A/n: Happy Holidays, have a Merry Christmas tomorrow!

~o~

Roxas stared out the window that overlooked the courtyard. There were ornate statues, perfectly trimmed shrubbery, and a decorative fountain was occupying the space. He could stare at their beauty and opulence for hours, which was a habit he'd come to have. After his anger had left him exhausted and he had stopped trying to fight Axel so hard, he had found that the hours here ticked by at a maddeningly slow rate because there was so much on his mind.

Silently, the blond watched the sun fade. Axel would be waking soon and, more likely than not, paying him a visit. He had been shoving that thought to the back of his mind for the entirety of the day. His thoughts were with his family and he wished and hoped that they were okay when he saw the first star appear in the sky. He had probably gotten them killed... or worse: handed over on a silver platter to the Vampires by their comrades in the neighboring districts. He had been so stupid and so foolish the night he had met Axel and he hated himself for it. With a miserable sigh, he kicked at the wall angrily and pressed his head against the glass, mulling over the situation in his mind.

Axel had taken him to a fortress, a mansion, which was somewhere outside of the territory that he was familiar with. It was beautiful. From what he had seen, it was surrounded by timber and far away from Twilight Town. He had been confined to a room there during the days, which, as incredibly dull as it was, he found he'd rather be. He wasn't a prisoner but he wasn't exactly sure that he was allowed to leave. Axel had not restricted him, aside from when he was asleep. He had not explored the rest of the grounds, even though he assumed that he had the freedom to do so.

Only one word came to Roxas' mind if he were asked to describe that stifling room: white. Everything was white, the furniture, floor, ceiling, walls. The only spot of color was provided by the window he was looking out of. Axel had told him that it was for his protection from the others, for now. Roxas had been fine with that, as long as he was left alone. However, when evening came, as always, the blond felt a magnetic pulling overtake his body and caught movement in his peripheral vision. He scoffed at his own reflection. "Go away." Axel's voice filled the space between them and it set Roxas' entire being on fire. The blond suppressed a shudder at the sound of his name, feeling feverishly hot. He already knew that Axel could hear how fast his heart was pounding. He felt another jolt when his name was repeated. Axel was closer, now, and his body wanted nothing more than to accept the Vampire's advances.

"Roxas…"

He stared at the stars determinedly, trying to summon his anger but failing. "If you're done using me to hurt my family, just kill me," he said softly. He felt weak in Axel's presence and was suffering withdrawals from denying the Vampire for three days. The worst narcotic to become addicted to was a Vampire's venom. One taste of their saliva and you were addicted. That's all it took. Of course, the blond hadn't known that Axel was a Vampire when he'd kissed him back then. Otherwise, he would have never allowed it and he would have been able to stay away from him. Now, Roxas was left exerting an exhausting amount of effort, resisting him. He needed to get it out of his system. Even if Axel hadn't been a Vampire, at this point, he would be struggling to deny him. It was more than the venom drugging him, and he knew it. His head was pounding and his body ached for Axel's touch.

"Your family is safe," the red-head murmured into his ear. Roxas' eyes went wide. "I am keeping them safe." Before he could stop it, the ice he'd built up around his heart was thawing, trailing out of his eyes and down his face as tears.

Roxas bit his lower lip in an attempt to not lose his resolve. He wanted to see Axel's face and believe what he was saying. He wanted to believe that Axel wasn't using him anymore to strike at his family. He knew that Axel hadn't ever lied to him but he needed to know without a doubt.

"Why?" he asked roughly. Axel sighed softly and answered simply.

"I know that pain."

Roxas turned. Their eyes met and blue searched green. The red-head was so handsome. Roxas had almost forgotten because he had been refusing to look at him. He looked so genuine that Roxas forgot for a long, crucial moment that he wasn't human. What caught him the most off guard, however, was just how close they were to one another. When Roxas had turned, he had found that they were nose to nose and his guard was rapidly slipping away. The blond's breath was catching in his throat before he could stop himself.

His fingers twitched and he automatically leant closer but stopped, his cheeks reddening when he realized what he was doing. He felt dazed and his head was spinning. He was letting himself get swept away and he couldn't do that. Everything about this was wrong. He needed to do two things before the red-head's promise became reality: to drive a stake through Axel's heart and to get home.

