IMPORTANT
Well, semi-important anyway. Just a reminder that this story is indeed on DeviantArt (under JodyB90 who is, of course, me) and I'm on AO3 as well. With that out of the way, enjoy! I'm also sorry how long this took after announcing my updating speed would get better, unfortunately, there's been a massive amount of drama in my family and it's naturally taken a bit of a toll on my mood to write. I like to think with this I've kicked myself out of the slump though.
]l[
It had taken a truly magnificent effort but the two had dragged Axel from his room, albeit a bit haphazardly down the stairs given he was little more than deadweight at the time but they had succeeded in the end. With that out of the way all that left was...
"Noob... pleb... scrub..."
"He's still mumbling in a defeated tone and giving off a total feeling of despair, Nep-Nep."
Indeed the teen's depressed mumbling had yet to cease, no sooner was he dragged down the stairs did he retreat to a corner in the living room, not at all reacting to Neptune poking his face repeatedly. Axel seemed to be in another world, his aura one of soul-crushing defeat few, if any, mortals could hope to overcome...
At least that's how he felt about it anyway.
"Yep, total sad sack at the moment there's gotta be a way to fix him. Oh, I know! Fluff!"
"Fluff?"
"Yep, like so~" With that the purplette leaned over, kissing the teen's cheek while wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. "It's okay my Axxydactyl, you're still the best to us! Now use Recover and buck up! You'll just have to blow up whoever it was in the next battle with a Hyper Beam straight from the start! Knock 'em off their feet and take the advantage while their down!"
"Nep-Nep, I think that we need more context to the situation before you give advice like that..." The group's resident nurse shook her head before kissing Axel's other cheek and resting her head on his chest. "Nobody stays undefeated forever Axel, a life dedicated to staying number one is a life wasted as my grandpa used to tell me. Plus you can't save the world if you're staring at a computer screen all day trying to be the best that ever was."
Both girls sweatdropped when they glanced up only to see the teen was still hollow-eyed and corpselike despite their affections and pep talk attempts, still mumbling away and lost in his inner torment.
"I don't think fluff is working Nep-Nep..."
"Impossible! Fluff is supposed to always bring Axel out of his funk no matter how deep and utterly soul-crushing!" Neptune brought her hand to her chin in thought, completely missing Axel curling in on himself with a pained groan.
"I think you just made it worse Nep-Nep!"
"Oh, I know!" As the figurative light bulb popped above her head she smiled widely. "Hey Mr. Dad-in-Law Guy, yoohoo~" She called out, the man in question popping his head into the room right on cue. "Axxy's being all depressed and a major killjoy, can you fix him with some of your patented father of the year skills?"
Clint took a moment to look his son's condition over before nodding, inwardly beaming at the praise. "You truly are my favorite new daughter-in-law, very well, I'll show off some of the skills that have been passed through the Wallace family through generations!"
IF who had been watching with a small bit of interest (and amusement) couldn't help but shake her head with a sigh. "Here it comes..." In the small bit of time they had been here, she had quickly learned that Clint Wallace was the sort of guy who would take a few hundred miles when given an inch. Sipping quietly from the mug of iced tea in her hands she silently began counting down from three in her head. 'Three... two...'
"AXXY! IF YOU DON'T SNAP OUT OF IT AND GET YOUR SCRAWNY ASS IN HERE AND HELP I'LL WHIP OUT YOUR BABY PICTURES FOR EVERYONE TO SEE!"
"...Is embarrassment a skill? Isn't that kind of bait too obvious to work?"
Axel would prove her wrong however as life and color suddenly returned to him, with equal parts indignant anger. "YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH THAT SCRAPBOOK AND IT'LL BE THE LAST THING YOU DO YOU OLD GOAT!" Clint quickly ducked back into the kitchen as his son scrambled after him on all fours. "OI! DON'T RUN AWAY YOU COWARD!"
"LESS TALKING MORE COOKING! IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY SORT OF HUSBAND SKILLS HOW WILL YOU EVER BE LOVED ENOUGH TO GIVE US GRANDCHILDREN MY SON?!"
"SHADDAP DAMN YOU! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR SHIT, I'M GETTING A KNIFE!"
"IT'S DANGEROUS TO SWING YOUR WEAPON ABOUT IN SUCH A FASHION~"
"THAT SENTENCE JUST MAKES ME WANT TO STRANGLE YOU MORE FOR SOME REASON!"
"I stand corrected..." IF muttered to herself, blinking as he listened to the sounds of chaos coming from the kitchen. "Neptune, was that really necessary?"
"Yep! We can't have Axxy being a gloomy goomba all day, it'd ruin the fun!"
"Well, Nep-Nep got Axxy out of his funk at least..." Compa tilted her head as a thought suddenly came to her. "Umm, Mrs. Alannah, can we really see his baby pictures?"
"Why of course, I would be quite happy to show them to all of you~" The older woman smiled, glancing to the kitchen and giggling quietly in amusement. "I had almost forgotten just how rambunctious those two can get, it's nice to have him here even if it's only temporary."
"About that, how long did you say before his little brother returns home from school?" IF chimed in, setting her mug aside as she got herself comfortable on one of the couches in the living room, slowly beginning to sprawl herself out as she got comfortable. "Isn't it a bit dangerous with all the monster troubles for a kid to be out and about?"
None of the girls noticed Noire's involuntary flinch at the subject, the twin-tailed girl glancing off to the side and feeling a slight stab of guilt as well as a bit of a slap to her pride as a CPU. 'A situation that should never have happened in my nation...' Had she known Avenir would be so troublesome she'd have put her foot down when it came to the group long ago; now faith in her was at an all-time low and her shares were proof of that. And to make matters worse Neptune was seeing her proud nation in such a state! Something about that fact just made her want to scream but she centered herself and breathed in and out slowly before she ended up causing a scene and blowing her cover.
