Roxas woke before Axel. The light of the dawn was just beginning to penetrate the tent and Roxas stretched like a cat, revelling in the return of his real body. Finally everything felt right again and finally he could scratch himself properly.

It was worth the wait. Roxas snuggled beside Axel comfortably, smiling as he looked into the redhead's face. He looked so innocent, his face completely relaxed in sleep. Although the beer smell ruined that a bit. That suited him just fine though. Roxas closed his eyes and relaxed, just enjoying the lazy feeling of the morning. Soon enough he felt Axel stir and opened his eyes, watching the redhead's eyelids flutter.

"Mmm… crazy dream…" Axel muttered as he blinked, trying to move. "Huh?" Feeling the weight beside him he turned his head to look. Roxas met his stunned gaze with a warm smile, resting a hand on his chest.

"Good morning." Roxas laughed to himself as Axel stared, clearly at a loss for words. "I hope you don't have too much of a hangover." That seemed to remind him and Axel started to look a little green. But he recovered quickly.

"Uh, hello… who ARE you?" He asked plaintively. From the look on his face he could remember a bit, but it was probably too unbelievable. Roxas laughed softly, sitting up. Axel swallowed and Roxas smiled to himself at the arrested look on his face. They had sexual tension already.

"I'm Roxas." He said and watched Axel's expression melt into confusion. Did the redhead remember anything from last night?

"That's the same name as my horse – my horse?" Axel suddenly sat up then swayed, his face going green again. Roxas grabbed his arm to stop him from trying to bolt out of the tent. From the look of him he'd more likely end up face down in the dirt.

"Calm down. I'm your horse." Roxas said soothingly. From the look on Axel's face, he was having trouble believing it. Or maybe it was just the nausea. "I was a mercenary. A wizard turned me into a horse for a Baron, but the Baron was overthrown before the spell wore off. His servants fled so there was no one to let them know I wasn't a horse and people were talking about gelding me so…" Roxas shrugged and Axel blinked before nodding tentatively.

"The Steel Vale?" He asked and Roxas nodded, pleased to see Axel could think even with a wicked hangover. Of course, it didn't take much to guess that. Their close neighbours were a bit notorious. "I see. But why did you…?" Axel gestured helplessly and Roxas chuckled, understanding the question. Why did you jump me ?

"For one thing, I don't like mares." Roxas said dryly and Axel looked somewhere between embarrassed and horrified as he realized they'd put a person to stud. "I like men and I like you." Roxas anticipated his objection and before Axel could do more than open his mouth, he spoke again. "You might not know me but I know you. I've been listening to every thought running through your mind for months." Axel looked even more mortified at that. Roxas watched him blush, marvelling at how attractive it was.

"Oh dear gods." The redhead lay back in the bedroll for a moment, resting a hand over his eyes. Roxas looked around, wondering if there was any water. He saw a waterskin in the corner and crawled over to it. A quick sip confirmed it was water and he brought it over to Axel, who accepted it gratefully. He was just about to take a drink when the tent door suddenly opened.

"Axel, we need to-" Demyx stopped dead, staring. Roxas met his gaze calmly, naked as the day he was born, and suppressed a laugh as the blonde's eyes went large. It was probably more than a bit cruel, but he couldn't help but enjoy the moment. Axel meanwhile was looking truly horrified, the water forgotten in his hand. "Axel?" Demyx's voice went high with shock and outrage. "I'm gone one night and you replace me with some whore?" Roxas' eyes narrowed at that and he had to resist the urge to show Demyx exactly what he was.

"It's not like that!" Axel immediately protested, lurching to his feet. Roxas was alarmed by the color of his face and reached out to touch his elbow as Demyx started saying something. But then someone else pushed past Demyx, crowding the tent severely and making the blonde squawk.

"Axel! Someone stole your horse. He's…" Terra paused in midsentence as his urgent news met with the sight of two naked men and a furious Demyx. Terra and Demyx both began saying something but Roxas ignored the confusion of voices as Axel gritted his teeth and turned a peculiar shade of green.

