Sweet of the Sunset, Salt of the Moon

"Kneel."

Two men fell to their knees. Sunset washed over them, filtering in through the clerestory windows of the basement and catching on their features—narrow and sharp, broad and hard. Its warm glow glistened in their hair, orange and gold mingling with evening blue and blazing red. 

Her puppet and her flame.

They trusted her with their safety, their pleasure surrendered to her judgement. While a simple, "No," would spare them, it was her task to prevent them from needing it, prevent them from wanting it. By the time she was done they should desire nothing more than an eternity beneath her heel and in her care.

Eternity, huh.

Of course, she knew nothing was eternal. Some bitter part of her would always understand the necessity of stop, probably more so than anyone else around her. She'd sacrificed her longed for forever once, when she'd understood the cost of her continued existence. They made me, and then they gave me an impossible choice and I made it. I made it all stop. But if I can have forever now, I will. If I can hold those I love for an eternity, I will.

Hopefully, she thought, even if I fail tonight—but I won't.

Will I? 

She pushed her worries aside. Regardless of what was to come she doubted she'd hear any meaningful dissent for the moment—not from her toys, at least. There was nothing they enjoyed more than indulging their Domme, and Xion enjoyed playing that role. 'Mistress' was fun to be, and it was fun to observe through her eyes while the rest of Xion retreated to the back of her mind. Mistress was also excellent at carrying out tasks Xion could not.

And yet—

Remembered words spilled from Xion and into Mistress. "If you need to stop, that's okay. This is a selfish request. I won't hold it against you if you can't indulge me, Xion."

But I like selfish requests, she thought, especially yours. I like seeing where your memories bruise you, like digging my fingers into all those tender places. I like it—I just don't know if I can touch my own the way I touch yours

She shook her head and strode forward. Three sets of eyes followed Xion—Mistress, in the minds of two of them—as she walked about the room. Her leather boots kept time, low heels hitting the ground in a sharp, steady beat. Her footsteps reverberated off the warm-hued walls, as well as the sex swing, the kennel, the bondage frame, and their basement bed. The eyes trailed her until she came to a stop before a shelf stacked with various boxes, and then slid off her and onto a chest labelled only 'the necessities'.

The air in the room prickled her skin, the tension palpable. Outside, she smirked. Inside, she giggled. They're so cute, so eager...

In truth she had no plans for the toy chest. It was convenient for getting everyone's attention, sure, but she really only intended to tease. It really gets them going though! Maybe I could fetch my crop later, then pick up a plug or two? She tilted her head, let the others wonder as she tapped one foot against the ground.

Her eyes swept away from the shelf then, across the room to where Roxas sat. He lounged on a chair up against the wall, clothes a discarded mess on the floor, one hand sliding up his chest. The other had come to rest between his legs, a light sheen of sweat already forming.

He was so pretty; cheeks red, stray locks of blond hair clinging to his cheeks, blue eyes bright and dark all at once. He wasn't bound, but that wasn't unusual. Roxas wanted, needed to be free, to be everything he was and ever had been, to go beyond the narrow perceptions of others that had defined him through his life. Thus, constraints were rare during their play, and she almost never ordered him to do anything during their scenes—not unless he invited her to.

Personally, she thought that was more fun. We were made to engage in a different sort of power play from this. I was built to draw from you—draw Sora through you—and you were born to fight back. I can always feel you just beyond me, pulling at my strings as I pull at yours. Our hearts were tied together, our beings tangled and now...

She took a breath, saw him do the same. In their games he was a switch, although Xion wasn't certain that was the best word for him. A wildcard, perhaps, outside my orders but never quite contradicting them. We're different yet the same, only capable of equilibrium or complete domination and submission. But do we really need words, Roxas, for what you are?  For what we are? 

No, his eyes said, but even if they did have the words she was sure that would never stop him bounding through their scenes, bantering off her, teasing and trailing fingers over their precious submissives. Sometimes he asked permission, and other times he did as he pleased. 

Cheeky, that's what he is. He's always giving me cheek. Well, it's not like two can't play at that game.

"Enjoying the view?" She asked, resting a hand on her hip.

"Are you?" He shot back, brushing his fingers over a nipple. He bit his lip, stifled a groan as his other hand, wet with lube, ran over his cock. A breath caught in Xion's throat, but she swallowed it, remained composed. The Domme in her had power now, and kept the girl inside her steady.

"Mm, I think I am," she said.

"Good," Roxas grinned. "Mine's better though."

She clamped down on a giggle. You're making this difficult, Roxas, but I suppose you always do.

Still, his words made her warm inside. Her outfit wasn't anything special. Her boots weren't all that different from the ones Axel wore every day—certainly not the stuff of your average Dominatrix fantasy. She tended to stumble around like a baby deer in anything larger than a two-inch after all. That was okay though. Axel could wear the stiletto heels, as well as the latex and all the other fetish gear. Her black lingerie, stockings, garter, and satin gloves did just fine. They were pretty, and didn't send any uncomfortable shivers down her spine.

Trapped. I don't want to be trapped. 

But she wasn't. There was no rigidity, no denying her fluidity. All of them could indulge their fantasies, clothes included. And then we'll meld them together and have an excellent evening that ends with us all perfectly debauched.

Debauched. Yes, that was Roxas right now.

She held his gaze, heart pounding when he submitted and his blue eyes slipped to his left, her right. A flash of red shifted in the corner of her eye. I didn't allow that, she thought, even as Roxas gasped, and it was such a lovely sound to accompany his hand tightening around his cock.

A whispered, "Fuck," resounded about the room.

"Axel," she said, and turned. "My flame."

He was kneeling, just as she'd commanded earlier. Yet despite his actions and his bindings implying obedience, there was nothing submissive at all about his teasing posture, his chest and cock on proud display. He's showing off for Roxas, she thought, then said, "I don't think I told you to move."

He licked his lips, considering. Green eyes glittered above a scandalous smirk. "Huh. Now that you mention it I don't think you did, boss."

She sighed, boots beating against the stone floor once more. None of this was unusual either. Axel could be a good submissive, sometimes. Mostly though, he was a brat. No matter how much sweet, red rope she bound him in he just couldn't resist causing trouble. That was fine, she supposed. If he couldn't resist, then neither could she; not when he had all that pretty scarlet wound about his chest, his stomach, trapping his legs and binding his arms behind his back. How lovely you look in red. Let's see if I can get that color to blossom elsewhere.

Her steps echoed as she returned to the center of the room and began circling Axel. She hummed as she went—not a proper song, just idle amusement. She refused to play to Axel's tune, even as he baited her, turned to watch her watching him. She returned his baiting in kind, taking her time admiring the way his calves were bound, delighting in how the rope curved around his upper thigh. You can try all you want, but you'll get what you deserve when I decide you deserve it and not a moment sooner.

She settled behind him on one knee, took his chin in her hand and turned his face forward. Her fingers wandered from there. They caressed his neck as her other hand slid over his hip, his waist, trailed down to his ass and squeezed. His moans were gratifying—almost as wonderful as the red hue his cheeks had taken. Gorgeous.

"You're always up to something, aren't you?" She whispered in his ear, fingers digging into his ass. All the heat in her body had flowed between her thighs, but she remained steadfast in giving and taking only what she needed too. The game wasn't over after all, and she could get what she wanted later. "You just can't resist making trouble for me. What am I going to do with you?"

"Hmmm," Axel leaned back as much as the ropes allowed. "I guess you'll just have to punish me."

There was a sharp inhale to their left but Xion let it go. It was neither as loud nor as obvious as Axel's earlier dissent, and she wasn't ready to face her other submissive yet anyhow. Besides, Axel's little whimpers were loud enough that she might pretend she hadn't heard him, especially with the additions of Roxas's moaning and the wet slap of his hand on his cock. Certainly an acoustic masterpiece, Xion thought, giggled even as Mistress bade her look up.

"Don't go too fast," she reminded Roxas. "My little flame here will need you. I'm certain he'll suit your needs too." She bit her lip, tried to pass it off as lust and not the urge to laugh she got whenever she referred to Axel as 'little'. It always made his cheeks burn, that descriptor. But you are little here. You'll always bend and bow to me, and I will always tend to you when you do. You will fail and fall before me, and yet there will be nothing but pleasure in doing so.

I promise, Axel. I promise.

"Alright," Roxas said, choked on a moan as his fingers rubbed just beneath the head of his cock. "I'll help out."

Mistress smiled. Pleasing me earns you a reward. She decided to give him a show, let the hand around Axel's front glide up, tracing over the ropes that outlined his chest and accentuated the rise and fall of every breath. Her fingers danced over the jut of his collarbones before finally descending once more to his chest, squeezing it in time with the hand on his ass.

"Wow," Axel gasped, "is this my punishment, really?" He laughed, stuttered, "I—ah—guess I'll have to misbehave more often, huh?"

She hummed, leaned in again and whispered, "That's right Axel. Don't hold back. Never hold back."

The hand on his chest rose to his throat just to feel him swallow, feel the tension in his neck, his shoulders. That was good, that was right. Words that had once given him grief replicated and transformed by Xion's own power into something beautiful, something sweet. 

That was what she did for him and him for her. He was himself—breaking the rules, going behind her back, pushing and teasing her, defying her commands right up until she decided it was time to stop and bring him back to heel. Her fingers traced the rope and her own chest felt tight. Every web you ever weaved, every game you played, every 'icky' job you did, I'll take it and change it. You will never be forced into a new life then made to watch it fall apart, to have all your pieces fail you, all your plans amount to nothing. You'll never lose me, lose Roxas, lose Isa, lose everything again.

Your pieces are mine. Your plans are mine. Your punishment is mind to decide, and what will I give you?

Pleasure.

Mine, and yours.

She pressed her lips to the back of his neck and was Xion, just for a moment. You saved Sora, and through saving him saved me and Roxas. I don't want to ever see the two of you shout and scream and cry for me again. Not how you did back then.

But like this? She grinned, pressed her lips to Axel's ear. "Get ready," she whispered, then removed the hand on his ass only to bring it swinging forward. 

Smack!

"Ah!" He cried, jolting forward. He didn't fall though, her hand on his chest keeping him steady. He wasn't even that heavy—most of his weight was in his height, and even if a handful of idle years had him softening at the stomach, ass, and thighs, he still retained his lanky figure. 

The hand that had smacked him came to rest against his abused cheek, felt the heat radiating off his skin. "Hm, that's better."

"B—better, huh? And here I was wondering if that's all you got."

She grinned, dangerous, delighted by the way his voice shook, then kissed his neck again. "You'll wish it was, and then you'll be glad it wasn't."

Smack!

Another gasp, another slap. In truth, she didn't plan to give him too many. It wasn't the point of today's play, although spanking Axel had become something of a requirement in every other scene they did. He had far too much cheek. She didn't mind though. If nothing else, it always left his ass sensitive afterward, and toying with him when he was like that always left her soaking wet. She paused in her spanking to let her fingers dip down, one pressing inside to feel Axel's own wet—the lube he'd worked in beforehand, just to save them time later.

He groaned and she felt heat rush to her cunt. I could fuck him like this but...no. 

She wasn't really in the mood for it today. Neither her strap nor his cock appealed to her the way passing him off to Roxas did right now. Her fingers or her puppet's tongue could handle her needs.

Her puppet's needs.

Her stomach twisted, tangled around the threads of their earlier conversation—agreements, assurances, desires. The Domme in her grabbed them and picked apart the knots, calmed her before she tied herself in hysterical ribbons. It's okay. You can do this. You said you could and you can, and then when it's done you can delight in red, gold, and blue all together. You can move on.

Red, gold, and blue. Such wonderful colors mingled in memories filled with sea salt sunsets and moonlight nights and the pleasant rumpling of linen and bed sheets. But I won't be making any more memories if I don't get to the point of the evening.

So she swallowed, gesture hidden behind Axel, then rose. Her eyes fell on Roxas. "I've had enough of this one," she said, fingers coiled in the rope around Axel's back. Her movement dragged him upward, back straight, eyes clouded, chest and cock presented. "Your turn."

Roxas shivered, slowing his strokes, holding her gaze. "What do you want me to do, Xion? I mean I can improvise, but a little direction helps."

"Don't think you can meet my expectations without it?" She asked sweetly.

That got him. He stuck out his tongue, so very lucky the nature of their scenes allowed him to get away with it. It certainly wasn't a sexy gesture, but it made her smile. Oh, I'm allowed to. Neither of the subs can see it. 

"I'd just like to know what you've got in mind," Roxas said, putting his tongue away. "Makes life easier for me."

"Hm," Xion traced Axel's cheek with the hand not holding his ropes, then grabbed his hair and pulled. Axel gasped, head forced up. She delighted in the way his eyes cleared, his cheeks burning as he stared at Roxas and Roxas stared back. Both of them were flushed, cheeks pink and red. "Fuck him until he's gagging," she said. "He's far too pretty to turn into a Dusk, but he would look lovely on your cock."

"Well, he'd keep it warm at least."

She held back a laugh. "He would. Now take him, and if he's good to you return the favor once you're done."

Roxas bit his lip, rising. "Alright. Yeah. Sounds good."

Silly, she thought, and let Axel go. Roxas crossed the room and caught him easily. They whispered to each other, muttered remarks that neither Xion nor Mistress needed to hear. Roxas would take care of Axel for the remainder of their scene and he would do so with relish. He was already getting into it, adjusting Axel's ropes so that his hands could sit in front of him instead of behind, pressing kisses to his collarbone.

Now, moving on...

She stepped away from her red-gold lovers, moved a few feet to Axel's left and stopped. Turned. Looked down.

Her puppet hadn't moved an inch.

She smiled. If Axel was inclined to cause trouble—such a mischievous, dancing flame—then her puppet was inclined to submissive perfection. He had maintained his stillness and silence, sublime obedience in the face of such chaotic distractions as Axel and Roxas. Yet despite the bratty, defiant beauty in the others' troublemaking, Mistress's puppet had been good. 

She circled him once, taking in his bound form. Even though his time as a berserker had come to an end, he'd maintained the sleek muscle and hard curves that years of battle had granted him. Still, there was a softness to his body, a fullness to his lips, his thighs, his hips, so sweet in contrast to those sharper, broader shapes that made up the rest of him. He was pretty and she liked to tell him so, liked to take fistfuls of his hair and pull it, whisper in his ears how wild it was, how lovely a shade of cornflower blue it glistened in the sunset. She knew her compliments and insults both made him throb between his legs and she loved it. There was nothing better than making him ache.