"I have faith that our Lady would never let anything befall my youngest, even then I couldn't stop him if I wanted to. Aidan has been determined to be like his brother ever since he struck off on his own." She smiled upon seeing Noire regain a bit of her confidence at her words before she continued. "Something about how a true hero doesn't shy away from any challenge, even a boring one like school. Besides, he has the best escort there is for his protection as it is."
"Really? Who? Is it some super cool bodyguard you have employed!?" Neptune stared, stars shining in her eyes as she tried envisioning such things in her head. "Oh! Oh! Or maybe a suave battle butler type of guy!"
"Oh my, nothing at all like that but it'll be best if you see for yourself after all. As for when he'll be here I imagine it won't be too much longer, Aidan's very punctual and is never late for dinner. Something his older brother could stand to learn." Alannah laughed quietly at the mumbled cursing that echoed from the kitchen area. "I'm beginning to think those two may need some supervision."
"I'll handle that, I think I should pitch in a little anyway. Plus I can make sure those two don't get distracted by tormenting each other." IF sat up and stretched, sighing contently as some of her stiff joints popped. "As long as you don't mind Mrs. Alannah."
"Not at all, it does my heart good to see such a responsible level-headed girl traveling with my Axxy, maybe some of that will rub off on him." Alannah couldn't help but giggle as the girl blushed faintly at her praise and nodded her head politely in thanks before slipping off to the kitchen.
"Psssh, Iffy's not foolin' this main heroine! She totally just wants some time with Axxy to make up for lost ground with me and Compa." Neptune nodded in a sagely manner as she began pawing at various old dusty books she could find in the room in an attempt to find the aforementioned source of cute baby pictures.
"Now Nep-Nep, Iffy is probably still sorting out how she feels. We should support her regardless of how long it takes."
"How can the two of you be so agreeable about this?!" Noire could finally ignore the bright pink giant elephant in the room no longer. "You're talking about sharing a guy with someone else, possibly even more afterward and somehow being fine with it! Shouldn't you, I dunno... be jealous, insecure... SOMETHING that would make this situation even somehow normal instead of the level of weird it's at?!"
"Well, duh! I mean who would ever want to share a stud muffin like Axxy with anyone? No girl would be fine with that instantly!"
"Mmhm, I thought it was just as weird when Nep-Nep first brought it up but..." As the two girls smiled at one another they locked hands before turning their attention back to everyone else in the room. "We didn't want our friendship ruined, and Axxy would just resign himself to staying alone rather than forcing himself to pick one of us and make the rest of us sad."
"So two dogoos with one attack! Axxy doesn't have to beat himself up over breaking hearts and Compa and I stay best pals!"
"Maybe that makes sense to you two, but being okay with other people? It's still weird!"
"Axxy's the type worry about everybody else but himself, if we didn't do something he'd bash his head against a wall agonizing for eternity over what to do and we can't have that. The plot wouldn't advance, and he'd probably spontaneously combust from the stress alone. The story has enough trouble progressing with the author constantly getting distracted by real-life matters, if the hero of it took forever agonizing over how to make everyone happy we'd probably hardly make it past chapter five and even then that's only thanks to the poking of Mr. Writer Guy's helpers reminding him of his slow updating speed."
At seeing Noire's confused expression Compa merely smiled as she shrugged. "Nep-Nep talks about weird fourth wall breaking things a lot, we've gotten used to it. Though I feel like she's kind of right..." Within moments a storm cloud began to form outside, causing her to tilt her head in confusion as she glanced out one of the nearby windows. "Huh? It was bright and sunny a second ago..." The nurse shrugged it off, unaware that she had unknowingly twisted a verbal knife that was presently lodged in some higher power, most certainly not the author's fragile confidence.
"Well this kind of Nep-level content doesn't come easy Compa, this story takes three monkeys and a single typewriter locked in the same room, a lot of screaming, yelling, horrible jokes and odd things happen as the other two monkeys prod the one in charge of writing but it's the only way for this story to come about! Sometimes things are thrown, the typewriter is smashed with a hammer, or is oftentimes set on fire as they dance around it chanting but that's just part of the process on how the magic happens~"
"Does she do this a lot...?" Noire deadpanned, her head already beginning to hurt as she tried to process just whatever sort of gibberish her fellow CPU was spouting. Though no sooner did the title cross her mind did she scoff inwardly. 'As if she could be considered a CPU when she's prancing about all happy-go-lucky and without her memory no less! Though, that is my fault... no! It's what had to be done and that's that!'
"Pretty often, Axel's even started doing it from time to time. Nep-Nep just seems to be rubbing off on him." Compa sighed a bit with a shake of her head.
"So Mr. F143m3rz and Mr. Syntras thanks for poking Mr. Angron so he doesn't forget about his duty to writing our great and wonderful adventure. Oh, and Mr. Zenotyne too, every now and then. It's only thanks to you three we've managed to progress this far!" Neptune struck a pose, saluting cheerfully to some audience the others could only assume were imaginary.
"Anyway..." Noire drawled off, coughing into her hand as she tried to get things back on track. "It's just weird to me. I'm sure one of you could find somebody else if you tried. Seems like a lot of trouble just for one guy when there's plenty of other guys around that'd be less complicated? Plus he doesn't seem that great." The guy did go flying into her skull first... and he called her 'Princess' to boot!
No sooner did those words leave her mouth, however, did all of the warmth and cheeriness in the living room suddenly vanish, an ominous air filling it as a chill went down the CPU of Lastation's spine. A delicate hand placed itself upon her shoulder and despite how the gesture appeared it may as well been the hand of the Grim Reaper for all of the triggered bad end thoughts going through her mind, ever so slowly she turned to its owner and glanced up at the smiling face of Alannah Wallace.
