Axel could feel a cold sweat coming upon him. Why though? He had been truthful and spoke with his heart—relatively speaking. So why now, when he had found out that Roxas had remembered all he had said the night before, why is he wishing he hadn't heard at all? He wanted to tell him, right? Yes. Then why was he at such a loss for words in this moment?
Axel opened his mouth to say something, but no word came out. He's never been this nervous in his life. Damn, why did he have to be such a coward when it came to his own feelings and getting them out? Especially to the one he's come to love.
Axel locked eyes with Roxas and was about ready to actually just screw his nervousness and admit to saying it all when he noticed the uncomfortable look on the blonde's face. At first the redheaded Dominant was at a confusion when he realized the blonde's hands on his arms had tightened every time he moved, even slightly. With a gasp and blink of realization, Axel realized that he had left himself inside of the Submissive.
With a deep scarlet blush, the redhead pulled out, causing the boy to sigh out in relief before trying to sit up. Axel let Roxas make himself comfortable before he just sat there, staring at his Dominant. He was waiting for Axel to answer, and Axel knew that even if they were somehow unexpectedly interrupted that Roxas would make sure he would answer him.
And wouldn't you know it that the twins suddenly started acting up right when Axel opened his mouth again. He looked back towards the direction where their cradling nests lay and then back to Roxas who only shook his head with a sigh.
"I'll be right back, I promise," Axel said as he got up, finding his pants first before taking off to get the pups.
Roxas looked around for his own clothing before noticing them neatly folded by their nest. No doubt Axel had taken things slow by the way they had been folded. That Dominant never takes care of things like that.
With a sigh, Roxas only shrugged before finding his pants and putting them back on before he proceeded with his shirt. Doing this was easier said than done though. Roxas could feel how weak his muscles were just by attempting to pull his clothing back on. Sure he got the task done, but it just took a little longer than normal due to his body recovering from a previous sickness.
Once Roxas pulled his shirt on he looked up and noticed Axel coming back with their twins on each of his hips. He smiled lightly at the sight. It was really nice to see how close his boys were with their sire. The last he'd seen them was forever ago and now . . . they loved their papa as much as their daddy. This Roxas could tell by the way his boys clung to Axel, as they cried their little red heads off.
"Sshh, sshh, it's okay boys, look, who's that? Mama? Is it mama?" Axel cooed his boys as he nudged them to look at Roxas.
Once the twins did their eyes became bright and they smiled. Roxas nearly cried right then and there as he saw his children for the first time again. The two quickly reached out for their mama and he reached out to them. Axel only smiled as he let go of the boys and placed them in Roxas' waiting arms.
"How are my boys?" Roxas asked, kissing each of them all over their growing faces. "Did papa keep you clean and fed?"
"Of course," Axel scoffed with a chuckle as he watched his sons lay their heads on Roxas' chest to listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat—the rhythm they were so used to listening to while they spent nine long months inside him.
Roxas wiped away his tears before looking at his mate—well, so he assumed. The damn Dominant was still probably set on prowling after others, just so long as Roxas stayed away from others.
"So . . . about my first Dominant," Roxas spoke up, making sure the redhead didn't forget about the topic at hand.
"Oh . . . yeah," Axel replied, letting out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head before taking a seat next to the Submissive. "That was me, Roxas."
"How do you know?" Roxas asked, deciding it best not to look at the Dominant as they spoke about this fragile issue, so he kept his eyes on the pups in his arms who were quick to cling back to their Submissive.
"I remember you," Axel said, his tone almost a whisper as he too avoided eye contact and stared at the ground. "It took Terra helping to get my memory jogged to remember. He asked if I remembered what color hair my first Submissive was, or what color eyes, or gender, or how young they were. Eventually, a picture of you, so young, came into my mind."
"The Dominant that took me first was a redhead," Roxas muttered as he slowly looked towards Axel's fiery red locks.
"The hair color runs in the family," Axel said, combing his fingers through his soft locks. "My sire had it, and I assume his sire as well."
Roxas nodded before he looked back towards his pups and petted their fuzzy little red heads. He had to agree with that one. He's never really seen too many redheads in his day. It was a hair color that seemed to be slowly fading, but since his pups seemed to all have the color he assumed it must run in Axel's family.
