With Honor - Chapter 2
“Happy birthday to youuuuuuuu.” As the song drew to a close, Axel blew out the candles on the cake in front of him. He really wasn’t interested in any of this showy crap, but he did it to make his wait staff happy. They’d been taking care of him since he was just a child, and they were the ones who put together these small parties for him.
His father didn’t care enough to do more than send a check in a blank envelope.
“So, Axel, aren’t you going to open your presents? You’re seventeen now!” Lea, his favorite maid, smiled excitedly, shoving a small, pink-wrapped package in his face. He gave it a sort of worried grimace, but accepted it none the less.
Carefully peeling back the sparkly pink bow and the glittery paper, the found another, box. It looked like jewelry. Smiling, he lifted the lid, revealing a thin silver chain with a matching letter ‘A’ at the bottom. At the right leg of the letter was a small red stone. Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, and overflowed down his cheeks.
“L… Lea…” He was barely able to choke the words out. “Th… Thank you, so much.” The woman gave him a gentle hug. “Happy birthday, Axel.” He gently lifted the necklace out of the box, and Lea helped him fasten the clasp around his neck. He looked down, turning the small charm with his fingers. It felt just like the real thing.
“Sorry it took seventeen years?” Offered one of the younger maids during the silence that followed. Axel laughed through his tears. “You really know me, don’t you guys…” He hugged each one in turn, placing a gentle kiss on the cheeks of all the girls.
The necklace was an exact replica of the one his late mother, Anna Flare, had worn to the very day of her death. She died when Axel was only four years old, so he didn’t remember much about her, other than her kind gentleness, and the necklace that she cherished above all else. It had been a gift to her from her mother, or so he was told. Most of the maids on his waitstaff had been serving his mother before him, and they passed on to him what little they knew of her. Not one of them, however, had a word to say against her.
He sliced the cake, a delicious vanilla rectangle with his name elaborately drawn across it in frosting, and ate it with everyone who was there. Three maids, his cook, and the cleaning lady who only came in on Saturdays.
When all the food was gone and their laughter exhausted, Axel aided in the cleanup as much as they would allow him, and put on his coat to go out. “Where are you going?” Lea asked. “Out. Take a walk or something. Maybe go get myself something.” He waved the envelope from his father in the air. She smiled. “Alright, have fun, dear.”
Axel knew where he wanted to go. Birthdays always made him somewhat depressed, although the thoughtfulness behind his gift kept him smiling till he was at the door to the club. Two knocks, enter.
“Yo.” He had a habit of announcing himself when he entered the room, even though none of the other customers acknowledged him. He took up a seat at the end of the bar, and looked around for his cheerful little blonde bartender. The cheerful little blonde bartender, who currently, was nowhere in sight. He was looking around for the kid when a head of flaming red hair caught his attention.
There was a man, actually… the guy didn’t look much older than seventeen, maybe eighteen, with spiky red hair shooting out in every direction, with his arm around none other than Roxas. The new redhead seemed pretty comfortable, leaning on little Roxas, with one of his fingers tracing little circles on the boy’s shoulder. The blonde, however, looked like he would rather be anywhere than in that situation.
Axel sighed, talking to himself. “Man, the kid really has a knack for attracting all kinds of perverts.” Pushing his stool back slowly, he made his way over to where the two were standing. Neither of them noticed him, but as he got closer, he began to hear their conversation.
“Hey babe, loosen up, kay?”
“I... I really have to get back now.”
“Hey, come on. Why don’tcha just come out with me? Only for a little while, kay? No one’ll even notice you’re gone.”
“I… I… please…. I have to go.”
Axel felt his blood boil. The guy was really beginning to get on his nerves. The kid clearly said he didn’t want to go with him, so why was he still pushing it? A feral grin spread across his face as he tapped the other man on the back. When he turned, without any hesitation, Axel raised his fist and hit him clear across the face. Roxas gasped.