"Oh? It almost sounds like you have something against my son, but that could never be the case... am I correct?" Despite the smile she wore, and the melodious tone of her voice there was something ominous about her at the moment, though the entirety of it seemed focused upon Noire. "He's quite the sweet and helpful boy, it may certainly not be normal but as long as he's happy and they are happy that's all that matters... isn't it?" It was perhaps her mind playing tricks on her but an aura of malevolence surged about the older woman, her single visible eye shining with something dangerous that was to be unleashed or held back solely by the next words that would leave the CPU's lips. Even the rain clouds that had formed outside seemed to disappear into the sky with Lastation's smog and let the sun shine once more out of sheer fear of what was coming.
Noire understandably decided to quickly save herself lest she some horrid fate befall her. "R-right! It's just odd to see, n-nothing against it at all personally!" As she quickly saved herself through her stammering Alannah relaxed her grip and nodded as the dangerous air about her disappeared in an instant. Noire could only sigh in relief and try to recover her usual poise.
"Good, I would hate to have to cancel our show for some unforeseen circumstances~"
Only to inwardly shiver and quickly make a mental note to walk carefully around this place. "R-right...!"
"Huh? A show? You're planning on doing a concert Mrs. Alannah?" Compa spoke up, taking a small sip from her mug of tea as she got comfortable upon one of the couches in the room.
"Well, after seeing the situation Lastation's in, I thought it best to try and raise the people's spirits, and the Lady herself asked, so who am I to deny her? Ever since announcing it, Chirper's been going wild with hype, and it seems people are starting to regain faith in our Lady. And just Alannah please, dear, I'm not one for formalities." With the gears in her head already turning she smiled inwardly as she glanced towards a certain blue-haired heroine. "Nisa? Would you mind helping in the kitchen? I'm afraid those two are going to need more than IF keeping an eye on them. Besides, Axel's sure to enjoy one of his personal heroes joining him for something he enjoys~"
"P-Personal hero?! I-I mean Zeno said as such but I didn't think it was true..." The normally loud teen was now oddly feeling awkward as she met the older woman's gaze.
"Oh? He hasn't mentioned how he'd listen to your exploits online whenever he'd hear about them or keep the newspaper articles you'd show up in? Why if I didn't know any better I'd say he's your biggest fan, not to mention you're part of what made him want to help people in the first place."
Now feeling fired up Gamindustri's Heroine of Justice quickly stood up and nodded quickly. "In that case, I would be glad to help! Especially if it helps inspire someone who so clearly looks up to me!" With that she stood up, quickly making her way to the kitchen.
"Gust is impressed, Alannah has skills." The pint-sized alchemist nodded her approval. "Can see what doing."
"Never underestimate a mother dear, but I'm hardly doing anything just pushing people in the right direction is all~ Which reminds me, the contract you have my son under... it's fair I hope?" Unlike Noire Gust did not flinch under the gaze of the older woman, producing the paper in question and handing it over for her to go through as she desired.
"Axel good haggler, but terms are fair for everyone involved."
"Mmhm... so I see, and you even managed to get Ms. Lyrica involved as well. Very well, I'll be trusting you as my son's manager, I feel he's in good hands with you dear." Nodding her approval she handed the paper back to the pint-sized alchemist who tucked it back safely in her pouch.
"Gust thankful to have approval, much less to worry about."
"AHA! I FOUND THE BABY PICTURES!" Neptune called out victoriously as she held up a worn photo album. "And apparently it's only the first volume!" As if by magic the girls in the room gathered around her as she opened it up. Alannah only laughed softly at the sight, turning to glance out the bay window in the room and smiling as she could see a dust cloud steadily approaching.
Noire herself couldn't help but glance over the girl's shoulders, sneaking a peak.
It wasn't like she was curious or anything...
]l[
As a chorus of giggling and cooing broke out from the living room Axel instinctively groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Great, they found the baby pictures... why me?"
"Less slackin' kiddo, we've got a full house to feed and if you've got time to be lazy then you obviously don't need to eat." Clint piped in from the side, Axel turning to glare at him but only grumbling to himself before resuming what he was doing.
"Don't tell me how to do shit, I know what I'm doin' old man..."
"Have they been like this for a while IF?" Nisa asked curiously as she turned to watch the two go about their respective cooking tasks with their backs to one another. Clint seemed oddly reserved and calm rather than the goofy and jovial man they had met earlier; Axel meanwhile seemed... crabbier than normal if that was somehow possible. There was a strange tension in the air and she most assuredly didn't like it.
"Yeah, it's weird. Think you can do something about it? I'd rather they be yelling at each other and throwing utensils at each other than whatever this is going on." She glanced hopefully Nisa's way, not too sure how to go about fixing things herself.
"I'd be happy to do so, leave it to me IF!" Nisa called out cheerily as she moved to stand next to Axel and assist him with what he was doing. "From what your mother and Zeno keep telling me you really look up to me! I'm proud to know I can inspire people! It's.. kind of new honestly... not that I'm complaining of course!" The blue-haired heroine laughed a bit awkwardly, a bit embarrassed though she was relieved to see a small smile play out across his face.
"Y-Yeah... guess I did make a habit of listening tuning in whenever I'd see something about you online or in the news." He had honestly just about sliced off one of his fingers in surprise when she shot up next to him and started talking, but thankfully he managed to catch himself lest the house turn into a screamfest. "Guess you can say it was because of you I struck off to try my hand at this hero stuff."
"Not that you'd admit to it normally, too busy actin' flippant and uninterested in everythin' around you," Clint added in, quickly sidestepping and catching the strainer that was thrown at his head. "Geez, still as short-tempered as ever..."
"Then quit pushin' my buttons, you old nutjob!" Axel roared before turning his back to him, grumbling all the while.
"You never think about your actions, you just do what you want to do and damn the consequences, kiddo. Just like when you left home in the middle of the night, no note or anything. You worried your poor mother half-to-death y'know, but I guess that never crossed your mind huh?"
