Author's note (YARRRRRG): crap! been a while, hasn't it? i know you hear this a lot from me already, but...UGH!! stupeed skool ish ruining me. i lost ALL my train of thoughts and what's worse? THE TRAIN DOESN'T COME BACK. then i have to start the thinking process all over again, sleep, then rethink then type then delete then...-explodes- -censored ranting-

and here's another thing that you hear way too often from me: I'M SORRY!!

and this time, how do i attempt at making it up? erm...well...does some nice pirate booty sound good to you? -cricket-yeeeeah...i'll get the popcorn...or whatever it is that pirates eat... -shuffles away- up the rating? let's just say...PG-13...maybe XOOO

Chapter 7: Parley

Where had he heard that before? Roxas' head gave off a little spark through the rest of his body the second Axel mentioned that word. The way that Axel had said it made the word extremely familiar; so familiar that it made even his insides tingle. He couldn't figure it out.

"Parley?" he repeated. His sudden curiousness made him pull his head back. Axel frowned and narrowed his eyes in disappointment.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of parley." Axel kept on his elbows and turned his head to one side, eying Roxas' shadow at a slant. There was a slight problem with the boy still sitting there, not moving. He wasn't about to give up on this surprise visit. Wanting to use the word "slave" would be an understatement. But he had to figure some way to regain Roxas.

Roxas lightly shrugged. "I have...once," he said defensively in a hushed voice. Axel still took that as a no.

He chuckled to himself and shifted his waist in a comfortable position. So, maybe Roxas hadn't made the cut for this sort of thing. Nah.

"It's pirate code, mate. Those who declare parley ask for a...negotiation between the two parties. It happens in the midst of battles very scarcely." Leaning forward at a slow pace, Axel's smile came back and his eyes returned to scanning Roxas' face. He'd have to try this one again.

"And," he wittily continued, "there are cases when the negotiations end up in the declaring party obeying to the opposite's orders. It's simple, really."

"So, you're saying..." Roxas nearly choked when he felt Axel's hand reach for the back of his head. He stiffened and was forcefully pulled down. He had no choice but to bring his arms out and position his hands beside Axel's head for balance. He swallowed hard, feeling his sweat on the verge of dripping on Axel's face below him, and let his breathing be the only thing that moved him.

It just occurred to him that Axel hadn't been wearing a top.

"Must you make everything so difficult?" Axel purred. Even when Roxas let out an unsure 'uhm' he refused to pull out the message behind it. He wasn't expecting an answer, really. But a reaction would be nice. It wasn't Roxas' sadness or pain that attracted him now. In fact, it was the very fact that Roxas was breathing right beside him that felt so alluring. It was strange...he'd never expected that someone, a boy, would be able to make him drop all his defenses and bother to communicate. Being around Roxas, to keep it simple, felt different.

Roxas chewed on his lower lip while fiddling his fingers against the bed sheets. This was unexpected, almost unwanted at that. Sure, he'd had this conclusion floating in the back of head even before he set foot in Axel's room, but he hadn't sent it to the front of his thoughts until now. "I just asked a simple question. You answer it, I'll be gone. No more difficulties."

"You're tough, Roxas. But all brawn and no brains puts you out of the picture. As a matter of fact, I did answer your question. I told you what parley is, didn't I?"

Roxas' eyes twitched at their half closed position.

"So, I'm saying, to answer your uncompleted question by putting that description I provided in one simple word, parley."

At that point, Roxas let go of his lip and relaxed his jaw, making his mouth hang open as it wished. Obey the opposite party's orders? What orders could he provide? Feeling in control, Roxas tilted his head slightly, shot his bright eyes into Axel's and formed his lips to speak. He could ask where the rum was, then! But as his question rose in his throat, it suddenly shrunk when he felt something pop up below him. His course of thoughts veered off when he realized what Axel's body had just done. His face immediately flushed.

Not only had his thoughts changed, but his body as well; piercing with millions of hot bumps. He tried forcing his words out in a whisper even if it took painful amounts of effort and control. "Stop making me feel stupid," he mumbled.

"Hm?" Right after Axel had blinked softly at Roxas' demand, his head gradually became buried into his pillow. His eyes rose faintly and switched to different spots on Roxas' face in a secret craze. They hadn't remained with their lips merely touching for very long; Roxas squeezed his eyes tighter together and pushed forward, at the same time pushing his tongue out to try burying into the exhilarated captain.

