight.
Sora watched the whole scene with a slack jaw, "What the hell was that?" He demanded as he advanced on Axel, "Why did my brother freak out when you touched him? I thought you two were okay now. Ven said that he saw you two…" The brunet gasped, "You raped him again didn't you." The prince's voice dripped with venom.
Sora advanced on Axel with a clenched fist, "You fucking bastard!" He swung at the man, but Axel managed to grab the arm and pin Sora against the nearest wall. There was a small part of him happy that the guards were stationed outside and all of the palace's servants were busy somewhere else. If anyone caught what he was doing he could get into serious trouble.
"I didn't do anything." He growled into Sora's ear, "I don't know why he did that. I never did anything to Roxas and what Ven saw was just bad timing. I would never do anything to Roxas without his consent."
"Oh, now you'll ask for his consent!? Where was the consent back then huh? Bastard if you did anything to him I'll-"
"I would never do anything to hurt him!" Axel bit out. He released Sora and stood to his full height, using it to his advantage to intimidate the small brunet, "That was then and this is now. I've learned from that. I can't stand this stigma against me, and the constant reminder of what I did being thrown in my face. I would never do anything like that to him again." The redhead sighed in defeat, letting his tough demeanor drop a bit, "I don't want him to hurt anymore."
Sora took in the defeated looking man in front of him, "How can I believe you? How do I know I can trust you? You don't even like Roxas. For all I know you're all talk and when you two are alone you beat him."
"Sora, do you really think I beat him?" When the brunet stayed silent Axel knew what the answer was, "I know I left a bad first impression, but over the past month I have been trying to clean up my act and move forward. Hell Roxas and I even came to our own truce and are sharing a bed. Why can't any of you seem to be able to do that?"
Sora's mouth set in a thin line as he tried to form a thought, "How do you feel about Roxas?"
Axel wanted to groan. What was with people today and asking him that, "We're just trying to get on better terms with each other. I don't plan on having a relationship with him."
"So you're saying you just want to get along with my brother? Maybe even be friends? That's what you're saying isn't it? But-" Sora paused as he studied Axel's face. He may not look it, but the Lamina heir was good at reading people, "Why do I get the feeling you're lying about not wanting a relationship with Roxas?"
"Because I like women." The redhead said bluntly, "I'm trying to get over the homophobic ways I was brought up with for him, but that doesn't mean I want anything more from him."
"So you're prepared to be alone for the rest of your life?" Sora pressed, "You'll live the rest of your life without love or possibly even sex. And the same for Roxas." The brunet frowned, "Because I don't want that for him. Roxas deserves happiness."
"I don't know if I can promise you that." Axel sounded almost ashamed. His mind and heart both pulling in opposite directions, "I should go check on him." The older prince left and quickly made his way back to his room, not wanting to talk to Sora any longer.
The door was unlocked to Axel's surprise. Roxas was sitting at the head of the bed, looking down at the bedspread with tired eyes. He didn't even acknowledge that Axel had walked in.
"I'm sorry for grabbing you. I just didn't want to have to break up a fight between you and Sora."
Axel's words seemed to startle Roxas. "I…I don't know why…" The blond bit his lower lip, confusion spread over his face, "I just remembered how you held me down and I couldn't get away from you." Fists clenched in blond hair as Roxas's breathe sped up.
"Hey," Axel reached for Roxas, but stopped. Touching him now would only make things worse, "Rox you need to calm down. You know I won't do that again. Hell I didn't even want to do it the first time. You're safe." His voice was low and calm. He stayed on the other side of the room, not wanting to crowd the young blond.
"I know." Roxas took in a shaky breathe. His eyes clamped shut, "I know. I'm sorry I just-" He had to stop and let out a whimper.
Axel was starting to get distressed. He didn't know what to do. He just knew he wanted Roxas to stop crying. He slowly approached the blond and sat at the foot of the bed, "Roxas you have my word that I would never hurt you again. What can I do to prove it?"
The blond look up at the man and set his mouth in a frown, "I don't know." He took in a deep breathe, gathering all of his courage. It was small, but Roxas moved closer to Axel, "Don't…just stay okay?" Roxas's breaths sounded labored as he tried to slow it down.