IF was a bit concerned now, chewing the inside of her lip as she turned to watch. Nisa herself felt somewhat daunted but wasn't about to relent when she had at least gotten a smile out of him. "It makes my heart burn with pride knowing I can move people to do the right thing! Together we'll make Gamindustri a better place for everyone I know it!"
"Heh, yeah... I guess we will, huh?" Unable to help himself Axel reached out, ruffling the girl's hair and making her blink as a small blush came to her face.
IF couldn't help but smile, leave it to Nisa to dispel any bad mojo in a room.
"So are you doin' this for the sake of helpin' folks or yourself so people can give you the attention son? I imagine with all these girls around you actin' like some fan club that ego of yours must be at an all-time high." Clint spoke up casually, keeping his back to his son as he turned to level a glare his way.
"Bit late for you to go actin' like a parent now, isn't it?" Both Nisa and IF flinched and mentally sighed, their plan to lighten things up only working temporarily it would seem.
"So you're sayin' we didn't spend enough time with you, is that it huh?" Clint glanced over his shoulder with a bored expression on his face. "You didn't answer the question either, guess you must like all the girls feeding your ego huh?"
"Don't talk about the girls Clint, and maybe I am doin' it for myself. Maybe I'm doin' it for the sake of bein' helpful, whatever my reasons it sure as hell ain't your business now is it?"
"Still the same spoiled hot-tempered brat you've always been..." Clint sigh, shaking his head in obvious disappointment. "I had hoped this little 'hero' bit of yours would have matured you but you're still as childish as ever. "
IF couldn't but glare now, taking a step forward. "Now hold on, that's no way to talk about your son like that, he's-"
"And what the fuck would you know, huh?! Last I checked you were a bit too busy with who knows what, what gives you the right to act like you even know me anymore, eh Dad?" Axel spat the word as if it was poison, moving in front of his father and glaring up at him as he turned. By now the ruckus had brought the girls from the living room who were huddled around the entrance watching worriedly.
"So you're blaming me now is it?"
"Sure as hell ain't blaming Mom, I actually give a damn about what she thinks."
"So why bother comin' back? Certainly wasn't to see us I'm sure, or do you plan on avoidin' the subject and askin' her instead?"
"My weapon is busted up if you absolutely have to know, I need a damned new one. Happy now?" Axel took one of the shards of his former weapon and jabbed it into the older man's chest before letting it drop into his opened hand.
"Typical Axel, come back only because you need something..." He sighed, glancing to the side and inwardly wincing. 'Worse than I thought...'
Alannah had heard enough of the bickering and moved through the group of girls and crossed her arms as she looked between the two. "Now, now, that's enough of this. We're here together after so long, we shouldn't ruin that by fighting."
"It's fine, dear. Let him get it off of his chest." Clint shook his head before inspecting the fragment closely. "I swear.. You come from a family of blacksmiths son, why would you treat your weapon so poorly?"
"Hold up, I thought you two were supposed to be some musical duo or something? What'cha mean you're a family of Blacksmiths?" Neptune asked, taking a step to stand next to Axel and squeeze his hand comfortingly.
With a resigned sigh, Alannah closed her eyes. "A common mistake, I'm afraid our success in music is entirely from my own work... and teaching Clint how to play instruments properly. His side of the family, however..."
"My side of the family are known as blacksmiths, and honestly I don't see why I should bother doin' anythin' for you... your attitude aside there's the fact I don't think you even know the real value of your weapon. Watch..." With that said Clint tapped a finger against the shard and frowned as it began to glow with a blue light while giving off a humming noise like a tuning fork much to the astonishment of everyone present. Axel inwardly flinched and glanced away off to the side. "This is known as the light of sorrow. Your weapon is sad because of your ignorance... you just swing it around like a tool not caring in the slightest, don't you?"
"Blacksmiths? That's not what I was expecting." Compa tilted her head, moving to Axel's other side and resting a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. Clint smiled inwardly at this but kept silent.
"Tch, why the hell should you care what I do with a weapon old man?"
"My point still stands. Why should I bother forging you anything when you'll just break what I make you and expect a replacement. You should give this hero thing up before you lose your head... you aren't ready for what's out there in the world." With that Clint turned to leave, Alannah frowning deeply.
"...What did you say?" Axel murmured quietly, his eyes locked on the floor.
"I said you're not ready for this saving the world business you've set yourself on. You're too reckless and selfish son, you wanna get yourself a weapon that's a dime-a-dozen and run off I can't stop you. But something from me? Never gonna happen short of impressin' me."
Gritting his teeth Axel turned and kicked the trash can in the kitchen out of frustration. "Well y'know what I think of you!? That you can go f-"
"I'm home...!"
As a chipper new voice shouted into the house everyone fell silent, Clint glancing behind him then to his older son and shaking his head. "Your little brother is here, we're done." Axel's mother could only frown, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder.
"Axel, just take a breath and..."
"I'm going to the backyard," Axel stated coldly, moving away from her touch and slamming the door behind him after wrenching himself free of the girl's grip. The girls naturally quick to follow after him once they had gotten over their surprise. Now alone in the kitchen with her husband, the matron of the house shot him a withering glare.
"Clint, was all of that really necessary? You went too far and you know it. You really upset him! All I wanted is for us to have a pleasant family gathering, why are you doing this?"
Sighing deeply the older man brought a hand to the nape of his neck and glanced upwards. "I know love, I didn't like pushin' him that far either but you saw the same thing I did... if he can use that I have to be sure he can handle himself. It's too dangerous for me to just ignore and leave to fate. If I gotta light a fire under him and piss him off then so be it."
"Clint..."
"Don't worry dear, I know what I'm doin'. Besides... if it all works out like I know it will then he'll be more than ready for anythin' that's thrown at him. Besides... he's always been predictable for me, I was the same at his age." He chuckled quietly, closing his eyes.