"You hurt me . . . you know that," Roxas suddenly spoke and it made something inside Axel feel as if it dropped—he assumed it would have been his heart, had he had one.
"Yeah," Axel sighed how, bowing his head in shame. "And I'm sorry. I know it was about 5 or 6 years ago, but it was my first time smelling the heat of a Submissive."
"Your—first?" Roxas asked, looking at the Dominant, wondering if, what he implied meant that he had been his first-first.
"Yeah," Axel nodded, smiling lightly at the blonde before trailing his gaze elsewhere. "A Dominant's nose matures to the scent in their teens, just like a Submissive goes into heat. It's just . . . mine didn't mature until I was in my early 20's. A Dominant really doesn't find any interest in Submissives unless they can smell their heat, so, yeah, you were my first, Roxas."
Roxas didn't know if that flutter inside him was a good thing or bad thing. His cheeks flushed a red hue as he looked back towards his pups. He felt, somehow, special. He was Axel's first and Axel was his first, and only. In a way he was like Ventus who had gotten just that; someone who'd be his first, and only.
As Roxas dwelt on this, his eyes continued to look at his pups in his arms who stared up at him with such lively eyes that it made Roxas think back to his very first pup. It was Axel's! Did he know? !
With a gasp, Roxas quickly turned to Axel with a worried look.
"Axel, I was pupped in my first heat!" He said. In other words, he meant 'I had your pup before the two we have now!'.
"I know," Axel nodded.
"What, how?" Roxas asked, blinking back in confusion.
"Terra . . . told me," Axel said, looking away from Roxas yet again.
"You mean Ven told him?" Roxas asked. "And then he told you?"
"Something like that," Axel said, letting out a hard sigh as he tried to figure the best way to explain this. "Look, Roxas." Axel turned to the blonde and looked him dead in the eyes. "When you were taken, not too long after, Terra was taken by his sire."
"He—He was?" Roxas asked, now the thought of a depressed Ven erupted in his mind. "How's Ven? !"
"He's lonely," Axel said. "And . . . pupped."
"What? !" Roxas nearly jumped up but Axel held up his hands and said, "Calm down, calm down. Let me explain the rest."
"Alright," Roxas nodded as he settled back in his seat, pups tight in his grasp.
"Now, Terra's sire is an Elder, actually, both his parents are, but what I'm trying to say is that Terra was taken to the Elder's Mountain to meet with the rest of the Elders because his sire wants him to succeed him. Well, apparently, when he was there, he saw a pup of an Elder . . . a pup that the Elder claimed to have found when he was still just a newborn pup."
"W-Wait, are you talking about . . . about?" Roxas' throat began to clench and he couldn't breathe anymore. Tears were now starting to fall and his body began shake.
"Your first pup, our first pup, is alive and safely living with an Elder family," Axel said, a soft smile turning his lips upward with a small nod.
"Are you serious? !" Roxas gasped, placing his pups down beside him as his shaking hand flew to his eyes and he cried.
"Roxas, easy, everything's alright," Axel said, quickly taking the boy in his arms and rocking him gently.
"For so long I thought that he had been stillborn and then, when I found out about a Dominant's birth, I panicked," Roxas cried out, rubbing his face into Axel's chest. "I thought—I thought that I had left a live pup to die!"
"Easy Roxas," Axel whispered. "He was found."
"But how, how does Terra know? !" Roxas asked, grabbing Axel tightly by the arms and looking up at him desperately, he needed to know.
"Terra figured it out because he's the exact clone of me," Axel chuckled just because his genes always seemed to be the more Dominant whenever he sired pups. "And Terra's smart. He probably knew he looked around the age of 5 or 6."
"Good," Roxas let out a relieved sigh as his grip on the Dominant loosened. "Then my mistake was redeemed."
"You were young, you didn't know any better," Axel countered. "So stop beating yourself up. The pup's fine now."
"But . . . I want to see him," Roxas whispered before looking up towards his Dominant with a firm look in his eyes. "I want to see him, Axel."
