Chapter 21

Demyx blinked, confused. He had been so engrossed in watching Roxas and Axel's make out session that he hadn't heard what Zexion had said. Zexion nudged him in the ribs.

"Wha?" he managed to get out, tearing his eyes away from Roxas and Axel.

"I said you lost. The bet?" Zexion pointed to Roxas and Axel, still oblivious that they were standing there.

"Oh. Right." Demyx had almost forgotten about that bet. "What do I owe you?"

"Later," Zexion muttered. He cleared his throat loudly. "It's nice to see that you two have kissed and made up, but do you really think it's a good idea to be making out in such a public place?"

He finally got their attention; they broke apart and turned towards them. Roxas's face immediately flushed when he saw Zexion and Demyx standing there. Axel just looked angry that he and Roxas had been interrupted.

"Hey, don't give me that nasty look." Zexion held up his hands in a placating manner. "I'm very happy that the two of you are finally getting along, but I'm sure you will be much happier if you go to a more private place."

Roxas nodded. He gently touched Axel's shoulder. "He's right."

After a long hesitation, Axel nodded. "I know where we can go. Come on."

He grabbed Roxas's hand and pulled him down the hallway, away from Zexion and Demyx. The two lovers stared after them, watching as their fingers entwined as they disappeared around the corner.

"Holy fuck. Did that just really happen?" Demyx after a short silence.

"Looks like it," Zexion answered.

Demyx shook his head. "Holy. Fucking. Hell. I don't believe it."

Axel pulled Roxas down the hallways, keeping an eye out for guards. It wasn't difficult; he had a lot of practice and could easily make his way from one end of The Institute to the other without being caught.

Finally, they came to the hallway that held the Breeding rooms. The hallway was deserted at the moment; none of the Bearers were in heat.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to use this room even though I'm not in heat?" Roxas asked worriedly as Axel opened one of the doors and ushered him in.

"Let's put it this way," Axel said, closing and locking the door behind him. "This is the best place. I'm sure they wouldn't be too happy if we did it in…other places."

Roxas flushed at the thought, but nodded. Axel quickly closed the distance between them, so they were extremely close.

"Are you ready for this?" Axel questioned.

Roxas stared up at him through calm sapphire eyes. "Yes."

"This isn't like before," Axel warned.

"I'm well aware of that." Roxas's mouth hovered several inches away from Axel's, hesitating.

Axel was the one who finished the kiss. Their lips pressed together, came apart, and came back together again. Axel was slightly surprised that Roxas was the one who deepened the kiss, but went with it. The kisses became longer, hotter. Axel quickly stripped Roxas's clothes off followed by his own.

They lay together on the bed. Axel spread Roxas's legs and reached down to prepare him. Roxas whimpered softly at the contact and closed his eyes. He only opened them again when he felt Axel's fingers withdraw.

"Are you all right?" Axel asked.

"Y…yeah," Roxas stammered. He smiled up at his mate. "I'm fine."

Axel smiled down at him and gently brushed his fingers against Roxas's cheek. Then, he slid forward and connected their bodies. Roxas cried out softly. Axel muttered an apology. He adjusted his position over Roxas and started thrusting slowly at first, then faster and faster. Roxas moaned quietly, arching his back with each thrust. He tightly griped the sheets, breaths coming in short pants. Axel thrust harder and harder. Then, he finally released with a low grunt and withdrew, collapsing next to his mate.

Roxas immediately wrapped his arms around him. Axel did not push him away, but instead, pulled him closer. Somehow, this time was different. When their bodies connected this time, he felt different, and it wasn't just the fact that he and Roxas were no longer at odds with each other. No, there was something else that made the sex different, the emotions he felt more powerful. Exactly what had changed would be clear with time.

Roxas had fallen asleep, curled up against him, his breath warm on Axel's neck. Axel couldn't help smiling at him; Roxas was incredibly adorable when he slept. Axel watched him sleep, his mind straying elsewhere.

The memories he had been suppressing were coming back again. It wasn't like before, when the memories came at random with no warning and he had no control over them. They came now when his mind was idle, especially at night when he dreamed.

He knew, of course, what had happened, though the memories had always been vague. Now, the haze was lifting, and he was starting to remember everything.

Axel closed his eyes and concentrated, conjuring up an image of the man called Reno in his mind. He saw fiery red hair framing a thin, angular face with extremely feminine features. But the thing he remembered most were the eyes. Vivid blue eyes, such a stunning shade of blue. There was only one other who had eyes like that.