Axel felt a jolt run up his arm when a light touch brushed up against him. Roxas gently ran his fingers up and down the man's arm. Slowly he built up the courage and brought his hand up to Axel's face, making the redhead face him. Green and blue looked at each other as Roxas traced the triangle tattoos slowly.
Axel grunted when he suddenly found himself on his back. Roxas hovered over him with his hands pinning the larger prince down, "What?" The redhead tried to sit back up but was pushed back down, "Roxas this isn't funny. What are you doing?"
"Just stay okay?" Roxas panted. His fingers flexed into Axel's shirts. The redhead stilled and completely surrendered to the boy. He felt his heart start to speed up when cold fingers played with the hem of his shirt. Hands grasped both sides of Axel's button up shirt and pulled until the thread gave way and the shirt ripped in half.
Those hands kept busy with rubbing down the man's chest. Roxas looked down on Axel with uncertainty, wanting to know what to do next. But the redhead never voiced his opinion and his face was blank. The slow, circular motion in the middle of Axel's chest were awkward and it showed how unexperienced Roxas was. But he slowly grew bolder and traveled downward. Axel's breathe hitched when the touches were right above the hem of his pants. Fingertips traced the defined abs.
Roxas looked up from his fingers and into green orbs. Still a blank stare, "Shit." Roxas rolled off of Axel so he was laying on his back, the heel of his palms digging into his eye, "Why didn't you fight back?"
Shocked green eyes stared at the celling, "You wanted me to fight back? Because I'm not entirely sure what you were trying to do."
Roxas groaned and rolled away from the redhead, "I don't know. I wanted to see what you would do. Why didn't you try to push me off?"
"Because I didn't want to hurt you." The words easily came out the redhead's mouth. But how far would he have let Roxas go before he stopped him? With a groan Axel sat up and pulled at the tatters that was now his shirt, "Damn you really did a number on this." He looked over to Roxas who was still laying on his back with his hands covering his face, "Were you trying to start a fight?" The redhead carefully asked.
Roxas shook his head and from behind his hands he mumbled, "I wanted to dominate you." His fingers spread apart and he looked at the redhead from behind them, "I wanted to see if I could be stronger than you. But you didn't even try to move me. Why?"
"Because I'm tired of hurting you. I thought we already established that."
"So you'd let me hurt you?" Axel never answered, "I want to hurt you." Roxas shyly admitted, "I've been waiting for the chance so I could do something."
"Do you really hate me that much?" Axel stood, he couldn't bring himself to look at Roxas, "Was that what you were thinking when you were waiting for me to return?" The redhead was surprised at how calm his voice came out. He knew he should be upset with the blond, but instead all he felt was a harsh pain in his chest.
"I don't know." Roxas's voice was a quiet whisper. With his finger covering his eyes again the blond let out a defeated sigh. Things couldn't get any worse.
~X~x~X~x~
"Ansem," The quiet voice caught the king's attention from his work. Amber eyes looked into deep purple, "I'm worried."
"About what my dear?" The man gave his wife his full attention.
Terra closed the door behind her and approached her husband, hands clasped in front of her chest, "I want babies." Ansem opened his mouth to reply that the woman was too old to have another child, but quickly closed it knowing that the woman would take the fact as an insult, "I'm not talking about myself, of course. But the fact remains that I want babies in the castle. I miss raising the boys and having grandchildren would be a blessing."
"But you know that it's impossible at this time. Only one of our sons are married and it's to another prince. Sora has yet to find a suitable companion for himself." The old man frowned, "During our short stay in Ignis I found Sora talking to Xion."
"Xion?" The queen's interest was piqued, "But why would he want to talk to her? She's nothing more than a common concubine to him."
"He's been known to flirt with the servants here. Yes it could be seen as disrespectful for him to be doing that to a prince's property, but she's not anymore. If we can reach an agreement with Xehanort to take the girl, maybe we can wed her to Sora and get in Mare's good graces." Ansem explained. It didn't seem like this was something he thought of on the spot.
