[Thread] Gravity

[todomarishi]

Characters: AU!Axel, AU!Roxas, AU!Terra
Where: Ast-Epta
When: Right after this entry.
Summary: Enraged when Axel crosses the line with Ven (Roxas), Terra takes matters into his own hands.
Warnings: It’s beginning to look a lot like violence~

Comments

[changingsuns]

Axel was gentle, and for a first kiss, it was really nice. Nothing too fast, nothing bad...Ven smiled a little as his friend put his fingers along his jaw, and leaned further into him --

and that's when the door slammed open.

Eyes snapping open at the sound, he got his mouth unattached from Axel's only seconds before the red head was flung out of the way, hitting the floor not far from him. "Axel!" he shouted, concerned, and moved forward, only to be blocked by the giant key before him. He looked up, and his blue eyes caught sight of his "savior".

"Terra," he muttered in dismay. How on earth could he have figured them out? The blond looked past him to Axel, and then grabbed the older warrior's hand, tugging gently. "Terra, no, you don't understand. He wasn't hurting me." He looked over at Axel, afraid of retaliation, and tried to move Terra back a little farther, towards himself. "Look. See? I'm not hurt. It's okay."

How was he going to explain this better? He must have looked like he was being backed into a wall on purpose.

"Terra, please, don't hurt him. He didn't do anything wrong." Swallowing, he moved around to the man's side, away from the key, putting himself almost between the two. "Axel, just...keep away from him," he said, glancing at the red head.

[abovetheflame]

Between the door slamming opening, Ven pulling away, and Terra's hand clamping down on his shoulder, Axel didn't have very much reaction time.

"Who a--," he began, but before he could get a good glance over his shoulder or even finish his sentence, he was cast aside, thrown off balance. The redhead's back slammed against the adjacent wall, sliding down it a bit. Instantly, he felt a surge of anger rush over him and he straightened up, pushing away from the wall, his posture somewhat hunched, lowering his center of gravity.

Axel narrowed his eyes in a glare, ignoring Ven's words. It was obvious this guy - whoever he was - was looking for a fight, and if a fight was what he wanted, Axel was all too willing to participate. There was no way he was going to be thrown aside and do nothing about it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he snapped, his voice low and his fingers flexing at his sides. If one looked hard enough, one could see small flames licking along Axel's fingers, swrirling in his palms. The redhead didn't even notice it. Any more than that, though, and the cuff would probably kick in.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Axel demanded, growing more and more angry, almost to the point of rage. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard that it was almost deafening in his ears, but he paid it no mind.

"Roxas," he said, his eyes flickering to Ven momentarily. "Get out of here," he finished lowly, and with another flex of his fingers, his chakrams were suddenly being gripped firmly in his palms.

[todomarishi]

“I understand enough! He was taking advantage of you,” Terra insisted, raising his voice over his friend’s protesting. He only spared the blond a passing (but infuriated) glance when Ven tried to move him out of the way. The knight planted his feet, standing his ground and not allowing himself to be budged more than a foot or two more. Though Terra quickly looked over Ven to make sure he really was physically okay, a moment later he brushed off his friend’s anxious claims, “You’re alright now but how long would that have lasted? You could have been seriously hurt.”

“And what about your dignity, Ventus? Don’t you want to return home to Aqua and our Master with some scrap of your dignity left?” He pointed to the room's exit again, “Now go. I won’t allow him to take any more of your honor with his impulses.”

What was the boy thinking, defending his own assailant like that? Axel must have tricked him, convinced him he wanted to throw away his future for a perverted lowlife fool. Terra turned his attention back to the redhead nearby and held his Keyblade out, ready for the impending battle.

“His name is Ven,” he announced sharply. The chakrams didn’t impress him: they looked like cheap, throwaway weapons one might use while training young apprentices that weren’t capable of properly holding a Keyblade. He couldn’t help but sneer at the silver rings. Some challenge. Simplistic weapons wielded by a scrawny twig of a man.

“I’m his friend and teammate,” Terra went on, answering Axel’s questions while grabbing a handful of Ven’s shirt and dragging him over toward the door. If Ven wouldn’t leave willingly, he’d be escorted out by force.

At least the tattooed stranger seemed to agree with him on that issue, “As well as his guardian today.”

[changingsuns]

"No, no! He wasn't taking advantage of me!" he protested, looking to Axel for help. Of course, the red head had wasted no time in summoning his own weapons and preparing for a fight. It was who he was: hot headed, fiery, impulsive. But Terra was usually more calm and collected about battles.

"D-Dignity!?" he sputtered, gaping. What did dignity have to do with any of this? It wasn't like they were...Oh. "IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" he yelled. Axel was his friend, and it was just a kiss, something to prove that he was HIS Roxas, the one from his world. Was that so bad?

He scowled angrily at the both of them, for cutting him off and ignoring his protests, for acting like he was just a child and needed to be taken care of. His hands clenched at his sides, and he nearly drew his own blades to cut them both off and slap sense into them, before Terra hefted him up by the shirt and dragged him off.