Axel's eyes snapped open. Breathing heavily, he glanced over at Roxas, who had woken up and watched him with a mixture of curiosity and anxiety.

"Axel? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Axel answered at once. "There's nothing wrong." Roxas looked like he didn't believe him. Axel exhaled softly. "Roxas, do you…do you know who your father is?"

Roxas looked at him, surprised. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just want to know," Axel said, trying to keep his voice level.

"Well, I don't know," Roxas replied. "I've met my dad, the one who gave birth to me, but I've never met my father. My dad said…" he swallowed hard. "He said he didn't know who my father was."

Axel's eyes widened. "O…oh. Roxas, I'm sorry."

Roxas smiled through watery eyes. "It's all right. You didn't know."

Axel gently stroked his hair until he went back to sleep. Axel's thoughts drifted once more to Reno. He couldn't say why he couldn't stop thinking about Reno, but the image of that man wouldn't leave him alone.

Sighing, Axel closed his eyes again and tried to remember everything he could about Reno. There wasn't a lot he remembered about him. They had met when Axel had been a prostitute, a profession that Fyran had forced him into. Yes, the day they met, Axel had been with a client. He had been one of those types who was into bondage so Axel had been handcuffed. The man had left for a few moments. Where had he gone? Axel couldn't remember. It didn't really seem important. The important thing was that he had been alone when Reno had found him.

The first thing of Reno that Axel had seen were his boots. He had been laying on the floor so it was understandable that his boots were the first thing he saw. He remembered being extremely confused, especially after he was unexpectedly freed from his bonds. A few moments later, he got his first glimpse of Reno. The first thing he saw was red. It took him a few moments to realize that he was looking at hair. The next thing he saw was a pair of vivid blue eyes.

He tried to remember what else had happened that day. Reno had introduced himself and then he gave Axel a blanket so he wouldn't have to walk around naked. Yes and then Axel got up and had started walking. And Reno had taken him by the elbow to help him out. But after that…what had happened?

Axel blinked as he stepped outside, the sunlight harsh on his eyes. He hadn't seen sunlight for…he didn't know how long it had been. But it felt good. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to feel the sun on his face, warming his skin. He hoped Reno didn't see the tears slipping down his face. If he did, he didn't say anything and Axel was grateful for that.

Once Axel's eyes adjusted to the change in light, he saw absolute chaos. There were scores of reporters taking photos and shouting question after question, their voices overlapping, causing a confusing atmosphere that made Axel's head spin. Beside him, Reno gave a low growl.

"Don't say anything, all right?" he whispered.

Axel could only nod. Reno led him away from all the confusion, towards an ambulance that waited with its doors open.

"Here, you need to be examined by the paramedics," Reno said, propelling him forward.

Axel turned to him, scowling. "I'm fine. I don't need to be seen by anyone."

"Maybe, but it's standard protocol. I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

Scowling, Axel allowed Reno to propel him forward, toward the waiting paramedics.

With a great yawn, Axel opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. How much time had passed since he fell asleep? He turned his head to the side. Roxas was awake, staring at him with a shocked expression.

"You…stayed," Roxas said before Axel could ask him what was wrong. "This time, you didn't leave after we had sex. You waited for me to wake up."

"Yes, of course." Axel smiled at him, then leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"We…should really get back," Roxas wheezed as the kisses started getting hotter. "The others will wonder where we are."

"Yeah," Axel agreed, though he made no attempt to move.

Eventually, though, he got up and started seeking out his clothes. Roxas did the same. They were quiet while they dressed, each of them consumed with their own thoughts.

Axel led the way down the hallways, holding Roxas's hand the entire way. When they came to the hallway that led to the Bearers' dormitory, Axel stopped.

"The Bearers' dormitory is right down there," he said. "I'm not allowed to go with you."

"Okay," Roxas replied.

Axel gave him one more long kiss and let go of his hand. Roxas walked down the hallway, towards the Bearers' dormitory while Axel walked in the opposite direction, towards the Breeders' dormitory.

The guards standing outside glared at him, but did not prevent him from entering. Axel gritted his teeth; the dormitory was full. Several heads shot up as Axel made his way to his bunk. The heads turned towards him as he passed; Roxas's scent still lingered on his skin. Axel hoped that a fight wouldn't break out.

Bryan was waiting by their shared bunk. "Well, there's no need for me to ask what you've been doing." His lips curled up into a smirk. "Oh should I say who you've been doing."