But Terra didn't seem happy with that solution, "Why would you want the favor of a kingdom that is on the brink of being extinct? Xehanort claimed the girl as his property for a reason and nothing you can say will convince him to give her up. And I don't care who she was before, our son marrying a whore won't do."
"It's someone Sora can wed and have an heir with." Ansem all but snapped, "The only other princess left for him would be Aqua, and Eriques has decided to respect her wishes to go unwed. We can reach out to the lord and ladies of the court to offer their children, but what we need is to make more alliances and strengthen our lands. King Demyx would do anything for us if we had Xion."
"Don't you think Xehanort has already thought of that?"
"Then why did he give her to Axel as a whore? He could have married her to him or Vanitas." Terra shook her head, "It doesn't make sense." The queen's eyes light up with a though, "Maybe we can give her back to Axel and he can share her with Roxas. Then they can conceive a child and we can have a grandchild." Terra seemed absolutely pleased with the thought while Ansem looked at his wife with mild shock.
"Terra, you won't let Sora marry a concubine, but you'd have no problem with breaking one of our relationship's sacred rules and let our son and his husband bed another?"
Terra fiddled with her fingers and looked down in shame, her golden curls falling in her face, "There's no way Xehanort would give us Xion. He took that girl for a reason. But Xehanort did bend his kingdom's religious views for us, so why can't we replicate the gestor?"
Still the king didn't look pleased with the suggestion, but he also knew that when his wife got an idea it was hard to sway her away from it. Ansem pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an irritated breathe, "I don't agree with this at all." His golden eyes looked into dark violet, "But if it'll make you happy, I'll allow them to have one child with another, just so you can have grandchildren. But then I don't want either Roxas or Axel with another person, or I will punish them as I see fit."
Terra smiled and kissed her husband on a stubble covered cheek, "Thank you love. I'll go tell them now."
The queen left the room, climbed up the stairs and gracefully walked towards Roxas's room. She gave a quick knock and walked into the room, "Roxas I have some news for you and-" She froze mid-sentence.
Roxas sat on the bed looking upset and ashamed, his blue eye downcast. It almost seemed like he was too lost in his own world and didn't even notice his mother's entrance. Axel was standing on the balcony. His open shirt blew in the cold evening air. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the spikes even more. The closed glass shut him off from the bedroom.
"Is everything alright?" The queen asked as she approached her son. She placed a cool hand on the boy's forehead, "You don't have a fever." She hummed and placed a slim finger under the boy's chin so he had to look at her, "Tell me what's wrong."
Roxas took in a deep breathe and leaned back so his mother wasn't forcing his head up anymore, "Its nothing."
"I can tell when a couple's fighting." Terra sat next to her son and rubbed his back, "Everything will work out. You two are only a month into your marriage so you're still adjusting to each other. Things will be harder since you didn't have time to court one another."
"If I was given the opportunity I still wouldn't court him." Roxas leaned into his mother's side, absorbing her warmth, "We do nothing but fight. There's only been a handful of peaceful moments between us, but they never last. We fight almost every time we see each other." The boy looked up and gave Terra a pleading look, "Is it possible for me to stay here when Axel leaves? King Cloud told me that when he and Queen Naminé first got married she would stay in her home kingdom for months at a time. Why can't I do that?"
"Oh baby," She ran her thumb up and down Roxas's arm in a small show of affection, "I wish it was that easy. But the circumstances are different. Cloud and Naminé weren't married to start a peace treaty like you and Axel. How would it look if we said we trusted Ignis but not enough to leave our son in their hands? And before you suggest it, no Axel can't move here. Xehanort requested his kingdom be your home from now on, and there was no swaying him."
Roxas groaned, "I hate it there."
Terra kissed the top of Roxas's head, "I know. This has always been home for you. But just remember you are always welcomed here whenever Xehanort and Axel sees it fit for you to leave. And when your father and I can get time we can visit you for a few days here and there too. But you'll never adjust to Ignis if you resist it the whole time. Same goes with Axel. Learn about him and stop being so stubborn and head strong. You'll learn to love him eventually."
"I'll never love him." Roxas all but growled.