"You sound certain this will play out how you think."
"Well he is our son, after all, he may not have your talent in magic but I know he'll find a way to surprise me... I just gotta be ready for what's coming is all. The boy's still got a hell of a right hook on him and I set bait I know he won't be able to ignore." He grinned from ear to ear in pride.
"For your sake, I hope you're right dear... if this doesn't work you're sleeping on the couch for a month." With that she left the kitchen, intent on greeting her youngest. 'I swear... you're both so thickheaded but 'like father like son' as they say.' "Aidan! I hope you had a good day at school dear, I have a surprise for you~"
"Ugh, a month of sleepin' on the couch... that's just cruel, love. Now I'm kinda wishin' I hadn't gone through with this..." Sparing one last glance behind him to where his son was no doubt fuming he allowed a small smile to his face. "You don't need to prove anythin' to me, kiddo... I can see you're new and improved, but I still look forward to it all the same." Honestly, he couldn't even remember the last time he got to cut loose. "And he already has strong bonds... Guess we'll see just how strong they are soon enough."
First, however, he had to finish dinner.
"Damn, I should have waited till we were finished then pushed his buttons..."
]l[
"Axxy!"
"Who the hell does he think he is...!"
"Axel!"
It wasn't any surprise to him the girls had hurried after him when he stormed out of the kitchen, though at the moment all he really wanted right now was some time to himself. "How could he... damn it!" Once he was close enough to the sole tree in the backyard he swung out at it as hard as he could, not even wincing as his fists impacted against the walled bark. Painful as it was, and it was most definitely painful, it did help just a small bit. Taking a slow breath he hissed as his hand began throbbing.
"You aren't ready for what's out there."
No sooner did his father's words go echoing in his mind did he raise his aching fist for another swing, only for someone's grip to stop him. "Axxy! Hurting yourself won't make anything better!" Neptune kept her grip tight despite his attempts to get his arm free. "Now just calm down and we-"
"Can I just have two goddess damn seconds to myself around here?! Fuck! TWO SECONDS NEPTUNE, TWO GODDESS DAMNED SECONDS TO MYSELF!" He all but barked before shoving her off of him, his eye's widening as the girl tumbled backward and fell before staring up at him with a hurt expression. Guilt immediately stabbed at his insides as his still-aching hand fell limply to his side while her eyes began to tear up. "Nep, I'm sorry I-I didn't mean to do that, I just..."
With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she raised up her hands in a stopping motion once she was up and had dusted herself off. "D-don't worry about it A-Axel. I'll... I'll go get you a drink, yeah!" Without waiting for his response the lilac-haired girl turned and ran off in the direction of the house, the group quickly getting out of the way as she bolted past them. Axel shut his eyes and resisted the urge to curse as even he could see he had really upset her, as she ran off Axel winced as something in him seemed to break couldn't honestly explain the feeling... only that his body felt just a bit heavier now.
'What the...'
"Nep-Nep, wait for me!" Compa called out, giving Axel a long look before hurrying after the small girl.
Of course, the fact she had used his name instead of the nickname she loved so much was just as much a dead giveaway, and it only made the dagger of guilt twist further in his heart, now even Compa seemed disappointed in him to boot. "I'm a dumbass..." He brought the hand that currently wasn't hurting like hell to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'm not going to argue that." IF replied, anger lacing her voice as he glanced her way. "I planned on letting those two handle the pep talk you need but since you had to run them off..." With that she began making her towards him, clenching and unclenching one of her hands. Axel had a feeling he knew what was coming and only exhaled slowly and stood up straight as she soon stood in front of him. "To start with..."
Axel didn't bother moving out of the way as she drew her hand back and slapped him across the cheek, the remaining girls wincing but knowing better than to interrupt. "That's for hurting Neptune's feelings when she was only trying to help! You know damn well how much we all care about you but we can't do anything if you don't want to let us in, idiot."
His cheek stinging from the weight behind that slap Axel didn't raise his head to look up at her. "Guess my old man was right then, I haven't changed a bit, have I?" That remark earned him another slap and he nearly fell over since he hadn't seen it coming, now he was pissed off again! "What the hell, Iffy?!" He growled as he looked up at her only to stop as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"That's for doubting yourself when you know none of that is true." She said simply and gently, Axel closing his eyes as they slowly moved to a sitting position. His anger melting away he let himself sink into her embrace. Axel couldn't help but release a small sigh of contentment as she ran her fingers through his hair.
Deciding now was as good a time as any Nisa stepped forward, sitting in his line of sight with a small smile. "If it means anything, I don't believe he's right either Axel." He gave a small nod in reply and she decided to continue once he had her attention. "I didn't just start calling myself a hero you know, I'm well-known enough to get asked to help commercials sure but..." The normally loud and energetic girl seemed oddly subdued about now. "I was raised in an orphanage you know, don't really know the how or why but I learned I quickly didn't like seeing people around me being sad. So I trained, day in and day out when I had the time. I'd find all of the evil people of the world and..."
"Dragon kick them into oblivion?" Axel chimed in, making her laugh quietly in amusement.
"Well, yes but I worked myself into the ground doing quests and going to places where monsters were trouble... a lot of times I got knocked down but I always got back up and worked at it even harder. If it meant I could make the world a happier pace I'd gladly get pummelled and bruised over and over up if it meant driving off the evils of the world! I never asked for recognition or anything, I got famous without actively trying or even wanting it really... I mean it's nice but what makes me the happiest about it is how some people looked up to me enough to want to do the same as me for the world."
"People like you Axel," Lyrica spoke up quietly from behind him, wrapping his arms around her neck. "Y-You're not perfect, you know... but nobody is!" The normally shy and quiet idol holding onto him tightly. "Y-You make me want to help people and make the world better too, even if it's just by making music that makes them happy..."
