A/N: Lots of drama in this one, but at least things are progressing. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Many thanks to Milaya Milen Zeal for helping me write and come up with ideas for this story!

Steal My Heart

Chapter 2

"I don't know what to do, Roxas… I tried to make that offer, but he said he hates me…" Axel muttered as he hung his head as Roxas attempted to comfort him.

"I highly doubt that he hates you, Axel. He's obviously just angry over this situation. I know we're doing the right thing for him, and I'm certain he'll come to realize it, too," the blonde murmured, wrapping his golden-furred tail around one of his mate's. "Look, the best thing right now would be to give Joshua and Neku some time together, but we'll supervise from the background. They need to bond, and time together would be best."

"Then we'll arrange for them to have their time together in the garden this week," Axel agreed. "Hopefully they don't fight too much…"

"Again, we'll watch from the background so we can intervene if necessary," Roxas pointed out. The redheaded kitsune nodded, and the pair began to get ready for the day.

X*X(Joshua)X*X

The silverette woke up from his sleep the next morning feeling like complete and utter shit. He didn't want to move from the bed, seeing as it was so warm and comfortable, but his bladder and stomach had other ideas. Grumbling quietly, the young kitsune carefully slid out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom in his room, where he relieved himself. After flushing, he got dressed in some day clothes and quietly opened the bedroom door, surprised to see Roxas waiting for him by the door.

"Good morning, Joshua," the blonde neko greeted.

"Good morning, Roxas," Joshua murmured shyly.

"No need to be nervous around me, Joshua. I promise, I won't do anything to you," Roxas smiled. "I actually was going to guide you down to the dining hall for breakfast. After all, I'm sure you don't know your way around yet."

"True," the silverette laughed a little. The older bearer laughed as well before guiding Joshua downstairs to the dining hall, where Axel and Neku were already waiting. Roxas had Joshua sit across from Neku, next to his seat by Axel, and soon after the blonde and silverette were seated, a servant came in and placed a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast with butter in front of each of them. Despite being hungry, Joshua picked at his food, as he could feel Neku's anger filling the room with thick tension. The kitsune across from him wasn't even looking at him, focusing instead on his food, his eyes shaded by his bangs. His tails were curled around him motionlessly, and while it was better than the way they had been lashing out the night before, the complete lack of motion was, really, only marginally better.

"Neku, Joshua, we've arranged for you two to spend some time together this week out in the garden," Axel announced, and Joshua looked up, nervousness showing on his face. Neku briefly paused in lifting up some food, with his ear twitching in Axel's direction, but he refused to look up. After a moment more of just sitting there, he wordlessly stuffed the food in his mouth. Joshua exhaled shakily, but tried to focus on eating his own breakfast. Finally, when the group was finished eating, Roxas escorted the two young kitsunes to the garden, where there were two easels with canvases set up, as well as paint, brushes, pencils, charcoal, and many other art supplies set up.

"Today, you guys get to make a piece of art to put in your rooms," the neko told them. With a pointed look at Neku, he added firmly in a low voice, "Be nice." And then he left the two alone in the garden. Neku, again, didn't say a word. He didn't even look at either Roxas or Joshua. Once they were alone, Joshua sighed quietly before speaking.

"Neku?" he murmured. Though it was obvious he'd been heard, Neku blatantly ignored him and walked up to one of the easels, settling behind it and picking up a piece of charcoal. Regardless, Joshua continued. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me… It's not like this was my choice, either, but I'll try not to make your life too miserable…"

And with that said, the silverette settled himself in front of his easel with some paint and a few brushes. There was no response from Neku to his words; the redhead appeared to be completely engrossed in his work, making slow, careful strokes with the charcoal. Deciding to play the older kitsune's 'game', Joshua said nothing more, and focused entirely on his painting. Like that, the pair sat and merely worked in silence.

Neku's motions were slow and meticulous as he worked. There were times he would pull back and lightly bite on his finger, as if in thought, before returning to what he had been doing.

Joshua, on the other hand, made smooth, steady brush strokes with his brush dipped in black paint, making an outline for his painting. Soon, he was moving to color, filling in many of the white portions with a variety of colors. Unlike Joshua, Neku never deviated from charcoal, his attention directed solely at his work.

As the pair worked, Axel and Roxas watched from the balcony above the garden. They noticed how quiet the two young kitsunes were being, despite the opportunity for simple talk.

"Why won't they talk to each other?" Roxas frowned. "They can't be THAT focused…"

"You know how Neku gets when he's working on any art," Axel pointed out. "Besides, he's obviously trying not to lose his temper on Joshua."

