Rating: M
A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! This will be the last chapter, unless I do a bonus one (which will be Axel about 16 or 17 and include Reno).
Warning you in advance: this' about half as long as the last chapter.
Disclaimer: The characters are still not mine. Remember, its fanfiction.
Reckoning: Chapter 25
Last chapter:
"Please, honey, tell me what's wrong," she said when I calmed down a bit.
"I… I think I messed up badly. Very badly," I whispered, hugging her more tightly. "Can I… can I stay here tonight?" I asked.
"Roxas, sweetie, you can stay here as long as you need to," she replied, hugging me again.
--
"Thank you, Aerith," I whispered. "Please don't tell Axel about this." I didn't want him to know how upset I was.
"Honey, I don't think things are going to get better unless Axel and I talk…" She said but stopped when I shook my head, crying again.
"Please… promise me you won't."
Aerith looked like she wanted to protest but nodded instead. "I promise, honey," she whispered.
"Why don't you sit for a while and I'll make you something to eat, okay?" she asked. "Maybe it'll make you feel a little bit better." I nodded, going and sitting in a chair.
Aerith vanished momentarily and I leaned back in the chair, thinking. How long would it take before Axel stopped avoiding me? Did he even miss me at all…? What if… what if he didn't love me anymore? I wondered, really afraid of what the answers might be.
I bit my lower lip, playing with my zipper to try to keep myself occupied and my mind off of things, but it wasn't working very well. I was just about to pace when Aerith came in.
"I didn't know what you wanted, so I made you oatmeal," she said, handing it to me. I nodded.
"Thank you," I said, smiling up at her.
"No problem," she replied, smiling back when I took a bite.
"You don't have to work in the shop today if you don't want to, honey," she said after a few moments. I shook my head.
"No, I want to," I said. Hopefully it'd keep me distracted.
"Alright," she said, sitting next to me. "Roxas," she said after a moment. I looked at her curiously, and hummed softly. "I won't push because I know that you're really upset, but if you get to the point where you want to talk about what happened, I'm here, okay?" She said. I nodded.
"Okay," I said.
--
I finished the oatmeal then made my way toward the kitchen. Aerith had gone off to do house work shortly before I'd finished.
I washed my dishes, drying them then went to the greenhouse. I smiled slightly as I went inside then went to work, watering the flowers and picking up where I'd left off yesterday with making bouquets.
I was glad that I had something to occupy myself with, even working through lunch. Time seemed to go by very quickly and I was a bit disappointed when I noticed the clock, seeing that the work day had come to an end.
I sighed and wondering if Marluxia would care if I kept working, stood, intending to find him. I'd just started walking toward the house when the door to the greenhouse opened. I paused.
"Sorry, but we're closing," I said turning and freezing as Axel came into the greenhouse.
"I know," he replied as our eyes locked.
"Axel… you came," I whispered, shocked.
The red-head blinked, looking surprised. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, approaching me.
"I… I thought you were mad at me. I thought you didn't want to see me." I whispered back, feeling the sting of oncoming tears. Axel stopped in front of me.
"Why did you think I was mad?" he asked quietly.
"B-because you avoided me all night," I said shakily, "and then… this morning, Xaldin dropped me off and I thought-"I said stopping when I started to cry again. Axel lifted my chin then wiped away my tears with his thumb, looking a bit concerned.
"What? What did you think?" he asked gently.
"I thought that you didn't love me anymore," I whispered, knowing that my eyes were welling up with tears again and hating it. The red-head shook his head, pulling me into a tight embrace.
"Roxas… how could I ever stop loving you?" he whispered into my hair. I closed my eyes, feeling tears stream down my cheeks, only halfway believing him.
"If you're not mad and still love me then why were you avoiding me like that?" I asked. That's what had hurt me so much.
"Because even though I wasn't mad, I was hurt," Axel replied. I looked up at him, unsure of what to say. "I was avoiding you because I didn't want you to see and Xaldin dropped you off because something unexpected came up," he whispered, looking away and biting his lower lip for a long moment.
"You didn't want to marry me… didn't want to spend the rest of your life with me and wouldn't even tell me why," he continued, sounding as upset as he felt. "Why?" he asked, those beautiful emeralds locking with sapphire, unable to mask how he was feeling.
"I…" I said looking down, and feeling guilty for hurting him, knowing that I needed to answer him. "I do want to spend the rest of my life with you, Axel" I said, continuing before he could interrupt. "When you asked me to marry you, after I kindof ruined your plans for the night," I said, looking back up, "I was shocked, then happy, and then," I said, furrowing my eyebrows, "I thought of my parents and I wondered… what if we're not meant to be, what if… what if you stopped loving me and we ended up like my parents… or worse?" I said, starting to cry again. "If you ever hurt me that way, I don't know what I'd do," I sobbed, crying harder and ignoring his attempts to calm me down. "It scared me," I whispered, "So I didn't want things to change."