Faced with all of this the teen only sighed and closed his eyes. "Again. I'm a dumbass."
"True, but you're our dumbass." IF replied, smiling to herself as she felt his heart beat at a relaxed pace as his body began to unwind. "Which means you're my dumbass too, got it?" She spoke up in a whisper when she was sure the other two wouldn't hear her.
"...Thanks, Iffy."
"No problem, now get up and let's go find Neptune and Compa so you can-"
"BIG BROTHER...!"
The moment they were all having was quickly shattered as the three jerked their heads up to see a curious sight running towards them at almost inhuman speeds. The first and most obvious thing was the giant ball of fluff running towards him with its tail wagging, a dog that was at least the size of a small car; running in front of it was a small boy with messy dark brown hair and emerald green eyes. Aside from the red scarf around his neck, he was dressed in a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans with some black sneakers on. Once the boy was close enough he all but launched towards Axel like a speeding bullet with the hound launching high into the air behind him.
Having been plowed into twice now by people at high speeds, IF, running solely on instinct released Axel from her embrace and quickly pushed Lyrica away lest they both be collided into. Axel honestly wanted to say he was impressed with how quickly she executed that maneuver. There was, however, something that prevented him from doing so.
Mainly the fact the boy flew into him, his head all but slamming into his solar plexus as they both rolled about on the ground. Axel was soon on his back and trying to draw in a desperately much need breath... only to grow pale as a massive shadow fell over him. "REX! NO! HEEL BOY! DON'T- GAAAAAAH!"
His brother shooting into him like a speeding bullet was one thing, the family dog landing atop his poor fragile body was another matter entirely. If he hadn't felt winded before he most certainly did now, in addition to a mild crushing sensation. The three girls were about to try to help him when he began laughing loudly, squirming under the tag-team's tackle. "Q-Quit lickin' me! Aidan! Leggo! You're gonna crush my neck, I'm happy to see you too geez!"
It was quite the cute sight to see the teen pinned by a giant dog and enduring a bunch of slobbery affection while his younger brother stayed wrapped around him in a vice grip; IF was tempted to let it continue for a little while longer but decided to help Axel out by carefully prying the smaller boy off of him. "Nice as that was, we don't want him losing consciousness." She carefully set him down as Axel wormed his way out from under the family's canine companion.
"BIG BRO! IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE SEEN YOU!" The boy latched onto his older brother in a hug while Axel smiled and patted his back. "I SAW YOU ON CHIRPER! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE A SUPERHERO!"
"A..."
"Super..."
"Hero...?" Lyrica finished as the trio parroted the boy's statement, Axel blinking in confusion.
"Yeah...! You were fighting Zeno and you were all like "Bam!" "Pow!" and then you transformed and got crazy cool!" As realization dawned upon him Axel laughed awkwardly as he scratched his cheek, feeling just a bit embarrassed about now.
"W-well, that was... eh..."
"You're even traveling with Nisa! How cool is that! I can't wait to tell all my friends!" My brother's a superhero traveling around Gamindustri with the Nisa! Gamindustri's Heroine of Justice! I wear a scarf just like you, and Axel said it'd make me just as cool and brave as you are!" Nisa flushed a rosy red and glanced Axel's way who very quickly looked off to the side without bothering to comment on it.
"This is your little brother?" IF blinked, as if somehow doubting it though she quickly became aware of the boy in her personal space. "Hi...?"
His eyes filled with stars now Aidan looked back to Axel then to her. "Y-You're IF! One of the best Guild Agents there is!"
"W-well, I don't know about..."
As if by magic the kid seemed to warp in front of Lyrica who instinctively inched backward. "And you're that idol lady who does the radio show! Oh my gosh! My brother's doing all kinds of awesome stuff with super important people!"
"...He's pretty lively." IF mumbled, watching with no small amount of amusement as Nisa seemed to become invigorated and was posing as well as letting out a few of her speeches to what could be considered her number one fan.
"I wish I had even half of his energy..." Axel rolled his eyes, seeing a certain canine was nudging his nose into his hand for attention. "Good to see you too boy, you giant ball of fur and slobber."
"Just what kind of dog is that anyway, and why in Celestia is it so huge!"
"Huh, guess you don't pay attention when you're raised around him..." Scratching behind Rex's ears Axel chuckled as the giant of a dog flopped onto it's back next to him, taking the hint he began to rub his belly; much to the dog's delight judging by how one of its hind legs began kicking furiously. "Rex here is a Loweean Mastiff... and where the heck did everyone else go?" Now that he was in a semi-good mood he had noticed Gust, RED and that odd Noire girl had disappeared
"I didn't notice they had slipped away..." IF glanced around, blinking a few times before shrugging.
Noire at least was closer than they all thought, watching the whole exchange from one of the rooms inside the house. She had thought about saying something to try and cheer the boy up but given she didn't even know him... "It's not like I had a reason to worry or anything..." She mumbled flippantly, staring just a bit wistfully at the group. 'So that's what it's like to have friends...'
]l[
"Nep-Nep, Nep-Nep! Wait up!" Compa called out as she spied the purplette shooting up the stairs and slamming the door behind her. Tempted as she was to stay back and help Axel she had to rely on Iffy and the others for that. "Nep-Nep...!" She hurried up the stairs, nearly tripping but managing to steady herself as she reached the door. Taking a moment to catch her breath she exhaled slowly as she reached out and rested her hand upon the lock. "I'm coming in Nep-Nep." Or at least she hoped she was, there was a good chance her friend had locked it...
As the doorknob turned she smiled just slightly to herself, thankful Neptune hadn't locked it or simply forgot. Stepping into the room she could see Neptune sitting on Axel's bed hugging her knees to her chest while keeping her back to the door. "Axxy's never snapped at me like that before..." She mumbled to herself, tightening her grip just a bit as his words echoed in her head.