"That's a good sign, though," the blonde commented. "Hopefully that'll continue over time."

Finally, Joshua finished his painting, and leaned back slightly, stretching his arms until his elbows and shoulders clicked. As he examined his work, he smiled lightly and nodded once, satisfied with the piece. Hopefully, Neku might be impressed and not be so cold towards him.

The redhead, however, didn't appear to be finished with his own work. He was still drawing away, sometimes moving the base of his thumb along the paper to create a bit of shade. Whatever it was he was making, it had his full attention and he didn't seem prepared to give it to something else.

Eventually, though, curiosity got the best of the smaller male. "What are you drawing?" he asked softly.

"…"

Though Neku's ear briefly twitched, the kitsune didn't look away from the drawing, blowing away some of the dust the charcoal had left behind.

Not wanting to give up, he asked again, this time a bit louder. "Neku, what are you drawing?"

"…"

There was no twitch this time, but there was no doubt that he'd heard him. And yet he refused to say anything or even spare Joshua a glance. This time, Joshua decided to look for himself instead of asking, knowing that Neku wasn't going to answer. He went over to stand behind Neku, and looked at his drawing.

The redhead's drawing was of what appeared to be a shrine maiden, though there were no real discerning features that could label it as a woman aside from the long hair and elegant kimono. In fact it was also rather difficult to pin an exact age to the person. The person appeared to be lost in prayer, eyes shut and hands clasped together in front of her.

"That's amazing, Neku," Joshua breathed, the words tumbling out before he could stop himself. Neku actually paused for a moment, turning his head a fraction, but he still didn't fully glance over, nor did he say anything. However, he did give a small hum. Pleased by the slight reaction, the silverette asked, "Is that picture based off of anything?"

"…"

Once again, there was no response, as Neku added the last details on the kimono and finally sat back to look his own work over. Feeling almost rejected by the lack of response, the younger kitsune frowned. Then an idea formed in his head.

"Hey Neku, I have an idea for something fun," he told the taller male. The redhead didn't reply, but his ear did shift just slightly more toward Joshua. Just barely, though. "We can have a race in fox form," Joshua smirked, undeterred.

"…" For a long moment, Neku almost seemed to consider it…but then he merely scoffed and stood up, walking away without a word.

With a frustrated huff, Joshua went to walk with Neku. "Come on, Nekky, it'll be fun!" he insisted. That definitely got a response; Neku froze in his tracks, and given by how his tails were trembling, that was not a good thing. The reaction Joshua got from Neku made him backtrack a bit. "S-sorry!" he stuttered with a startled squeak. Neku remained silent for a long time, his hands curling into fists while his tails continued to tremble subtly.

When the two parents saw how badly Neku was reacting from the nickname, Axel leapt down from the balcony, landing in fox form and prepared to intervene. Roxas, on the other hand, did follow, but placed himself in front of Joshua to protect him.

"Neku, calm down," the neko growled warningly.

The redhead regarded Roxas silently from under his bangs, his jaw tense from how hard he was likely gritting his teeth together to keep whatever he really wanted to say inside. He was breathing heavily as well, signaling just how much it actually affected him.

"…"

Without another word, though, the kitsune ran off, back into the palace without ever looking back.

"Gods dammit," the blonde hissed, and, with an apologetic look thrown Joshua's way, he took off after Neku.

"Was calling him that really that bad?" Joshua frowned, feeling guilty. Axel shifted back to human form with a sigh.

"I didn't expect that bad of a reaction this time, but we'll wait here. Hopefully, Roxas can calm him down," the older kitsune murmured.

X*X(With Roxas & Neku)X*X

When Roxas finally got to Neku's room, he cursed loudly when the door wouldn't open. "Neku, please unlock the door. I really don't want to unlock it without your permission," he called through the thick wood. As expected, though, there was no reaction from inside.

With a heavy sigh at the lack of response, Roxas formed an orb of light in his hand, which he then shaped into a key for Neku's door. Once the door was unlocked, he stepped inside and closed it softly behind him. Taking a seat on the bed by his son's side, he murmured, "Neku, I'm so sorry we went behind your back regarding Joshua. I understand that you're incredibly angry with your father and me right now, but I want you to know that no matter what, and no matter how angry you are with me, I'll always love you. You're my son, after all. I could never be mad at you."

The redhead didn't look up from where he was lying on the bed, his face buried in his pillow and his arms resting under it. Despite the lack of response, though, his twitching tails betrayed how he really felt.