The queen gave her son a sad smile, "Well at least learn to like him so you can live with less stress. The more allies you have in life the better. Now why don't you go out there and apologize to him."
The prince looked up with a shocked face, "How do you know I started the fight? He could have started it just as easily."
"Yes, but I know you. Out of all of my son's you were always the most confrontational. Not to mention once there's a thought in that little head of yours there's no getting it out. So go apologize. I have something I'd like to talk to you two about."
She gently pushed Roxas off of the bed and motioned for him to go. With an annoyed groan Roxas opened the balcony doors. Axel turned at the noise, "What? Come out here to see if you can toss me over the edge? Because if you do I still won't fight you."
"Okay you know what? I'm fucking sorry I did that, okay? And I'm sorry I said that. I don't want to hurt you. Maybe I did a little a few weeks ago, but not anymore. I still don't like you or trust you, but I'm willing to put everything aside and work towards forgiving you." Roxas explained. He walked closer to Axel and took in the surprised look on the man's face, "And look, instead of sitting inside and being mad at you I came out here so we can talk like adults, per our contract."
Green eyes looked passed the blond and into the bedroom where he saw Terra patiently waiting for them, "Your mother sent you out here didn't she?" Axel's voice was almost bland, like he expected something like that to happen.
Roxas opened his mouth in an attempt to argue that no he did it on his own, but closed it. There was no use arguing the obvious, "But I did come out. Normally I wouldn't even go this far even with my mom telling me what to do without kicking up a fight. Now will you accept my apology and come inside? My mother wants to tell us something."
Thin red eyebrows lifted in mild surprise at that, "So I won't have to go to bed with one eye open tonight? What about dinner? Do I need to have someone taste test everything before I eat?"
"Nope. And if it makes you feel any better than I can try the food myself and sleep in a different room." The blond sounded genuine.
"Won't be necessary." Axel walked passed Roxas and back into the room where the queen was waiting, "Ma'am." The redhead gave a respectful bow.
Terra fanned her face and looked away, "You don't need to act so respectful in a private environment such as this, Axel. But could you please put on a little more clothing?"
Axel blushed as he remembered his torn shirt. He had just needed some air and to get away from Roxas earlier that he had completely forgotten about changing out his ruined shirt in favor of a new one, "I'm sorry. Excuse me." The redhead walked to the other side of the room where Terra's back was facing and grabbed a new shirt that easily slipped over his head.
"Much better." Terra smiled when Axel came back into view, "I didn't mean to intrude and tell you how to dress in your private space, but it doesn't seem appropriate for a mother to see her child's spouse in such a state."
"It's alright. I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."
"It's alright sweetie." Terra smiled at the redhead and her son, "So I know neither of you two knew this, but I've been craving to have a grandchild for a while now. And there's no go about it, but I'm not going to get any from you two." She couldn't help but giggle at how red both Axel and Roxas got, "And I'm worried that Sora and Ventus won't find a wife for quite some time. So your father and I talked it over and came to a decision. Axel, we are willing to lift our concubine rule for you if Roxas can use her as well. That way you both can give us grandchildren through her." The blond queen's smile dimmed as she took in the redheaded prince's expression.
"I'm sorry my queen but I must decline the offer." Axel's eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion, from his words or Terra's, he didn't know. His arms numbly hung at his sides as he tried to figure his own mind out.
Roxas went ridged. Did Axel really just reject getting Xion back, "But why? I thought you were upset Xion was taken away."
"Are you sure about this Axel?" The woman asked with a curious tilt of her head, "What about you Roxas?" She looked over at her son, "Wouldn't you want to have children of your own someday?" The young prince didn't know how to answer so he looked away from his mother.
"Queen Terra, I appreciate the offer and how hard it must have been to even come to us with this, but Roxas and I have just gotten married. We are still getting to know one another and I would like to continue getting to know him before we think about our future. It wouldn't be right to bring children into our personal mess right now."
"That's understandable." Terra gracefully rose from her seat, "Just remember that the offer stands. Just tell me or Ansem when either of you are ready so we can discuss the details with Xehanort." The queen excused herself and left the room.
The two males stayed silent for a long moment. Then Roxas broke it, "You're hiding something."
Axel swallowed and gave the blond a blank look, "I don't know what you're talking about." He hoped his voice came out steady. Because his nerves were on fire.
"You should have jumped at the chance to have Xion back. Hell you had the perfect opportunity to claim her as yours and have her bare your children." Roxas sounded skeptical. His arms were defensively crossed over his chest, "What's your game?"
"What? I just don't want to force her into having our kids. She's better off waiting on Kairi."
Roxas raised an eyebrow at that. He still wasn't convinced, "It doesn't have to be Xion. If you explain that then you can probably get yourself another whore. I don't think my mother would care who the girl is, just as long as she can get herself a grandchild."
Axel caught Roxas's eye. The two stared at each other for a long breathe before the redhead spoke, "But what if I don't want anyone else?"
A shivered ran down Roxas spine at the words. The way Axel was looking at him made the blond uneasy, "You mean Xion right?"
Axel bit his lip and looked away from the young prince and out of the open glass door. What had he been thinking? Why did he say that? "Yeah." He didn't know what the pull in his chest was. But it made him feel sick to his stomach, "Your injury was looking a lot better when I checked it this morning. I can talk to Olette and we can see about getting the stitches taken out in the next day or so. Then you can at least do some light training."
Roxas let some tension leave his shoulders at the much welcomed change of subject, "That's good. They're starting to get itchy." He absentmindedly scratched at his shirt like the mere thought of the lingering itch made it appear.
"Don't do that." Axel grabbed the offending hand. The older prince could feel his heart start to speed up at the contact. He let go maybe a little too violently and let his arms drop to his sides, "You could pull one and still get an infection. Want me to take off the gauze so it can air out a bit?"
"I can do it. You find Olette so she can have a look." Roxas sounded excited to have the annoying stitches removed. He had been careful so he wouldn't pull one again and the lack of stretching had been annoying. But he wasn't looking forward to the training at all. He knew that Axel would make light work hard.
Axel agreed and left to go find the nurse, leaving Roxas alone with his thoughts. The blond stripped his shirt off and started to unravel the old gauze off of his torso. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair to get his bangs out of his eyes.
Terra had startled him with the request. Could he really go through and sleep with a woman just for her to have his children? Roxas thought back to Xion and he didn't feel any attraction. She was pretty, but the prince just didn't find himself attracted to her. He had never really been attracted to women to begin with though. Not like he would say something like that out loud with Axel around.
Roxas groaned and sat on the bed, face hidden in his hand. He didn't want to admit it but when he had Axel pinned under him he felt a little excited and hot. The redhead was built, he knew that much, but he had never had to opportunity to touch the muscles before. He almost wished he could have felt them a little longer before he lost his nerve.
Groaning Roxas shook the thoughts out of his head. He was not attracted to Axel. There was no way in hell he was attracted to his rapist. Hell he had just had a meltdown not too long ago just from the man grabbing his arm. That just proved he was in no shape way or form attracted to the redhead.
But Axel was forced to do it. A small voice in the back of Roxas's head reminded him. And he had apologized numerous times for it too. Axel was just as much of a victim as he was. Roxas took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to calm down. Too much was going on in his head at once. First thing first, he had to get used to the man touching him without freaking out.
The door slowly creaked open and Axel came back in with Olette close behind him holding her first aid kit. What Roxas wasn't expecting was Hayner bringing up the rear and closing the door.
"He was hanging around and insisted on tagging along when he heard what was going on." Axel explained at Roxas's confused look.
"And I still don't think he should be here." Olette quipped as she placed her kit next to Roxas before turning her attention back to the dirty blond, "But if you insist on staying here Hayner, can you fetch me some hot water and clean, dry towels?"
"Sure." The servant left into the bathroom to fetch what was needed.
Olette pinned her hair back as she studied the stitches, "The wound does looked closed enough. And the itch means you're about healed. I think Axel was right, we can take them out." She rummaged through her pack and found the tools she would need, "Okay Roxas I'll need you to lay back down. This is going to hurt a bit, but remember to not tense up."