"Can I just have two goddess damn seconds to myself around here?! Fuck! TWO SECONDS NEPTUNE, TWO GODDESS DAMNED SECONDS TO MYSELF!"
"Nep-Nep..."
"I was just trying to help cheer him up!" Neptune turned, leveling Compa with a tear-filled glare which felt so horribly alien upon her normally cheerful face only to quickly withdraw into herself once more. "And the way he looked at me... like I was nothing more than a huge headache for him... " True there were times she worried she was a big annoyance but never before had Axel ever said or even behaved as such. His words, tone, and just the way he had looked at her in that moment, however, had made her feel so very, very, small and unwanted.
Compa glanced off to the side, her heart hurting for her friend as he brought a hand to her chest; Neptune's soft sniffling as she tried to hold back from crying openly only making the feeling worse. "Nep-Nep, he had no right talking to you like that but..."
"But?! But?! How could ANYTHING make what he did okay Compa!" Neptune turned, lashing out as she raised her voice at the nurse. Compa honestly wasn't surprised, nor truly phased by how she was serving as the CPU's punching bag since she couldn't go after the person she was truly upset with. Letting the comment roll off of her she drew in a small breath as she readied herself to stand against everything that'd be thrown her way.
"Nep-Nep, Axel was in the wrong but you heard what his papa said to him. I'd be upset too if my grandpa ever said that to me..."
Gritting her teeth at the nurse's logic she huffed and kicked one of the pillows off. "Are you taking his side now Compa!? How could you even-"
"I'm not taking anyone's side Nep-Nep, I'm only saying you have to see it from where he's standing. We only know a little bit about how he gets along with his family, and obviously, there are some things buried for a while now by how he lashed out..." Much as she hated arguing and conflict Compa stood firm in the face of an upset Neptune, not letting the nervousness she was feeling show on her face. "Axel had no right to speak to you like that, but his pride took a big whammy of a hit there; it's only to be expected he'd explode a bit."
As Planeptune's CPU childishly turned her back to her she pressed on. "Besides... you didn't see his face as you ran off Nep-Nep. He looked pretty upset by what he said to you."
"Good! He should feel all kinds of awful for hurting lil' ol' me like that! That's no way to talk to someone you claim to care about."
"Nep-Nep, you know Axel really cares about you." Compa crossed her arms, not exactly caring for the accusation. "If he didn't he wouldn't have felt guilty instantly, and he definitely wouldn't have stuck by us through all of this. You can be angry at him but don't you ever think he doesn't care about you or anybody."
"...I'm not gonna forgive him just like that, no matter what happens or what he says," Neptune mumbled to herself, Compa sighing softly in reply as she scooted onto the bed and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl in an embrace. "He's gotta think about how he acted and stew in it for a bit before he apologizes, and he really has to mean it."
"That's perfectly fine Nep-Nep, I know he will... we just have to remember sometimes he has his dumb moments," Compa added in with a small smile.
"Giant rude jerk... he's lucky he's grown on me or I'd never speak to him again."
"I know Nep-Nep, I know. Now come on, we can't spend all day up here."
"Dinner time everyone~"
]l[
Dinner unsurprisingly was quite the lively affair given how many people were gathered together enjoying the feast that had been made for them, most of the talk being centered around the adventures they all had been through. With everyone chatting and enjoying the well-cooked feast before them one could say the house was filled a perfectly warm and relaxed atmosphere; save for the two individuals that weren't contributing in the slightest and causing something of an awkward air to hang over what would otherwise be a perfect dinner.
Neptune would speak when spoken to but none of her responses had any of her usual enthusiasm or cheeriness, the girl obviously still a bit upset at a certain teen in the room. Axel for his part had settled for one-word responses, grunting, or just outright silence as he ate his food in a stiff and robotic manner. Every now and then he'd glance Neptune's way only to wince as the girl would ignore him or look away; a silent message that he had done goofed royally and she wasn't too happy with him at the moment.
His mother had noticed this and hadn't hesitated in shooting a glare her husband's way, the man rubbing the nape of his neck out of discomfort with such a lethal gazed focused upon him. "You've been awfully quiet Axel dear." She spoke up softly, frowning as he only gave her a half-hearted smile before rising from his seat. "Axel?" Noire had stayed silent throughout all this, finding the quiet and upset Neptune extremely out of place from what she could remember... it bothered her even if they were enemies.
Without a word he gathered his plate and utensils, moving to the kitchen; his mother glaring at her husband once more who coughed into his hand and decided the sooner he got this over the better. "Y'know, it's been a long while since we've had a spar, Axel. How about putting some of that anger you're holdin' onto to use, kiddo?" As his son gave him the silent treatment he rolled his eyes with a sigh. "I mean if you're worried about gettin' your ass handed to you in front of so many people I s'pose I can understand... you're still pretty outclassed when it comes to me after all but who knows, maybe if you surprise me I'll take back what I said and make somethin' for you though I doubt you could pull that off."
"I've had about enough of this!" IF stood up, slamming her hands upon the table. "Haven't you egged him on and pushed his buttons enough? What business does a father have talking to their own son!?"
"Mom, are dad and Axel fighting again...?" Aidan muttered quietly, looking to his mother concerned as she drew an arm around him.
"It'll all be okay Aidan, don't worry~" She spoke in a comforting tone, sighing softly as the mood was all but ruined now.
"I must agree with IF, this is not acceptable behavior from a parent, especially from someone of your stature Mr. Wallace. You're more experienced and stronger; what point is there for you to challenge him to such a fight?" Nisa added in, crossing her arms.
"RED thinks Mr. Dad Guy isn't as awesome as he likes to act..." The small girl mumbled off to the side as she munched on a bit of garlic bread.