"Out of the way!" He snarled at them both and dragged Axel past them just in time for the redhead to throw up outside the tent. There was a shocked laugh and Roxas lifted his head to glare at the teenagers. They were busy feeding the horses and had just seen more than they'd expected. As soon as Axel had stopped heaving Roxas pulled him back into the tent, noticing that Terra had stepped outside to give them privacy.

"Well, you were very drunk." Demyx said in a slightly more conciliatory tone, although he was still very upset. Axel sagged into the bedroll and grabbed the water, taking a deep drink as Roxas glowered at Demyx. This wasn't going quite the way he'd pictured, although he hadn't really been able to imagine it.

"What does it matter? You're leaving, aren't you?" Axel said wearily and Demyx flushed. Roxas smiled to himself. He could imagine what was going through Demyx's mind. Yes, he was leaving, but it was still infuriating to be replaced before he was even gone. "Terra, don't worry about Roxas. I'll explain it later, okay?" Terra rapped on the tent pole to show he'd heard. Roxas was sure he'd spread the word. The teenagers had probably been panicked to find one of the horses was missing. There might even be a hunt going on. "Dem, can we talk about this later? I need to get dressed, washed and clean up that mess." Roxas winced a little at that. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he'd cleaned up puke before. Demyx hesitated a moment.

"Fine!" He burst out before turning and stalking away. Or rather, trying to stalk away. He couldn't really manage it, with his normal upbeat way of walking. Roxas snickered at his back, then looked up at Axel as he felt the redhead's hand on his shoulder.

"He doesn't do offended dignity well. Try not to laugh." He murmured and Roxas smiled. "I really feel bad about this. We had a fight last night. It's no surprise he thought I picked up someone."

"You're too charitable." Roxas shook his head at Axel. The redhead really did like to think the best of people. And while he was probably right, Demyx was leaving. He really had no more claim on Axel aside from his offended sensibilities. Axel lifted his eyebrows then gave Roxas a small smile.

"And you're not charitable at all." He murmured. "You threw him into that bush on purpose, didn't you?" Roxas opened his mouth then closed it. Axel was completely right. Instead, he began looking through Axel's clothing for something he could wear. "Just stay here. I'll get you something that will fit you better than all that." Axel quickly threw on his clothes and exited the tent. Roxas used the time to give himself a quick rinse in the washbowl before Axel returned with a pair of pants and a shirt. Roxas eyed them warily before he pulled them on. The silver-green fabric was nice, but very light and a little frilly at the cuffs. "It's Marilee's. Sorry, she was the only one I could find around your size."

"Ah." Roxas looked over the shirt with a frown and finally decided that it wasn't too girly, just stylish. And the pants were perfectly neutral, heavy cloth meant for riding. "It should be fine, thank you." Axel smiled and started washing up. Roxas decided to be proactive and cleaned up the vomit as Axel tended to his needs. Wrinkling his nose at the smell, he discarded the rags afterwards. "I took care of the mess." He called as Axel stepped out of the tent, looking around quizzically. The redhead turned and smiled at him. Roxas felt a warm pleasure that went all the way to his toes at that look. I'm like a smitten schoolgirl. He thought ruefully, but didn't try to fight it. It was a good feeling and Roxas desperately wanted to see where it would lead.

"We should go talk to Terra." Axel said then smiled sheepishly as his stomach growled. "Well, after breakfast." Roxas nodded.

"I could do with some steak and eggs. Is there steak?" He asked wistfully. Axel laughed, clapping a hand over his shoulder.

"Is there steak? Of course! I'm not too sure about the eggs though." Roxas laughed with the redhead and glanced around as they walked to the food tent. He hadn't really seen this part of the fair before… his activities had been very limited by being a horse. This was the living quarters and mess hall, though, so not terribly interesting. He did notice that the tents in Terra's section were positioned in military style rows, with all the guide wires and tent pegs in predictable locations. Some of the other camps were far more disorderly. Several people looked at them curiously as they walked inside, but they had too much tact to ask as Axel and Roxas took some food and found a private table. Everything was served family style and the selection was limited but tasty. Roxas took a plate full of fried parsnip cakes and two thin slices of beef, along with a fresh apple. Axel didn't touch the cakes, but took a strange combination of grains and pickled vegetables to go with his beef. Roxas cut himself a small slice of the beef and popped it in his mouth.