For once, Axel hadn't noticed that move had been coming and was stunned when he felt Roxas literally invade him. He opened wider and pushed back at him somewhat defensively but Roxas shrugged it off, nipping the corner of his mouth punishingly. He wasn't about to be labeled as stupid anymore.

Roxas hadn't even thought of his next move as stupid. He never imagined that he'd do anything like it...was it really out of desire? Or was it out of hate and revenge? The emotions rushed at him and, combined, forced Roxas to express them by lowering his arms a bit too low.

Still playing a tongue war with Axel, he balanced his body, carefully bending his legs on either side of him, and scrambled further down between his and Axel's waists. When he was sure that Axel hadn't caught onto him, Roxas pulled his head away, slowly cracked his eyes open and smoothly dragged his hands along Axel's waistline.

Managing a broken smile, Axel brought his head closer to his chest and hissed masochistically. "Not good..." he nearly laughed until Roxas' touching crossed the line. Feeling that sensation made all his other muscles collapse.

Roxas obviously didn't want him to talk. It made things...difficult. Not caring about what Axel thought was good and what wasn't, Roxas made one hand freeze between Axel's legs and slowly squeezed harder with each passing second. Against the bed, he felt Axel holding his breath in a sharp millisecond.

He wondered what would happen if he made him gasp for breath...? What was he thinking through all of this?

Ignoring the second question, Roxas concentrated on the first and applied even more pressure to Axel's crotch. The response was begging to come out and he knew it. Axel couldn't hold his breath forever. Axel even proved it when he loosened his throat and let out a hard pant. His eyebrows furrowed under the pain of his chest refilling with now hot air.

Roxas delicately uncurled his fingers and slipped his hand away. It hadn't been his expectation for himself to be panting for breath along with the red head. For a while, it had seemed like Roxas gained the upper hand with ease, but Axel erased that completely when he gathered up what he'd been holding back since he'd met Roxas. With a silent push, Axel sat up; head bent over Roxas in an obsessive stare, and skillfully latched two fingers at the collar of Roxas' thin shirt. The just as fixated teen sat up with his back arched and his knees tucked underneath him.

Roxas kept extremely still and allowed himself to be stripped of his top in a matter of seconds. Axel pushed the sleeves away from his sweaty, cold shoulders and followed the urge to have naked skin touch his. They stuck together with Roxas' chin against Axel's forehead. Axel had ducked his head and already began trailing hot breaths against Roxas untouched skin.

The teen kept his face calm, feeling rather comfortable being attached and stroked, and parted his lips when he rolled his head to the opposite side. The rhythm of the ship was growing intense as was the scent of smoking candlelight from just out the door. He could feel the thin smoke wrapping around his bare arms, tickling his stomach and crawling around his hips. Airily, he sighed with the mixed touches sprawled over him.

"Ah..." he puffed gently. Axel had found interest in a particular bit of skin at Roxas' left collar bone. He licked at it, tasting the salt water on his skin, and bit down with a louder huff in response. "A-ow..."

Good. With him distracted, Axel found the time to slickly slide his right hand along Roxas' spine. He let it guide him lower until he felt the fabric of his pants touch his fingertips. His other hand swiftly unzipped him and tugged down at the belt loops. He knew that Roxas was well prepared for this. He ventured even deeper and, with two fingers, made entry from behind. Roxas gave a violent shake toward the sudden incursion.

"Mnn...!" Roxas tucked in his chin, bumping into Axel's head but was calmed when he felt Axel nudge below his neck. It was like Axel cared when he felt pain. That was awkward.

"Relax, mate. Easy."

"Mm...mm-hm." Roxas nodded lightly and let the tension in his shoulders drop. His back arched up but he steered away from being as tense as before. When Axel felt Roxas' body loosen around his fingers, he slipped deeper in then pulled back. The boy whimpered with his head grinding, unknown to him, sharply atop Axel's head. Thinking that he'd made Roxas cry, or possibly bleed, Axel exited and brought his hand away. An extreme, racing heartbeat was making his cheek pulse.

Truthfully, his was beating twice that. But, he wouldn't want to reveal that little secret to Roxas. It'd ruin his winning streak at the moment.

Grinning against the boy's chest, Axel gazed up at him as he began releasing sharp breaths into the hot air. Feeling him breathing against his skin was tempting. The simplest things that Roxas did made it hard for Axel to contain himself. What could he say? It was part of his pirate nature to never hold back.

Following that thought, he purred deeply in his throat, sending soft vibrations up Roxas' neck, and snaked his body against his companion. Roxas clicked his teeth together and furrowed his eyebrows while staring down at himself. He didn't waste a second and smartly slipped toward the wall beside the two, causing Axel to lose his balance and land on his hands against the bed. Roxas kept one hand on the wall's surface before taking the opportunity to wrap both hands around Axel's waist.

The captain flinched lightly and his breathing faltered from what he could feel against the sheets. There was really something about joining the crew that made Roxas a smart ass, not only in his thoughts...but also his actions.

The teen proved this by forcefully reaching down to grab Axel's wrists. Axel was still smiling a bit when he allowed himself to be flipped over on his back, once again looking up at the blonde with entranced eyes. Roxas appeared to have lost himself completely, forcing his body to breathe through heavy pants and stare so evilly at, in his mind, his captive. Axel had to admit that he was surprised. One second, he had been harmless, squirming by his touch, now he'd twisted into something else. What, he wondered...

He figured he'd have to find out on his own. Roxas released Axel's wrists slowly and dragged his hands against his skin down to his ankles. He gave the fabric on his black pants a tug which instantly loosened them from Axel's waist. Understanding, Axel shifted his body and soon had them slipped away from his long legs. He was completely exposed to Roxas...another plan perfected.

Roxas swallowed at what he'd just done. His lips trembled when his eyes stared longingly at those smooth legs moving comfortably underneath him. Not only that, but in between those legs was something that made, not only his lips tremble, but every part of his body. He easily lowered his body until he was merely centimeters from touching Axel's waist. He slipped his hands delicately under Axel's legs, pulling them up and bending his knees as he pleased.

"Hah..." Axel groaned in between a devil smirk. While he watched Roxas' face intently, his bent legs were pulled apart from each other and were lifted halfway in the air. Sitting up, Roxas took the time to finish what Axel had started; lowering his pants past his waist. He only hesitated once before inching down at just the right pace. With their bodies pressed together, the blonde squeezed his arms underneath the captain's back, locking them together, and thrust his lower body forward.

Axel's eyes squeezed shut to a point where he could even feel tears dot their edges. His smile twisted in slight pain, but at the time, pain didn't exist. Pleasure, however, did. He clawed at Roxas' bare back, switching from his neck to his lower back every second. At the same time, his legs cramped and curled around Roxas' waist.

"It doesn't hurt...not one bit," he groaned rather contentedly.

Roxas had his head right beside Axel's ear, attempting to steady his breathing, but Axel's constant moaning kept him far from success. It was technically his fault for pushing him like that. With each thrust, he received different reactions. He was honestly curious what the next one would be, so he continued. Even the bleeding cuts at his back didn't matter. For the first time on this ship, he didn't feel stupid. He wasn't belittled.

With an exhausted sigh, Roxas' body gave out and made him slam his head atop Axel's chest. In that position, he could hear his breathing, his heartbeat moving in synch at high speed. Was it even possible for them to work so fast? Was it possible for a smooth person like Axel to be able to do that? Axel's hand moved down and cupped the boy's face, forcing him into a deep tongue lock.

With that, Roxas' lower body gave a soft, relaxed dip, releasing all he had into Axel while Axel's back lightly arched toward it.

Lingering seconds passed before Roxas pulled out and Axel gradually lowered his legs into the stained and soaking bedding. Both were too tired to even switch their heads to the pillows at their feet. Roxas stopped their kissing carefully and immediately pushed his head right beside Axel's head after. He was sweating at such a dangerous rate that his body couldn't hold his weight under the stinging heat and fatigue.

What had he...where had all that come from?

He hadn't planned on getting involved with the captain. After all, he'd taken his life away...

Axel didn't seem to react the same way to their moment. He even tried a hand at re-coaxing Roxas by gently nudging the side of his neck. But Roxas had already been past passing out to be responsive. Roxas could be a perfect captain with the orders he demanded. Parely was surely a risky negotiation...

xxXXxx

He'd been taught that if two people fell in love, that they would find some special way to show it. He never found out what that 'special way' was. He'd never loved anyone. He'd never felt connected to anyone. But when that feeling of connection suddenly fell into him, he still felt like something had changed...and he couldn't tell if it was love or simply nothing at all.

What had influenced him to go to the captain that night? When he thought about it, he really wasn't that desperate for a midnight swig of alcohol. He was, however, desperate for that same high; that buzz that filled him with some strange warmth...like he, for once in a long while, was being accepted. He just never imagined that Axel could fix that up for him.

In the mere two seconds that Roxas had been awake, thoughts circled and spun frantically in his head, making his eyesight blurred and all his other senses virtually worthless. With a soft groan into the cushion below him, he took a second to stretch before finally cracking his eyes open to a faintly sunlit room...an empty sunlit room.

Cautiously, he widened his eyes as he sat upright in where he remembered was the bed. As to how he'd gotten there, he'd have to wait for the dizzy spells to wear off before it'd come back to him. All he knew was that he was alone...and it was quiet. Even the waves felt as if they'd been frozen and held the ship in place. Silence? Aboard this ship? Something was up.

Suddenly feeling extremely cold, Roxas struggled to pull the thin blanket off of his naked body. Shaking, he reached to the foot of the bed where he found his clothes laying in a messing heap beside what appeared to be a black vest. When he looked closer, he recognized it as the captain's, but refused temptation to touch it and simply went back to fixing himself. Did that mean that Axel, where ever he was, was running around deck half naked? In this freezing weather?

After folding the tops of both his boots, he quickly turned toward the door and ran up to it, only hesitating when his fingers were a nudge away from stroking the surface of the rusted knob. Outside...he couldn't hear a thing. No seagulls, no wind, no footsteps. Curiosity grabbed a hold of him and soon flung him outside into weather so cold he could feel ice prickling his face.

"How can it be this cold out here?" he whispered in a puff of smoke. If he remembered correctly, he'd been staggering on a sweaty island only a day ago. The ship couldn't've gone too far...

Judging by the looks of the thick fog, it seemed like the ship could've been sent through a storm, and this was just the silence that followed. But then why hadn't he heard anything the night before? Maybe the captain was just distracting him. Thinking of Axel again, Roxas suddenly felt a pang at the side of his head which made him turn his left in the thick, white cloud. And, just as if his imagination had spilled it out into real life, a shadow began moving some steps away.

He swallowed and advanced a step. "...Axel?"

The shadow's movement halted before it appeared to turn in his direction.

"Axel...is that you?" Roxas had to admit that he was afraid of how confident his voice sounded in the presence of him. He began to rethink how Axel's and his relationship was at this point. And, out of a rush of immense greed, he wanted to see the captain's face. He started taking slow steps forward.

The shadow remained still. Maybe the temperature had made him freeze in place. Roxas' steps caught up in speed, but the figure still felt so far away. Maybe he was running in circles?

"Axel!" he raised his voice just as he stopped, realizing that he'd started panting. Exactly how long was this ship anyway? Was this a dream? It had to be. This was unreal and the very thought of him not being able to wake up was making him unstable. "You're really...you're really pissing me off...! Do you know that?!" He voice sounded like it'd been bounced off of invisible walls and as soon as the words came back to him, the shadow twitched and began advancing toward him in slow, heavy steps.

Roxas then clicked his teeth and blinked rapidly. Those footsteps...that wasn't Axel.

"Shit," he hissed. He drew a step backward but it didn't do much good; the unknown person was still closing the gap between them. "What are you...?" he whispered to himself, hoping more than anything that the person wouldn't reply. But he soon realized that this wasn't an ally. A gun click, a raised arm, a sadistic chuckle...

Run

Roxas' heart rate suddenly began rising uncontrollably. The fog only seemed to thicken and worse: darken. Every bit of light that had peeked through the cloud appeared to be sucked away with each step he took. But no matter how fast he went or where he swerved to, he still heard the threatening click of a gun being cocked and the evil laughter growing closer behind him. His eyes began to sting as the temperature dropped drastically and began to frost his eyesight.

"Leave me alone!" the blonde yelled, not bothering to look over his shoulder. The person seemed to notice the fear welling inside the teen and broke into a paced jog with the supposed gun pointed right at the target. With another yell, Roxas attempted to swerve off to the captain's room, only to stupidly trip on a loose plank and fall flat on his face on the icy deck. All he could do was keep his eyes glued to his faint reflection in the ice and breathe...

"Another one of them, ey?" The shadow's voice appeared to be coming from directly over Roxas' body. It was incredibly deep and raspy; bitter and merciless. Their footsteps ended abruptly and Roxas was sure that he was a sitting duck; that whoever this was could see him perfectly under the careful aim of that gun.