"You're on," came Axel's reply as he turned to stare at his father from over his shoulder while washing dishes. Clint couldn't help but smile inwardly as he could see an intensity in his son's eyes.
"Axel, you don't need to do this..." Compa spoke up with a bit of worry in her voice as the teen calmly made his way to towards the back door, stopping once he was standing next to his father.
Both men eyed one another before Axel turned his face forward and began walking. "I'm not holding anything back, not a damn bit of mercy for you, old man."
Clint merely smiled at the threat and chuckled to himself with a nod. "Wouldn't have it any other way, kiddo..." As his son entered the backyard he became quite aware of the glares sent his way and quickly hurried off for the sake of his own safety since it seemed most of the women in the room weren't too happy with him for one reason or another.
"You can't be fine with this, shouldn't you say or do something to stop them?" Noire asked curiously, raising a brow as Alannah Wallace simply shook her head.
"I think it's probably for the best, my husband knows what he's doing... unfortunately the only way he knows how to go about it is to push our son's buttons. Come along, this is most definitely not something we should miss~" Once everyone had finished their respective plates, the matron of the house shooed them out the door. 'Goddess above I hope he knows what he's doing...'
]l[
"Right! Same rules as always; no weapons and no winner until someone submits!" Clint called out as he rolled one of his shoulders, Alannah projecting a field of magic that enveloped more than enough of the area around the two so they had more than enough space for what was to come and the spectators wouldn't be at any sort of risk as they sat on the grass nearby.
"Iffy, do you think Axel has a chance...?"
"Normally Compa I'd say yes but... unfortunately Axel's bitten off way more than he could chew." IF pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation as she honestly wasn't looking forward to what was to come. "His opponent has seen a lot more action than pretty much all of us combined, honestly even if he went HDD I don't think it would mean much."
Noire shot a look towards the guild agent and scoffed, figuring she just simply misheard her. 'As if he actually has an HDD...'
"Nep-Nep, you think Axel can win... right?" Compa looked over to Neptune only to frown as she simply shrugged and didn't bother voicing her thoughts.
"Gust will place her money on Clint."
Ignoring the conversations going on Axel mentally prepared himself as he already knew his chances were next to impossible; still if it meant he could pummel the jackass a bit and work off some lingering anger he was all for it, even if he'd probably be feeling the beating he'd be getting for a long while. "Fine with me."
"If you're serious about goin' all out I suggest you pull off that flashy little trick you learned, son, you're not goin' to last too long without it." Clint shot out cockily, smirking as his son scowled his way.
"You asked for it then, I've had about enough of you talkin' shit anyway! HDD install!" A flash of light enveloped him before he stood transformed, smirking as he cracked his knuckles. "AX Heart, ready to rumble!" Almost instantly something felt off though he was careful not to let it show on his face. 'The hell...?!' The very moment he had gone HDD his body felt unnaturally heavy as if all of his limbs were weighed down by some other force. Grunting he tried shaking it off and already could feel a bit of panic setting in. 'What's the deal here... c'mon body, MOVE!'
"Wha- How- When- HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?" Noire yelled as she pointed wildly, if it weren't standing in front of her she wouldn't believe it in the slightest! "HOW DOES HE HAVE AN HDD! HE'S NO GODDESS!" Well, unless the 'he' was secretly a very flat 'she' but Lastation's CPU severely doubted that ridiculous possibility.
Whistling in appreciation Clint inspected his son from head-to-toe while nodding to himself. "Damn, that's pretty flashy there kiddo. Now that I'm seeing it in person..."
"...YOU'RE GONNA GET WRECKED!" Deciding now was a good a time as any he decided to see what would happen by giving the aggression meter a spin he grinned from ear to ear as he shot forward, the heaviness lessening just slightly as the gauge filled a quarter of the way. For a split second he couldn't remember what had brought him out here but shook it off as his mind focused on slamming a fist into his father's smug face; it'd come to him later!
Rearing his arm back as he came closer and closer to his target he threw it out, the vents on his armor giving him a bit of extra oomph as they propelled him forward. "EAT THIS YOU GORILLA!" As his fist sailed closer and closer towards his target he smirked, seeing he had caught the old man off guard. 'Heh, maybe I was worried for nothin'!'
That thought, however, came to a screeching halt as his father caught his fist and managed to stay standing in spite of the force scooting him backward; Axel's eyes widening as he glanced up at him. "As I was sayin' before you interrupted me... I'm not all that impressed. You're certainly flashy, yeah, but don't let it get to your head!" Tightening his hold he spun and hurled his son away from him, Axel using his clawed gauntlets to dig into the ground and slow himself down a bit. "I never thought you'd be able to have an HDD kiddo, I'll admit that. But... you're not the only one with some surprises!" As light enveloped him Axel felt his blood run cold as his old man repeated his own words from earlier.
"HDD INSTALL!"
"WHAT?! THE DAD TOO! WHAT IS EVEN GOING ON HERE ANYMORE!"
"You're kidding me, Axel wasn't the only one...?!"
As the light faded Axel's left eye twitched as he resisted the urge to scream internally... his father hardly looked any different and didn't get a fancy outfit like he was wearing but there was no mistaking the power symbols in his eyes as he smirked his son's away.
"Time for some tough-love kiddo!"
In the face of this little surprise and what was sure to follow Axel had only one response...
"Well... shit."
]l[
A cliffhanger? MR. DAD GUY DIGIVOLVING?
REVEALING THE CHAOS AND INSANITY THAT IS INVOLVED IN WRITING THIS STORY WITH MY TWO HELPERS?!
Yep, and no worries my readers; Axel's no child of destiny if anything the story I have in mind for how he and his papa can go HDD is probably going to cause all manner of cackling.
As for how Vert so thoroughly destroyed him in Four Goddesses Online... all shall be revealed next chapter!
I'll be seeing you all soon, and that's a promise I intend on keepin'.
Angron, out!