"Do you want to tell me why you're so angry at your father and me? I'd like to hear it from you, rather than assume," the neko said gently, placing a soothing hand on Neku's head and lightly stroking his fingers through the kitsune's spikes. There was no verbal response from the neko's son; just a shake of the head into the pillow.

"Neku, please? I don't want you to keep silent like this," Roxas pleaded softly. "I miss hearing you talk and laugh already…"

Neku remained silent for at least a full two minutes longer before he mumbled something inaudibly into the pillow. "Hmm?" Roxas hummed, tilting his head curiously.

"…why didn't you just tell me?"

After a few seconds, Roxas answered. "You know, you're right. We should have been honest with you. When your father proposed the idea to me, I had thought it was a good idea. I'm so sorry, Neku…"

"…and what if… what would you have done if… if I hadn't…"

"If you didn't like guys, we wouldn't have gone through with it," the blonde replied. "We would have just dismissed the idea, and probably Joshua's father would be locked up."

"…so instead now…you're not even offering me a choice…"

"We just want you to be happy with someone, Neku," Roxas whispered. "I don't want you to be alone, and Joshua seems like a good choice. Especially since he's a bearer, and I know you want to have a family someday." Neku curled his fingers into the covers, gritted his teeth to try and keep the words in, but there was no way to do that; he'd remained silent until that moment specifically for that reason, but now he had no way of stopping it.

"And what does that change?!" he demanded as he shot up, slapping Roxas's hand away. "You're not letting me choose my own mate! You're not letting me choose who to spend the rest of my life with?! How am I supposed to be HAPPY with that?!"

"I don't blame you for being mad," the blonde sighed. "And you're right, we should have let you choose your own mate. But you want to know something?"

The redhead snorted angrily as he pointedly sat back, not looking at his mother as he wrapped his arms around his knees. "Does it even matter what I say?" he said bitterly. "You'll say it anyway..."

"In this case, yes. But the truth is that Axel and my mating wasn't by choice, either," the neko said. "It was arranged by my father, and I hated him for it for the longest time. But when I started to fall for Axel, I became thankful to him. Mind you, our mating was done before I really knew your father. With you and Joshua, though, we're giving you time and a deal. If you two start to bond over the year, then we'll arrange the mating ceremony. And if not, then we'll send Joshua back home and imprison his father for the theft he attempted 16 years ago."

What followed that confession was a long silence, broken only by the slight movement of Neku's tails along his bed. Finally, though…

"…that's your excuse?" he asked, his voice cold and bitter.

"It's not an excuse, Neku. Not at all. It's simply the truth," Roxas murmured, exhaling shakily. Tears formed in his own sapphire eyes and his ears flattened back as he next spoke. "I hate seeing you so upset and hearing how angry you are. It hurts my heart, and I just want to hear a genuinely happy laugh from you again. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"…just go away…" the redhead choked out, burying his face in his knees. "…just…just leave me alone…"

"That's something I won't do," his mother protested quietly in a quivering voice. "I will never abandon my son in his time of need." Neku refused to reply to those words, and instead curled up even further into himself than he already was, his tails coming up around him as if to protect him as well. "Neku, I love you so much…" Roxas whimpered, stroking his hair and ears softly. "Your pain is mine, and my heart hurts so much to know you're in so much pain…"

Neku breathed in heavily, trying to speak, but all that came out was a quiet whimper of "…then why…?"

"I don't know what else to say, sweetie, except that I'm here for you, and I always will be," Roxas breathed, pulling Neku out of his little ball and into a comforting embrace, starting to cry into his son's shoulder.

Though Neku initially tried to push away from the embrace, it was a struggle that lasted barely ten seconds before he cracked and returned the hug with a broken sob and clung to his mother, still trying so very hard not to cry, even though the tears just kept on coming.

"I love you," the blonde continued to whisper over and over to the kitsune, despite them both crying in their embrace. The redhead wasn't even able to get a single word out; he just clung to Roxas like his life depended on it, fingers curled into his clothes as the occasional hiccup escaped his throat.

Roxas rubbed his back soothingly as they hugged, silently promising him that everything would be okay. Gradually, Neku's sobs began to die down, and finally, he fell silent entirely and the death grip he'd had on his mother fell away. And judging from his evened breathing, the redhead had just cried himself to sleep. With a soft, watery smile, the neko continued to hold Neku, just letting him remain where he was so he could sleep peacefully. After all, he assumed the poor boy hadn't slept well the night prior, and more than likely needed this. Roxas pressed his lips to Neku's temple, and hoped everything would work out in the end.