“The kid said he didn’t wanna go.” Axel growled out. Roxas was giving him a stupefied look, and the other guy was lifting himself up off the ground where he had fallen. A small trail of blood leaked from his nose. “Go home.” The other man scoffed, snarled, then lunged.
Grabbing Axel by the lapel of his coat, he swung him around, trying to push him over the bar counter. Luckily the redhead had good balance. He quickly righted himself, throwing a jab that barely missed his opponent’s face. “Jerk off, bastard.” Axel frowned. He didn’t like being talked down to. “The name’s Axel, bastard. Commit that to memory.” He roughly thrust his palm against the other’s chest, knocking him off balance. He crashed into a vacant table. “The name’s Reno, got it?” Axel cracked the knuckles of his right hand against his left palm. “Alright then, Reno. Care to explain what you were doing touching my Roxas over there?” The older man smirked. “Oh, so he’s yours, huh? You’ve gotta keep better watch on your little puppy there. One of these days, someone’s just gonna come along and grab him.” Axel snarled. In one fluid motion he had knocked the cocky redhead backwards and into the ground.
He knew it wasn’t fair to use his unnatural strength to his advantage, but the jerk just got on his nerves.
Axel was impressed. Most people, after being hit so hard, would go down and stay down. But here was Reno, groaning as he lifted himself back up again. He cracked his neck left and right, glaring harshly at Axel the entire time. “Let’s go outside. I don’t wanna pay damages for smashing the place up.” Axel nodded, and followed the other out. Roxas followed.
“Why don’t you just give up?” Axel asked. He didn’t understand why the other kept fighting. He was already bruised and bleeding from the nose, whereas Axel barely had a scratch on him. “Pride, man. You hit me first, and I’m not about to let that go.” He pointed with a thumb at his bleeding nose. Axel smiled. Had they met under different circumstances, he felt that he could get along with this guy.
“How about I just buy you a drink, huh Reno? Will that settle this?” The other seemed to consider the proposal for a second, before laughing. “Yeah right, like I’d let you get away with just that. No way.” Axel sighed. Well, at least he had tried. With surprising speed, Reno aimed a kick at Axel’s face, which he deflected with his arm. It stung where flesh his the feel of his shoe, but he countered with a punch and kick of his own, effectively pinning his opponent between himself and the wall. He could tell from the look on Reno’s face that even he knew he was in a bad position.
He was quick to dodge a punch aimed to his head, causing Axel’s fist to his the bricks behind him. He cursed under his breath as the blood broke out from one of his knuckles. Reno slid to the side, raising his fists. At the sight of the blood, though, he lowered them. “Alright man, we’re even now.” He pushed up his sleeve, and checked what looked to be a watch on his wrist. “Damn, I’m late for work anyway. See ya round!” He smiled as he walked off, wiping the blood from his face on his sleeve.
Axel stood there, watching the man’s back as he walked off. He didn’t even blink until Reno had turned the corner and was out of sight. “Damn… that was one hell of a weird guy.” He looked around, moving to go back inside, when he noticed a very angry looking blonde blocking the door. His blue eyes were cold and fierce. Axel gulped. The small kid actually looked pretty intimidating standing like that.
Axel smiled at him sheepishly, then winced as a sudden pain shot through his arm. He looked down at his hand, and seemingly for the first time noticed the blood trailing down his finger. There was a small trail of it on the pavement. Roxas bit his lip and lowered his stance, taking Axel’s injured hand into his own. “Come on.” He said quietly. “Let’s go inside and clean this before it gets infected.”
The redhead smiled gently down at the boy, feeling something flutter in his stomach. The concerned look on the blonde’s face was just too much. He really looked worried about Axel. He placed a hand on the younger boy’s head and ruffled his hair playfully. “Calm down kid, don’t look so serious. I’m fine. I’m not some weak little thing or anything.” Roxas dropped his hand and took a step back, retreating back into the club without a backwards glance.
“Neither am I, you know.”
x-posted to
axelxroxas