Then, Axel closed the space between them and all rational thought left him, just like that. Blue eyes slid shut. Their mouths opened at the same time and their tongues met. Roxas was shaking and whimpering when the red-head pulled him close.

"Mmn…" the blond moaned, breathing raggedly. Axel kissed him again, more deeply, brushing and probing the right places with his tongue.

The red-head murmured his name and Roxas stared at him in confusion. His head was slowly clearing. "Whether you are angry with me or not… you cannot keep refusing to eat," he hummed coaxingly. Roxas nodded slowly. Axel's lips quirked upward and he nodded in approval, tugging him gently to the door.

Roxas' brows furrowed as Axel took him by the hand, leading him expertly. This mansion looked like a home, nothing like what he had been expecting Lea's lair to be like. This had to be his main base, where the Vampire felt the most secure. It was where he slept during the day. Roxas had never become a full slayer because he hadn't killed a Vampire yet, but he knew that much.

There were still paintings of people along the walls and personal items everywhere. The boy bit his lower lip, biting out a harsh and accusing comment as they descended the stairs before he could stop himself, "You preach about how you were wronged but what about the family that lived here?" The red-head paused to look back at him, his expression unreadable. "Did you kill them? Did you enslave them?" Axel watched him calmly for a moment longer before laughing and shaking his head. However, he was not laughing in amusement. The sound was too harsh for that.

"You are fortunate that I expected this from you," he mused finally, tugging him along despite his protests. "I am not surprised that Cloud taught you to hate us so much."

"What are you talking about?! Hey, let me go!" Axel ignored him, stopping only when he got to another portrait.

"Look well, Roxas, and tell me what happened to them," he murmured. The blond froze. It was a portrait of the members of the family he'd seen. There were several people, all red-heads, but what stood out to Roxas was that both Axel and Reno were in the picture as well. Roxas stared at the red-head wide eyed but Axel wasn't looking at him. He was simply staring into their faces. "This is and always has been my home."

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know…" Green eyes stared into blue for a long moment.

"I know," he said, finally. Roxas found himself at a complete loss for words, unable to look away from those eyes. "Come, little one," he murmured. The blond's eyes lidded and he followed the suggestion obediently. He felt a spike of fear jolt through his heart. Fingers caressed his face, those burning eyes swallowing him up, "Shh," he hummed softly, pressing their lips together and pushing his tongue into the boy's mouth, "none of that." Slowly, the blond nodded, his legs following Axel on the red-head's unspoken command. All Axel had to do was beckon him with those eyes and Roxas couldn't resist.

When he felt the hold over him ebb away, Roxas found that they were sitting a table, where a plate of food had been waiting for him. The blond frowned in confusion and Axel knew his question before he asked it. With a slow smile he murmured, "I have another human that I am fond of. She maintains the gardens, here, and she prepared your meal tonight." Frowning more deeply, Roxas asked,

"You didn't turn her?" The red-head shook his head.

"I only turn the willing," he murmured back. Roxas felt his face redden and he stared into those green eyes challengingly.

"Do you bite her? Do you force her to stay?" Axel made a soft sound of amusement, the corners of his mouth turning upward.

"No," his lips tugged up into a grin, "you do not have to be jealous." Roxas sputtered incoherently, his face reddening further and Axel smiled knowingly. "Oh, but please do not misunderstand me," he purred softly as he shook his head, "I do not mind at all," he hummed, watching the boy mischievously, "be jealous all you would like." Roxas scoffed and pointedly looked away, occupying himself with eating a piece of bread. It made him think of the fire that had burned their stores of food and of the red-head. …of Lea… He swallowed.

"Why 'Axel'?" The red-head hummed softly and Roxas clarified. "Why not Lea?"

"Oh," he replied softly, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Some things are too painful to remember and…" Roxas watched him expectantly when he paused again. There was a thoughtful frown on that beautiful creature's face, "if you had known my real name you would have never let me get close to you."

Roxas scoffed at him. "I'm glad we can agree on that," he muttered spitefully. He stared down at his plate for a long time. "You know, thinking about how you burnt our food stores makes me not so hungry." Axel gave him a toothy grin, sarcasm in his voice and reflecting on his face.

"Yes, Roxas, humans are completely innocent in this matter, aren't they?" he replied. Roxas' eyes widened.

"So, we're are just supposed to let you do as you please to us?!" he bit back. The red-head shook his head.