"Roxas…" Axel whispered back, hugging me tightly. I returned the embrace, hugging him just as tightly until I'd calmed down somewhat. The red-head shook his head, wiping away my tears once again with his sleeve. "I would never mistreat you, never," he whispered. I hugged him again and he rested his chin on the top of my head for a long moment before pulling away.
I looked up at Axel when he pulled away slightly, seeing him reach into his coat pocket and pull out that box from last night, opening it. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, taking out a silver ring with diamonds embedded in the band, going all the way around it- simple, yet extraordinarily beautiful.
"It's a wedding ring, Axel," I replied.
"No." he said.
"No?" I asked.
"This is my promise to always be there for you, to protect you, and to trust you, no matter what." He said holding the ring in front of me as he said it. My eyes widened as he knelt before me for a second time.
"I'll ask again," he said, taking my left hand. "We don't have to until you're ready to, but, will you marry me, Roxas?" he asked, slipping the ring onto my finger and closing his hand around mine.
I felt oncoming tears again, and I closed my eyes after a moment to keep from crying. "Answer me something first," I whispered.
"Anything," He said.
"Do you promise to love me every day for the rest of my life?" I asked.
"No, Roxas," he replied, gripping both of my hands, "I promise to love you every day for the rest of mine." I opened my eyes wide, seeing that he was completely serious, and feeling the tears I'd been holding back slide down my cheeks. I smiled as he waited for my answer.
"Then yes, I will marry you," I said, smile widening and laughing lightly when he looked overjoyed, until he stood and kissed me, right in the middle of the greenhouse.
I pulled away after a moment. "I'll be right back, I have to tell Aerith something," I said, smiling at him.
"Consider me told, honey," Aerith said from the door. Axel and I looked at her, eyes widened. She smiled.
"How long have you been there, mom?" Axel asked as she came toward us.
"Since you came in, baby," she replied, giving us a hug then kissing Axel's cheek and then mine. "Congratulations," she whispered. "When are you getting married?" she asked.
Axel smiled at me. "Whenever Roxas is ready." He said.
I smiled back.
--
I stood stretching after pulling the last of the weeds then smiled at my flower garden. It had taken the better part of three months, but Demyx and I had transformed what had once been Axel's mess of a back yard into what actually looked like a back yard, even planting trees. Axel had given us license to do what we wanted, and now there was grass, fruit trees, Rose bushes along the fence, as well as a very large flower garden with a fountain in the center and a vegetable garden behind it.
I smiled, happy with how everything was coming along, and that the flowers had just bloomed. My only regret was that Demyx had missed the flowers blooming while he was away on his honeymoon. He and Zexion were supposed to be away for another week in fact.
I smiled again, absentmindedly playing with the ring on my finger. Though he'd predicted me getting married next, he'd been wrong, it seemed. I'd just gotten engaged first. Not that any of us minded, of course.
I tensed up when a hand gripped my waist, from behind, but relaxed after a moment, realizing it was Axel.
"Hey," I said, smiling as my back met his chest.
"Hey yourself," he said, resting his chin on top of my head, "I brought you some water," he said, handing me a bottle.
"Thank you," I said, opening it and taking a drink. "What do you think?" I asked, closing it and looking up at him.
The red-head smirked. "I think you've been working hard- you're getting tan."
"I meant about the back yard…" I said.
"It looks nice. I'm impressed." He replied, smiling.
"Nice? You don't think my flowers are beautiful?" I asked, feeling anxious.
Axel laughed lightly. "Yeah, they're beautiful," he said softly, "but nothing compared to you." The red-head smiled when I blushed. "Ready to go inside?" he asked. I shook my head.
"No, let's stay out here for a while," I said, pulling away and smiling at him.
"How come?" he asked.
"Because it's perfect and I want to enjoy it," I said, sitting on the grass. The red-head joined me and I smiled at him, gripping his hand.
"Roxas?" he asked, looking surprised.
"I wanted to thank you too," I said.
"Sure, Roxas," he said, smiling down at me. "I've already told you- I want you to be happy." My smile widened slightly and I gripped his neck, pulling him toward me and kissing him slowly. I pulled away after a moment then he cupped my cheek returning the kiss. I pulled away, then smiling up at him, lay down.
Axel smirked, bending down and laying claim to my lips once again. I closed my eyes, opening my mouth for him, letting him deepen the kiss. His tongue brushed slowly along mine and then he pulled away, lying down beside me. I smiled at him again when he gripped my waist and pulled me closer, holding him back as I nuzzled into his chest, and feeling content.
"Axel?" I asked after a few moments. I continued when he hummed softly. "Can we get married next summer, right here?" I asked, looking up.
The red-head blinked then smiled widely. "Of course Rox," he said, gripping my hand. I smiled back as our fingers entwined, looking back down and kissing his hand lightly, then holding him more closely.
"Hey Axel?" I asked, continuing when he hummed. "I love you," I whispered, beginning to drift off.
"I love you too, Roxas," the red-head whispered back.
I smiled slightly, knowing he always would.
--
-The End-
A/N: Another story done ^^. That is unless you want that extra chapter of course~
Review one more time to let me know how I did/ if you liked the end? I'll love you for it (: