Open Your Heart Chapter 3: Because I Choose to Love You, a kingdom hearts fanfic

Open Your Heart

Chapter 3: Because I Choose to Love You

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story they belong respectfully to Square Enix

Warning: Themes of shounen-ai/yaoi/homosexual relationships, impregnation, etc, you know all that good stuff. If it bothers you then you have the option of leaving.

Summary: The males of the Strife bloodline are gifted with the ability to reproduce and have children of their own like women. Take Prince Squall Leonhart from Balamb and Prince Cloud Strife from Nibelheim and you have the twins Sora and Roxas. Forward sixteen years and now the parents are trying to get the idea of marriage into their boys mind, but Nibelheim's rebellious prince, Roxas Strife Leonhart refuses to be pushed into a marriage he doesn't want. In comes Prince Axel with his younger sister Princess Kairi from Radiant Garden and Roxas has just about had it for the summer.

Pairings: Axel x Roxas, Riku x Sora, Leon x Cloud

Music: "It's Cold" by Song Ji Eun & "Sound the Bugle" by Byran Adams & "I Choose to Love You" by Hyorin

A/N: Chapter three… my fingers, both my hands, they just ache from constantly typing. I hope you guys know how much I care for putting myself in this pain T-T the… la, la, la lemon~ has been edited out and is available on my tumblr. You can find the link on my profile page if you are interested in reading the naughty scene and I have to warn you this is my first published lemon ever so please be nice and well… no children under the age of 18 should read it because it'll ruin them? Oh who am I kidding you kiddies will probably go off and read it anyways… =w=;

I've also decided to break this chapter up to go ahead and write a forth chapter to this which will be a sweet epilogue so be prepared for that :3 I would also like to thank the readers so far who have favorite, followed and reviewed this story, you have no idea how much that means to me. Though this story has very little attention, I'm grateful for what I've been able to get and it encourages me not to give up (:

& Have a HAPPY AKUROKU DAY EVERYONE!

Well anyways, here you go!

-x-x-x-x-

Just as Axel had predicted, Riku, Sora and even his own sister Kairi were giving him the cold shoulder. Despite all of the drama that had ensured on the night of the twin's seventeenth birthday, the prank on Larxene that Sora and Roxas played did not go unpunished. The very next day, Leon yelled at his boys for what seemed like hours, oblivious to Roxas' tear swollen eyes and Sora's relentless attention to his younger twin as he held him close throughout all of the shouting. If it hadn't been for Cloud intervening by punching his ignorant husband square in the jaw, the boys would have been sent off doing god knows what kind of punishment Leon had in mind.

For the last two weeks now, Axel was left to his own devices, ignored by his friends and sister. Roxas especially, wouldn't spare a single glance his way and what probably made it worse for the redhead was that he could not get anywhere near the blond prince no matter what he did. The wolf-like beast, Nanaki had made it his job of being Roxas' twenty-four hour a day body guard. Wherever the prince went, day or night Nanaki was always there. During meal times and in his bedroom, the bloody animal was there and whenever Axel tried to approach or talk to the boy, Nanaki would growl threateningly at him, roar and even went so far as to chase him on several occasions. It was truly a frustrating ordeal for the red haired prince. Hell, even the boy's mare Destiny tried to take a bite out of him in the stables more times than usual and that was saying something.

Sora and Riku on the other hand were fairing much better than Axel and Roxas were in their department. Leon still glared at the silver haired noble every chance he got but despite that, the prince and he were as happy as can be. Riku had even gone so far as to finally propose to Sora during an evening stroll in the garden after dinner one day, which the brunet tearfully accepted. Again the proud lion of a king from Balamb was on Riku's heels in seconds after Sora began showing off the silver band around his ring finger to everyone. Only this time, Leon made doubly clear to Riku that he would not be pleased with the silverette should he ever make his son unhappy in any way, shape or form—this resulted in the formation of a nice black eye on the young noble's pretty face.

In honor of their engagement, another party was to be thrown during the beginning of August on the forth—that was now only two days away. Roxas could only hope that he wouldn't have to see that confounded witch Larxene Morgan again but life screwed him over and he found her name on the guest list as he stared at the god forsaken piece of paper on Cloud's desk.

Just as he was about to rip the damn thing to pieces, the sound of the door to the room opened, and Cloud walked in, his brow arched as he stared at his youngest son. Nanaki peered up from his place on the rug, but seeing that it was only Cloud, he laid back down and yawned.

Quickly, Roxas dropped the guest list and tried to make his exist but his father was quicker and easily caught the young prince by the arm.

"Alright, no more running Roxas. We're going to sit down and have a heart to heart chat." Cloud said. Tightening his grip a little, he led them over towards the couch on the other side of the room.

Settling down first, the flaxen haired king patted the seat next to him which Roxas grudgingly took. Though very few people had ever witnessed it, Roxas was actually very close to Cloud despite his lack of interaction with his fair haired father. The moment he sat down next to Cloud, the boy threw himself at his waist and clung to him tightly. The older man just sighed contently, his fingers running gently through the spikes of golden hair as the prince began to crumble in his arms and cry. Roxas very rarely ever cried to him, but whenever he did, Cloud always felt the greatest need to comfort his son any way he could.

"Tell me, what's bothering you? Is it Axel? You two haven't been talking for quite some time now, and I've seen Nanaki chase him away from you once already."

Roxas could only nod, feeling his chest bounce as he tried to contain the gasps. That was one of the things that he loved about his father—even though all he ever really did was stand on the sidelines, he was perceptive, he knew what was going on and he knew when to jump into action at just the right time.

"Shhh…" Cloud began to coo, leaning over to tuck the prince's head under his chin.

"T-that witch…" Roxas sniffled.

" What witch?"

"L-larxene Morgan…"

"And what about her?" The king asked.

"Axel's engaged to her and he—he never told me!" Roxas cried, and nuzzled himself even closer to his father.

"Ah, so that's what all the fuss is about." Cloud mused.

"It isn't funny dad!" Roxas snapped, his eyes glaring as tears began to stream down his face.

"I know it isn't, forgive me." Cloud said as he leaned down to kiss the boy's forehead and wipe away a few tears off from his cheeks.

"Because of what Sora and I did… she hurt Kairi in order to find Axel. I was there and I got angry and disrespected her, then she said something along the lines of making her marriage with Axel a living hell for him… and that's when I figured it all out…"

"But there's more to it, I'm sure. Keep going." Cloud insisted, his arms holding the boy tightly again.

"Axel, he wasn't planning on telling me about Larxene… but before all of that—" he began to shake, "Axel kissed me… when we ran away from the ballroom after father started yelling, we went to the garden where he told me I looked beautiful and as a birthday present he kissed me… he gave me my first kiss…" he said, now touching his lips lightly.

"K-kiss?" Cloud had to hold himself back from choking on his own saliva, "Go on son, you can tell me." He urged, 'That way I'll have an excuse to slice him in half with my sword before I leave his body to rot in the woods.' He thought.

"I just—he kissed me and I thought that maybe it meant he would be with me but after learning about Larxene and then Axel admitting that he had no intentions of telling me about her, he confessed that he was in love with me and that even though he was marrying that devil of a woman his heart belonged only to me…" Roxas spat, his fingers gripping the front of his father's shirt even tighter.

"Ahh… I see, the good old, 'I love you but can't be with you but you will always have my heart' saying. Classic rejection…" Cloud replied but the tone of his voice was trembling out of anger now.

"I know… which is why I yelled at him…" Slowly Roxas looked up at the blond haired king, his blue eyes filling to the brim with fresh tears again, "I don't want his heart if I can't be with him. I know th—that it's selfish of me, but I can't think of him loving me when I know he is with that monster of a woman! I can't sleep, knowing that it won't be me he'll return home to or be with for the rest of his life!"

"Oh Roxas…" The king frowned, kissing his son's forehead again and again. He knew this feeling all too well and now his youngest son was suffering the same grief he had to live through years ago.

Leon and Cloud went through the same exact experience and he admitted that though Rinoa Heartilly was a very nice girl and would be the perfect wife, the perfect queen for Balamb, she was not him and she was not fit to marry a man like Leon. What's more, he didn't like knowing that Leon would betray her for him and at the same time know that despite Leon's love for him, the brunet would have always returned to her instead of staying with him.

"You know the story between your father and I, right my son?"

Roxas sniffled some before nodding his head, "Yeah, you two disobeyed Balamb and Nibelheim's court and had Sora and I."

This, Cloud laughed, "Okay then! That's merely half of it but alright."

"Is there something you're not telling me dad?"

"Yes and no," The king chuckled, "Roxas, I know exactly what you're going through. Your father and I did defy our courts to have you and your brother, that much is true but did you know that Leon was engaged at the time? The only difference is your father had the guts to tell me that he was being forced into an arranged marriage and didn't hide it, unlike some people…"Cloud grumbled, obviously referring to Axel.

"He was? To who!" Roxas asked quickly and rubbed his eyes of the remaining moisture still there.

"His ex-fiancée was Rinoa Heartilly, the daughter of Balamb's military commander Fury Caraway and noble woman Julia Heartilly. Honestly she was a very nice girl, but she didn't love your father the way I did and because she couldn't fulfill that, I didn't approve of their engagement. Your father was an oaf back then, still is now and he tried time and time again to call the wedding off but Laguna and Raine, your grandparents did not relent."

"So, what did he do? Well I mean he obviously didn't marry Rinoa since he's here today married to you, so what did he do to get out of marrying her?" Roxas was insisting now, nearly jumping out of his father's arms as he waited impatiently for the man to answer.

"Calm down, jeez… you're just as edgy as your father sometimes… but anyways," Cloud yawned and shook his head, "Leon just did what Leon does best."

"And what's that?"

"He got depressed and sulked in his room."

"That's it?..."

"Yup!"

"No way! That can't be it! I mean father always—wait… you!" Roxas suddenly exclaimed, "You're the one that got him out of the engagement!"

Cloud began to smirk and nodded his head triumphantly, "Indeed, it was me."

"How did you do it dad?"

"Simple, Leon and I conceived you and your brother a month before he was supposed to be married."

Roxas' jaw fell open, and he blinked several time, still trying to cement what Cloud had just said, "Father got you pregnant? With Sora and I?"

"Yes, he did." Cloud smiled softly, "Roxas, I was not about to let your father go through with a marriage he didn't want and nor was I going to sit around and do nothing. I wasn't about to torture myself either by watching him be with someone other than me so I came up with the plan and let me tell you I was very, very determined to make it work."

Roxas blushed at his father's statement and nodded his head in reply. There had been a few times where he had caught both his fathers in the act and it was a very uncomfortable thing to think about, so imagining Cloud's desperation for Leon to impregnate him—well let's just say Roxas was glowing brighter than a tomato now.

"Your grandparents wanted heirs, so after I announced my pregnancy with you and Sora—it was messy I'll admit but the engagement between your father and Rinoa was broken nonetheless and I was expected to give Balamb's prince a child. The gossip wasn't great but we enjoyed our lives together, and we didn't care what other people said because all that mattered was knowing you and Sora were growing inside of me and that you two were the reason we were so happy." The king nuzzled his face into the boy's hair, "I'm not saying that you should do what I did Roxas, but it might be something to consider if you really do love Axel. I won't stop you if you do choose to follow the same path I did, but just know that whatever discussion you make, I will always love you."

The young prince couldn't help the tears that were falling again, and he smiled as Cloud cupped both his cheeks and held his face gently, "Roxas, I never regretted my decision, every moment I felt you and your brother growing inside of me, I knew that as long as I had you and Sora, it was enough for me—even if your father and I didn't end up together in the end."

Closing his eyes, the prince wrapped his arms around the king's neck, hugging him tightly as Cloud returned the embrace, "Thank you dad, it means a lot that you've told me this… and also, I love you too…" Roxas whimpered against the crook of his neck.

-x-x-x-x-

Both father and son felt lighter now, Roxas especially feeling much better after having experienced about two weeks of a broken heart. The young prince had a lot on his mind and when he passed Axel in the hallway, he wondered if the redhead would give in and do what Leon did—that is if the blond did make the same discussion as Cloud.

He stayed up all night thinking about what the flaxen haired king had done to keep his lover and suddenly the thought of bearing Axel's children seemed more and more appealing to him. The redhead probably wouldn't go through with the marriage to Larxene if he got pregnant, sure it might be messy within their courts but his country would have an heir just like they wanted—that would be good enough wouldn't it? It had to be.

Pretty soon, the day of Sora and Riku's engagement party came, and most if not all of the same guests from the twin's seventeenth birthday were back at the Strife castle once more in addition to some of Riku's friends from Radiant Garden. Even Larxene Morgan had the guts to show her pretty little face in the ballroom again but since Roxas and Axel still weren't on speaking terms and Riku, Sora and Kairi were still ignoring the redhead, the blond witch hung herself on the prince's arm and flaunted him off to everyone as her husband to be.

Standing there by the food table with his arms crossed, Roxas shot the dirty Morgan noble woman a sour look, his eyes burning holes into the back of her head. Nanaki was there beside him, though he wasn't usually allowed inside during the parties this was a special occasion and no one dared to question why the beast was there unless they risked getting snapped at by the blond haired prince. Several guests had already commented on the 'mongrel' in the room, but Roxas was swift to snarl and throw an insult right back at them which was promptly followed by an intense growl from Nanaki himself.

From his side of the ballroom, Cloud could see how very uncomfortable Roxas felt having to witness Larxene's physical attachments to Axel and philandering. The girl was getting drunk now and her sultry attitude was becoming more and more evident by the minute. Though he wanted to help, the king couldn't spoon feed his son any more than he already had—it was time for the prince to start taking matters into his own hands now and he could only hope that Roxas would be able to suck it up and fight for what he wanted in the end or at least acquire a better understanding of things.

The longer Roxas stood there watching the engaged couple, the angrier he began to feel. Axel wasn't doing anything to push that horrible witch of a woman away! And it was extremely off putting for the young prince to have to sit back and watch it all unfold before his very eyes! It just made him feel sick to his stomach! What was worse was that Larxene was drunk, drunker than at his own birthday too! And her laugh was—eh, horrid and loud. How could anyone stand to be in her presence or even have the ability to make coherent conversation with her?

"Urgh! Nanaki I can't stand this!"

"You mean watching Lady Larxene throw herself up and down Axel's body like some cheap whore?" The beast asked, his ears perked and tail flicking.

"Yes! You know just the right things to say, you know that?" Roxas tried to smile but his mind was far too clouded with thoughts of how to destroy the wicked she-wolf.

"I'm aware, but Roxas why won't you do something about it, if it makes you so angry to watch just march over there and take Axel away."

"I will, but now isn't the righhh—what the hell is she doing!" The prince was screaming now, his eyes bugging out as he witnessed the worst living nightmare he had ever experienced in his young life so far.

There standing in front of a small group of teens, obviously from Radiant Garden, Larxene had Axel pulled down to her in an open mouth kiss and Axel was reciprocating the action to Roxas' greatest horror. That just about made the blond prince snap and he blindly charged into action, his eyes burning with a rage unlike any other. Thankfully for him, Nanaki followed close behind, ready to aide his charge.

Weaving past the guests in his blind rage, he swiftly reached the snogging pair. Roxas then clenched his right fist hard and swung his balled up hand forward to punch the redhead with as much strength as he could possibly muster. He hit the older prince dead and center on the left side of his face, his knuckles hitting both the couple's noses in the process as they both went falling back with surprised yelps.

The people around them gasped; shocked that Nibelheim's young prince would even do such a thing! This was madness! Leon as well, bared witness to his son's act of violence towards the prince of Radiant Garden and was just about to run over there and pull his boy aside had it not been for Cloud's swift intervention. Before the brunet could even take another step in his son's direction, his blond lover punched him right in the jaw and he was thrown off balance and stunned by the force of impact.

"Cloud! What the hell!" Leon yelled, his blond haired partner staring blankly at him as he held his aching chin. Was everyone just throwing their fists for no reason now?

"Don't you dare go over there Leon. This is Roxas' fight, and he's going to do what he wants and that's to win Axel's heart, even if it means he has to play dirty along the way." The blond threatened his husband, cracking his knuckles for good measure so that his point was made clear.

Blinking, the brunet finally gave out an irritated groan and began rubbing his temples to battle the rising headache that was forming quickly, "Like father like son…"

"Exactly," Cloud smirked as he crossed his arms and looked on proudly.

When the couple hit the ground, Nanaki was on Larxene in no time and held her down with his front paws. The beast growled viciously at her and she screamed in her failed attempts to run away. Roxas on the other hand took a moment to stare down at the disheveled prince before going over to his side, only to reach down and yank him back up to his feet by the front of his dress shirt.

Axel had no idea what in the hell happened. He knew Larxene was drunk and that she had kissed him and in the heat of the moment, he kissed her back. The next thing he knew was that he'd been hit, hard, and good and now he was face to face with his attacker.

"R-roxas?" he groaned and the blond shook him a little violently.

The look in the younger boy's eyes was different than usual. There was no longer that innocent twinkle of life, now it was glowing brightly and it was filled with anger. Not a soul around them made a move to try and help the red haired prince—all too frightened to try and sway the wrath of Nibelheim's young prince and his beast of a companion.

'He really is the son of the Lion of Balamb and the Great Wolf of Nibelheim.' Axel thought to himself, the blond prince's demeanor all too similar to that of his fathers.

Effortlessly, Roxas dragged Axel across the tile floor until he had the older boy's back pressed up against the wall, "Now we're gonna talk and you had better have a good explanation because I'm not playing!" he yelled.

Without waiting for a reply, Roxas grabbed Axel by the hand and tugged him out none too gently towards the balcony, ignoring all eyes and ears that watched and listened. The redhead though, went willingly and silently, his eyes closed for but a moment as he relished in the younger boy's wrath. Roxas really did care; if he hadn't then he would have never attacked and that was all that seemed to matter at that moment for Axel.

Now standing at the balcony, Roxas gave him a glare before shoving Axel right over edge. He landed hard on his back and groaned while Roxas followed suit and landed skillfully on his feet. Still silent though, the blond again was bringing him up to his feet and dragging Axel once more. From what the red haired prince could tell, they were headed towards the gardens like the first time before—only this time; Roxas seemed to have a purpose and was leading him much further in.

The pair went straight into the rosebush maze, winding through the paths left and right. Roxas knew exactly where he was going, as for Axel—he was apprehensive. Finally the two princes found themselves at the very center of the maze where a beautiful marble fountain depicting a pack of wolves stood there covered in vines. The thing was still working though, and it had Axel staring as he watched the spray of water fall from the gaping mouths of the stone figured animals.

It was just him and Roxas now, nobody else around them except the sound of the running water, the little whispers of the summer breeze and the full moon floating high in the darkened sky.

"So, why did you have to punch me, Roxy?" Axel finally asked, his hand reaching up to rub his hurting cheek. Just a light touch stung him, and he winced back. He was certain that there would be a bruise there tomorrow morning and it was probably not going to be a pretty sight either.

"Because that hag fiancée of yours was all over you like some prostitute, that's why!"

"Oh?" the redhead quirked an eyebrow before smirking widely at the younger boy, "Were you jealous, my prince?"

Roxas huffed, clearly getting angry now as Axel began to tip toe on his nerves, "You idiot! Of course I would be!" he shouted, hands shooting out to grab the taller boy by the shirt again and pull him down to his level.

"You didn't hesitate." Axel remarked, amazed that the boy hardly even tried to deny his raging jealousy.

"I'm too angry to think about trying to play your little games!" he snapped, "Why should I even deny how I feel? I refuse to pretend to be okay with this, all of it!"

"Oh really? If that's how you feel, what are you going to do about it?" Axel asked, his green eyes darkening and full of seriousness.

The young prince's heart began to race, the beating in his chest quickening fast in those few seconds between Axel and him. Roxas hadn't counted on any of this happening, everything just took him for a spin—it was all during his moment of pure anger and he went along with it. There was no real plan; everything he did up to this point was just based on impulse. Now faced with this question, what was he going to do now?

Slowly looking down at his feet, Roxas sighed heavily, the grip he had on the other's shirt loosening as he thought long and hard to himself. He was deciding his next move and suddenly his father's words began to replay in his head.

"I'm not saying that you should do what I did Roxas, but it might be something to consider if you really do love Axel. I won't stop you if you do choose to follow the same path I did, but just know that whatever discussion you make, I will always love you."

"Like father like son…" Roxas chuckled bitterly to himself.

Clicking his tongue, Axel rolled his eyes, having had just about enough with waiting for his reply, "I guess you have nothing and if that's the case then—"

"Oh shut up." Roxas interjected before finally standing up on his toes and kissing the taller boy's lips, hard.

Instantly it felt as though a fire had ignited between them and they were going at each other aggressively. Hands were roaming, clawing at each other to feel and in Roxas' case—he yanked the redhead closer by the roots of his hair, only to shove his tongue in the other's open mouth. It felt as though they were making up for the time they spent avoiding one another and all the frustration that had been accumulating until now was up in the air and there would be no stopping it no matter what.

Axel tugged and nipped at the younger prince's bottom lip. Moaning shyly, Roxas rolled his hips experimentally and was able to gain a sharp gasp from the taller male. Pulled away from his lips, Roxas eyed the redhead's neck hungrily and he leaned forward only to kiss his throat before licking his way up to the prince's chin. Axel shivered, he was quite certain that Roxas was a virgin but now it didn't seem that way anymore.

"M-my prince… Ahh—"Axel groaned, hips grinding back into the others.

"M-more, please," Roxas gasped, pressing himself as hard as he could against the redhead's body.

The younger boy had never been so aroused before in his life—not like this anyways. He could feel himself grow hot and hard with need and from the looks of things it seemed that the same could be said for Axel as well. Already the redhead was pitching a rather obvious tent in his trousers and from the sounds of his ragged panting he didn't want to stop their activities either.

"A-axel…" Roxas panted, his fingers crawling up to cup the man's face in his hands. Staring at the older prince with lust induced eyes; he felt his heart banging against his ribcage, nervous about what he had to say, what he needed to say. They were here, together at long last but he didn't want it to end. The very thought of having to part ways after tonight would be too much for him to take and he wasn't about to let this be a onetime thing—no not even that, he was not going to become Axel's dirty little secret, "I want you to make love to me and I want you to impregnate me."

Axel's eyes widened instantly, stunned beyond belief that the blond would even request such a thing from him. Somehow in the spur of the moment, Roxas pushed him hard enough until he fell flat onto his back, his dark green eyes dazed and still trying to make sense of what the young prince was asking for him to do. Lying there motion less on the maze floor, the blond prince settled him on the redhead's waist and straddled him tightly so that he could swirl his hips, moving himself all around, rubbing and grinding, all in order to fluster the older boy even more.

Biting his lower lip to contain his urgency to moan, Axel jerked forward from the sudden contact of Roxas' bottom rubbing up against his raging groin, "Oh great Odin, R-roxas you know what you're asking of me, don't you?"

"Yes, I know the consequences." He replied, panting heavily as he stared down at his fists that were clenching the older prince's front shirt.

"Then why do you want me to ruin you? Impregnate you? What could you possibly hope to achieve by asking me to do this?"

"B-because, I can't do it… I can't bear to go through my life knowing that every day, every second I'm missing you, loving you; you're with that devil woman. I don't just want your heart Axel, I want all of you…" Roxas began to cry.

"Roxas, you know that I can't—"

"No!" Roxas sniffled, his tears running fast now, "I'm not going to let you go through with a marriage you don't want and neither will I sit back and torture myself just to watch you marry Larxene and spend the rest of your life with her being unhappy... She will never love you the way I do Axel and you know that…"

"Roxas…" Axel whispered. He almost didn't want to reach out and touch the crying boy in fear of making it worse but he risked it anyways, sitting up to wrap his strong arms around the other's trembling body.

The blond was quick to nuzzle his cheek against the crook of his neck, his sad blue eyes slipping closed, "I've thought about this for only a few days but if I can give you an heir, it might just be enough to free you from marrying Larxene… I'm not some whore nor am I a commoner; I am Prince Roxas Strife Leonhart and as a male of the House of Strife I can bear children and I want more than anything to be the only person that carries your sons and daughters, Axel, because I love you and it'll tear me apart to have to watch you be with someone other than me..."

"You love me?" Axel asked and stroked his thumb against the blonde's damp cheek, his eyes watching the beautiful boy carefully.

"Idiot…" Roxas gasped, his tears falling one big tear drop at a time, "I've loved you all this time!" he collapsed forward, his fists now pounding against the redhead's chest.

The redhead chuckled softly, it was all the answer he needed in order to take the boys tear stained face into his hands and silence his cries with a gentle and firm kiss to his quivering lips. Roxas was slow to recuperate but he eventually calmed down long enough so that he could press his lips forward and move against the redhead's mouth to deepen the kiss. It wasn't aggressive or forceful; the kiss was chaste and innocent and held all the love that Axel could possibly show him.

Tentatively, Axel shifted his body, moving slowly until he was able to lift the younger boy up by his rump before rolling over so that he towered right on top of the blond. Roxas' hands were still clenching Axel's dress shirt, and he swallowed nervously now as he stared up at his lover. He looked positively handsome, and Roxas shivered happily when the older man began to kiss him along his throat and nip his sensitive skin.

Face hidden from view, Axel's hot breath tickled the blonde's heated skin, "Are you sure this is what you really want?" he asked, his voice strained and husky as he struggled to keep himself under control.

Wrapping his arms around the other's neck, Roxas arched his back, rolling his hips in the older prince's hardness just enough to receive a nice sharp gasp from him. It was like music to his ears, "Please, I beg of you, don't stop…" he whispered in his ear.

-x-x-x-x-

That night they had made love for the first time in the garden maze. The summer fireflies surrounded them during their afterglow and it was like magic to Axel, looking down at the flushed face of the beautiful blond haired and blue eyed prince that was finally, at long last his lover. They were slow to redress themselves, and were beyond disheveled looking but they didn't care and the couple trudged back to the castle, Axel playfully carrying Roxas' sore body on his back.

They took the secret passageway hidden in the castles stone wall so that they could avoid the party guests on their way back to Roxas' room. Axel was amazed by its complexity and even more so that Roxas was so well of a navigator through the dark tunnels, but then again this was his home so he should have known that the blond would be so well informed of every nook and cranny of the place.

By the time they made it safely to Roxas' bedroom, they were both exhausted but the blond was insistent about them taking a bath and so they did. Afterwards, when they were clean and dressed for bed, the young blond tugged the older boy into his room. Axel wasn't complaining though and he happily followed the younger prince right into his bed. Unfortunately he did not expect to be straddle by his waist and have his hands bound over his head by Roxas but nonetheless he smirked and the two of them were at it again in no time.

The next morning, Axel had woken up a few hours after the sun rose, having experienced the best sleep he had ever had before in his entire twenty years of life. The best part though, was waking up to the sight of a peaceful looking Roxas, who during the night cuddled close to his side and had one of his hands tucked right between the pillow and his cheek. It was absolutely adorable but it was sad to say that in this position, Axel had lost nearly all feeling in his hand and had to, with great reluctance pry his hand gently from the younger boy's tight grip.

The movement though had stirred the blond prince next to him and Axel instantly regretted it—that was until watched the boy's sparkling blue eyes open and he rubbed the lingering sleep away with a cute yawn.

"Good morning, my prince." Axel smiled softly, leaning forward he pressed a loving kiss to the other's forehead.

Whimpering quietly, Roxas closed his eyes and tucked his head back only to peck at the redhead's chin, "Good morning." He whispered.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, slightly worried that he might have handled the boy too rough last night during their activities.

"A little, my backside is sore though." He replied, his head lying back against his pillow.

"Well, it's to be expected. I mean we did make love twice already…"

"Yeah, I know and now that we're awake I want you to get inside me again."

"Excuse me?" Axel stared down, his cheeks reddening and his face blushing almost as brightly as his own red hair.

"You heard me, now get to it." Roxas' eyes narrowed up at him.

"But you just said you're sore!"

"I don't care." The blonde replied with a shrug.

"Do you hear what you're saying?" Axel continued to stare down at his lover with great disbelief. There was no way his ears were lying to him now because he was quite sure that this boy, this beautiful boy wanted him to pound his sore body into the mattress again after already having done the dirty deed twice in one night. Was he a glutton Axel had to wonder?

"I know what I said, and I'll say it again, get on top of me, put your length inside my body and move."

"R-Roxas! Uhh—, " The redhead's body began to shake until finally he pressed his face against the pillow and started to laugh, "Great Odin you are so blunt." He giggled.

"Axel, it's not funny! I'm serious!" he snapped, upset that the older male would even go so far as to make fun of him now.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just you're so cute when you get all worked up and mad." Axel panted, his face feeling refreshed and full of life, "I just love how straight forward you can be, it makes me happy to know that you are honest with what you want and that you're not hiding anything from me."

Pouting, Roxas scooted closer to Axel's warm body and nuzzled his cheek against the crook of his neck before leaning up to kiss his throat, "I told you last night that I'm not going to let you marry Larxene, though I may sound absurd to you, I'm determined to make this work… Sorry if it just came out that way…"

Axel smiled, pressing his face into the mess of blond hair, "I understand perfectly what you are trying to say, and you don't have to apologize. Your resolve and love for me is very flattering, how can I deny you?"

"Axel, I love you…" Roxas whispered against his neck, blue eyes peeking shyly up at him.

Grinning, Axel placed his hand against the blonde's cheek, leading his face up until they were staring nose to nose with each other, "And I love you too, Roxas."

With that said, the two closed the distance between them and they met each other's lips in a soft, passion filled kiss.

By the time the couple was finished, they were exhausted and twice as sore. Unfortunately they still had to hurry and clean themselves up for today since they were supposed to spend the rest of the afternoon with Leon and Ansem out hunting in the forest for wild game. Having already wasted their time basking in each other's wake, they were close to thirty minutes late for breakfast by the time they had arrived in the dining hall.

Leon sat at the head of the table, his face sour and tired as he glared at the both of them. Cloud on the other hand, threw a smirk in their direction, knowing full well that the pair had successfully made up. Everyone else just shrugged but it was only after, when the morning meal was relatively finished that the parents left, did Sora stab his plate in anger. In the process he accidentally split the china in two and he pointed his fork in Axel's direction, threatening him that if he ever hurt his baby brother again that he would personally see to the redhead's death being a painful and ridiculous demise.

At this point, Axel loudly concluded that the Strife men were not only beautiful by birth but they were also a frightening pack of wolves to be reckoned with. And now that a lion had joined the family, it was just one snarling untamable animal to the next. This Riku openly agreed with and the two nodded, trying to continue their discussion over the topic only to be kicked in the shins and punched in the arms by the sons of the lion and wolf themselves—and it only proved to make Axel's argument even more valid.

-x-x-x-x-

The end of August was nearing, meaning that in just a few days, Radiant Garden's royal family would be returning home soon. Ansem's health had improved greatly throughout the duration of their stay. His orange eyes were glowing now, the frequent dark bags under his pupils which had decorated his face for years were all but gone and he was even healthy enough to ride a horse again. Kairi, though slightly upset about Sora's pregnancy since she really did grow to like him was just as happy herself, being able to spend time with both him and Riku. Axel and Roxas were mostly back to their usual selves, the only difference was the blonde's persistence to get Axel going and getting him pregnant before his wedding with Larxene the following month. Time was wasting, and Roxas practically jumped Axel whenever he could. Already they were at it about once a day, maybe even twice if he was lucky. But all in all, he was getting desperate and so was Axel.

Since the first week of August after he and Axel first made love, Roxas hadn't so much as felt a single change in his body. He waited as patiently as he could but time wasn't on their side. He had asked Sora what it felt like, how he knew he was pregnant and the brunet explained that he was increasingly fatigued for a while and then he reminded his brother about the week he had been especially picky with his food. It wasn't until the nausea and frequent need to go to the bathroom hit him that the thought of him being pregnant finally crossed his mind.

Sora had to question why Roxas was asking him of this, and Roxas having always been so close to his twin confessed the plan he had proposed with Axel. He didn't want to hide it, unlike Sora who kept his relationship with Riku and his pregnancy with the silver haired noble a secret for so long from him. So being the overly trusting brother he was towards his twin, he felt the need to step up and show that he trusted Sora with this information and that in return the brunet would know that he too shouldn't worried about opening up to him either.

His twin was thoroughly surprised but nonetheless wished him a great deal of luck. Though still irked by Axel, Sora knew how much the redhead meant to Roxas for the relationship between them was quite the same to what he shared with Riku.

Before Roxas left his twin to search for the red haired prince, Sora reminded the blond that everyone's body responded differently and though he wasn't showing the apparent signs just yet, there was a high possibly that he could already be carrying a child inside of him from how much physical activity he and Axel seemed to be engaged in recently. This of course left the blond red faced and speechless but he accepted his twin's advice nonetheless and could only hope there was some truth to it.

Now here he was in his bed, exhausted, sweaty and naked next to an equally fatigued redhead. Curling up into the other's side, Axel winded an arm around the smaller body next to him and pressed his heated skin against his as close as he could. Tonight was their last night together, for in the morning he and his family were to be traveling back home to Radiant Garden.

This whole week had been nothing but depressing for his blond haired partner and Axel wasn't fairing as better either. All they had done was spend as much time as they could together, usually in silence cuddling in the gardens, in bed—wherever they could not be seen. They didn't even have the energy to go riding but sometimes ventured into the stables to give their horses some company. Destiny was finally warming up to Ember, but her spunky attitude was still golden and every now and again she would nip the ash colored stallion, though this time he didn't seem to mind and allowed her to do as she pleased. Her relationship with Axel on the other hand, well that was a different story for she still wasn't comfortable being near him. Only a pat or two on her neck was fine, but more than that and she'd be trying to attack him.

Still, Roxas' distress was saddening for him to watch and he was having a hard time keeping the blond prince's spirits up. But, who could blame him? Especially now since Axel would be leaving him in just hours and they had yet to see any signs confirming the success of their hard labors.

"I can't believe this…" Roxas whimpered sadly.

"We've given it all we've got and we've waited for as long as we could… Maybe we just weren't meant to conceive." He replied, his fingers caressing gently across the blonde's warm back.

"What?" he suddenly said. Rising from the mattress, he looked down at his redheaded partner and stared at him with big eyes, "How can you say that?"

"Roxas, we've been trying for weeks now and have been going at it nearly every day without fail. The signs that Sora told you, we haven't once seen them. Other than your gloomy attitude as of late, nothing has really changed."

"But everyone responds differently!—Y-you, you're already giving up aren't you?..." Roxas asked slowly, his lower lip trembling now with anticipation.

Axel looked away, unable to look at his lover in the eye, "Roxas, I leave tomorrow in the morning. The moment I arrive back at the palace in Radiant Garden I'm sure I'll be bombarded with plans and expectations for my wedding with Larxene in September… there's no hope for us left…"

"No—Axel!" the blond said shakily but he couldn't gather the words to attack him in reply, they were all lost and he felt like he was drowning now.

"Roxas, I will always love you and as I've said the first time, this," he pointed to his chest, "My heart will never belong to her because it already beats only for you."

Heavy tears slowly cascaded from Roxas' sad blue eyes and he pushed himself away from Axel only to turn his back and curl into himself, "And I've told you before, that I don't just want your heart, I want all of you…"

The red haired prince flinched from the words, and tried to reach out and touch Roxas but he shook his hand aside.

"Don't you dare send me an invitation to your wedding!" he shouted into his pillow, "I'll be damned if you torture me that way!" he croaked, unable to hold his sobs back anymore.

Axel's heart clenched tightly at the broken sight of his lover but he could do nothing to repair his weeping form. The blond didn't even want to be touched no less, and Axel could no longer stay in his presence. Knowing that he could give him no comfort and knowing that he was the sole cause for the young prince's pain, he felt the need to get away if he couldn't do anything to better the situation.

With a heavy heart, Axel climbed out of bed, his legs carrying him towards the center of the room where their clothes laid in a heaping mess. Slowly but surely, the redhead was able to get himself dressed in silence. Not once did he glance back at his lover, too afraid to break down in tears himself and so he left the blond prince behind, crying tearfully in his room.

Closing the bedroom door behind him, Axel sighed heavily only to press his back onto the wooden surface for a moment before heading back to his own room. Finally in the sanctity of his respective bedroom, he was surprised to find his sister, Kairi waiting for him on his bed, her violet colored blue eyes staring sadly at him as she frowned.

"Oh Shiva, not you too…" he mumbled.

"Axel, are you really going to leave him behind? Broken and dead to the world?"

"Kairi, you know that I can't—"

"You listen!" she suddenly cried, and that got Axel's green eyes widening but he conceded and stood there with a firm resolve.

"Sora told me, that for a long time all Roxas ever had, ever depended on was him but when Riku came into the picture things changed. Sure they have friends in the town below, but the gap between their statuses is hard—you know that." She said, "With Riku around there was a distance between Sora and Roxas, and I think you know how he felt about it. With us being here all summer, Roxas came to accept you and he gave you a place in his heart. You are important to Roxas just like how Riku is to Sora, Axel. He isn't some manipulative wench that is out for the crown and our power like Larxene—he is a truly beautiful and honest person… and he loves you, with all of his heart… but now you've broken him… who will he have now after we leave? Think about it."

With that said, Kairi left the room without another word, leaving her brother to contemplate on what she said.

-x-x-x-x-

Axel bit his lower lip, last night had been awful, probably just as worse as on the day of the twin's seventeenth birthday and his younger sister just had to add to it with her little speech too. His family's belongings were packed and ready for them in the carriage outside and everyone had just finished up breakfast together. He had been hoping to talk to Roxas this morning but the young prince didn't bother showing himself in the dining hall. A worried Cloud and servant had gone up to check on him, taking with them something for him to eat and when they returned all the blond haired king said was that he was just nursing a headache and was too tired and ill to see everyone off.

The redhead was increasingly nervous as he stood in front of Roxas' door, he feared for the worst now but he had to at least tell him goodbye. Knocking twice, he didn't get a response at first but once he heard a fatigued groan on the other side he took a breath and proceeded forward.

"Rox—AS!" Axel screeched, his back hitting the stone floor rather violently as Nanaki towered over him, his large paws pinning him down and teeth bore viciously at him.

"Get out." He growled, his eyes dark and narrowed. Clearly he was aware of what had happened and he wasn't please.

"I-I just want to talk to Roxas…" Axel managed to say but it didn't look like Nanaki was about to grant him his request as his paw pressed against him even harder.

"He had been crying all night! What can you say that will make him feel any better? Because in the end, you'll still be leaving him!" Nanaki snarled.

He wanted to say that it wasn't true, he wanted to tell Roxas one last time that he loved him and that he always will but the words were stuck and he was here, lying trapped beneath a powerful and threatening creature who cared about the same boy he loved. Actions spoke louder than words, but he was unable to fulfill and make true their plan, now, all he really had were his words and they just weren't enough.

"He was finally able to sleep just a few hours ago when I came in, and I don't want to see him crying again because of you. Now leave or I'll make you."

"F-fine, just promise you'll tell him that I love him." He said, his breathing slightly labored as he stared up at the red haired beast.

"I will, now leave; your family is waiting for you anyways."

Moving himself off of the prince, Nanaki stepped back, his eyes watching him carefully as he got up quietly and dusted himself off. He looked over towards the bed where his blond haired prince laid nestled under the thin sheets, his small frame curled up tightly into himself. Smiling sadly, he looked back down at Nanaki who gave him another warning growl before finally, he willed himself to exit out of the room.

-x-x-x-x-

Axel sat silently on Ember's saddle, his once bright green eyes hollow and distant—deprived of the fiery glow of life as his family and their guards exited the Strife's castle grounds. In the distance, he could hear Roxas' horse, Destiny whinny loudly from her stall in the background.

When Axel had gone into the stables to retrieve Ember, the mare went hysterical since Roxas wasn't in sight and having to watch her new friend leave all of sudden was just too much. His stallion's reaction was no better and he had pulled back on his reigns until he managed to free himself from Axel's grip only to trot himself over towards the whining mare. Axel allowed them some time to bid each other their farewells but it only made him sadder because he was unable to give Roxas a proper goodbye himself.

On the path heading to the town below, every now and again he would glance over his shoulder towards the direction of the castle. This didn't go unnoticed to his sister, who disobeyed again, and had rested her head against the carriage door's window sill, only to frown at him. She didn't want this for Axel or Roxas, if anything she wanted her brother to turn around and stay in Nibelheim with his lover. This entire summer she had never seen him so happy before, and this place seemed perfect for him—much better than having to face an ill-marriage with a witch like Larxene who was bound to turn their kingdom upside down and inside out.

In the distance, back at the Strife's castle, Roxas stood on his balcony, his body tired and aching as he watched with tear swollen eyes, the man he loved dearly go farther and farther away from him. He had heard the commotion Axel and Nanaki caused but he didn't once get up to stop them.

He was broken, Axel had lost hope and now, his resolve was crumbling as well. Now they were nothing but a summer memory, lost and unattainable. He should have known this would happen, but that's what he got for wearing his heart on his sleeve. But Axel had taught him so much, changed him, made him trust more and believe that there was nothing in the world that could hold them back. The memories of riding blithely together in the forest with their horses, teaching Axel how to fish, telling each other stories and all—just being together, just the two of them they hit Roxas hard. In seconds he was falling to his knees, his hands clutching desperately to the railing as his cries filled the air.

Nanaki came to him instantly, and he wrapped his shaking arms around the beast's neck, holding onto him tightly. Nuzzling his tear streaked face into the other's soft red fur, he didn't anticipate a sudden lurch growing in his stomach and he shook even more whilst trying to contain it. Eventually it became too much for Roxas so with as much strength as he could, he shoved his companion away. Turning quickly, the blond vomited to the side, releasing what little contents were in his stomach out onto the balcony's floor.

Roxas shivered violently and he could feel another rise in movement quake within the confines of his stomach. He was nausea, very nausea indeed and it was crap. Falling to his hands and knees, he panted desperately for air.

"Na-nanaki…" he moaned helplessly. This could only mean one thing he thought, "Sora, a-and Riku—please, find them—. " He croaked before something sour traveled up his throat again.

And just like that, Nanaki sprinted out of the room but not before ramming his body against Cloud and Leon's door to inform them about what had transpired. In just a few short minutes, everyone was gathered in Roxas' room, Cloud having already carried his disheveled son back into bed. The young prince was running a fever and from the looks of things, it seemed that his and Axel's efforts hadn't gone to waste after all and had finally taken bloom.

"R-riku, please find Axel…" the blond begged to him. Not once had he ever requested anything from the silver haired noble before but now things were different and time was on the line.

Seeing the desperation in the other's pale face, Riku nodded quickly, his aqua blue eyes shining with determination. Beside him, he felt Sora cup his cheek only to bring him down for a kiss as he smiled at him and told him to run like the wind. Running out of the room swiftly and silently, it was all up to him now.

Nanaki too was padding close at his heels, "I will go with you, you might just need the backup."

"That would be greatly appreciated, Nanaki. I don't know how far they've gone within just an hour, but I do hope that they are still close."

"We just need to hurry, I'll go on ahead first." The beast replied.

"Right, you do that. King Ansem still isn't aware of what Axel and Roxas did so if you do manage to persuade Axel to return first, I'll deal with Ansem and bring everyone back. Now go!" Riku ordered.

Giving him a nod, Nanaki ran out of the castle in record time, Riku running just as recklessly and fast as he could to the stables himself. He eyed Destiny, and seeing her restless and finicky, he chose her as his horse, knowing full well that she would go to Ember and in turn bring him to Axel.

-x-x-x-x-

Nanaki's speed was nearly unmatched throughout all of Nibelheim. His feet were carrying him across the road like a bird as he flew passed everyone in his way. Roxas and Riku were counting on him, and he had to make it, he had to bring Axel back to Roxas no matter what. He followed the familiar scent of sweet spicy cinnamon and char, a scent that belonged only to Radiant Garden's prince. A little ways behind him, Riku rode on Destiny and the mare ran as wildly as ever before in her young life.

The two messengers were already speeding into town now and the people there that stood on the road made way for them as hastily as they could. They didn't know what the rush was about but from the looks of it, it was a very important matter and it'd be a bad idea to slow them down.

The royal family was just about to pass through the town gates and head on towards the road that would lead them home, but the sound of a loud and beastly roar unlike any other the group had ever heard caught their attention. The horses all scrambled nervously from the animalistic noise and everyone drew their swords.

Axel gasped softly, knowing full well that it wasn't just any wild animal, "Nanaki!" he yelled, and sure enough the wolf-like beast bounded straight towards him, Destiny following closely behind until she bolted right up to Ember and began to nip his ears.

"R-riku? Wha—What is it? Why are you here? Can't you see we're leaving?" he quickly asked.

"It's Roxas, he collapsed on his balcony, vomiting all over the place." Riku replied breathlessly.

"Roxas?"

"The first thing he asked for was you!" Nanaki interjected, rounding about behind Ember he gave the horse a nudge with his muzzle in the direction of the castle, "Don't just stand there, go!"

"B-But I—"

"Oh Great Yen Sid, you idiot! Go already!" Kairi finally screamed. Unbeknownst to everyone, the princess had slipped away from the carriage and was standing right behind her brother's horse. Giving the stallion a firm slap to the rump with the palm of her hand, Ember shot up in surprise and sped back towards the castle.

Destiny wanted to follow after him, but Riku pulled on her reigns and led her towards the king who sat in his carriage with a thin brow perked up.

"Your majesty, I believe we should return to the castle. There is a great many things to explain."

"I have my suspensions, Lord Riku." He replied, one of his hands moving up to stroke his beard, "Well, you all heard the young man, it seems we must go back. I'll write a letter about our delay as soon as we get there."

-x-x-x-x-

Axel arrived fast and swift in front of the doors to the castle. The front gates had let him in without question once the guards saw Nanaki with him and the very instant they opened, Ember ran right in. Everyone seemed quite surprised to see him back so soon but they didn't say anything and instead went back to their normal duties.

The prince immediately jumped off his horse, leaving him to stand around in the courtyard as the redhead booked it inside towards the direction of his lover's bedroom. Not a moment was wasted, and soon he found himself throwing the door open to find his young blond prince lying in bed, sickly looking and pale. Sora laid beside him, his twins head tucked gently under his chin. Cloud and Leon were both at his bedside too, looking down at him but once Axel entered the room, panting heavily for a breath of fresh air, everyone looked up, including Roxas.

He looked so weak and helpless but despite his fatigued disposition, the blond sat up slowly with one of his hands reaching out towards Axel. Seeing this, Sora slowly released his hold around Roxas, crawling back off the bed in order to give the redhead a chance to take his place. In an instant Axel walked the short distance from the door to the bed, throwing himself on the mattress as he collected the blond into his arms and held him close.

The older prince whispered apology after apology to Roxas, his green eyes clouding over until finally he gave into the painful throbbing in his chest and cried.

A/N: A lot is going on in here… like a lot and I really hope you guys enjoyed it. The next chapter will be the last, I assure you and everyone will find their happy ending (except Larxene, maybe? lol). I think I'm going to take a little break as well because I have been writing this story nonstop for about three or four days and my hands hurt. Everything about this story has been finished in terms of outline, so I know what I'm going to be doing next (:

As you can already tell, the lemon is cut but like I said above in the first A/N, the entire chapter can be found on my tumblr.

I will also be going back and editing as many of my grammer mistakes as I can find in the last two chapters because I want this to be as clean as possible T-T

Until next time everyone! Thank you for reading and don't forget to leave me some goodies :3