Always
Chapter 16
A/n: Oooh… I'm pretty pleased about all of these updates~ lookit, I'm on a roll ;)
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Last time:
Axel looked at me, frowning. I could tell that he didn't like this.
"Please?" I whispered. He turned back to her, looking very unhappy.
"If there are any future incidents, I will kill you," he promised irritably. "You are to stay away from Roxas. I don't trust you." Larxene nodded. She looked stunned. Axel's green eyes met mine. "Time to go," he told me.
"Axel wait-" Larxene interrupted, faltering when he fixed her with a murderous stare. She picked up her purse, pulling out papers and sliding them to him, as well as a large sum of money. "Please take them." Axel folded the paper and took the cash, putting them in the inner pocket of his coat, nodding once, before helping me up. I looked back when we were a few steps away, smiling at her when nobody was watching. I saw her smile back, just before Demyx and Xaldin covered us from behind and soon, we were on our way home.
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Axel was quiet, during the ride home. I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about as he stared out the window, glancing at him every once and a while. I called his name before looking at him again, hoping that everything would be okay now and found myself smiling. Axel had fallen asleep. He looked so sweet, so peaceful, illuminated by the city's lights, that I left him alone, content to watch him.
When we arrived at the house, I shook him gently and he groaned, shaking his head. "Axel, we're home," I murmured to him. With what looked like a great deal of effort, Axel looked at me. He looked so tired. He rubbed at his eyes before yawning and getting out of the car, helping me. Xaldin handed him the keys and Axel thanked him.
"Do you still want us to stay here tonight, boss?" Demyx asked. Axel nodded tiredly, opening the door.
"Come inside. I'll let you know if things change." I watched them follow us, feeling uncomfortable that Axel still wanted extra protection.
"I thought we settled things," I protested. Axel frowned at me.
"Don't." he told me. I opened my mouth and Axel levelled me with a serious stare. I looked away, taking off my coat and shoes, heading up the few steps from the garage and going into our room, shutting the door behind me and huffing as I lay down on my side of the bed. It wasn't long before Axel joined me, sitting beside me. He called my name softly and I turned away from him. I gasped when he rolled me onto my back and scoffed at him.
"What." Axel frowned.
"Do not question my judgement." My scoff deepened and Axel grasped my chin, looking into my eyes. I continued to look elsewhere. "Don't," he told me. "You need to appreciate what I did for you tonight." I frowned before looking into his eyes, feeling guilty. "You need to respect that I don't trust her." I hesitated before I nodded.
"I'm sorry, Axel… but I hate feeling limited."
"I know," he told me. "It isn't for forever, but it might be for a while. I can't promise you anything. I'm sorry." I nodded, sighing. A lot of it was my own fault.
"Axel," I said softly, I needed him know that I did appreciate it. "I really am grateful that you did that for me. Thank you." His gaze softened.
"Roxas, I'm glad," He told me, taking my hand and squeezing it gently, "but, I need you understand I'm going to keep taking every precaution I need to, to keep you safe," he told me. "I want you to understand that it's not because I don't trust you or because I want to limit you." I nodded slowly. "I know that you don't like feeling that way and that was a huge reason why I backed down from having a bodyguard constantly at my side in the first place." I blinked at him confusedly.
"You what?"
"Xaldin's been at my side since I was twelve, Roxas. I had him back off a bit when I met you," he explained.
"Why?" Axel smiled a little.
"You told me once that you didn't like feeling caged. We had a big fight because you wanted to experience life and you were determined to do it. You're still stubborn to a fault," He said, kissing my forehead and making me blush. "But I love you for it. I wanted to help you live because you never got to and I wanted you to be happy."
"Do you still want me to be happy?" I asked quietly. Axel looked down into my eyes.
"Roxas, making you happy is and always has been a priority to me," he said simply, "but making sure you're safe is even more important to me. Do you understand?" I nodded slowly.
"Because you don't want to lose me?" I asked. Axel nodded. "I don't want to lose you either," I told him, feeling guilty. I hadn't doing a very good job of keeping myself safe for a long time. "Axel, will you help me be better?" Surprise flashed across his face.
"What do you mean, Roxas?" I hesitated for a moment, staring up at the ceiling.
"Axel, I just want to be better… I don't know how to take care of myself. Not really. I'm not good at it either, obviously." I glanced at him for a moment before looking away, feeling anxious. "I don't know people. I get caught off guard. I… I couldn't fight off Setzer because of it… I don't even think I could shoot someone if I had to. What… what should I do?"
"Roxas," he said quietly, making our eyes meet, "first, you need to remember who you are, who I am. Other people are going to take advantage of you," he explained, "that's just the way it is. Always assume the worst, if you don't want to get hurt. Don't ever let your guard down."
I looked up into his handsome face, I hadn't known what I was expecting him to say, but I found myself feeling sad. "Is that what you do?" Axel looked conflicted.
"Most of the time," he said finally before gently touching the side of my face, "but I can't seem to help myself, when it comes to you," he told me. My heart pounded, just before he kissed me. "Even before I knew you… I couldn't stop myself from wanting you."
"Why?" I whispered, "Why me?"
"It was everything, Roxas," he told me as I stared up at him. "I saw that you were with Vexen and that was why I introduced myself," he told me, smiling, "but then you wouldn't even look at me, even after you defied him. You were so strong willed and beautiful, I couldn't get you out of my head." I blushed. "I've gotten to see that there's a lot more to you, and I'm glad, but you haven't really changed, you know," he said, looking thoughtful. "You're still stubborn and hardheaded," his smile widened, "but it's helped you accomplish a lot."
I found myself rolling my eyes and laughing at the way he was looking at me, speaking without really thinking about it. "You're so hopeless." I gasped when he kissed me. He barely pulled away, just enough to speak. I didn't want him to stop.
"I am," he whispered back, kissing me again. "I don't think that you know what you do to me." I swallowed and my heart pounded.
"What? What do I do to you, Axel?" I asked. Axel shuddered and before I knew what was happening, he was pinning me down and kissing me again, trailing kisses along my face before playing with my ear. I gasped and then moaned.
"Oh sweetheart," he murmured into my ear. I turned my head, meeting him when he kissed me again, kissing him back. I moaned at the way he moved his body against mine. It turned me on like crazy and when he broke the kiss, I was gasping. "Even if I told you, you couldn't even begin imagine," he told me, kissing me slowly with each word. I trembled underneath him, it felt so good. "If anything ever happened to you, I'd never recover." I took his face into my hands. Looking up into his beautiful green eyes, I told him,
"Me too, Axel. I need you here, with me, for always." He smiled gently, pulling me close and resting his chin on top of my chin. "You saved me, without you, I wouldn't know how to live… I want you to give you everything you deserve, for everything you did for me." I glanced up at him. He was quiet again. When I saw his face, he was smiling contentedly. His eyes slid shut and his fingers traced my spine soothingly, gently moving up and down.
"Okay," he said gently, holding me tight. We fell into a comfortable silence and his smile didn't fade until his hand stilled and he finally fell asleep. Leaning forward, I kissed him gently, whispering 'goodnight'.
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TBC