"I don't know where he lives," Axel said. "Sure, it'd be nice to see him, wouldn't it? But right now—let's focus on getting you back to 100 percent, alright?"
"Alright," Roxas nodded.
"Roxas," Axel called. "Do you . . . forgive me, for all of that?"
Roxas looked back at the Dominant and thought about it. He was unsure.
"I truly am sorry for putting you through all of that. Even after we met again. I was such a bastard to you that you have the right, right now, to just take the pups and leave my miserable life," Axel said. "Then I grew possessive over you because—because you made me feel more than I ever had in a while. My feelings were in conflict with my old life and then, when you were taken, I didn't know what to do. It wasn't until that did I realize how much I loved you."
"Loved me?" Roxas asked, that fluttering near his heart was back again.
"That's right," Axel nodded. "I love you, Roxas. Can you, will you, mate yourself to me? This time you can choose. I wont' force you."
Roxas looked down in thought before looking back up to the Dominant with a wary gaze.
"Will you . . . mate yourself . . . to me?" Roxas asked, making sure what the Dominant said was true.
Axel froze before the biggest smile Roxas had ever seen appeared on his face. With a gasp, Roxas suddenly found himself in the Dominant's embrace once more.
"I've been waiting for you to ask," Axel replied and then leaned down to kiss him firmly on the lips, thus sealing the deal.
"Roxas!" Ventus cried out as he ran straight into his brother's arms.
Roxas let out an 'oof!' as he was tackled by his identical twin brother who also happened to be very pupped at the moment, and that large belly of his nearly squished Roxas to the ground.
"Careful, Ven," Roxas groaned as his brother sat on top of him licking his face all over. "You're pupped."
"I know," the blonde sniffed as he sat up and helped his brother up as well. "But I was just so happy to see you better. When did you get better anyways?"
"The second day," Axel came up to reply. "After you and the others left."
"Oh, really?" Ven asked. "How did it happen?"
"I've got my touches," was all Axel was going to say as his green eyes met Riku's own.
Riku only smiled before turning to see the twins speak about all that had happened, especially after Roxas had been taken by Xemnas.
"I'm so sorry for your mate, Ven," Roxas said, taking his brothers hands in his before one of his hands reached out to touch Ven's protruding stomach.
"I know," Ven said, looking down with sadness. "But, I've somehow managed. I have my pups to think of and if Terra was here, he'd want me to take care of them while he was away."
"Just like you got me back, we'll get him back. For sure!" Roxas nodded encouragingly as he looked at his brother dead in the eyes.
"I really hope so," Ven said as he let go of his brother and placed his hands on his stomach that was so full with pups. "I want him to be there when they're born."
"We all do," Riku spoke up, looking at Ven. "We already know where he is, but it's just getting him away from his sire that'll be the hard part."
"I never liked him—Terra's Dominant," Ven spoke up, a scowl on his face. "First he threatened our pups and then he took Terra away. I know Terra's doing this for us because his sire threatened to hurt us should Terra not obey him."
"Yeah, he was always such a bastard," Axel growled as he thrust his hands in his pockets. "Well, even if we have to go to the goddamn Elders, we'll get him back."
"Wait though," Ven spoke up, his eyes traveling back over to his brother. "Roxas is now just back with us. I don't want you to worry about my family before we have time to celebrate."
"You sure?" Roxas asked. "You're due soon."
"I know," Ven nodded. "But I'll make sure they wait—just like your twins."
"I didn't force them to remain inside me though," Roxas stated. "You can hurt yourself if you try that, so, please, just take it easy."
"Still," Ven smiled brightly at his twin. "I'm really glad you're okay."
"Me too," Roxas replied as he embraced his brother and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, and by the way. I want everyone to know that me and Axel have just become mated to each other."
"Are you serious? !" Sora gasped, even Demyx, next to him, gasped.
"That's right," Axel nodded proudly as he wrapped his arm around Roxas' waist and pulled him close. "From now on, the only prowling I'll ever do is after Roxas."
"You're giving up the other Submissives, Axel?" Riku asked, wondering if what he was hearing was true. He remembered him speaking so sure about it and now that it was official, well, he can honestly say he was proud of his best friend.