The prince did as he was told, taking a couple of quick breathes as his mind started to imagine the pain. He felt fabric brush up against him. Axel had taken a seat on the blond's left while the nurse was perched on his right. Axel's lips turned up as he looked at the blond's pre-pain expression, "If you do that then it's just going to hurt more. You have to relax." Olette nodded in agreement.
Roxas took the man's advice, deeply inhaling and exhaling slowly, feeling his muscles relax. He jumped when the cold metal of a sharp tool touched his skin. He sucked in a harsh breathe when the first stitch was cut open.
Roxas blindly reached out as Olette went for the second. He grasped onto something warm and strong. Roxas managed to crack an eye open and saw he had grabbed Axel's hand. He was about to pull away, but then another twinge of pain ripped just over his hip. Roxas gasped as his grip on Axel tightened. But the redhead still didn't say anything. Instead he gave the smaller hand a light squeeze, silently telling the blond that he was there and not going anywhere.
Hayner soon returned with Olette's requested items. The dirty blond glared at the clasped hands and walked up so he was leaning over the bed next to Axel. He was about to reach out and take Roxas's hand out of Axel's, when the nurse pulled another stitch free. The young prince gasped in pain and squeezed the larger hand. Hayner was surprised when he saw Axel squeeze back, rubbing a thumb over the smaller hand in small circles, almost like that simple massage would take away all of Roxas's tension.
But what surprised him the most was what Axel was quietly whispering into Roxas's ear, "You're almost done. You can do it."
Hayner couldn't help but groan out, "Dude he's just getting his stitches taken out, not giving birth. Chill."
Green and blue broke away from one another and both looked into brown. One set annoyed and the other scrunched up in pain, "Silence." Axel all but growled, "It may not hurt too much getting them taken out, but it is still a big wound so it's going to get irritated and sore."
Olette took a moment to look up from what she was doing and gave the young servant her own glare, "If you can't be any help then I suggest you leave Hayner. We don't need any extra bodies in the room."
"What? I didn't do anything?"
Roxas bit his lip to hold back a scream when Axel's grip on his hand got a little too tight for comfort. He could feel the man's anger rising, and it was directed towards his best friend, "Hayner, can you please go? I'll come find you in a bit. Okay?" Roxas held Hayner's eye, silently trying to get the dirty blond to understand that he couldn't anger Axel too badly or their deal was off and Hayner wouldn't be going to Ignis with him.
The servant sighed in defeat, "Fine I'll be outside." He walked away and out the room.
Olette made quick work of the rest of the stitches. It only took ten minutes to get them all out. Roxas seemed to get more and more antsy and agitated towards the end. He was withering and whimpering under Olette and his grip on Axel's hand was getting tighter.
"Okay last one." The nurse announced. She pulled the thread out and smiled down at her work. The stitches had done their work and pulled the skin tight. Roxas would still have a long scar by the time it fully healed, but it wouldn't be as wide or jagged. The brunette grabbed the basin of warm water and a towel that Hayner had brought out for her. Dried blood was gently patted off the blond's chest before it was dried with another towel, "Good as new. Now I know Hayner wants to see you, but I strongly suggest you rest for the rest of the night. Axel can stay to tend to whatever need you may have and he can go fetch your dinner as well." With that said the woman went into the bathroom to clean up the small mess that was made.
"I want to see Hayner." Roxas sat up with a grimace and pouted at the bedroom door, knowing his best friend wasn't too far away.
Axel slid off the bed and looked Roxas over. He could see the boy was both mentally and physically drained. Olette was right, he needed his rest, "I don't think that's a good idea. But I can arrange for him to help out in your training tomorrow so you can spend some time with him."
"Yeah?" Roxas somehow managed to sound both disappointed and hopeful at the same time.
"Yeah." Axel and Roxas said their goodbyes to Olette as she left the room, leaving them alone. Neither one knew what to do for the remainder of the night. Once alone Axel let his mood drop as his face twisted in pain and he rubbed his abused hand, "Well Roxas you wanted to hurt me and you did it." He joked, but when he looked at the blond he noticed him flinch and frown. The older prince sighed, "It was a joke. Lighten up. You should be happy. You're almost healed."