X*X(Later, In The Garden…)X*X

Joshua and Axel were still waiting for Roxas and Neku to return, and the entire time they'd been waiting, guilt had been eating away at Joshua. It was his fault that Neku was so upset and angry, and he just wanted to apologize. After all, he had pushed the older male too far, obviously, and made things worse.

"Joshua, this is amazing!" Axel's voice suddenly called out, and the silverette looked from where he sat on a wooden bench to see the redhead examining his painting.

"It's not as good as Neku's drawing, though," the smaller male murmured, blushing faintly with embarrassment. Suddenly, his ears twitched as he heard familiar footsteps approaching, and looked to see Roxas and Neku returning. Immediately, Joshua jumped up and went over to Neku. "Neku, I'm really, truly sorry for teasing you like that…" he apologized. "I never meant to upset you…"

"…" Neku didn't react to the sudden apology right away, but his slightly wider than normal eyes made it pretty obvious that he hadn't been expecting that when he returned to the garden. After a long moment of just standing there in silence, Neku sighed softly and looked away. "…whatever…" he mumbled softly.

…which was when he seemed to take notice of Joshua's painting off to the side, which made his ears tilt up in something akin to curiosity. The smaller male noticed how Neku seemed curious when he saw the painting, and he quickly blushed and mumbled, "It's not as good as yours…" He then went over and turned the painting towards the kitsune so he could see it properly.

It was a gorgeous, colorful painting of a cherry blossom tree in full bloom, with the sun shining down upon it and the grass surrounding it. The petals that fell from the tree almost seemed to dance, despite the stillness of the artwork itself. And at the base of the tree, curled up amongst the roots, was a small, orange fox kit with an adult red fox, the adult's tail wrapped around the kit comfortingly. Looking at the painting, one could tell that the adult was obviously male, based off of the masculine build that had been put into it.

"…"

The older kitsune didn't say anything to the words, though he did tilt his head to regard the painting silently. The entire time Neku was examining Joshua's work, the younger teen was panicking slightly on the inside. He really hoped Neku would like it…

If Neku was aware of this, it certainly didn't show. He just kept watching quietly, completely silent.

And then…

"…it's good…"

Joshua blinked, shocked that he actually got a compliment from the typically cold-mannered kitsune. Finally, he managed to get out a response. "Th-thank you, Neku," he stuttered, blushing a bit more.

The redhead didn't comment on the obvious stutter, keeping his gaze on the painting. Finally though, he asked, "…but…isn't something…missing?"

"Actually…" the silverette muttered, blushing a deep crimson. "It's representing you and Axel, and showing that he cares about you deeply…" Swallowing hard, he added, "I heard the argument between you guys last night."

Neku's ear visibly twitched at that, but he didn't actually look away from the painting.

"…oh."

Axel and Roxas stood together nearby, watching and listening to the exchange quietly. The redhead was stunned by the true meaning of Joshua's painting, as he hadn't made the connection. His mate, however, was hopeful this would spark something akin to at least a slight friendship between the two. Roxas wanted them to get along, seeing as he was already finding Joshua to be endearing. He truly felt that, as long as Neku gave this situation a chance, then they would make an amazing couple, just like himself and Axel.

"I…I'll be honest, Neku… I made it for you…" Joshua suddenly murmured, looking down in embarrassment.

That definitely got the redhead's attention, as he whirled on the silver kitsune almost immediately, clearly startled. "Wh…? Wh-why?" Neku finally managed to get out, looking away briefly.

"Because I don't want us to hate each other," the smaller male explained softly. "I want us to be able to get along instead of ignoring each other like earlier… I've never had to go through something that awkward before, to be honest…"

"…I don't hate you, alright?" Neku grumbled softly. "I was just…annoyed… That's it."

"Can we at least try to be friends, then?" Joshua asked with a small, hopeful smile.

Neku didn't reply immediately, and instead looked at Joshua for a moment more. But finally, he shrugged his shoulder.

"…sure…I guess…"

"Thank you, Neku," the smaller kitsune smiled. Suddenly, he perked up, remembering his idea from earlier. "Oh yeah, did you still want to have that race in fox form, Neku? I know you weren't too keen on it earlier, but I think it would be fun."

"Hm? Why?" Neku asked slowly, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "Why're you so excited?"

"Because I can beat you in a race," Joshua smirked.

"…excuse me?" Neku asked with a dark glare, hands on his hips.

"You heard me. Wanna see?" the silverette teased, his tails waving in amusement.

"Oh you are soooo going to regret that," Neku snarled softly, though there was a hint of a smirk playing on his face.

A/N: Awesome, now to set up the next chapter! R&R, peeps!