"Ohh." He almost groaned and blushed as Axel chuckled. But the beef was delicious. After all those months of nothing but grass and oats, it was like a flavour explosion in his mouth. "It's wonderful." He muttered as he chewed. It was very tough, but that wasn't a surprise. The best cattle would be sold and the tougher, less desirable ones would go to the ranchers. It wasn't a huge detraction though. Roxas had no problem with chewing and the flavour was superb. "After nothing but grass for months, you can't imagine how good this is."

"That must have been a trial. What was it like being a horse?" Axel sounded genuinely interested and Roxas found himself telling the redhead all about what it had been like as a horse. Even the episode with the mares, which made the redhead flush and then laugh. "Poor mares! Although I don't think they expect anything more. It's always that fast for horses."

"Is it? Oh good." Roxas felt a bit relieved at that, although he supposed it was quite silly to be worrying about the sexual frustration of horses. "I knew it was with rabbits but I've never had anything to do with horse breeding. Rabbits the male gets on, then just flops right over." Axel looked entertained by that description.

"Really? That sound rather – oh hello Terra." Axel slid over a bit as Terra grabbed a chair and sat down. He was holding a plate full of parsnip cakes, without any beef. The brown haired man nodded shortly, taking a bite of his food before leaning in.

"You two want to tell me what's going on?" He asked quietly and Roxas found himself recounting his story again. Terra asked far more questions than Axel, and they were often quite pointed. Roxas had an uneasy feeling the brunette already had a fair idea of his profession. Terra's expression and tone stayed neutral and he had no idea what the ex-crusader thought. "So when are you planning to leave?" Roxas swallowed at the even voiced question.

"I wasn't planning on it." He said abruptly, unable to keep the harshness from his voice. "If you'll have me, I'd like to stay." Terra lifted his eyebrows but Roxas persisted. "I'm a hard worker. I'll do my best for you." And I know you have an opening, Roxas thought to himself but didn't say. That would be less than tactful.

"You want to do that?" Terra's tone was mild and Axel bit his lip, glancing between the two of them. He clearly didn't understand was going on between them. "It doesn't pay near as well as your… mercenary work." Roxas growled to himself at the pause there. Yes, Terra had a good idea of what his real profession was.

"I know, but that's fine. I'm looking to settle down, looking to build something." Roxas said quietly and Terra's eyes flickered at the echo of his own words. "I'm not the best horseman in the world but I can learn. And I've had a crash course in horse body language. I think you'll find I have plenty of horse sense." Terra nodded slowly before glancing at Axel.

"And will the two of you be staying together? Since you don't have your own tent." He asked and Axel hesitated a moment before nodding. Roxas smiled, hiding his relief. Terra was going to let him stay! "And you'll have to purchase your own horse." He warned the blonde. "Most who come to us already have one. You do get a discount if you buy from me."

"You have a representative from the Bank of Io?" Roxas asked and Terra frowned before nodding.

"Of course. We're not barbarians, you know. The banker has a permanent office here." Terra sounded slightly miffed and Roxas could understand why. The Bank of Io was everywhere. Only gods could be trusted to handle financial affairs. The magic involved was so complex that only deities could handle it, as well.

"Just checking. I'll go make a withdrawal tomorrow then." Roxas was confident he would have more than enough to pay for a good horse. Not as good as Terra's best, of course, but he had no need of that kind of training. A good trail horse was all he would require. "Do you have any suggestions?" He asked Axel. The redhead looked startled for a moment then smiled.

"Do I! If you're a bit of a novice that blood bay mare might work for you." Axel said happily and Roxas smiled as he listened to the redhead talk about the various horses. Terra sometimes interjected a small comment but he was done eating before the two of them, and stood to leave.