That seemed to make Roxas frown even harder, "That means we have to leave soon…" There was something in the prince's voice that was so pathetic it made Axel feel sorry for him. The redhead went to say something to comfort the boy however Roxas decided to change the subject, "So what else did you do in town today? You were gone too long to just be talking to the citizens."
Axel rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of what to say. Maybe the truth would be good. Lying would only put a bigger rift between them, "I went to the temple." Roxas seemed to be caught off guard. His blue eyes widened and his mouth hung open with questions that wouldn't come out, yet Axel knew what Roxas was going to ask, "Your priestess is…quirky." He decided to say. Maybe calling her weird would be disrespectful.
"Who? Vanille? Yeah she's an odd one. But she's who Carbuncle chose so who are we to judge." The blond gave a small laugh and shrugged.
"I wanted to ask her about our marriage." He gestured between them, "I was curious about how your deity saw this and how damned you were."
Roxas tilted his head in slight confusion, "Damned? Not at all. I mean Carbuncle is all about love and acceptance. Our marriage may not have been for love, but I'd like to think it fits into the acceptance category."
"Yeah." Axel breathed out. If their marriage wasn't based on love then what was this feeling in his chest and the jittery nerves that he got whenever he looked into those dark blue eyes? "She said that I wouldn't be damned, even though I follow Ifrit, and that nothing bad would happen from us being together." The redhead didn't notice the blush that spread across his face.
But it didn't go unnoticed by Roxas, "Axel, you just mean our marriage right?" He fidgeted a bit in his spot, not liking how Axel went quiet and wouldn't look at him, "Axel?" He called out, grabbing those green eyes.
"I…I…" Axel bit his lip. He couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't keep holding in these secrets and hiding behind his religion like this, "I think I'm starting to fall for you."
Time seemed to stop for Roxas. His eyes widened and his blood ran cold, "W-what? But how is that…how is that possible?" The blond heard his voice crack, "You hate me."
Axel looked down, ashamed, "I think that was me hiding behind my religion. I was afraid. I've been told my whole life that being with another man was wrong. I feel bad for everything that I did; you didn't deserve any of that, and you have every right to hate me.
"Or was it because of your dreams?" Roxas was still tense. His hands balled into fists, almost like he was ready to defend himself if Axel got any closer. The redhead's breathe caught in his throat, "I woke up early during the nap yesterday. You were moaning my name and got a-" His eyes briefly looked down near Axel's crotch, "How do I know you have real feelings for me and it's just not lust?" What was he saying? Roxas knew the answer. There was no way the redhead liked him. He probably missed Xion.
Axel blushed even harder, "I'm sorry. I wish that didn't happen. But if it makes you uncomfortable then I can talk to your father about getting me a different room so you can have your space back and not have to sleep with Ven any longer." The prince shifted his weight onto one foot, his eyes still on the ground, too ashamed to look at the blond, "If you think it's just lust then I promise I won't touch you again without your consent. I won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable." When Roxas never replied Axel felt his stomach drop. He messed up, "I'm not expecting you to return my feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if it never happens. I probably shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry. I'll go get your dinner now so you can relax." The redhead didn't show how much this affected him. With all the pride and grace of the prince he was, Axel quickly exited the room.
Blue eyes watched the man's back the whole way. Roxas wouldn't even take his eyes off the door once it closed. His mouth pressed into a thin line. His mind raced with thoughts as he tried to process what just happened. It had to be a dream. A very bad dream. He probably passed out while Olette was taking out his stitches. Axel didn't say anything about how he felt. It was just a dream, right?
With a groan Roxas fell back into his sheets. His nose scrunched up when he noticed Axel's scent covered his sheets. Great he couldn't even get away from the redhead even when he was alone in his room. The blond blankly stared at the bedroom door, wondering what was going to happen to them now.
Well who saw that coming? Review and tell me what you thought. How do you think Roxas is going to handle his marriage now? Did you like Axel's little confession or not? Tell me what you guys think.
Until next time