Memories of the last time they'd played this game came to mind. She'd dipped her fingers into his folds and let his wetness catch on her fingers—his response to her whispers of praise and humiliation. She'd called him puppet, puppy, her good boy and her precious slut. He'd pressed against her finger and she'd felt his entrance pulse, and it had taken all her will not to throw him down and rub herself against him, not to delight in Axel and Roxas's moans as they watched their Mistress and her puppet fuck each other.

Of course she hadn't actually done that, because her puppet was sensitive about his body. She had, however, rubbed his folds until he'd drenched her fingers then pressed his face between her thighs.

Today was different, though. She had a task and it must take precedence to the rest of their games. I said I'd do it. It's not even that hard. It's—it's...

The Domme in her pulled the girl aside, took the task she'd twisted in anxious knots from her hands and smoothed it out once more. Stop making work for me, she seemed to say, and get on with it. 

Mistress finished her circle and came to a stop. "My puppet," she whispered.

He trembled beneath her gaze. The collar at his throat bobbed with every swallow, bonds straining with every breath. As her flame's ropes had been chosen to match his hair, so too had her puppet's. The length of cornflower and periwinkle cascaded down his body as a waterfall of diamonds, gripping his chest and framing the small bush of hair between his legs. The style of bonds she had chosen embraced his and Axel's bodies uniquely despite every knot and tie being the same, but both of them were beautiful.

Yet it is appropriate that the same ropes should look different upon you than upon Axel—you are both mine in your own way, and you, my puppet, will never see your hands and legs untied as he has. Those are your strings after all, and what is a puppet without his strings?

He wouldn't meet her eye, gaze downcast and lashes fluttering against his cheeks. They reminded Xion of butterflies; delicate and beautiful to behold. She reached out and took his face in hand, thumbs brushing over his cheeks, skimming those dainty hairs.

"What do you want today, my puppet?" She wondered. He did not reply, but that was normal. Puppets were not supposed to talk. They were entirely at their master or mistress's mercy and would have to speak to them beforehand if they were going to be allowed a voice at all.

Although considering how chatty all the puppets I know get that doesn't seem to be a well-established rule.

Still, her puppet behaved perfectly. He was always obedient, and never needed much help sinking into a submissive state. But he did make a noise earlier. I'll have to do something about that...

She leaned in, smoothed her fingers over his cheeks. "Stay still," she whispered, then slapped him. His breathing stuttered, but he made no other sound. A pale pink blossomed where she'd hit—not too hard, just enough so that the last of his inhibitions left him. Her fingers slid over the mark, traced his scar, then cupped his cheek once more.

"You're so good for me," she said, "but even if you weren't I'd be good to you, puppet. Do you know why?" She paused. Silence. "It's because we shouldn't hurt what we own, what we control. Do you understand?"

He'd started to shake. His thighs shuddered against their bonds, chest heaving against the rope. Sometimes she wondered if he'd have preferred the scars on his face to be beneath his breasts, to have received surgery instead of mutilation. He'd implied as much to her once, shaking as he was now, although the mood had been very different. He'd never found someone who could transform him the way he wanted though, so he'd chosen to remain as he was—scars on his face, chest soft and round.

She had permission to touch him there, but she didn't. Not today. Today I have to transform you another way. I have a task...but I need a moment.

She stepped back. Her puppet remained kneeling, obedient and unmoving. Her eyes caught on something red and she turned to see the rope she'd used for Axel's hands discarded on the ground. Almost, she wanted to scold Roxas for not bothering to retie him. This is what you wanted, isn't it? She thought, casting a glance his way. She didn't really mind though, and if she complained she'd lose her grip on her Domme persona and the scene would devolve into silly bickering. And we can do that at the clock tower, on walks, in bed, or when we go out to dinner later...

She did pause to watch them though. How could she not, when the sight of Roxas rubbing up against Axel was so easy to appreciate. Her breath hitched when Roxas slid inside, Axel panting, hands and knees on the concrete. Will it leaves marks as red as the rope he's still wearing? She wondered, watching as Roxas rocked his hips. He glanced up only once, before tugging Axel's head back so he could watch her watching him. Axel trembled, whined, his bratty exterior crumbling and leaving only the submissive beneath.

"Isn't he good, Xion?" Roxas said, lips red from constant biting. She could see the bliss in his expression. Axel was always so hot inside, warm and lovely and flexible. Both her boys looked wonderful; Roxas shivering, grinding his hips, Axel slipping from his hands to his forearms, head bowed, ass pushing back with every thrust.

"Yes," she murmured. You're both good. So, so good. 

"You gonna do something about that one?" Roxas asked, grunting. "He looks kinda needy. Might wanna see what he wants." He cocked his head and she turned, looking down at her puppet. Her heart stuttered even as her expression remained cool.

He's given me an opening, she thought. I'll have to thank him later. She reached out once more to touch her puppet, delicate at first. Then her fingers tangled in his hair and tugged, drawing his head up. She waited until slowly, carefully, he raised his eyes. Hazy green met black.

A task—I have a task. C'mon Xion, you can do this. You said you could.

She opened her mouth. Stopped.

I have to—I have to correct Roxas. I have to call my puppet—

I have to call him—

It.

The word danced on her tongue, wobbled at the edge of it. She didn't know why it choked her up, got stuck in her throat like a misshapen bone. She could call him her puppet with ease—because I care for my puppets, because I tend them, treat them kinder, better than he treated me, because that's the reason I dominate, to take all the cruelty I was shown and turn it into kindness, my kindness—but this—

This...

I can do it. I can.

She opened her mouth.

It.

"No," she said, so softly it didn't even echo.

She stepped back, covered her mouth with her hands. The Domme in her vanished and all the knots and tangles she'd been smoothing out curled and snarled around each other. Xion felt herself shattering, felt that simple word scratch at her throat like jagged glass. 

I can't—I just—

She remembered words spoken over her head, the throbbing, piercing pain in her skull as she fell apart on Destiny Islands, fell apart in a dream. She remembered her Master's gaze and Saïx looming and the promise of her own disposal—her demise. She remembered watching Roxas and Axel fall apart, remembered fading, and the sea-salt ice cream and sunset future she'd hoped for fading with her.

Because she an object. Because they'd built her, used her, designed her to steal memories—steal life—and she—

I can't do this. It's too much—I'm sorry. There are only so many pieces you can take from someone until they cease to be a person—until they cease to be. And I can't be the person who does that to someone else. I can't—I can't—

Somewhere in the distance she heard Roxas swear, Axel cuss, and that gave her enough presence of mind to look up. They were tripping over each other trying to get Axel out of his ropes, Axel squirming, thumping Roxas with a hiss of, "I can get out myself Roxas, so get over there and help her!"

"Isa can—"

"Isa's still off in subspace—"

"No, Axel he's—"

Snap. Xion turned her head just in time to see Isa tear the ropes around his legs. The sound reverberated through the room, but of course. He'd torn the rope with nothing more than the power in his thighs and calves, his hands still bound. He only needs his legs to get to me and that fancy rope's expensive, she thought, her mind throwing up random observations as it scrambled to avoid hysteria.

It failed her when he rose, his green eyes no longer hazy but bright and sharp and there. He took two steps and stopped before her.

"Xion."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's not your fault. Please don't think that. I asked for too much."

"It shouldn't be," she gasped, swallowed the sob that threatened to escape. She didn't want to cry—not over something so small, so silly. "It shouldn't be 'too much'. But I can't, Isa. I can't call you puppet and it and do all the things I do to you at the same time. I can't do what he did—" She caught her breath, stumbled on. "I can't be like that, I—If you went by 'it' regularly then it wouldn't matter, but you don't and it's just—I can't take another part of you away when I'm pretending you're mine. I know it's selfish but—"

A second series of snaps echoed through the room and then there were hands—large and warm—on her shoulders. I guess the rope wasn't that expensive, she thought, a little delirious. One of the hands moved from her shoulder to her chin, gently tilting her head until she looked once more into bright green eyes.

"Xion," Isa said, "I'm the one who asked for this. I knew I would be the only one to enjoy it and still I..." He hesitated, face crumpling. She recognized his shame, wanted to banish it, but before she could open her mouth it was gone. "This wasn't your fault. Things don't work out sometimes and just because I want...these things, doesn't mean you have to give them to me. I was selfish."

He wasn't selfish, but Xion understood what he was saying. She understood why he'd asked for this too. Just as Roxas needed to be everything he was without restraint or denial, just as Axel needed to be punished in a way that brought him pleasure and not pain, just as she needed to be in control, in a position to prove that she would never, ever become as cruel as those who'd controlled her, Isa—

Isa needed to be a thing. He needed to hear every word he'd used against others, needed to know the pain, needed to be owned and driven out of his own mind. He needed to be the puppet and possession of the girl he'd once threatened and despised, to have all his power taken away. He needed to be controlled, and then through the pleasure he gave and received, redeemed.

She swallowed thickly, sniffed. "I don't think you're selfish, and I like it when you to talk to me about what you want anyway. Besides, we all decided you two would wear those ropes because Roxas thought you'd look pretty. That was for him."

"Yes, I know," Isa said, "but we were all into that. This was something for me and me alone, and you don't have to do it Xion. You being my Domme doesn't mean you have to do everything for me."

She sighed, leaned into his hand and let his strength support her. "But I like doing things for you. I like giving, you know? And I really thought I could. I thought I could..."

"I can ask Roxas or Axel to do it," he said. "It means more if it's you, but there's no pleasure, no point in it for me if it makes you unhappy."

Xion smiled, in part because he was being soft, but also because she couldn't resist doing so whenever he spoke Axel's name. She knew it was still strange for him, even after all this time. He and Axel had fussed about it for a while and decided Axel would be 'Axel' around the others and 'Lea' when he and Isa were alone. Things like that reminded her that despite his childhood with their mutual partner, he still made an effort to use the name that was important to her and Roxas when no one would blame him for doing otherwise.

Not selfish. Not with us. Not anymore. 

She didn't get to say it though, because footsteps interrupted her.

"Eh, dom Isa? But domming Isa is so boring!" Axel complained. "There's no fire in you, y'know? He doesn't fight back."

"Why must you always whine, Axel?" Isa asked, glancing back over his shoulder. He didn't sound truly irritated though, and even if he had Xion couldn't help but laugh. Axel was whinging, but that was probably because his cock was still half-hard, his ass empty, and one of his partners in a state of mild-to-middling distress.

"Is it whining if it's true?" Axel asked.

"I'll do it if you need it," Roxas spoke over him. "I don't mind."

The slap of bare feet against stone ceased. The four of them stood in the center of the room, comfortably close. Xion felt that lump in her throat again—less painful this time, and yet somehow more prominent than it had been. Isa's attention turned back to her, his hand dropping from her cheek back to her shoulder, squeezing lightly. Sweet. Then she felt one of Roxas's come up to join it and gagged.

"Ah! Roxas, please tell me that isn't the hand you had on your dick!"

"No!" He spluttered. "And I wiped it off before heading over here anyway!"

"On what? You guys came straight to me!"

"On Axel, obviously."

"Hm," Isa hummed, peering at Axel's back. "That would explain the conspicuous wet patch between your shoulder blades."

"Ugh," Axel huffed, still squirming out of his bondage gear. "Thanks for that Roxas! And thanks for volunteering to wash my back in the shower."

"I didn't."

"Well, then I'll guess I'll have to wank and wash all by myself. Or maybe I could borrow one of your nice shirts to help me out!"

"Alright, alright!" Roxas laughed. "I'll help! Just leave my shirts alone."

"Get your spunk off and I'll get you off, alright? That's the Axel guarantee!"

"It's not usually done in that order, is it?" Isa frowned.

A pause and then they all burst out laughing. Xion felt easy, heart lighter, the thoughts that had been bothering her fading like footsteps on the shore, the rush of laughter like waves washing it away. She wiped her eyes and Axel did the same, still snickering.

"You know," he said, "we look pretty ridiculous right now."

"Huh?" Xion cocked her head. He gestured and she looked down, "Oh! I see what you mean."

"Yeah, I don't think normal couples have breakdowns in fancy ropes and underwear and collars," Roxas muttered, "although Ven's probably had an argument in the nude."

"Not sure I'd call this rope fancy anymore," Axel said, waving a hand toward the tangled remnants clinging to his body and the tattered ones hanging from Isa's.

"There are more important things," Isa murmured. "Besides, I fail to see the point in attempting to do things as 'normal couples' do when we are neither normal nor a couple."

"Good, because I don't think we've got plans to be either of those things," Axel said, and slung his arms over Isa and Roxas's shoulders. He tugged them both closer to Xion, smiling. "Ain't that right, Xion?"

"Very right," she giggled, felt the tightness in her chest release and transform into airy bubbles. All the tension came out of her in a kiss, which she planted on Axel's cheek. His grin grew perhaps three times its size—an impressive feat, though perhaps not as impressive as the awkward, standing puppy pile they had formed in their basement. It felt nice, the inordinate amount of hugging and nuzzling exactly what Xion needed. In moments like these few things eased her like a tight hug from Roxas, with plenty of knocking foreheads and giggling. It was fun to squeeze Axel's backside just to hear him squeak and laugh, soothing to draw Isa in so she could rub her nose against his.

"Thanks for being there," she murmured when she pulled away.

"Where else would we be?" Roxas asked.

"Getting ready for our dinner date, probably," Isa muttered. Beside him Axel groaned, probably wondering how he was going to sit down after his earlier spanking. The three of them looked like they were ready to move on, but Xion still needed...needed...

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Why?" They asked in not-quite unison.

"Because...I said I could do something I couldn't. Besides, it's not really traditional for Dommes to be the ones who stop the scene—not for themselves, at least."

"Bullshit," Axel scowled. She flinched and he softened, pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I mean, you can stop a scene for yourself, Xion. It's less common, yeah, but it happens."

"It kinda worries me you thought you couldn't when we've been doing this for a while already," Roxas murmured.

"I knew I could," Xion said hurriedly, "I just...really thought I could do what was asked of me."