"H-Hey! Stop that, put me down! AXEL! TERRA!" he screamed, gripping the older man's arm and pulling at him until he felt a door at his back, and then nothing. He yelped as he stumbled out of the room, the door closing behind him.

"YOU IDIOTS!" he screamed from outside. Two steps towards the door and he nearly summoned his blades again...but stopped.

They would just throw him back out. What was the point? So instead, he scowled and sat, closing his eyes. He would just wait until the cuffs finished with them, until they both were knocked out.

It wouldn't take long.

[abovetheflame]

Axel took a step forward when Terra grabbed Ven by the front of the shirt, about to attack when he realised that the other man was only getting him out of harms way. He was fuming now, every nerve in his body tinging; burning, and the redhead grinned dangerously.

Ignoring the blond's protests from outside, Axel chuckled quietly, eyes locked on Terra. He gave one of his chakrams a spin, catching it by the outer edge as he took on his proper fighting stance: shoulders slightly hunched, feet parted, knees bending as he found his center of gravity.

"Alright then," he said, grinning. "Impress me."

[todomarishi]

Terra stood with his back to the closed door. Slowly, he shifted his weight, one foot sliding to the side as he adopted his own balanced combat stance. He didn’t attack right away, though; he wanted to be sure Ven was staying outside the room and wasn’t going to rush in on the battle. He also used those few moments to calm himself down. Drawing in a deep breath through his nose, he tried to focus on more peaceful thoughts. If he could just think of this as a particularly grueling training session, maybe he could catch his cuff off-guard and avoid the sedative effect.

“I’m not the one with something to prove here,” he said at last, lifting his eyes off the floor to focus on Axel’s almost crouching form. His expression remained serious, but the redhead’s dark smile aggravated him and threatened the passive mind set he was trying so hard to keep up. This wasn’t anything like training. He wanted Axel to suffer and he wanted him to suffer now.

Terra sprang forward suddenly, lifting his Keyblade high overhead and striking downward with the heavy weapon.

[abovetheflame]

Axel chuckled, mildly amused with the unfamiliar man. He wanted proof? He'd get it. The redhead wasn't one for being doubted, and he was all to eager to display his skill; all to eager to prove that he was better than this keyblade-weilding buzz-kill.

"I sense a little jealousy," Axel said, grinning and peering up at the man, his emerald eyes ablaze. He flexed his fingers around the edges of his chakrams. He was ready, and the moment Terra moved to strike, he was already summoning a portal. The floor darkened below him, black tendrils of darkness reaching up like smoke, twisting around his legs, looping around his arms. ..And just before the strike could land, he was gone.

But not for long.

Axel reappeared in that mass of black, smoke-like darkness a good ten feet away from Terra, falling back into his fighting stance.

"You're going to have to try a little harder than that," he said, that grin never leaving his face as he sent a chakram spinning his way.

[todomarishi]

“Darkness?” Terra landed right where Axel had been standing and regarded the portal’s vanishing wisps with a bland stare. The feeling of the element slipping into the room, allowing his opponent to escape the attack, fueled his rage. Yet he wasn’t surprised to witness Axel using such tactics. Ven had said something about him being one of those Nobodies, creatures without hearts and true emotions. Apparently they had some sort of loose grasp on the darkness if this one was using portals with ease. They sure didn’t look like servants of the dark, though.

“So you’re relying on cheap tricks after all.”

He rounded on Axel when the man spoke again, betraying his own position with what seemed like a constant need to be a smart mouth. Terra turned his Keyblade in time to safely deflect the speeding chakram and, without missing a beat, he charged again, this time calling on magic to hasten his dash toward Axel.

The knight was actually relieved to see that Axel hadn’t used the portal to completely retreat from the battle. Maybe he wasn’t smart enough to run while he still had a chance.

“And I sense stupidity. What’s your point?” He called out and with a flick of the Keyblade, sent a bolt of Thundaga forward to hopefully head off his opponent in case he tried to flee again. Terra was a little rusty with his basic spells, but he trusted that the lightning would move fast enough to compensate for his own slower approach.

[abovetheflame]

Axel wasn’t going to answer. Talking was a waist of time that he’d rather spend bringing Terra to his knees. The bolt of Thundaga had him on his toes and he only just managed to get out of the way in time, landing a few feet off in a crouch, his coat pooling around his feet. The entire time, his eyes never left Terra, knowing that the quickest way to defeat was to lose sight of your enemy.

Outstretching one hand, he summed his chakram back and curled his fingers around the crossbars, lips pulling back into a smirk. With a low chuckle, Axel narrowed his eyes and sent his weapons flying again, his smirk turning into a grin. His rage was growing, burning and festering in his chest with each second that Terra was still conscious, and with the release of his chakrams, two small flames flickered in his palms. Too much more, and his cuff would kick in no doubt.

[ooc: gjdhfg sorry this took so long x____x]

[todomarishi]

Terra ducked away again, avoiding one chakram completely but feeling the dulled edge of the other nick against his arm. Enough was enough. He wasn’t going to take chances this time. As he dove forward, he left behind his fancier tactics and settled for grabbing at the man’s coat. His fingers dug into the supple leather and held on tight. Keeping his Keyblade back at his side, he rammed hard into the thinner man’s form and shoved him back. Only then did he lash out with his key, aiming its tip at Axel’s chest. A faint sting of pain in his wrist followed the strike but he ignored the cuff system’s warning, instead giving in to his desire to wipe that grin off the redhead’s face.