"I'll see you two later at the show. Don't be late." He said warningly and Axel waved an acknowledgement. Roxas tilted his head in puzzlement.

"Show?" He asked Axel. Was this the trick riding? Axel looked surprised then grinned.

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't have seen! You'll have to come watch. It's that special riding we teach to the most advanced horses." He said happily and Roxas impulsively took his hand, giving the redhead a gentle squeeze. Axel smiled at him and squeezed back, a gentle warmth. Roxas noticed his hands were dry and heavily callused. Not surprising at all in a horseman. His own felt soft in comparison, but that would be fixed soon. Painfully perhaps but it would happen.

Roxas spent the rest of the day getting acquainted and following Axel around. He knew everyone, of course, but they didn't know him. There was a great deal of disbelief and some moans that Axel's 'horse' was gone. That made Roxas worry a bit but Axel seemed to shrug the loss off.

"There's always a few horses that don't sell in the fair." The redhead confided to him when he mentioned the problem. "Terra will let me ride one back and I'll pick out a new horse later. Maybe that mustang, if he's smart enough."

"You like difficult horses, don't you?" Roxas asked and Axel laughed before playfully ruffling his hair.

"Of course! How else did I end up with you?" Roxas mocked growled at him and shoved him playfully. "Carefully now! I don't want to end up in a bush before my ride!"

"Psh. I wouldn't do that to you, you're not an idiot." Roxas replied and Axel grinned again. "Show me this riding."

"Gladly!" Roxas followed Axel into the arena, holding his horse for him as the redhead saddled him. The horse was a grey gelding, with lovely conformation and a kind eye. Roxas wondered for a moment why they hadn't left him a stallion, but decided it was probably because they already had plenty from this bloodline. And while stallions commanded a good price, they primarily went to other breeders. Terra might have no mind to make his competitions job easier. Roxas watched from the gate as Axel rode into the arena.

Roxas was in awe of the performance that followed. He'd known Terra and Axel gave some horses very intensive schooling, but he'd never imagined anything like this. The horse practically danced, doing complicated manoeuvres that must have taken years and years to teach. It wasn't all perfect, of course… the horse stumbled in one spot before quickly recovering… but it was still amazing. From the sounds the audience was making they were impressed as well. Still…

"How many people can afford a horse like this?" Roxas asked Axel quietly after his demonstration was over and he was giving the horse a short walk to cool down.

"Almost no one." Axel admitted as he fed the horse a peppermint. "But that's not really the point. We only have a few horses like this one anyway. They're mostly for advertisement." Roxas blinked at the thought. That was very unusual for a horse breeder but it did make sense. "People see what these lovelies can do then come to pick out something a bit more in their price range."

"I wonder if I could ride him?" Roxas murmured and Axel shrugged, unconcerned.

"I don't see why not. He's dead dog gentle and does almost anything. He's not that good at cutting cows, mind you. He doesn't like getting dirty." Axel chuckled as Roxas winced, remembering.

"I can't blame him. That was disgusting. Is he good with children?" Roxas and Axel chatted about the horse until the redhead was done cooling him off and brought him back to the paddock. There was a separate paddock for the sale horses and the gelding greeted his herd mates with a whinny. They watched him trot off and Axel suddenly spoke.

"I think I like you." Roxas turned his head to look at the redhead and met bright green, cheerful eyes. "I just met you but I think I really like you… are you sure you'll be staying?" Axel's tone was wistful and a bit hurt. Roxas reached up to gently grip his shoulder.

"I'm sure. I've been watching for months, I know how things work here… and I know what I want." The sincerity in his voice could not possibly be feigned. Axel put an arm around him, cuddling him close for a moment and Roxas rested his cheek on the redhead's shoulder. "I want you and I want this. I'm going to be staying."

"Good." Axel whispered and Roxas smiled, closing his eyes for a moment. He wasn't completely sure this would work out but he knew he would do everything in his power to make sure it would. He wanted this more than anything else in his life.

It was a good beginning.

And unless I decide to write more…

~FIN~