"But you couldn't and that's fine," Isa said, putting a hand on her shoulder again. "I'd rather stop if you need to, Xion. You aren't a puppet anymore. You never were. There's more to you—more to all of this—than what we ask of each other in our scenes together. I—" He paused, then carefully drew her in for a hug. Xion's heart thumped oddly in her chest. Isa's hugs always felt a little strange—so very safe, and yet uncanny when she considered the way Saïx had made her feel so empty and worthless all those years ago. Reaching this point hadn't been easy, and the painful pieces couldn't exactly be left out of the puzzle that made their relationship, but...

But she wrapped her arms around him and felt at peace. 

"Xion," he said, "I want you to pull my strings, but more than that I want you to enjoy it. Axel and Roxas can call me 'it' with your permission. If you don't want to be there, we can always do it when you're busy with something else."

"Like when you're out with the other girls," Roxas said.

"Or in with the other girls," Axel said, wiggling his eyebrows. Roxas snickered and Xion laughed.

"Okay," she said.

"Good," Isa replied. "And Xion?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you stopped when it got too much. I—I don't want you to get hurt."

His voice was even, but she could always hear the guilt underneath, the words unsaid. I don't want you to hurt because of me again.

In their scenes she could take her fear and his shame and turn it into a game, their arousal transforming their shared pain into something magnificent and new, something wondrous. She could take what made them weep and change the meaning of the tears, or take their damp and call forth a different sort of wetness. It might be ridiculous, the way they dealt with things, but she liked it. All four of them did.

Unfortunately, she couldn't do that at the moment, but the same ridiculousness that had them expressing themselves through sex games and scenes existed outside them too. We do love each other after all. 

The thought made her smile.

They got moving the moment Axel started complaining about how sore his ass was. Xion snorted, but did head over to the refrigerator. The tiny basement fridge sat by the door, well-stocked with anything they might need during or after their scenes. Xion rummaged around for an ice pack while Roxas struggled with their water bottles, trying to balance all four at once.

"You got that?" She asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Just get Axel his ice. For a guy whose 'thing' is fire he sure moans about the heat, huh?"

"In all ways," she said, and they snickered. 

Her trip back to Axel was uneventful, save for her cheerily interrupting his whining by slapping the ice pack against his backside.

"Ah!" He yelped.

"Shush, you're getting your aftercare," she teased.

"Ugh, the service here stinks. You're not getting a tip tonight, Xion."

"Aw c'mon, it's not that bad," she said, grinned. "What if I gave you a deal?"

"A deal?" Axel narrowed his eyes at her, curious.

"You keep the rest and just give me the tip." She punctuated the sentence with a wink just as Roxas dropped all the water bottles, cussing as they rolled across the floor. Axel's ears went pink. They were both saved further embarrassment however, when Isa tossed their clothes at their faces and thus hid them from sight.

"Come on," he said, "we'd better go get ready. As much as I'd like to finish that scene we should probably have a talk before trying it again. Also, we have a dinner date in forty-five minutes, four sweaty individuals, and one shower. Time is rather of the essence, I think."

"Well, Axel and I are sharing so that'll save time," Roxas said.

"Oh, I doubt that very much," Isa muttered.

"Probably the wisest thing you can do," Xion laughed, nudging Axel until he finally took the ice pack off her.

"Cheeky," he said.

"Ugh, we shouldn't have made dinner plans," Roxas sighed.

"Oh shush," Xion said, "you were practically jumping on the coach at the idea of a get together when we started planning it. I left the room and thought I was coming back to you and Axel doing it on the lounge you were making it squeak so much."

"Hey!"

"Aw Roxas, we're excited to see everyone too," Axel said, slinging his arm over his shoulders. "Nice as it is to hold our friends in our hearts, it's a hell of a lot nicer just to hold them."

"Preferably when presentable," Isa murmured, slipping out of the last of his ropes. "I'll need to buy more of these..."

The three boys chattered among themselves, heading back upstairs to get cleaned up. Xion went last, smiling at their retreating backs, trying not to laugh at the wet patch across Axel's. Well, we didn't quite get 'forever', but that's okay. Eternity had time for missteps and mess ups after all, even for a girl who was once a puppet. It had time for dinner dates and evening walks and games in bed and clock towers too. 

And conversations, she added, as she watched Isa head up the stairs. Although if I want one of those I'd better get a move on. Eternity might have time for me, but restaurant bookings leave a lot less wiggle room.

 

---

 

The actual process of getting ready for their dinner date involved far more flailing, spluttering, and teasing than was probably necessary. All the earlier tension had vanished, leaving the four of them in the silliest of moods as they scurried about the house half-dressed, giggling about all they wanted to say and do now they were seeing their out-of-town friends again. It was an uncommon but wonderful occasion when everyone could get together, and they'd organized to spend the evening at a restaurant near Sunset Terrace to celebrate it. The food would be wonderful, the view magical, and the atmosphere ideal for their game—to see who could best take advantage of their open relationship and get laid.

It was, admittedly, not an unusual game for them to play when their friends were about. But why not have fun if everyone's down for it? 

Xion, however, still had the scene on her mind. A quick shower—a necessity considering Roxas and Axel had gone well over their allotted ten minutes, and a reminder that four people living in the same space required more than one bathroom—hadn't been enough to distract her. Her partners came closer to success. It was hard not to be entertained by Roxas scurrying about the living room, tripping into his pants all while he chased Axel around the couch. Axel, for his part, seemed to be having a great time waving Roxas's dress shirt like a victory flag.

For their appointment's sake though, she was glad Axel's smacked bottom made him a poor athlete. Before long Roxas had his shirt on and Axel slung over the back of the couch. No sex happened—odd under any other circumstances—but Axel started complaining about how sore his ass was anyway.

"Do you need another ice pack?" Xion asked. "I can grab one for you."

"I'm fine," Axel said, then winced. "I asked for it, guess I'll have to live with it. The pain won't last forever."

"But will it last long enough for you to throw in the towel tonight?" Roxas asked, grinning.

"Not a chance," Axel said and winked. "I'm getting laid, baby!"

Xion laughed, but fetched him an ice pack before retreating to the master bedroom anyway. She dressed quickly, then inspected herself in the mirror—white shirt smooth, black vest and slacks in order. As she did, she found Axel's words repeating in her head. The pain won't last forever, huh?

They were still echoing when Isa came in to help her fix her hair and jewelry. He gestured for her to sit at the vanity, fiddled with her earrings before picking up the brush. She relaxed and let her mind drift as he worked.

Axel's right about how pain doesn't last forever, she thought, peering up at Isa through the glass, but something lingers in its place. A memory, maybe. It stays inside us; not hurting, not always, but there. It's why we do what we do in the end.

She took a moment to appreciate Isa; his skin scrubbed clean and smelling like gardenias, his hair groomed into elegant braids. He looked beautiful in deep blue, suit tailored perfectly to fit his frame. The cherry on top—or underneath in this case—was the lingerie. Only she knew about the garters and stockings hidden beneath his prim exterior and the midnight blue panties that accompanied them. It was their secret and it delighted her, except for the fact something was missing.

That something would have to wait however. There are more important things. Still, let's hope I figure it out before we head off.

"Isa," she said as he set the brush on the vanity.

"Hm?" 

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." He paused. "Is this about what happened in the basement? Because if so I believe I should be asking you that."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, really. It's not like the old days in the Organization when a breakdown would have me sleeping for a month," she laughed. "I'm glad you got to me quickly though. Once I was back in the present the memories didn't really matter so much."

"Really? I'm glad." She saw the twinkle in his eyes. "Your happiness is well worth a broken rope, no matter how fancy."

"Well that's a relief," she said, grinning. "And I'm glad you're alright. I was worried you'd be blaming yourself for what happened. Just remember I agreed to it, and that ever since you became Isa again you, well, you've never made me feel cornered or anything." She giggled. "You even sat down to ask me this time! You know Axel's taller than you, right Isa? If he doesn't have to do it than neither do you!"

"Yes, but I'm broader and—and I didn't exactly—back in the Organization—"

She waved her hand. "I don't care how you used to use your height. I don't like grudges and I don't hold them, and if you think you can threaten me by looming these days you're going to be mighty disappointed. I've been keeping up with my Keyblade training."

"On the contrary, I am delighted to know you're still exceptionally talented at beating all manner of creatures to death with a giant key."

And I don't even have to eat up all of Roxas's strength to do it, she thought, grinning. Privately, she and Roxas did still exchange power. It wasn't something they talked about much—not even with Axel and Isa—but it felt nice for someone you trusted entirely to hold you at your weakest.

Maybe that's just how it is with us. We take our old pains and make them pleasure. We find peace as we become weaker. We choose the strings we want others to pull, and choose which cracks we want filled with their gold and light.

"Xion?"

"Hm?" She blinked, realized she was chewing her lip. Her mind had drifted.

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

"No," she said, "but I wanted to make it clear that what happened earlier wasn't your fault. I overestimated myself. Now I know I can only take your objectification so far. I'm happy to make you my puppet, to demand your silence when it suits me and your speech when it doesn't. I don't mind giving orders and even getting physical with you but there's—there's a point I have to stop." She shrugged. "I guess it's just too much for me."

"Because it pulls all the wrong heartstrings?" Isa asked.

"Probably. It's inconvenient though. I know these things mean more to you when I do them."

"It's fine, Xion. I prefer it when you're enjoying yourself. Besides, if you consider the amount of attention I get by virtue of being the biggest sub in our quartet you can't say I've much to complain about. I'm very happy. I—" He hesitated. "I felt guilty in the moment, but that's passed. It wasn't really either of our faults, and Roxas and Axel certainly weren't to blame."

"Although we can certainly blame them for being noisy and distracting. I can't believe they got you gasping."

"Neither can I."

She laughed, then turned in her seat to face him. A few stray hairs had escaped his braids and she brushed them back, grinning. He was pretty, handsome, lovely, and all manner of other wonderful things the little thesaurus in her brain seemed happy to list. "Are you looking forward to dinner?"

"Yes. I was thinking of getting the pierogi again. Le Grand Bistrot is superb, but they don't serve pierogi and we cannot eat there all the time. Besides, the view from Sunset Terrace is better. This is not negotiable and I do not care if Hayner and his lot think the Commons has a better 'atmosphere'. It's so noisy!"

"Debate them, not me!" Xion exclaimed. "They're all going to be there tonight. I think I'll be focusing on getting stuffed though, sounds much more fun." He snorted and she smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That said, I actually wanted to know if you were looking forward to seeing everyone."

Isa paused, then averted his gaze. "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," he repeated, rolling his eyes. "I'll be glad to see everyone, and gladder still that they're all glad to see me. I've missed them."

"Okay," she said.

If only that could be the end of it. But pierogi doesn't taste so good when it's mixed up with my breakdowns and Isa's unfulfilled desires though. It'll go down wrong if all the words I still need to say are stuck in my throat, if the missteps I haven't addressed are still stones in my stomach. 

Missteps.

"—I can't, Isa. I can't call you puppet and it and do all the things I do to you at the same time. I can't do what he did—"

She took a breath.

"You're missing him more though."

Isa stilled. There was guilt in his eyes when he turned them away. "Xion—"

She sighed. "Isa, it's alright."

"I'm not entirely sure thinking of Xemnas will ever be alright Xion, especially not when I'm with you."

"Well, it doesn't bother me. Not anymore, and I'm not sure it ever really did. I'm sorry I brought him up when I broke down earlier."

"I understand why you did. He was behind a lot of what happened to you, including the sorts of things that came up during that scene."

"Yeah, but that's not all of it. I was also thinking about how there..." It was her turn to look away. "There a things he could give Saïx that I can't give you, Isa." 

There was another pause. They'd never talked about Saïx's relationship with Xemnas much, not even in the past. It had certainly come up a few times when they were first getting to know each other, and then again when they'd decided to try kinky sex. It had always been a little awkward, the conversations leaving everyone confused and uncomfortable. Their relationship was also a semi-regular source of anxiety for Xion, present fears of inadequacy mingling with all the tears and sorrow that had seeped into that chapter of her life. Above all, there was no denying that everyone in their foursome had a complicated history with their former Superior and Saïx. While the former had passed into memory, the latter still existed in Isa. They weren't the same person, but they were similar—a mish-mash of hearts bound to the same body and soul. It had been difficult to determine where one ended and the other began, back in the day.

Isa sighed, the same thoughts running through Xion's head likely in his as well. "I know there are things you can't give me, Xion, but I'm not asking you to do what he did. We were—it's hard to explain. I know you think our relationship was, well..."

Dysfunctional was the polite word for it, broken being an accurate descriptor of its participants. She didn't say it though. It always felt too cruel when she knew that Saïx had cared as deeply for Xemnas as Isa cared for Axel, Roxas, and herself. He might've even cared for Lea and that mysterious girl as much in the beginning. Xemnas had also helped him discover his love of power play, and she was sure there had been something like real affection between them. As much as Nobodies with such unique hang-ups could share anyway. 

"I'm not judging you, Isa," she said, "I just wanted to apologize for bringing it up. I admit when I remember him it's...nothing good, but I'm not trying to guilt or hurt you. I wanted you to know that—and that I can't be your Master, just your Mistress."

"There's nothing 'just' about you, Xion, although I'm sure you could pull of being a 'Master'. You just wouldn't be a Master like Xemnas. That said, I'm quite happy with you as my Mistress."

He took a breath, and Xion realized he had something else to say. "What is it?"

"Sometimes I think of him when you're with me."

Her heart skipped a beat. Part of the reason she'd chosen the title of Mistress—to be a Domme and not a Dom—was because she'd wanted to distance herself from Xemnas. The other part was because she found feminine forms of address pleasant to listen to, even if she had no other strong feelings about gender. Though maybe that's because Sora's memories of Kairi were my foundation.

She swallowed, took a breath. "Really? When we're together you—" She dismissed that thought, unimportant. "What do I do that makes you think of him?" She tried instead.

"Nothing in particular," Isa said. "Sometimes it's when you hit me, and sometimes it's when you stroke my head and praise me for being a loyal hound. Sometimes it's when you kiss me and sometimes it's when you command me to silence. Sometimes it's during our lunar ritual, and sometimes it's when you say you love me..."

He trailed off and Xion cleared her throat. "Do I sound like him then?"

"No. Xemnas never said he loved me. He couldn't. Nobodies might regain some of their emotions under the right circumstances, but Xemnas never did. Not the ones that mattered. He wasn't capable of loving me. He remembered what it was like to love though." Isa's voice shook. "I think he tried. I think perhaps with time he might've become better than he was, as we all have. I think he could've regained his heart. I mean, Axel and I were—hah. And you and Roxas were numb to everything, in the beginning." He shook his head. "But you don't sound like him. I think of him when I'm with you because he took care of me too, because he owned me, because I loved him as much as Saïx could love anyone. I think of him because I compared you, because you're different, not the same—and I don't want you to be like him. I don't want you to be him. There are things you can't do that he could, but I love you regardless. I love you because of the things you do and the way you are."