"You have been misinformed. Most humans fear us because they do not understand us, nor do they wish to," he replied. His eyes never strayed from Roxas'. "We are perfectly capable of coexisting."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Funny, somehow, I don't believe you since, you know, you're trying to starve us."

With a simple shrug the red-head replied, "I don't expect you to." He leant back, his arm resting on the table. He was too close and Roxas slid away. Axel watched in disappointment, but he didn't show the boy. "If Cloud would only come to me and discuss terms, I would show a gesture of goodwill toward your kind, Roxas." The blond scoffed.

"Yeah, okay, Axel. Like that will ever happen after what you did," he spat back. "You took his only son and called me a consolation prize!"

"It wasn't ever going to happen, Roxas," the red-head challenged. Roxas glared.

"If my father could have had peace, he would have done it!" he yelled, "You!" he said pointing at the red-head, "Would have never shown us kindness so don't go bullshitting me about coexistence!" Axel leant dangerously close but Roxas was still raging. He didn't care.

"Name one time I have lied to you," he murmured to the boy.

"Are you kidding me?! You lied to me about who you were!" Roxas yelled back. Axel frowned deeply.

"Oh no, Roxas. I have not been Lea for a long time." Roxas only glared. "Your ancestors are to blame for that." Confusion and distrust flickered in Roxas' gaze and so the red-head continued. "They attacked us, unprovoked. We did nothing and in their ignorance and fear, they took my sister, Kairi. They chained her to a stake and burned her alive when the sun came up. I will never forget her screams. Reno and I are the only ones in my entire clan that survived that day. That is what made us rise up against the humans."

"Yeah, okay, Axel. Why would you ever want peace after that?" Roxas shot back. Axel stared at the boy contemplatively for a long time. He didn't look like he was unsure of what to say. He was simply debating telling Roxas the truth, if he could handle it. Finally, he let out a sigh and grimaced.

"My brother fell in love with your father," he replied. Roxas' entire world stopped. He stared at the red-head, any scathing response he'd had dying on his tongue. His brain tried to process what Axel had said, but he couldn't.

"No," he gasped, shaking his head, his stomach sinking in horror because he knew. He could feel it. He could sense it. "My father …would never… he has a family, he, he hates you, he…" Axel was watching him carefully.

"For a time, he did," he told the blond finally. Roxas just stared at him.

"Oh my God," he muttered, running a shaky hand though his hair, "that's how you found us, isn't it?" If it were true, it made sense. Axel watched him patiently.

"For your whole life, Cloud has been able to sense us and we have known where to find him. You should know that this is true because of our bond. I proposed peace, for my brother's sake. Your father never took the opportunity," he murmured, easing back into his previous position. He ran a hand though is wild hair. "Instead, he has been trying to hunt my brother down, to kill him and to be free of him." Roxas stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Is that why you involved me?" he asked quietly. Emerald locked with cerulean.

"Yes. Cloud made himself a bigger threat instead and so I chose to target you in the same way but with different intentions," he told the blond. Roxas nodded slowly, never looking away. "I have known of you since your birth, you would have never escaped me." Roxas swallowed involuntarily. Somehow, the revelation made him feel a little better about the situation he was in. "I watched you grow, I watched you learn, I watched you rebel, I saw your first love. You were just like your father." Roxas' face heated and Axel continued. "Time is nothing to me. Eighteen years was nothing, in comparison to the future. You were my opportunity to protect my own. All I had to do was seduce you."

"That's all I ever was, for my whole life?" the blond asked bitterly.

"It was," Axel confirmed, "you were never going to take Cloud's place. I was not going to allow it. No one could have protected you from me." Axel's gaze gentled. "Especially because… I never expected to want you and I do." Roxas' heart stuttered.

"You want me?" he asked in disbelief.

"I do," he admitted.

"Why would you say to my father that I was a consolation prize? Why would you…" Axel held up a finger.

"I was merely taunting him. I do not like your father for what he has done to Reno. I am sorry, I did not mean to hurt you," he interrupted. Roxas' shoulders slumped. He felt overwhelmed and utterly defeated.

"I don't… I don't know what to say," he admitted. Axel scratched at the back of his head.

"…Roxas… You do not have to say anything. No part of this is your fault. I only hope that you can stop being angry with me one day for what I have done to you," he replied.

~o~