[abovetheflame]

Unfortunately, Axel found his attention focused on his weapons and wasn't ready for Terra to attack so so quickly. When the other man grabbed his coat, he automatically clapped a hand around his wrist, attention snapping back to where it ought to be. The redhead grunted, clenching his teeth as Terra rammed into him, stumbling backwards until he collided with the wall.

His eyes were on fire now, burning a dark emerald, and again, his eyes were locked on Terra, glaring. With the keyblade pointed at his chest, Axel's other hand snapped out, grabbing at the front of Terra's shirt.

"Bad idea," he said. He chuckled, shook his head, and then yanked the man closer, not caring if it pressed the keyblade into his chest.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with fire?" and that being said, his fingers went up in flames.

Unfortunately for Axel, his cuff was triggered, and he was out like a light, slumping back against the wall before he could even see if he would do any damage.

[[ooc: orz fdfdfhsjkdf i had to ]]

[todomarishi]

Terra hissed in pain as the flames spread across his shirt, quickly burning through the thin material. He shoved his Keyblade up against Axel’s chest but it was already too late to punish him for his audacity. That and well... there were suddenly more pressing matters at hand. Like his shirt. On fire. Backing away, he called up a weak Blizzaga spell to put out the fire and hopefully minimize the damage. Unfortunately, the self-inflicted ice wasn’t much better. Once he finally managed to pat and frost down the flames, he glared over at Axel.

“I don’t remember my mother,” he growled at the unconscious body before lifting his Keyblade once more. Perhaps there was a way he could get in a last word or two. He went to swing down, hoping to bludgeon the still body but the motion triggered an already sensitive cuff and he stumbled back rather than forward.

He lowered himself to the ground near the middle of the room, fighting a sudden wave of exhaustion and mental fog. Terra managed to dismiss his Keyblade and remained kneeling there, one arm crossed over his scorched torso as he fought the sedative. Slowly but surely he began to lose his second battle of the day. He leaned to one side and landed on the floor a moment later, still awake but only barely.

[changingsuns]

It didn't take too long for him to hear the sound of something hitting the wall, and he didn't know which one of them he wanted to come out on top. They both had their mean streaks, and the look in their eyes spelled 'murder' plain and simple. He paced in the adjoining hallway, waiting for the sounds of their collapse, muttering 'fools' and 'idiots' under his breath every few moments.

When he couldn't hear anything any longer, no yelling, no movement, he dared to go to the door and press his ear to it. Nothing.

Ven entered the room carefully, assessing the damage first. Nothing looked broken, nothing scorched or seared, and he sighed with relief. Short fight.

He spotted Terra first, going to his side and kneeling down in front of him, grimacing at his shirt and burns. That was going to leave a nasty mark if he didn't get some help. "Terra?" he asked softly, seeing the warrior's eyes flutter. "Are you awake?" Looking around, he caught sight of Axel as well, unconscious against the wall. He didn't look hurt, and he turned back to his friend. "Can you hear me?"

[todomarishi]

Terra didn’t answer right away. He could hear the boy’s voice but it seemed distant, a sort of faraway noise he recognized but couldn’t hold on to. The world around him was still too fuzzy and off-kilter. He half expected to hear his Master calling out and demanding he get up... Or maybe Aqua scolding him for lying around on the job. It felt strange, wrong even, to see only Ven kneeling beside him. Where were the others? Why weren’t they here, too?

The knight finally stirred, moving his hand over and running his fingers along Ven’s shoe. He mouthed a few words first then grunted, trying to get up but ultimately finding it easier to lie still. Nice warm, solid floor. Part of him wanted to give in to the lull, breath deep and rest, but he knew he couldn’t allow himself to sleep just yet. Not with Ven there and the other guy still propped up against the wall like a crumpled mannequin.

“You didn’t tell me,” he spoke very slowly, sounding just as drugged as he felt. He let his eyes shut for a moment and tested his grip on Ven’s foot, “he has fire magic.”

[changingsuns]

He was afraid that maybe things were worse than he expected for his older friend, frowning down at him. If the two of them had just kept out of each other's business, if Terra had just kept out of it...

He sighed. "You didn't give me a chance to, shoving me out like that," he said, watching him. "If the two of you had just been quiet and let me explain, maybe you wouldn't be in this mess." Ven shook his head, lowering himself a little to inspect his burn better.

"...just rest, okay? I'm going to take him back to his room, then come back to help you. Can you wait ten minutes while I go?" He wiggled his foot a little, reaching down and putting his hand on Terra's. "I won't be long."

[todomarishi]

"This isn't a mess," Terra answered groggily but he didn't argue the point any further than that. Instead, he kept quiet, only frowning a little when Ven mentioned taking Axel back to his room.

"Ten minutes," the soldier echoed, his voice stern as if to imply that if Ven didn't return in exactly ten minutes, he'd be in trouble. With that said, he nodded and carefully rolled onto his side to wait.