Xion said nothing. She wasn't upset, she just hadn't expected him to say so much. I was the one who had the breakdown, but I suppose there's nothing I need to explain. Saïx and Xemnas hurt me, and Isa feels he has to justify why he loved him, why they had what they had and why he is the way he is. In truth, Xion didn't care to punish those for whom they loved. It seemed counterproductive. And I'm glad he's telling me this. I'd rather know about what's going on inside his head than have him apologize for an error on my part. I'd rather know why people do what they do than be left in the dark. I'm a replica, after all. It's in my nature to want to know, to see, and then to become—to replicate something better and kinder than it was before.

"We're both puppets, in a way," she said."

"Xion?"

"We've both got our strings, but what we do with them is different. I tie mine to people and learn through their actions, their memories. You hope someone grabs yours and guides you—hope they tell you what to do and tell you that it's right."

Power in control. Power in possession.

"That's probably true," Isa admitted.

Xion grinned. "Good, because I'm pretty sure that's what we've been doing all this time. Anyway—" she rose from her seat—"I don't mind if you miss Xemnas. I don't mind if you think of him when you're with me, so long as you mostly think of me, and Axel, and Roxas."

"Of course," Isa said. "I'll miss him forever, but I love you and Axel and—I just—I love all three of you."

"Even Roxas?" She asked.

"Don't make me say 'especially Roxas' because I'd really rather not."

"Aw, what if I told you I'd encourage him to pound you extra hard next session if you did?"

"No need, he does that without prompting," Isa snorted, rather inelegantly. It meant he was comfortable though, which was a positive considering the conversation they'd just crammed into the last ten minutes. "If I rile him up before the scene then I can guarantee myself a good time without your needing to do anything."

"Well that's wicked, but you know he does listen to me sometimes. If I encourage him to do Axel instead..."

"I'll lure him away." Isa rolled his eyes. "Besides, Axel can fantasize all he likes but he knows I can take Roxas at his most ruthless far better than he can."

"But you know Axel likes it rough occasionally," Xion said, and wiggled her eyebrows. "He's been thinking about asking for hard sex again, I just know it, but he hasn't because we've got so much planned for our next scenes." She sighed. "We've got a few weeks free before our trip to Destiny Islands, but you never know when something else might come up and if Axel doesn't ask soon, well...I'm almost positive Roxas wants to do a scene involving—" She felt her body growing hot and remembered the time—" oh, never mind."

"Tell me after dinner so I'm not sitting there flustered."

"You've never sat there flustered," Xion laughed. "You're too disciplined, but I guess that makes teasing you a worthy challenge."

With that said, she was tempted to bring up Isa's earlier comment about him being better suited to 'taking' what Roxas gave, just to see if she could get him blushing. It'd probably also start a ridiculous fight between him and Axel, and that sort of tussle often ended in a good show. A very good show. I do love watching. Hey, you spend enough time tuned into someone else's memories and you're always gonna end up a voyeur.

Isa was smiling, still chuckling at her comment. He looked more relaxed than he had before their conversation. She was glad. Maybe it didn't work for everyone, but she found he tended to be a lot less cagey once he'd had a good talk about whatever was bothering him. He had a dog's need for attention—not a bad thing—and liked feeling seen and heard, loved. He'd once said it helped him sort through his thoughts, even when there was a great spill of them.

We were just meant to talk about his need to be dehumanized and what I couldn't give him. Somehow we managed to talk about everything else too. They'd still have to have a conversation with Axel and Roxas—renegotiate boundaries and bring them up to speed—but at least they'd sorted things out between them.This is fine for the moment.

"So you're okay now?" She asked, wrapping her arms around him. "At least until I can lock the four of us in for a chat?"

"Everything's okay," Isa said. "To be honest I was more worried about you."

"I'm fine. This talk helped a lot, actually. I dunno, I guess it's nice knowing I can have a breakdown and still be loved. Knowing you can think of people you once cared for and still love me despite the fact I can't do everything they did, can't do everything well. Although...it's not like everyone in our awesome foursome is good at everything anyway." She grinned, feeling cheesy and reveling in it.

"We're all terrible at something," Isa murmured, his embrace warm. "Axel, for example, is terrible at remembering to do the dishes."

"You think there's a way we can help him remember?" She asked conspiratorially. 

"Hm. Catch me on a night when I've found some of my old dominance and then we'll talk."

"We'll get Roxas in on it and then Axel'll really be in trouble."

Isa's laugh rumbled through his chest. He might not have had surgery, but the hormones he took sure had an effect. It was so pleasant she didn't want to move, but then there was a second rumble—this time from her stomach—and she figured it was time to get going. We've got dinner to see and friends to eat. No wait—oh whatever. We'll be doing that too I guess.

She stepped out of the embrace and gave Isa a once over, brushing and straightening his clothes and hair. There was still something missing from his outfit, but it would have to do. If we leave Axel and Roxas alone for much longer then they'll ruin their outfits. Though I suppose Isa and I will look classy by comparison.

Her stomach betrayed her with that thought, rumbling once more. She blushed and laughed. "Alright, c'mon! We've talked long enough. Time to go see the others and get some food while we're at it. I'm gonna need the energy for tonight if I wanna have any fun!" She definitely needed some sort of relief anyhow, with or without the involvement of food or their guests. Still, I'd rather have a good time than just 'a time'. 

She was a step from the door when Isa's voice made her stop. "You're a good Domme, Xion."

"Huh?" She stopped, turned back, took in Isa's silhouette. Still missing something. Missing something...

"You're always looking into things. You pay attention, and you make an effort to see how your friends are doing. You're curious about your boundaries, your needs, curious about why others are the way they are. Some might say it's just the way replicas are, but they're wrong. You chose to connect with others. You choose to be kind, even when you have every reason not to be." His eyes burned into her and she swallowed, saw him mimic the action, the pale curve of his throat bobbing. "Make sure to turn that kindness inward. You gave up your life once. Take an eternity of happiness now—or at least as much joy as you can get until we meet whatever end awaits us—and don't do something for me if it'll hurt you."

I don't want to be responsible for your pain again. She heard the unsaid words, although she knew it was more than guilt that prompted them.

She let him come to her, waited until he stood beside her before she reached out. She cupped his cheek, felt him lean into it, and smiled.

It wasn't unusual for Isa to go from the sweetest highs to the grimmest lows. His emotions seemed tied to the moon sometimes, waxing and waning, rising and falling, performing the acts of both puppet and partner in strange but equal measure. Still, she knew the gloom in his words had a light of its own; pale and cold, perhaps, but honest, reflecting truth. You want happiness for me. You want me to be kind to myself. You want joy for me until the day I die. She felt her smile turn tender. But I'm allowed to take a risk or two to get that happiness, Isa, and we will need to have a talk about boundaries again later, if only to remind you that I crossed mine, not you. I am not a puppet anymore.

But she let his words lift her, let herself smile at him, and at the sounds of Axel and Roxas being silly on the couch. Something immature was happening, no doubt, and their shirts would be rumpled. No one they were eating out with would be surprised by that, but Riku would still comment on it and then the whole dinner would devolve into ridiculousness.

Good.

It was then, staring up at him, that she realized what Isa was missing. A little bit of Mistress peeked out from her heart and grinned, her need to control and protect her submissive returning now she'd set her boundaries back in place.

Gently, she tugged Isa down and kissed his furrowed brow. "I promise I'll be kind to myself, as I promise I'll take care of you." She knew she was her own person now, capable of standing on her own without stealing others' memories and thoughts. Now they give them to me willingly, and I won't fade if they're taken away. "We're both our own people," she said. "We're both whole. Or we will be."

Isa's frown returned, but he said nothing and Xion paid him no mind as she crossed the room to the vanity. She could feel his eyes on her, and when she turned and showed him what she held comprehension dawned. She beckoned and he came, turned so she might fasten the choker—his collar—around his neck. It was deep blue and beautiful as he was, with a small, black, moon-shaped gem set in the center. She'd chosen it herself.

His eyes were hazy when he rose and turned to face her once more. He looked happy, content, all the weight in his heart lifted. She smiled, tugged him down by one braid, and put a hand on his heart. "We're both whole," she whispered, "but you're still my puppet, always and forever. Never forget that, Isa."

"Never, Mistress" he replied.

Then she giggled and he kissed her cheek, opening the door for both of them. They wrangled Axel and Roxas and were off, ready to wile away another eternal dusk in Twilight Town.

The room was too hot.

Roxas's breath caught in his chest, heart pounding against his rib cage. Hair clung to his face, rivulets of sweat dripping down his cheeks and neck, soaking into his satin collar. His toes dug into the bed, sheets tangling around his ankles as he squirmed. He was desperate, body tense, trembling, begging for release.

"Beautiful," Isa breathed.

Roxas moaned. He had a hand around his cock, already wet and sticky. Again and again he slid his fingers over the head, then back down to rub just below. He could no longer hold back his voice, little gasps escaping with every squeeze. If it had been any other scene he might have tried, but not here, not now. He was safe.

He was seen.

He opened an eye and groaned.

Two pairs of green eyes and one of black watched him as he writhed.

"Wow, Roxas..." Axel murmured.

"He's so cute." And that was Xion, voice trembling. The sight of them had Roxas groaning. Axel was achingly hard, face red, breath coming in pants. There was a glint of wet on Xion's fingers—evidence she'd caved, just for a moment, and touched herself. Then there was Isa, squirming, grinding against the seat. No doubt it would smell like him for weeks to come.

And it was because of him—only him. Their pleasure was all the proof he needed that he was here, alive, loved, seen.

Roxas whined, dropping his head onto the pillow as warmth seeped through his body. He stroked himself with one hand, raised his free hand to his chest to thumb his nipple, rubbing and pinching. He whimpered, stomach tensing, cock throbbing in his hand. It was so hot. It built and built until it finally spilled, flooding his core and leaving him gasping, a wordless moan escaping that the others echoed. Cum splattered his stomach, his chest, sticking to his fingers as he ran his hands through the mess.

"Fuck," he breathed, opening his eyes.

Axel was already up, looming over him. He could see Isa still seated with a hand on his chest, catching his breath. Xion followed Axel, lurking like a shadow until the two—then three—of them all gathered around Roxas, eyes gleaming. 

He trembled.

There were hands—hands on his face caressing his cheeks, hands sliding down to his chest, over his stomach, squeezing his thighs. They were so gentle, and although he couldn't get it up again so soon, something inside him squirmed at their touch, ready to respond. Intimacy does that...

Axel's fingers ran over his wrist, Xion's thumb at his lip, Isa's hand slipping through the mess across his abdomen. Fuck, how did I end up here?

But he knew how. He knew exactly how. Just a week ago they'd been sitting together in their living room, windows open, sheer curtains dancing in the breeze. Eternal sunset had bathed the room in golden light, warmed Roxas's skin as sex and sweat warmed it now.

"How about we play a game?" Xion'd asked, voice light as she ummed and aahed over the various platters of Isa's homemade afternoon tea.

"Like Struggle?" Roxas had asked, and received a smack in the face from a cucumber sandwich for his efforts. He'd laughed and popped it in his mouth, Isa huffing something about not playing with their food while Axel cackled beside him.

"No. Or yes, I suppose, depending on your perspective." Xion wiggled her eyebrows. "It'll certainly end in a struggle if I've anything to say about it."

The game she'd laid out had been simple. Whoever got caught masturbating first would have to put on a show for the rest of them. Axel's eyes had gleamed at the idea. There'd been zero hesitation when he'd said yes, then added there should be additional penalties. "Confessions, y'know? About your wants, your desires—and it's gotta be embarrassing or there's no point! Then we can add some extra spice to the show, whoever does it!"

Roxas had rolled his eyes, even as his pulse picked up.

"Well, we'll need to hold off on sex for a week," Isa'd said, matter-of-fact. "Otherwise we'll just do that instead of taking time to ourselves."

"No fucking around with the others either," Axel'd added. "No running off to spend the week with Naminé or Kairi or whoever else is on vacation right now."

"Right back at ya," Xion had said, and stuck out her tongue.

"I don't expect we'll need the whole week," Isa had said, picking out another sandwich. "We'll be pent up in a couple of hours looking for a moment alone, and I'm the only one who remembers to knock in this house."

There'd been a chorus of teasing from Axel and Xion, but Roxas—Roxas had found himself sinking. His mind had flooded with fog and haze, the idea of eyes on him—watching him—setting his body ablaze. They were eyes he could choose—not far distant, observing from some place unknown—eyes that would catch on his every movement and adore him, him, him.

Not Sora. Not Xion. Not Ventus. Not anyone but him. All for me—all for all of me. All watching and loving me.

In hindsight, he should have known it was a trap. Xion knows me too well, and the others?  Well, maybe you don't need to have absorbed my being to know this. I could be that transparent, or she could have got them in on it.

The most embarrassing part was how they hadn't had to cheat. While the others had risen to the challenge, giggling madly every time they locked their door, whining loudly when they were horny but otherwise keeping their hands where you could see them, Roxas—

Well, if he forgot to lock the door he had excuses. There were only three bedrooms—yes, I know the other two are big enough to share and we don't need this one. He'd thought everyone was out of the house—Isa's currently working from home? I know! I just forgot he's not allowed to retreat to his personal apartment, where he usually works. He was just too used to sharing with Axel—we've never really locked the door! It's a habit!

But they'd seen through it, because of course they had. He was sure, now, that they'd planned the whole thing.

It wasn't often Roxas got tied up—he rarely played the submissive—but he'd felt caught in that moment, bound. Yet once playful fingers and soft kisses had pulled loose all the fantasies he'd felt too shy to confess—his penalties—he found he didn't mind.

I want to be all I am, after all. Sometimes that means defying everyone else, and sometimes that means a disruption of the self. Routine's the enemy when it keeps you from acting out, but I'm lucky. I've got people who can see when I'm tying myself up.

And that was how he ended up here, exposed, putting on a show. The prelude to what comes next.

Love me. See me and love me. 