"Fuck off," Axel muttered, pushing past him.

"Ooh, someone's pissy," Bryan said, watching as Axel started digging around in his trunk for a clean set of clothes. "You'd think getting laid would put you in a good mood."

Axel stopped digging for his clothes and turned to Bryan, glaring furiously.

"What do you know?" he hissed, color flooding his cheeks.

"Just saying." Bryan shrugged. "Besides, I think you two make a cute couple."

Axel huffed under his breath and went back to digging through his trunk. When he found what he needed, he rose and headed for the bathroom to shower, Bryan silently trailing behind him, as always.

Zexion and Demyx were waiting for Roxas when he returned to the dormitory. They sat together on Zexion's bed in close proximity to each other, but not close enough to attract attention to themselves.

"Well, I'm sure I don't need to ask about it. Your face tells me everything I need to know," Zexion said with a faint smile, heaving himself up from the bed.

His pregnancy was just beginning to show and soon, he would be forced to wear maternity clothes. He had braided his hair again, Roxas noticed. His hair was slightly damp, so he must have taken a shower and then braided his hair. He had been wearing his hair like that a lot lately, ever since he and Demyx had made up. Roxas turned to Demyx. He was grinning wickedly, as always, though today the grin seemed much more pronounced.

"The sex must have been great," Demyx said upon seeing Roxas's inquisitive glance. "'Cause you're blushing. Badly."

This caused Roxas to flush even more. Zexion rolled his eyes and smacked Demyx over the head.

"Oww, Cae, why'd you have to hit me so hard?" Demyx protested, rubbing his injured head.

"You deserved it, pervert," Zexion hissed.

"You're sooo mean," Demyx whined.

Zexion raised his hand again in warning. Demyx yelped and ducked his head. Roxas laughed. It was just like old times, back when Roxas had first arrived at The Institute, back before things became complicated.

With a sigh, Roxas gathered his things and headed off to take a shower. He was surprised when the guard who escorted him to the bathroom was none other than Zack.

"Hey," the young guard said with a friendly wave.

"Hey Zack," Roxas said, smiling. "Haven't seen you around lately."

"Oh, yeah," Zack replied vaguely. "I've been busy."

"Yeah?" Roxas asked, eyebrows raised. "So how is Cloud?"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Zack sputtered.

"Oh really?" Roxas smirked. "I think you know what I'm talking about."

"No, I don't," Zack denied.

"Oh, drop the act," Roxas snapped. "I know you like my dad. I've seen the way you look at him and he at you. I know you're together."

Zack sighed. There was no use trying to hide it; Roxas was very perceptive.

"Yeah," he said reluctantly. "Your dad and I are…together. Well, as 'together' as we can be here. But we're trying to keep a secret, you know?"

"I'm not going to tell anyone if that's what you're implying," Roxas said coolly.

There was an awkward silence. They were almost to the bathroom when Zack finally asked, "Does it bother you? Me seeing your dad?"

Roxas gave him a funny look. "No. Not really. I mean it is a bit strange that you two are together since you're a guard and he's a Bearer, but I can tell that you make him happy."

"I see," Zack murmured. He cleared his throat nervously. "Well, I'll wait out here while you shower."

"All right," Roxas replied.

He headed into the bathroom and started his shower. He tensed as the hot spray hit his body. He ran his fingers through his long curls, trying to untangle them. He would need to cut his hair again soon; it was starting to get very long and unruly.

When he was sufficiently clean, Roxas switched off the shower and toweled himself dry. He dressed in a clean uniform and pressed his hand to his flat abdomen. If only he was carrying a child, that would be wonderful. Roxas allowed himself a small smile and removed his hand. He gathered his dirty clothes and returned to the dormitory. One day, perhaps he and Axel could have a family together, far away from The Institute.

If only.

Author's Notes

Sorry it's posted kinda late. I had a bad day.

The flashback was a bit different this time. I wanted to highlight the relationship between Axel and Reno a bit more and make it a bit clearer about the circumstances in which they met.

I couldn't resist that little scene between Bryan and Axel. It was really fun. And of course I couldn't resist the scene between Zexion and Demyx either. It was very fun to write and there needed to be a bit of humor, especially with what's coming.

And Zack just totally wrote himself into the scene again. He does that. Though it was kind of nice to give his relationship with Cloud a bit more of a definition.

The chapter ended up being a lot longer than I thought it'd be. I was afraid it wasn't going to be long enough, but it was fine.