"That's right," Axel said with a nod. "Because none of them can make me feel the way Roxas does."
"Awwww, that's so sweet!" Demyx sniffed, rubbing his eyes as he clapped in happiness for the new couple.
"I knew you had it in you to commit, Axel," Riku chuckled as he watched his friend glare at him before laughing along with him.
"You did, you did," Axel agreed. "I just wish I had seen it sooner. If I had then I would have made sure never to abandon Roxas when he was still a pup."
"Wait . . . that was you?" Ven asked, his eyes blinking in realization before looking at his brother who only blushed and nodded.
"When Axel and Riku had gone to see Terra, he had told him," Roxas said. "And now that I think back on it . . . I remember Axel being the one who came in late and beat all the other Dominants fighting for me."
"I thought you didn't remember much about the Dominant," Zexion spoke up, remembering Roxas' tale.
"I didn't," Roxas said. "I did remember his red hair though, and that color being such a rarity really made me think back on it, and it was then I remembered how much older he was to me, and how green his eyes were."
"That's what it took to get me to remember Roxas as well," Axel said. "I remembered how small and young he was, what color his hair and eyes were and then . . . I remembered how much he looked like Roxas."
"That's—amazing!" Sora gasped. "You were both each others' first!"
"Talk about fate," Demyx nodded, holding his pups close and hiding his face in them as the tears came. "I'm just glad everything worked out for you two!"
"We all are," Riku said. "But there's still one more matter at hand that we have to fix before everything can come together."
"Terra," everyone spoke, knowing they had to get the Dominant back for Ven and their pups.
"Still," Ven spoke up. "Let's just be happy for a while and push away the stress of the missing so we can be glad Roxas is safe and sound."
"If you say so, Ven." Roxas smiled sweetly at his baby brother before Ven nearly jumped him again with tight hugs, wet licks, and sloppy kisses.
"Father!" came the loud angry shout as a certain aggressive Dominant came marching into his sire's nesting ground where his younger brother also remained.
Terra was in the middle of nursing his split lip from the recent 'spare' he had with his father before he noticed his big brother come marching in. His eyes full of hate and his fangs bared in rage.
"What is it, me eldest?" Xehanort came up to his oldest pup with a calm expression, like he always wears.
"Don't you 'my eldest' me!" Xemnas growled, pointing to his sire in no show of fear. "That bastard's friends!" At the word 'bastard's' Xemnas was quick to point an accusing finger in Terra's direction. "Came into MY nest and stole one of MY Submissives!"
"Tell me, could it have been Roxas?" Xehanort asked as he came towards a chair and sat in it.
Terra gasped at what he had just heard. Does that mean that Riku and Axel are alright? Does that mean that they managed to save Roxas and escape with their lives? But how? Xemnas was known to kill whoever he fought with, so how on earth did they make it out?
"Of course!" Xemnas growled. "That pathetic Submissive had gotten ill and then they had come."
"Tell me," Xehanort spoke up. "Why didn't you kill the two?"
Xemnas was quick to silence himself after hearing this asked of him. If he told his father that they had somehow beaten him then he'd no doubt laugh. After all, Xemnas was a strong and aggressive Dominant and Terra's friends where anything but that!
"Well?" Xehanort asked, waiting for his answer. "You can't possibly tell me those two pups beat you, now did they?"
Terra kept his eyes on his brother and waited just as much as his sire. He wanted to know so bad that he about asked his brother to answer already. He knew Xemnas would eventually answer though, because whenever their father asked something of him, he'd respond.
"They . . . somehow managed to trick me," Xemnas bitterly replied through clenched teeth.
"And how is that, my son?" Xehanort asked.
It was then Terra saw the rage come over his brother again, as if the embarrassment of being beaten by younger Dominants existed no more. He growled and clenched his fists so tight Terra thought he'd might cut through his hands with his claws.
"It was Axel!" Xemnas hissed, the name was like a bitter taste on his tongue.
"Axel?" Terra whispered in confusion.
"What of the redhead?" Xehanort asked, amusement written all over his features while his eldest explained his defeat at the hands of two mere pups, one of whom he exclaimed had a major part in this.