He was sure they would. He was sure Xion had suggested the show itself because she'd already guessed what he needed. If she hadn't, then Axel or Isa had likely given her a push in the right direction. The things he wanted, the things he felt uncomfortable saying, they could pluck them from the light bursting, blinding, from his core. All the things unseen, the things he had once been able to ask for, to say, the things that had faded with age, experience, and repetitive daily life, and the things that had been lost to a past muddled with deceit, uncertainty, and denial—a past that culminated in the most painful understanding.

I'm expendable.

He would never regret dying for Sora. He would never regret loving him. But the ache of being nothing would never truly leave him—the ache of an identity bound to being second, third, less.

Except he wasn't. He could be anything, everything, especially here. He was all the things he denied even to himself. Here, every struggling piece and defiant scrap could be pulled out him him. Here, he could take his friends' baited hooks in hand and tug upon them eagerly, be pulled free of the ocean of uncertainty and laid bare before them.

See me, see me, see me.

"What do you want, Roxas?" They'd asked. "What's too embarrassing to ask for?"

"Take me apart," he'd whispered, shivering. "Take me apart and love me."

They did.

Axel's hand was on his cheek. His thumb had replaced Xion's, running over his lip and catching on the corner. He grinned, so sweetly, then leaned down and kissed him. Fuck, but his lips were wet and so, so soft. It was chapstick, all chapstick, but Roxas knew that meant he'd been thinking of him, because Axel never bothered to wear it otherwise. A hand—Xion's?—found a nipple and pinched. Roxas gasped and Axel took his opportunity, tongue plunging inside and leaving Roxas dizzy. He let Axel take control, shut his eyes and moaned and went along for the ride.

He was so used to taking the lead. Roxas was technically a switch, but more often than not he topped. Allowed to exist in defiance of Mistress's commands, he took whatever he wanted from the scenes he had a part in, trammeling through as he saw fit. Even when he bottomed he was still dominant. He loved, relished that control, but too much of it had made him shy of his other needs. His stomach flipped when he thought of giving himself over to be loved, giving power back to someone else. But a part of me wants that too. I want all of it. I want...I want...

I want you to love all of me. I want you to love me.

"I've got the blindfold."

Isa's voice, deep and then deeper still with arousal. A shiver ran down Roxas's spine. He squeezed his eyes shut, too aware. Of course, it had to be then a hand brushed his thigh, and his body was so alive, so needy in its sightless state that he arched his back; a silent plea for more.

Quiet laughter. His eyes snapped open and there they were—three sets of eyes staring down at him as if he were the most delicious thing in all the worlds. It made him achingly, embarrassingly hard.

The blindfold dangling from Isa's fist was an additional source of embarrassment. It was a request of Roxas's; a specific blindfold, tied to a time in his life that had been wonderful, confusing, and heartrending all at once. It filled him with so many tumultuous emotions, so much chaos, and yet to its owner it symbolized peace and control.

One final barrier against darkness.

It was as contradictory and complicated as both the boys it had been bound too, and that made Roxas want it all the more.

But Riku had only surrendered it with two caveats. 

"You break it, I'll break you," was the first. "And please don't get any...any..."

"Don't get any cum on it!" The second, helpfully supplied by Sora's disembodied voice as he rifled for snacks in the kitchen. 

If he hadn't already succumbed to the haze surrounding him, Roxas might have laughed. The memory of Riku's face in that moment was something he wouldn't give up for the world.

But for tonight he could only tremble. Anticipation, fear, and need tangled in his stomach, a mess of feelings that throbbed in time with his pulse. His cock twitched with every touch, with Axel and Xion's twin kisses on his cheeks. It was too much, all too much—and then Isa was there, looming, blindfold in hand.

"Raise your head," He commanded, and Roxas obeyed. If someone broke into their house now, they would never be able to tell that the man standing over him was a near full-time submissive. In these rare moments of dominance however, Saïx came forth; memories of him and the way he held himself. They made Roxas twitch in anger and shameful arousal, but he knew the truth. Saïx wasn't here. He was long gone, and Isa wasn't the same. He was different—in the way he submitted, in the way he dominated, in the way he lived. He had worked hard to make sure of that. So had Roxas and the others, for that matter.

Darkness covered his eyes.

Then there were hands on his wrists, warm and gentle but nonetheless firm. They guided his arms to the headboard and bound them with silk. His legs were left unrestrained, but they seemed useless in the moment. He could bring himself to do no more than curl his toes in the sheets, opening and closing his legs as desire and trust warred with anxiety and shame.

The room fell silent, the hands vanishing. There was nothing, save the thundering of his heart and the buzzing in his ears. His stomach tingled and churned, limbs shaking.

He knew they were there, but he didn't know where. He could barely hear their breathing. The windows were shut, the blackout curtains drawn, and the dim lamp failed to provide enough light to see silhouettes through the blindfold. His senses were useless, his entire being on edge.

Cautiously, he tested the bindings. He flexed his wrists, pulled just slightly. Tight. Tough. Deep down, he knew he could break them—what silk could hold a wielder of the Keyblade?—but that part of him was drowning, warmth bubbling inside as he struggled. Everything felt taut, so close to snapping, and then—a spark of awareness. They can see everything. He choked, bringing his knees to a close. He couldn't hide his cock, hard again, but he had to try. The reminder of his vulnerability was too much.

A hand slid across his chest. Roxas failed to strangle a cry as fingers ghosted up along his throat, then back down over jutting bones and the planes of his torso, soft and firm. They trailed down to his chest again and squeezed. Over and over they touched him, and he lost himself in their sweet repetition.

Hot breath in his ear, wet lips, and a whisper that seemed loud in the silence.

"Your tits are so hard, Roxas."

Axel.

Roxas arched into his touch. His body knew and loved that voice, loved those hands. But instead of reciprocating Axel retreated, long fingers skittering away. Roxas felt a jolt of horror as they danced over his stomach. Axel—but the thought was lost as the sensation made him tense, gasp, then break out into giggles. Heat blossomed in his cheeks, blazing.

"Oh." Xion's voice. "He's ticklish."

"Why didn't we know that?" Isa.

"Dunno." Axel again. Roxas could hear the grin in his voice, knew it grew as his fingers danced over his stomach. He squirmed. "Aw, that's cute."

"Axel—"

"No, no sweetheart, you've gotta be quiet." Axel's voice, and a hand on his mouth. It was too small to belong to him.

"Speak again and I'll gag you, Roxas," Xion said, a dark edge to her otherwise playful tone. "No words, unless you really want this to stop."

His breath caught, but he obeyed. He wasn't the least bit surprised they didn't grant him a reprieve, however. Someone was already tickling his stomach and it was unbearable, his sense of touch amplified by his lack of sight. In the dark he felt every brush across his muscles, every caress over his bony hips. Those fingers went everywhere except where he wanted them most, left him gasping in teary half-laughter. He was so embarrassed and so hard, and it was made worse every time he tried to escape the touch and failed. Tears leaked out the corners of his eyes, soaked the blindfold as new hands appeared. They briefly touched his stomach, dipping into his navel before sliding up to grope his chest.

Finally, a traitorous voice inside him said.

"Look at how pink they are," Axel said, running his mouth again. His fingers flicked a nipple and Roxas whined, shivered as both were pinched. Then the hands were squeezing him again and he wanted, pushed his chest into their grip and moaned. He flinched back when those hands abandoned him to join the ones on his stomach, heat pooling as they slid over a ticklish spot. He wriggled, but there was no mercy and no escape, just broken laughter and hiccups and tears as those large hands again cupped his chest. "I didn't know he was so sensitive here. It's like he really has tits!"

"Sometimes it's good being like a girl, huh Roxas?" Xion teased. The bed dipped and then her body was there, small breasts pressed against his side. Her breath was in his ear, tongue running along the tendons of his throat, over the satin of his collar, down his torso, around his nipple. One of her hands squeezed the roundness of his chest and she smiled, lips curling against his skin. His body might be firmer than hers but time and peace had made him softer, and thus her words gained power—a biting edge of truth that sent a rush of pleasure straight to his cock.

I'm me, even if I'm a little girly. And maybe a little of you ended up inside me too, but that's okay. No one goes through life untouched, and anything that was given to me is mine now. All of it. 

"Yes." The word echoed in his mind, and he felt a sliver of Xion inside him, examining every piece of his heart, body, and soul. He felt her steal just a little of his strength, make him weaker and more sensitive all at once. "It's yours and it's beautiful. You're beautiful."

He cried out when a tongue slid over his other nipple, realized he'd been so lost in Xion's touch he hadn't noticed Axel's disappear. But now he was back, weight dipping the bed, tongue and teeth on his chest. Long fingers danced once more over his stomach and thighs, taking over that last from Isa—

And fuck, Isa was gone.

His breath came quick, chest rising and falling rapidly. Where is he? You won't find him like this, Roxas! He needed to calm down, especially if he wanted to prepare for whatever Isa had planned, to hear him and guess where he might touch, but it was impossible. Xion and Axel were the perfect distractions, their kisses along his chest, neck, the curve of his ears drowning out sound, touch, and all other sensations. With his eyes rendered useless by the blindfold there was simply no way to protect himself from Isa, and that made his cock throb.

Hands—larger than Axel's or Xion's—slid down his arms then disappeared. Roxas jumped, cried out when they returned to touch his stomach, his waist, then vanished again. Next it was his thighs, the hands running from the outside in, slipping past his defenses—

Gone.

And then there they were, gripping Roxas's hips tight in hand before they slid down to his thighs and forced them open. Roxas could do nothing as he was moved, legs pushed back, Isa's hands shifting until they rested on his ass. His hips were tilted up, cheeks groped and spread. Roxas felt breath against his hole, and his heart stuttered, whole body taut with anticipation.

"I don't think we've done this," Isa growled, voice huskier than he'd ever heard it.

"Oh fuck," Axel groaned against Roxas's chest. "Isa, that's so—"

"Watch from where you are, Axel," Xion said. "If you want a better view we can see about doing it again later, but Roxas comes first tonight."

Another groan. "Are you gonna make him come without touching his cock, Isa?"

"Perhaps."

Then there was wet and heat between Roxas's cheeks, soft lips moving against his hole. Roxas gasped, tried to squirm away and couldn't. Isa's grip was too strong, strong enough to break him, and Roxas was the most vulnerable he'd ever been during sex. Wordless cries slipped out with every lick, every kiss, tears leaking through his soaked blindfold.

"Aw, baby," Axel murmured, kissing his cheek. It only made Roxas's stomach burn worse, body already ablaze as Isa teased his ass mercilessly, lips and tongue running over him, but never into him. He struggled, tried to push back, but Isa held firm. His only comforts were Axel and Xion, nuzzling him with their cheeks, hands caressing his chest. He felt hot all over, pink and flushed, and surely bruising where Isa gripped his ass.

Then Isa hummed and pressed his tongue inside. Roxas strangled a cry, wriggled his hips in the hope of taking him deeper. His toes curled, legs flailing, trying to spread further to give Isa more room. But Isa refused to press deeper, ignoring his wordless pleas as he slid in and out languidly, rubbing softly. Roxas couldn't see anything, couldn't catch his eyes or make requests, was lost in what cruel pleasure Isa gave—never enough, already too much. He whimpered, whined, failed to form the sentences he needed to beg. Axel and Xion's laughter washed over him; soft, quiet, thrumming against and inside his chest, running like rivulets to join the humiliation pooling in his stomach.

Hot, so painfully hot.

Finally Isa had mercy, lips pressing and tongue dipping deep. He sucked and Roxas moaned, surrendered to Isa's sudden brutal pace. Sweat dripped down his body, heat building rapidly in his stomach, and he was desperate, ready to burst except it wasn't enough. More, more, more, deeper, deeper, please, please—

Isa stopped, then disappeared. A pathetic mewl bubbled out of Roxas, frustration replacing the pleasure that had built inside him. He felt charged, body needy and on edge. He was sticky with tears and sweat and cum, and the air was cold against his ass. He squirmed, mewled again, but Isa did not return.

Worse, after gentle kisses on both his cheeks, Axel and Xion vanished too. His breathing picked up and he almost broke, wanted to beg with words he wasn't allowed to use. The silence went on, everything quiet save the sounds of Roxas's breathing, his body rustling the sheets, tugging at his bounds. Words gathered in his chest, his throat, his mouth, then—

"Who's fucking him then?" Isa said, to the point.

Roxas choked.

"Mmmh," Xion hummed, and Roxas heard a brief, wet squelch, a hitch of breath. A shudder ran through him at the thought of her dipping her fingers between her legs, running them over her clit, her cunt—or had it been Isa's? That breath had been suspiciously deep. "I want to fuck him."

"I think we all do, Xion," Axel laughed. "But I don't think he can handle more than one round. I mean, just look at him! There's no way he'll survive all three of us."

There were murmurs of agreement above him, and other things said too softly for Roxas to hear. His head was buzzing, ears deaf to everything but the vaguest shape of sounds. He knew they were close, speaking about him like he were dinner set upon a table, and that made him pleasantly tense—eager and afraid all at once. He felt painfully empty, but they were there and making plans for him. They were close, and preparing to be closer. He wriggled his hips in anticipation, delirious for something, anything, against his hole.

"Quiet, Roxas," Xion said, voice soft but hand hard as she pressed it against his hip. He tried to squirm and found he couldn't. "You have to wait."

And oh, they made him wait. This night was about him, but they were happy to draw it out. They were going to pull loose every last thread of Roxas's weakness and vulnerability and lay it out for examination, delighting as he grew increasingly desperate. He was sure of this, as he was sure he could do nothing but wait and listen as they discussed who would take him. They decided—eventually—that they'd draw straws.

Straws, like they had those in the bedroom. The pieces of Roxas that usually permeated his whole being—the ones that took action—wanted to kick them for making him wait. There was no chance he could do that in this shameful state, however, and he wouldn't anyhow. This shameful part of me needs loving too. All of me. Every brittle, broken piece.

I will wait and they will fuck me, love me, see me, and know every side of me. And it'll be good. So, so good. But I have to wait.

He heard Xion return with the straws, assigned the task of holding them because Isa didn't trust Axel to. There was a brief, whispered squabble before they finally got on with it. A pause, then a whine from man, a soft sigh, and a low, pleasant hum. Footsteps followed, before the bed dipped and Isa growled in his ear. "Looks like I'll be fucking you tonight, Roxas."