"You'll end up like the rest of them. Greed treats every one of its victims equally. You...are NO exception."

"V-victim?" Roxas quivered and drew his legs in closer to his chest. He still wouldn't face the one talking to him.

That harsh chuckle came back and was followed by: "What is it you want, boy? Tell me what you want."

Just when Roxas recalled to memory those very same words being said to him once before, the short laughter from the shadow was cut off and the sound of metal clanging against metal pierced his ears. He ducked his head and gasped, only before feeling that immoral sensation once more. It made him turn his head upward and, without needing to squint, Axel came into clear view with his back turned on him and his right arm outstretched to the side.

In Axel's right hand he saw the blades of a very familiar sword. Two blades placed together...like the one Sora had showed him before...the one that made him desire to test it. Axel was holding onto it tightly like he'd just rebounded some attack that was made for him. But that was it: it wasn't made for him. It was meant for Roxas.

"Axel..." Roxas whispered, sitting up slightly. The captain kept his back turned, making Roxas' eyes fall upon several red lashes on his once smooth skin. A few lines of blood were dripping down his back, but Axel didn't seem to be so affected. He just remained standing; protecting Roxas from the person, a man, which was now in clear view. That was it...he had to know.

"Who-who are you?" Roxas trembled faintly when he tried to sound so mature.

The man's cursing yellow eyes blazed and peered down at the teen. It was then that Roxas was sure that he'd just been struck with death. His hair was swept back in layers of bright silver hair that fell just below his neck. Every part of his body was hidden behind an all black outfit from the long cloak, to the boots and the necklace sitting around his neck. In his right hand was, just as he thought, a gun which was pointed directly over the center of Axel's chest. Axel, who continued to bleed, kept the strange double blade in between Roxas and the man.

"You've met him," Axel mumbled extremely seriously. "Just not like this before."

"What--?"

"You're pa-thetic, Axel. This boy?"

Axel's head tilted as he scoffed. "He's not like the others. You'll see. I know enough about him, mate."

The man returned the scoff. "There's no running from desire, Axel. Soon he'll realize his position and will ultimately belong to me. And you, well, you will be doomed to another year of hard work, won't you? You've failed me too much."

"Maybe you've forgotten, but I live to be pushed off the edge. After all, what's a little pain, ey?" Roxas' eyes wandered back to the dripping wounds on Axel's bruised back. He nearly retched. "I'm willing to take 50 lashes if it means saving this here boy's life, savvy?"

There was a pause before Roxas heard the man speak again, this time sounding very far away. Before he knew it, the spot where he had been had vanished and the fog was starting to lift. "When are you going to start worrying about your own life, Axel?"

The captain's lips curled into a devious smile while his venom eyes glared playfully at the fading shadow of the man. "When you stop giving me all these hormonal visits, sir."

And with that, the man disappeared, leaving Roxas to stare blankly at the stinging wounds on Axel's back that, sadly, were the only thing that remained from that awkward encounter. Everything else, including the key that had once been around Axel's neck, had vanished along with the fog.

"That, Roxas," Axel said a bit weakly though still cockily, "would be the biggest ass that ever lived." He then dropped the sword before collapsing in a bloody heap on the deck.

"SIR!"

holy flaming pajamas of justice, batman!! WHO is THAT?? -slap-

AXEL!! -hand bandaids- DON'T BLEEEEED!!

seriously, who? heehee...care to guess? XD first one with the right answer gets...hm...how about this: if you guess right, you get a oneshot outta me, clear? or something else like: you pick the outcome of a chapter. oh, if that isn't slaving me, i don't know what is. XO i've gotten some people telling me that they have theories about this story...and i hope they shall be answered soon. X3 hoho, let the games begin!

on another note! i'm really trying the best i can to update some old stories that haven't been updated since...JULY?? has it really been that long?? ugh. but i swear, as soon as i cut down on the homework and add more to my inspiration, i WILL write.

...by the way, that smut scene was...i wanna shoot myself. DX practice...practice...-paces floor-

and OO! tis me birthday on the 17th of october. i'm aging! i ish excited! i dunno what i'll get, though. (hopefully a car...first i need a permit XPDX gifts just seem to be shrinking over the years. but someone gave me my first ever giftart online! so i feel special. -huggles- ...i support bottom axel, heck yes i do. X3

axel whippage? O.O;; ,
kokoro77