"He's . . . He's hollow!" Xemnas exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" Xehanort asked, his eyes narrowing at what his son had just said.
"Just what I said, he's hollow," Xemnas repeated. "I should have killed him! Any being would have died from a wound like that!"
"What are you talking about?" Terra finally spoke up, wondering what was wrong with his friend.
"You!" Xemnas hissed, turning to his brother. "You must have known you son of a bitch!"
"Leave Terra alone and tell me what happened, in detail," Xehanort said, his smirk gone, replaced by a frown as he folded his hands together.
"You want detail?" Xemnas asked. "I'll give you detail. My arm was elbow deep into that damn redhead's chest! I had pinned him to a tree with my fucking arm through his heart!"
Terra gasped after hearing this. Had he actually killed Axel? If so, then why was he so upset about him then?
"I wanted to rip that sorry-excuse-for-a-Dominant's heart right out and show it to him, but there was nothing there!" Xemnas said, his growl back. "He was hollow!"
"W-What do you mean?" Terra asked, concern for his friend written all over his features.
"So you don't know," Xemnas turned to his brother again, annoyance of him all over his features. "Of course you don't! You never know anything!"
Terra growled at the rude comment. Frankly, he was getting sick of his brother's stupid rage, but before he could say anything their sire spoke up, making sure both his sons turned their attention back on him.
"Xemnas, ignore your brother for once and finish explaining to me why Axel was hollow," the Elder spoke up.
Xemnas gave out another growl before turning his attention back to his father.
"It's like I told you, he was just hollow; void of a heart," Xemnas explained.
"Is that right?" Xehanort nodded before placing his lips on his knuckles and dwelling in his thoughts.
"You mind telling me how that's even possible? !" Xemnas growled.
Terra looked back towards his sire and waited for him to try and answer his brother because he wanted to know just as much as Xemnas. They both watched their father nod before leaning back in his chair.
"Oh, it's possible," Xehanort replied as his golden eyes gazed at both his sons.
"But how?" Terra asked, anxiously waiting for his father's answer.
"If he comes from a certain cursed family, that is," Xehanort said, leaving out just enough explanation to keep his boys on their toes.
"What?" Terra and Xemnas said in unison, both confused to the same level.
What was Xehanort talking about? That's what Terra wanted to know, and why didn't he look so happy? What was wrong with Axel's family? He didn't know they came from a cursed family, and how far did this curse extend to?
So many unanswered questions that Terra could barely stand waiting for. He wanted to leave and head over to see Axel and Riku right now. He hoped they were both well, especially Axel, after hearing what Xemnas tried to do to him. He wanted to know if his friends and family were safe so much that he had to will his body to keep still . . . but it was just so hard.
Xehanort smiled before he stood up. He looked at Xemnas and sighed.
"At least you weren't foolish enough to be killed by the two," He said before turning to Terra. "As for you, my chosen, you're coming with me to meet the Elders again."
"Why?" Terra asked. He didn't need to. He had already met them all the last he came with his sire.
"Because," Xehanort replied. "I need to see a certain pup on one of the Elder's."
Terra gulped. He had a feeling he knew which pup he was talking about. Even if Xehanort was talking about Elder Zack's pup, Lea, what would he do if he suddenly targeted the child? Terra knew he was powerless to stop his father from doing whatever he wanted, but what did he want with the pup?
Terra didn't like the thought of it and so prayed he just wanted to see him and nothing more. It could be that Xehanort knew about the pup being Axel's and sought to harm him because of what he and Riku did to Xemnas, but that just wasn't like his sire at all.
It didn't matter though. Terra could spend eternity trying to get into his father's mind and just when he finally has, he knew he'd regret it. So he kept to himself and kept a watchful eye on his father's actions—just in case they were threatening.
And most of the time, Xehanort's actions, were threatening.
Daughter Of The Revolution: Uh-Oh . . . I wonder if you guys can guess the trouble that'll happen next chapter . . . O.o
P.S. Oh, and don't forget to check out my new story Don't Cry. Of course it's an AkuRoku, but if you liked 'Pirates of The Carribean: On Stranger Tides' you'll probably like this! ;D