As he heard the words there was a rustle and then—light. He blinked rapidly, blinded by the glare and trying not to feel embarrassed by how red his eyes must be, how wet his cheeks still were. His vision adjusted and he saw Axel to his left, heard his sharp intake of breath. Roxas's stomach bubbled when he leaned in and kissed his lips, brushing his hair from his sticky face.

"Fuck, Roxas. You have no idea how pretty you are right now, do you?" His green eyes glittered, full of affection. "Isa's gonna fuck you so hard you won't remember your own name, okay? But we will. We'll hold onto you. We'll hold onto all of you."

"We'll always remember, Roxas. Your name, and all the rest. All the things that make you you," Xion said, sitting to his right. He glanced down and caught sight of her strap—a lovely, perfect black, simple, yet superb. His dick twitched. She preferred to wear cocks on the shorter side, but that didn't matter as she knew how to use them. This one vibrated too, but he wouldn't get to enjoy that. Not tonight.

"For me," Axel whispered, kissing his cheek. "But it's still for you in a roundabout way, trust me."

"Axel's more fun to kiss when he's getting fucked," Xion giggled. "He's so pretty like that, and wouldn't you like to look at something pretty? Hm, speaking of pretty..."

She glanced back and Roxas followed her eyes, stilled. Isa stood at the end of the bed, adjusting his cock. Roxas always liked to tease him about it—say how it reminded him of moon dust and unicorns—but now his heart lurched at the sight, stomach spinning wildly out of control. It was beautiful; gently tapered, long and thick, with a lovely pearlescent sheen. It was a similar hue to Isa's hair, but paler, with hints of creamy white-gold and pink.

Long and thick, long and thick, long and thick.

Yeah, that was the part his brain kept tripping over.

"Roxas," Isa said. "Speak to me."

That startled him, but when neither Axel nor Xion said anything he cleared his throat and managed a, "Yeah?"

"You won't be able to talk once I'm through with you, so I want to speak now," he said, climbing onto the bed. He loomed over Roxas, and Xion and Axel for that matter. Fuck, but Roxas didn't know how it was possible that he so easily forgot the size of this man. 

He spends so much time on his knees I forget that he's about as tall as Axel and three times as broad. He shivered, but with a great show of will pulled himself from the submissive depths he'd sunk into and felt a spark of annoyance for having to do so. "You'd better make true on that," he said, then grinned and locked his legs around Isa's waist, tugging him down. "There's no backing out of giving me sex-induced amnesia. You're not the only one who doesn't take resignations, y'know?"

Isa smiled, all teeth, and Roxas's heart thundered. This was something only the two of them had. It was an agreement, maybe. Isa was always soft with Xion—who preferred to leave the past in the past and not hold grudges—and Axel—whose youthful days with Isa had given him warm memories with which to soothe the more jagged pieces of their shared history—but Roxas...

Roxas accepted the brutality of Saïx in ways the others couldn't. Even if they saw it, they transformed it into something softer, and though they weren't wrong to do so Roxas thought that Isa needed someone who'd happily go toe-to-toe with his inner beast. Maybe Roxas needed it too—a way to acknowledge Isa's past cruelty, a way to laugh and fuck around with the man who had hurt him and Xion and Axel so badly while still loving Isa, still seeing how the man he was bound to now had existed in the man he had been. Still seeing how all four of them had been hurt by their messed up existences in the Organization, by their complex ties to Xemnas and Xehanort, to Darkness and Light and Nothingness.

And Isa—Isa knew. Isa knew that Roxas was the only one who had both seen him at his most cruel and acknowledged it—Axel couldn't—and could take the ruthlessness still within him—because he'd never hurt Xion again, never.

Even the least forgiving of your lovers still loves you, and that means something—just like knowing you accept your part in my pain means something to me. It means we can be everything we were, and yet so much more. So much more.

Green eyes shone bright, reflecting light just like the moon. You know. You see. 

"Hmph," Isa huffed. "I almost preferred it when you couldn't talk." He grinned, and a hint of Saïx peeked out in all the teeth he bared.

"C'mon," Roxas panted, shaking. "Show me what you got."

"Oh, I will," he said, then leaned in to whisper in his ear, edges softening. "Just remember tonight's all for you. I do accept resignations these days."

He retreated, but not before Roxas brushed his lips over his cheeks, caught his mouth as he pulled back. "I know," he whispered, "but until then show me everything and I'll show you the same."

"I'll show you, Roxas. I'll see you. We all will. Now—" and he reached out and snatched Roxas's hair, pulled it back hard and sharp and fast. Roxas swallowed, every bob of his throat exposed for the others to see. "Be silent. I want no more words from you."

It was all Roxas needed to sink back into the haze, speech stolen by Isa's words, Xion's lips on his throat, teeth gently scraping over skin and satin. She paused when Isa shifted, she and Axel lying still while he reached for something Roxas couldn't see. There was a click—the lube bottle—and Roxas sighed. As if he hadn't loosened himself beforehand, as if his ass hadn't been eaten until it was wet and loose, sloppy.

He gasped when one, two, then three fingers made their way inside him. No one stopped him when he thrust onto them, Axel and Xion laughing as he whined. The sound made his cock twitch, cheeks flushed with the heat, yet he couldn't stop. He clenched desperately around Isa's fingers, shivered at the cold look he received. Another whine escaped him when Isa pulled out, but then he was looming over all three of them once more. He grabbed Roxas's hair and kissed him, fucked his mouth with his tongue so hard that Roxas could barely breath. When he sat back Roxas was dazed, unable to focus on anything but sensation—and he did, staring up at Isa as he stared down at him.

"Your heart may be your own, Roxas, but tonight your body is mine."

With that, he pushed inside. Roxas cried out, body weak and mind delirious. His legs quaked, and it was only Isa's firm grip that kept them up and open. His cock slid in slowly, teasing little thrusts that were still so wonderful when compared to the emptiness of before. The hands on his body prevented him from pushing back onto Isa's dick, but they couldn't stop him from feeling everything. That seemed to be their goal, in fact, forcing him to lie receptive and still, feeling every stretch, every movement inside him. He sobbed, overwhelmed by Isa's cock, by the eyes on him, watching him, peering into the depths of his soul. He couldn't hide behind the blindfold. He couldn't hide behind anything. They could see it all.

Isa's cock was so big, warm from the lube and Isa's preparations. It spread him, split him open, and he loved it. All the hollow places inside him were full—full of the love others felt for him. But he wanted more, he needed more. He opened his mouth—

He couldn't ask. He could only sob and squirm, cock leaking against his stomach, tears leaking onto his cheeks, lube leaking from his hole. Axel and Xion's lips were on him again, on his cheeks, his neck, his chest. More. I can take more. Please, please...

Isa shuddered when he finally settled inside Roxas, the full length of him sheathed. Roxas felt a spark of gratification in his chest. I did that. I made him feel like that. He took advantage of Isa's moment of weakness to roll his hips, delighted as Isa groaned and sunk his teeth into his lip. Isa might not be comfortable with cock in his front, but a good grind left him soaking.

But then the moment was over. Isa's grip tightened, his nails digging in, and the part of Roxas so used to control broke and fell to pieces. Isa dragged his cock against his walls, then snapped his hips forward, pounding a steady beat. He found his rhythm easily, so perfectly disciplined as he rubbed Roxas's prostate again and again. Roxas wiggled his hips, pushed back as best he could, liquid heat again pooling in his stomach.

Axel and Xion kept their hands on him, gently touching, soothing him as the smack of Isa's hips against his ass filled the room. It was obscene, wet and loud. Roxas hadn't believed it possible that his cheeks could burn more than they already did, but somehow they managed it. Yet it was the humiliation that brought him pleasure, mingling with the soft touch of fingers, Isa's hands on his ass, the trust in his heart, and the feel of their eyes on him. He was lucky they wanted to see it all. He was so lucky he was safe enough to show it all.

See how shameful I am and love this too. Kiss this piece of me as you kiss all the others.

Roxas gave himself up to it, little sounds slipping out with every slap of Isa's hips. There were whimpers with every grind, every drag, every rub against that needy place inside him. He wasn't lost enough, however, to miss the way the bed dipped as the others shifted, Xion slipping away while Axel climbed on top, straddling him. Their chests touched, nipples pressing against each other. Axel kept his hips raised though, their cocks separated by tantalizing inches.

"Oh baby," Axel whispered, kissed the corner of his mouth. "I know it's a lot, but you're loving it, right? Definitely something you'll get memorized." His eyes twinkled as he kissed him again, properly this time. Their tongues slid together, Axel swallowing his moan when he finally pressed their cocks together. Still, it wasn't enough, Axel brushing rather than grinding. Roxas wanted to scream, but surrendered himself to Axel's kisses instead. His only mercy came in the form of Xion untying his hands, pressing her lips to each wrist once before releasing them. He grabbed hold of Axel's back immediately, felt tremors not unlike his own skittering down his spine and through his limbs. Axel's eyes had gone hazy, he realized, his own desperation clear.

Did I drive you to this?

I hope I did.

They squirmed together, the wet sound of their kissing joined by the heavy clap of Isa fucking Roxas. There was a moment when he slowed and Roxas groaned, frustrated, but then the bed dipped and Xion was there. He could see her black hair and Isa's blue just beyond Axel, saw them kiss and touch one another before she reached out and grabbed Axel's waist. She tugged him over just a little, positioning him diagonally so that his body still touched Roxas's but his ass and legs faced her. She got in close, took one of Axel's thighs and spread it to make room. Roxas's shivered as he watched. They didn't usually fuck like this, but their bed was large enough to accommodate it and the view was spectacular.

"Aw, look at you both," she said. "You're such good boys." The praise sent a shock of heat through Roxas. More than that though, her voice promised a show. She caught his eye, and for just a second Roxas felt like they were acting out one of their usual scenes—Isa and Axel as their subs, Xion exchanging asides with him. She ran a hand over Axel's ass and grinned. "Our little flame's being so well-behaved right now, isn't he? If I'd known all it took was you fucking Roxas, Isa, I'd have done this sooner."

The words put Roxas back in his place. Isa was a Dom tonight, and he was a submissive. He could do nothing except take cock while Isa loomed over him and laughed. Roxas felt like a giggle himself, though whether that was due to his current circumstances or Axel's pet name he couldn't say. It didn't matter either, because Axel responded then, whimpering sweetly at the affectionate term. His pleasure seeped into Roxas and became his own, made the fire in his belly burn even brighter. It made him desperate, wishing for Isa to fuck him brutally and come inside him, finishing Roxas off for good.

Isa couldn't actually come inside him, of course, but Roxas doubted he'd have enough sense to notice by the end.

He did notice when Xion pressed into Axel however, because he moaned. Loudly. Roxas held him through it, kissed him as they were taken together. The world became Axel's hands and Isa's cock, the pleasant buzz of Xion's strap and her breathy little sighs. Axel nuzzled him, petting him even as Roxas's fingers took in the soft and sweat of his skin, the knobs of his spine. He held him close, had only him for support as their partners' pounding left them both trembling messes. The room was filled with moans, save Isa's, as he never made much sound outside his subspace. Roxas knew he was feeling it though, noticed the way his rhythm stuttered whenever he ground hard and deep against him.

Roxas lost himself. Or did I find myself? He wondered, as all the pieces of his heart were gathered and bound back together by the wet and heat of their bodies. Roxas's voice joined with Axel's, with Xion's, with Isa's, and through their shared pleasure Roxas was whole. He was himself. He was only himself, and yet he could give each and every piece of that whole to someone else if he wished. He could take, be taken, give, be given. Be free, and be bound. He was everything he could be, and they would see it all. They would see him.

Something tangled inside his chest, his stomach, his soul. He tied his heart in knots, a chaotic cacophony of strings binding Roxas to himself, to Axel, to Xion, to Isa, as the edge grew ever nearer. Axel slid against him, kissed his lips, his neck and collar, moaned as their nipples dragged and cocks ground against each other. Roxas held on desperately, ran his hands up and down his back, delighted to hear Axel's pleasure. It was impossible to see his face clearly through the tears though, and Roxas was too caught up in the feeling of Isa's thick length pounding his ass to wipe them away. He could only ride it out, shiver as the hands that held him open left beautiful bruises on his skin.

Roxas was breaking, he was sure of it. He squeezed just to keep himself together and heard Isa sigh. He blinked, then looked up in the hope's of glimpsing the pleasure on his lover's face.

He didn't see Isa though, but Xion, her blue eyes catching his. Her cheeks were red, her lips parted, and she was so, so beautiful as she gasped, "Roxas."

"Roxas," Axel echoed.

"Roxas," Isa said. "Come."

Roxas did.

His entire body went taut, trembles intensifying as he tightened around Isa, contracting. Then he was writhing, moving with Axel as they toppled over the edge side by side. They moaned, and Roxas felt warmth fill him, cum spurting all over his stomach, Axel's chest, and—oh. He felt good. He felt complete.

Still, he had enough sense to reach down and grab Axel's cock, giving it the few tugs he needed to finish. Roxas collapsed when he did, accepted Axel's boneless weight as his cum spilled between them. Isa and Xion's thrusts continued for just a little longer, before they stopped, shuddered, moaned with their release.

Roxas wished that moment could last an eternity.

Instead, he savored the feeling of their fleeting pleasure and dozed. The bed shifted as three bodies joined him, snuggling close. Roxas hadn't quite returned to himself with orgasm, body still loose and mind still drifting, but that was okay. He was bruised in some places and soothed in others, but he loved it all. He loved Axel's hands, Isa's lips, and Xion gently nuzzling her head against his. They held him together, kept him warm and safe.

"We love you, Roxas," Xion murmured, lips by his ear. He sighed in response, perfectly content.

Still, they couldn't stay in bed for long. The sheets were a mess and their bodies were sticky with all manner of drying fluids. Roxas made to rise, but was pushed down gently when he tried, hushed when he made to protest. It figured that the three of them wanted to spoil him, Well, I suppose I can allow it just this once. 

So he laid back and let them do all the work. He waited patiently while they got the shower started, snorted when Isa picked him up and carried him there as if he were a dainty princess—or a delicate bride. He didn't stay, however, instead leaving him beneath the warm water with Axel. Axel held him upright, careful hands washing him until all the tackiness of their sex went swirling down the drain. The heat eased the aches building in his muscles, and he felt fresh and clean by the time Axel was toweling him off, if still a little fuzzy. He laughed when Axel starting kissing him, which devolved into giggling as he planted his lips on his mouth, his cheeks, his eyes, his forehead.

"Axel!"

"Alright, alright."

New bed sheets greeted them upon their return, alongside a glass of water and a tray of snacks, a few mints for when they were done. Roxas drank and ate, had a mint, then stole one of Isa's shirts for his pajamas. The sleeves flopped over his wrists and the hem skirted his thighs, neckline hanging off one shoulder. Axel mewed at the sight, hugging him and pressing his face into his damp hair. His squeals of delight reverberated through Roxas, made him smile even as he squirmed out of the embrace and dragged them onto the bed.

Isa and Xion left to shower, returning swiftly once finished to join Roxas and Axel's snuggle pile. Everything was cozy, with Xion and Axel in Isa's shirts and Isa in a set of loose, woolen pajamas. They laughed and joked and prodded each other until they settled in to sleep. The curtains kept out the endless sunset, the soft lamp in the corner dimmed further so the room was just barely lit in warm indigo and gold. Roxas had Axel against his back, Xion against his chest, and Isa behind her with his hand on Roxas's hip. Their eyes, already fluttering, were on him.

Warm. Safe. Seen. Whole.

Roxas cleared his throat. "That was amazing."

"Hmmm," resounded around him, followed by soft kisses. He smiled. The part of him that squirmed at excessive sweetness could wait until morning, as the part of him that longed for it soaked up their touch, their smiles, their praise.

"Hey Roxas?" Axel said.

"Yeah?" He managed, already half-asleep.

"We see you."

Three voices joined together, whispering words that promised he was loved for himself.

"Thanks guys," he whispered, and fell asleep smiling and whole.

Axel couldn't get it out of his head.

It was ridiculous, really. Destiny Islands wasn't the most extreme vacation spot, but there were plenty of distractions—no lack of things to do and places to go so long as you weren't a permanent inhabitant. The mainland was pleasantly cozy with its quaint houses, market stalls, and tiny school, a nice contrast to the sprawl and bustle of Radiant Garden and Twilight Town. A few new buildings had been installed recently, the Mayor ensuring there were sizable accommodations for the strange folk who kept arriving from 'across the seas', but it was otherwise a pleasingly small place boasting mostly of its natural beauty and folklore.

That natural beauty was really something too, the coastline offering gorgeous views of the sun-speckled sea, the endless sky, the tiny landmasses dotting the horizon. There was the volcano—dormant, which was probably a good thing—and the many small jungles, hidden paths, and warm, sandy beaches that adorned the islands. Sea, land, and sky came together to offer something truly beautiful here.

Pity the only thing I can think with is my dick.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Axel also got unusually emotional about the local culture. Wayfinders and paopu fruits weren't the same as shells and sea-salt ice cream, but the sentiments they conveyed spoke to him personally. So I guess I think with my heart too. But why shouldn't I when I had to go without one for so long? And besides, isn't it neat that charms and food mean eternity everywhere?

Of course, it had been pointed out to him that the paopu fruit and wayfinders both symbolized stars; the hearts of the worlds reaching out in the dark, seeking to rebuild their lost connections whilst bathing each other in warm, wondrous light. They were symbols of love, bonds, journeys, and destiny, alongside promises of eternity.

Axel had shrugged. "Well, aren't shells just the stars of the sea? You use those thalassa ones to make your charms, don'tcha? And every WINNER's a star, right?"

The others had been amused until he told them later he thought they were as much like tears as stars. The thalassa were the right shape for it, and every washed up shell was sort of like the ocean's teardrops if you thought about it. Plus, sea-salt ice cream tastes a little like crying. But that's fine. Love, bonds, journeys, destiny, promises of eternity. Tears are connected to all those things too.

Tears—streaming down his cheeks as Roxas dug his nails into his hips and leaned over him, whispered—

Axel groaned, all sentimental thoughts regarding the local culture going up in flames. Well, that was almost a successful distraction! You'd better watch out, dick! The heart's a worthy opponent, unlike my good-for-nothing head...

He sat up, plush mattress shifting as he repositioned himself. Maybe a look out the window would help him deal with his current dilemma. Their current apartment offered a lovely view of the beach after all, Kairi having got them rooms on the fourth floor. The building itself was five stories, but Kairi insisted the fourth floor was the best. Axel had no complaints. The bedroom window—actually glass doors—opened out onto a balcony that offered gorgeous vistas of the mainland's shore. A perfect expanse of gold and white spread before him, kissed by the same waves that swelled about the many emerald islets adorning the coast. Blue skies spanned as far as the eye could see, though that summer hue would be replaced by gorgeous peach and deepest indigo as day turned to dusk turned to night.

Axel admired the view, enjoyed the sun's caress and the ocean breeze. The wind carried a delicious aromatic blend of sea salt, tropical flowers, and outdoor cooking to his nose. Someone was preparing a barbecue lunch.

Now that was an idea. He could go outside and find a grill, some snacks, and start working on his own personal picnic. The others would show up in no time—Axel had proven himself a master at cooking over anything involving a flame—and voilà! A distraction. It certainly had to beat sitting inside staring wistfully out over the sea, daydreaming like some lovestruck princess in her tower.

Well, that's if lovestruck princesses daydream about being fucked between the two hottest guys they know while sheer, white curtains billow beatifically in the background. Do they do that? Probably. I suppose I can always ask Kairi if I really wanna know!

He cackled, but the moment didn't last. He was sighing again in seconds, flopping back upon the bed's generous stack of pillows.

I should still go out. A beach holiday's perfect for a guy like me—just the right amount of lazy and play. I mean, am I really gonna let a chance to have fun pass me by because I'm feeling embarrassingly horny? Really? Really?

He had so many options too. Frisbee was a great game to play with both friends and the locals, and he'd discovered the people here were fine letting strangers run around the beach with their dogs so long as you asked them first. There was a market in town, restaurants and stalls selling delicious cuisine, and quiet, out of the way trails well-suited to those who didn't have energy to spare. Sora and his gang's little island offered plenty to do, with its boardwalks, views, hidden nooks and crannies, and obstacle courses set up for eternal play. It was all designed for people three feet shorter than he'd ever been, but it was still neat. There was rafting and canoeing, endless summer sports, springs, sunbathing, sunsets, and the allure of the waves washing up on the shore. Something as simple as wading through the water became magical here; surf and sand at your ankles, shells and seaweed at your feet.

Yet none of that could save him from his own mind.

I suppose I could try 'people-watching'. No one seems to care much if you ogle here, so long as you're discreet about it. 

But would that solve his problem? He might vent a little sexual frustration watching his friends and attractive strangers run along the beach, but without the promise of intimacy or proper fulfillment of his fantasies he'd only end up daydreaming again. Why don't I just tell the others? We've done way more embarrassing things, right? 

Except this was different. The little details of his current desires added up to something uncomfortably personal, particularly when one considered Axel didn't often ask for anything specific during their scenes together. The others knew what he got out of their usual play, but generally he was content to go along with what everyone else wanted—while being a brat, of course. These daydreams, though, were all his.

And...maybe this has to be a secret. Not a secret I keep for a long, hopefully, but a secret nonetheless...

"Ugh," Axel groaned, propping his head up on his hand, elbow sinking into the pillows. He snatched a fruit from the bowl on the bedside table, munching sourly. It did little to sweeten his mood, but it was pink, tasty, and a distraction.

Or was it? Every bite brought his fantasies to mind, images floating before his eyes like—

—being backed up against the door, the walls, the balcony rail, arms on either side of him caging him in. He wanted them to grab him, drag him by his hair, throw him on the bed and manhandle him—

Would he rip open his clothes?

—yes, buttons scattering to every corner of the room, seams ripped, pants so torn he could never wear them again except when he wanted to look in the mirror and remember what had happened the night of their destruction—

And then?

—strong hands pressing him into the mattress, forcing his legs apart—or would it be better if he was on his hands and knees, begging, pleading as his hair was pulled?—promises of too much, too fast, pain and pleasure and—

Next?

—"Fuck Isa," Roxas would say, and there he was, under him, silky hair splayed across the pillow, cheeks pink—oh! But maybe he could be on his knees too and then—

"Axel?"

Would Isa ever let him in the front? Probably not, but—it didn't matter, he was beautiful like this, such a good fuck, ass opening up for him even as Axel opened up for Roxas behind him, crying for him to carve him open, claim him, break him and Isa through him, and then pour blazing memory into all those cracked, smoldering pieces of his soul and—

"Axel!"

"Wh—" He said, startled when a pillow collided with his face. An ecstatic cackle far louder than his own earlier laughter filled the room. Scowling, Axel tossed the pillow aside and glared at Roxas, standing in the bedroom door with his hands on his knees. 

"You should've seen your face!" He managed, straightening up and forcing himself to breathe. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for that, love," he said, turning away and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Footsteps made their way across the room and passed him, Roxas coming to a stop by the balcony's doors. Putting aside his mild displeasure, Axel took him in.

He was so pretty in the daylight. Most of his memories of Roxas were painted in gold and red, but here he was bathed in bright sun and pale blue, sweet shades of seaside dusk and dawn, and every hue of starlit night. Axel's irritation left him—cowed, perhaps, by the realization that he was lucky to be sitting here watching Roxas's hair and shirt catch in the breeze. Every peak of his collar, every flash of his stomach as his clothes danced, was a gift. The contrast between his shorts and skin, the soft curve of his cheeks, the sharp cut of his fringe, the burning blue of his eyes—he was lucky to experience them. So, so lucky.

No waterworks now. That's too sentimental, Axel, even for you.

He sniffed though, and Roxas turned, the noon light casting pretty shadows across his face. "You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. Just recovering from an uncalled-for pillow to the face."

"Right," Roxas rolled his eyes. "So what's really up?"

Axel shrugged. "Just...thinking."

"Yeah, alright. What about?"

Axel stuck out his tongue and took another bite of his fruit. "Nogh 'elling," he said, mouth full.

Roxas wrinkled his nose. "Fine, don't. I know you were being a pervert anyway. You had that look on your face."

"Rich coming from you, Mister Exhibitionist," Axel said, grinning.

The tackle he got for that was deserved, even if it didn't feel much like a punishment. Axel threw his all into their tussle, enjoying himself maybe a little too much. Still, Roxas didn't seem to take issue with his retribution-turned-romp, grinding softly against Axel, lips parting as they kissed. The mood was the absolute opposite of the scene Axel had been imagining, but the perfect accompaniment to the feelings that had taken up residence in his chest.

Sticky kisses were soon joined by tongues, lips licked clean of fruit juice and whatever sweet, slushy ice Roxas had eaten earlier. They moaned softly into each other's mouths, Roxas rolling his hips as Axel took his ass in hand and drew him closer. He tangled his fingers in Roxas's hair, tilting his head at they kissed. It didn't seem likely they would come, but they weren't really planning on it anyway. All they wanted to do was grind, lazy and slow, in time with the distant waves.

"What'd you come up for?" Axel asked between kisses. "Not that I'm complaining. I just thought you wanted to spend the day out."

"Sora and his lot interrupted our shopping trip. They've organized a beach party over on the other island this evening, wanted us to come. Everyone's supposed to prepare something though, so Isa and Xion sent me to—"

"Fetch me, right?" Axel leaned in to suck just below his ear. "Alright, I get it. I suppose I am the guy to call whenever you need a little heat. What we cooking?"

Roxas shoved him gently against the mattress, rising onto his knees. "Isa and Xion are deciding. You'll manage whatever it is." He grinned down at Axel, still straddling him. Not even the view from the balcony could hope to compete with Roxas right now. Axel whistled. Roxas laughed. "Shut up!" Then he hopped off both Axel and the bed and headed toward the door.

Axel whined at his absence then rose to follow him, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He stretched, joints popping back into place, cock softening as it accepted the end of their afternoon snuggle. He was just about to stand when he noticed Roxas watching him from the doorway, blue eyes glinting, teeth bared in a smirk. "What?"

"Tell me what you were thinking about later, okay?" He said, then laughed. "And don't try to get out of that conversation! I know what you look like when you've got something on your mind. Let me know what it is. I mean—" he wiggled his eyebrows and Axel snorted—"I can make you talk, but it's up to you."

"And what if I want you to make me?" Axel teased.

"Then I will," Roxas said, winked, and left Axel alone with the remains of his hard-on and a shiver down his spine.

 

---

 

Their summer vacation stretched on like the sky. Axel and his friends rowed out to the small island to watch the sunset sometimes, danced around bonfires some nights, and went on expeditions to the tiny, wooded islets that spotted the sea near the mainland some days. Their hours spent indoors were adorned in silky sheets and sheer white curtains, breezy blue skies and tropical juice kissing their skin and tongues as surely as they kissed each other's lips.

And Axel still couldn't get it out of his head.

Despite Roxas's threat, he hadn't actually been made to talk. No torment or torture—which typically involved Axel backed up against a wall, teasing fingers down his pants while others rubbed his lips, delving past to toy with his tongue until he surrendered—had occurred. That might have been because they were rarely alone though, the foursome frequently accompanied by their other friends. And my daydreams don't just feature the two of us either...

Unfortunately, they also didn't feature the four of them. He did want Xion there in some capacity, just not in her usual role. These fantasies were a little different from their usual scenes after all. They'd engaged in various sorts of voyeuristic displays, had indulged in exhibitionism, but despite the rules they sometimes put into play, there had never been any that prevented one member of the group from touching the others. How they touched, yes, and when, but never, no, not for this scene.

Yet for this it was important to have a rule like that in place. Earlier in their relationship their trysts had involved a lot more voyeurism on Xion's part, and Axel had loved that. He'd loved her eyes on them as she'd learned their respective tics, when the replica powers of mimicry she'd decided to embrace came to the forefront. Nowadays her observations included significantly more skin-to-skin contact, which was lovely, but sometimes he missed the way her eyes lit up when she was allowed to simply watch and take them in.

She and Roxas are on opposite ends of the exhibitionist-voyeur spectrum, huh? 

Not that Axel wasn't into both those things. He suspected, however, that what he got from them was a little different than the usual pleasures that accompanied being watched.

Remember me. Please remember me.

"I'm never going to forget that," Xion had said during one of their first times together. She'd been sitting across the room with a hand on her chest, breathless, the other one slipping out of her underwear. Isa had already risen to fetch a hand towel, leaving Axel and Roxas flopped on the bed. That had been a good time, and Xion's words still sent a shot of heat through Axel whenever he thought of them, as comforting as they were erotic.

But what he wanted now was different. The thoughtful observations she'd offered during her early days as a Domme were ideal, but her gentleness? Not so much. Of course, they'd all been different then, still uncertain of their roles, still learning how to play their respective parts. It had taken time to build an understanding of what they wanted and how they wanted it, not helped by Isa and Roxas's frequent sniping. They'd struggled with their conflicting feelings toward each other, just as Axel hadn't been sure if he'd wanted to punish, be punished, have sex, or snuggle.

In the end, he'd wanted all four.

Now though, he wanted something—rough. Xion could give it to him, but not as well as Roxas could, and certainly not while watching as intensely as she once had. More than that, he wanted the experience of being caught between two men—one dominant, one submissive—while she memorized every word, every motion, every moment. He wanted to hear her say, "I'm never going to forget that," again.

And she can't fuck me like Roxas does. I mean, she's really strong and fucks super well, but they way Roxas does it...

Axel shook his head. "No point thinking about it now," he said to himself. "Remember the last time you were horny before dinner? Remember how no one had time to help and you ended up stuck with an awkward boner right up until dessert came out? Remember how fun that was?"

He did remember, in fact, and the memory made him scowl then sigh. He rose from the bed and wandered out onto the balcony, head bowed as he looked down toward the shore. He could see his friends running along the beach, their distant hollers and shouts flung up into the air and floating on the wind. They were playing some sort of game—Capture the Flag, if he had to guess.

They were chasing Riku, his silver hair whipping in the wind, blue cloth in hand. Roxas and Ventus—always on the same team as it was too confusing otherwise—were hot on his heels, kicking up sand as they sprinted after him. Ven reached for Riku and stumbled, tricked by a feint, but it gave Roxas the perfect opportunity. Axel leaned forward as Roxas lunged, made a dive of epic proportions and—missed.

Axel snorted. Sora and Xion cackled, tripping over each other in their hysteria. Their failure to provide distractions for Riku proved a problem, however, when Terra jumped over both of them and grabbed Riku from behind. He lifted him into the air, a chaotic cloud of limbs and flag and summer shirts appearing where the two men had been. There was a whoop from the sidelines, likely Vanitas. Axel could see him sitting beside Isa, a drink cooler between them.

The din from the beach grew louder once Riku wiggled free, Terra hot on his heels. Everyone was down there, cheering. Everyone except Axel.

I'm gonna go crazy thinking about this stuff. Yet he couldn't stop, mind looping the moment when Terra caught Riku, lifting him while he struggled to escape. Do they like manhandling? I haven't really had sex with either of them. While all their relationships were open, their different duties and home worlds didn't provide as many opportunities for group sex, and Terra and Riku were a lot shyer than some of their partners.

But manhandling...

Axel shook his head. It didn't matter. This was silly. Sitting indoors for half his summer vacation wasn't going to satisfy him, nor was it going to make him any fond memories to treasure once he returned home. Maybe it's the lack of sex. We haven't had a lot lately. 

That wasn't really their fault though. A beachside holiday was the perfect time to fuck—as they'd discovered during the first few days of their stay—but they'd had to lay off the rowdier stuff recently. Riku and Sora had taken up residence in one of the bedrooms of their suite, their house currently being renovated, and their childhood bedrooms occupied by an influx of curious relatives who'd come to visit from the other side of the mainland. Kairi was putting up several of their friends at her place, and Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka were all besieged by distant friends and relations.

I suppose that's what we get for 'coming across the sea'. Of course the locals would be interested in meeting so many new people.

Axel wasn't too bothered by it. Riku and Sora had organized their renovations before they'd learned of everyone's holiday plans, and they were well-behaved suite guests besides. Meeting their families had also been an interesting experience. Riku's was smaller, but less friendly. Sora's...well, Sora's had enormous personality. That was great, and also terrifying. Apparently neither man knew their extended families that well, but they'd visited enough back in the day to contribute to Riku's decision that Destiny Islands was 'too small for him'.

"It's a few days walk for the geezers though, and people have work to do most of the time," Sora'd explained. "Even if the island's not big, we haven't got cars or trams here. We do have bicycles though! And skateboards and scooters! They're cool!"

Axel had laughed and listened as Sora listed the various ways around the island—from vine-swinging to surfing to swimming—although he'd also felt a bit strange. It'd made him think of his own family, and how he'd never found out what had happened to them after Radiant Garden fell. Isa hadn't learned anything about his either, the two of them returning to a world void of everything they'd had before.

But these guys are our family now. Our partners, our friends. They aren't gonna leave us behind. They aren't gonna leave me behind.

They won't forget me, right?

That thought was interrupted by another obnoxious whoop from the beach, which reminded Axel of their other suite guest.

While it would be undeniably awkward to have sex while Riku and Sora were bunked in the room behind theirs, the fact Vanitas was currently staying with them made it virtually impossible. Vanitas had always been a loose cannon. His mental wellbeing tanked when he was alone, which meant he required constant companionship. Sora had volunteered to let Vanitas stay with him and Riku—a kindness that lessened the pressure on Ven and his partners whilst also allowing Vanitas to learn a little from Sora's sunny disposition and Riku's own journey on the dark road to dawn.

Unfortunately, this kindness had been offered before Sora realized he and Riku no longer had a private space to offer Vanitas. Not wanting to deal with a housing panic, and having no real qualms about Vanitas, Axel and the others had agreed to let him stay with Riku and Sora, just so long as he didn't pull any pranks or cause more trouble than they themselves did.

Not much more at least...

Isa called Vanitas 'interesting' because Isa was polite, but Axel wasn't and considered him a cocktail of volatile substances, mean spirits, genuine misery, and shaky good will. He wasn't running around being evil anymore, which was nice, and Axel supposed neither he nor Isa could be that judgmental considering their own histories, but Vanitas was still...difficult. The last thing Axel wanted to do was give him an excuse to be edgy or nasty.

Or horny, honestly. 

Horny was his problem for now though, and Vanitas was only involved in that Axel didn't want him to be. He's cute when he's not talking, but he's definitely not part of this fantasy. Vanitas, Riku, and Sora were obstacles on Axel's road to getting laid, preventing him from moving past his current daydreams so that he might actually be able to enjoy his vacation. Surely I'm not so far gone that sex can't save me!

"Unh!"

Axel blinked. For a second he thought Roxas had tackled Terra into the sand but—no, that was Ven. Still his imagination snatched the opportunity and ran wild, barely even noting that the teams had changed before it offered—

Roxas tackling Axel, holding him down as he reamed him within an inch of his life. Axel didn't stand a chance against his power, tiny body belying his strength. Isa's fingers scrabbled at Axel's back, desperate to hold onto something as Roxas used Axel like a toy to fuck Isa, pounding into Axel from behind all the while. He destroyed them both and Axel loved it.

And there was Xion, blue eyes burning, image seared into her soul.

Axel shivered.

Got it memorized?

 

---

 

Axel came to understand two things later that night.

The first was that while Roxas and Isa didn't seem eager to have balls-out risky sex on the beach, neither man was averse to public displays of very sensual affection. Granted, Axel himself was often lewd around others—and a superb competitor during their occasional 'see who can sleep with the most people after dinner' games whenever their friends were visiting—but he was generally pretty careful about who he involved. It wasn't his style to get frisky out in the open, and he hadn't thought it was Roxas or Isa's either.

There's no bystanders out here though, only us. I guess they don't care so much if it's only our friends.

The second thing was that no amount of getting laid was going to cure him of his daydreams, so it was probably a good thing his partners were there to make him talk.

The circumstances of his surrender were fairly ordinary. The gang returned from their game of Capture the Flag to announce everyone was gathering on the play island's beach that evening. Dinner was a picnic and barbecue, and they'd have a bonfire to keep them warm after dark. Axel liked picnics and fire and needed to stretch his legs besides, so he happily joined them as they dressed and prepared their share of snacks for supper.

The evening itself was pleasant, humid with a little nip in the air as the sun went down. If Axel couldn't quite forget his desires, he still tried to, throwing himself into the fun. When he discovered Ven had brought sparklers he lit them immediately, and the two men sprinted across the sands writing inappropriate messages in the sky. They laughed and talked and drew until Aqua dumped a bunch of magical water balloons on their heads.

"Come on boys," she sighed. "I think we've seen enough of your 'anatomical art.'"

"Aw, Aqua!" Ven exclaimed. "No one cares if we draw dicks. Besides, nearly everyone here knows what everyone else here looks like without clothes on!"

"Good, I'd say," Axel summarized, earning a giggle from Ven when he emphasized his point by lifting Ven's shirt.

"Boys," Aqua sighed. "Axel, I wanted to ask if you'd come help light the fires. We can do it, but you like to, right?"

"You were thinking of me?"

"Mostly I was thinking about how neither of you can draw a decent penis."

Axel was sure Ven's laughter carried all the way to the mainland's shore.

He did decide to help light the bonfire, as well as the brazier grill and the campfire set aside for those who wanted a break from the dancing and games. He joined in the partying for a little while, eating and celebrating with the others until his earlier lethargy came back and left him unusually exhausted. It seemed like as good a time as any then, to abandon the inferno for the spark.

Axel headed down the beach and settled by the campfire. Xion, Roxas, and Isa sat with him, alongside Vanitas, who'd scarfed down sausages and vegetable kebabs like he wouldn't have another chance and now seemed to regret his decision. They had a little cooler of drinks, a basket of food, and a brazier—put out, now that no one was using it. Everything was wonderfully cozy, despite Vanitas's groans and the fact their towel pile was covered in sand.

"You're gonna have a Girl's Night then?" Roxas asked, head on Xion's shoulder.

"Yeah. Me, Kairi, Naminé, maybe Aqua if she'd like to come. Selphie might show up, but she's been helping Tidus and Wakka with Blitzball stuff, and what with them roping both Riku replicas into training...well, I doubt she'll have the time." Xion shook her head. "Obviously Olette can't come. I did ask if she'd like to join us on Destiny Islands, but she's been busy too."

"Really? With what?"

"Apparently she's helping Fuu and the rest of the Disciplinary Gang track down a bunch of flower thieves. I'm pretty sure it's just Elrena, Lauriam, and that sister of his scoping out the local plants and cutting a few samples. Hayner heard rumors about a pink-haired stranger, and Pence thinks he must be an 'out-of-towner', so by process of elimination..."

"I get'cha, but when did this happen?"

"Just before we left. Olette tried to call you about it."

"Ah."

Axel snorted. Roxas's phone was still busted from his last skate tourney. They'd been sending inappropriate pictures before the match and Roxas had shoved it in his pocket instead of stashing it in his rucksack like he usually did.

Isa cleared his throat. "It's for a few days, yes? Your stay with the girls?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe we should try those seafood restaurants we were looking at then," Roxas said.

"Huh? Why now?" Xion asked, shifting Roxas off her shoulder so she could see his face. He grinned.

"Cause we wanna eat out too!"

Axel cackled as Xion smacked Roxas with her plate, Isa hiding his snickers behind his cup. Some of the others turned to look at them, but most were too busy partying around the bonfire and playing games on the sand. Kairi called out though, waving. "We're about to start dancing!" She said.

Neither Roxas nor Isa rose. Axel breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't in the mood right now and didn't want any of their friends to notice. Xion stood, however, snagging a bewildered Vanitas after she gave the rest of them a quick once-over. "You three have fun planning where you're going to eat out, alright? I'm going to teach Van how to dance!"

"I already know—"

"Really? Then can you explain what you were doing yesterday when we were all..."

Their voices faded as they walked away, leaving the rest of them splayed out on their towel pile. Roxas shifted, his bare thigh brushing Axel's in a way that made his skin buzz. Axel felt weary and restless all at once, and so very, very horny. Of course he did, what with having struggled with intense daydreams and near-abstinence for almost a month.

So it was his fault, really. He wanted so badly, and when he wanted, he acted. He tried to keep it low-key, just a little squeeze of Isa here, a small handful of Roxas there. He was subtle when he groped Isa's ass, cocked his head to the side so Isa could muffle his moan against his neck if he needed to. He did, panting as he straddled Axel and ground hard against his leg. Their flame ignited Roxas's, and he had a hand down Axel's shorts in no time, tongue licking up the other side of Axel's throat. Axel grinned, raised his leg to rub against Isa, ran his fingers through Roxas's hair and—

The tables turned. Their was movement and then both of Axel's wrists were pinned to the ground. His breath caught in his chest as Isa loomed, his eyes his, but his smile Saïx's—deadly, dangerous, and so, so cold. The moonlight cast him in a diviner's glow, the firelight a berserker's rage. Axel's eyes flitted to Roxas. He was grinning.

So you told Isa, he thought, or Isa noticed something and talked to you. Either-or. 

"Fuck," he said aloud.

"If things go well," Isa replied. "Roxas, you had plans for him?"

"Yeah," Roxas said, voice light. "I guess I did."

Oh, I'm toast.

And he was. Bit by bit, Roxas teased his fantasies out of him. There was no way he could resist, not while he was being held down publicly, Isa's large hands gripping hard enough to bruise while Roxas's smaller ones whispered over his chest, his neck, his cheeks, his lips. Roxas usually failed at being coy, but tonight? Fuck!

The worst was that the words wanted to come. Every squeeze from Isa made them spill, and every touch from Roxas made them pour. On and on it went until Axel had been wrung dry—or edged dry, in this case. When it became obvious he had nothing else to say, Roxas sat back, reached into the cooler, and plucked out a bottle.

"Alright, that's enough," he said. "I think we've figured out what you're after. Does tomorrow work for you guys?"

"Wait, really? That's it?" Axel wheezed, rubbing his wrists. He'd been blueballed and teased within inches of a public decency violation, and now they were—done? They were going to give him what he'd been dreaming about? He glanced from Roxas—waiting for an answer—to Isa, who was lying beside Axel with his head propped on his hand and not a worry in the world.

"That's it," Roxas said.

"We aren't the sort who'd say 'yes' if we weren't interested. Not without a lot of negotiations." Isa smirked. "Besides, none of this is unusual, Axel. We practice BDSM."

"Yeah, but the 'violence' Xion uses isn't quite—"

"We got it, Axel," Roxas said. "Don't worry. I can do what you want. You've seen me fight, after all."

"Xion's not going to mind either, and the others will be out tomorrow," Isa added. "Ven and Terra wanted to explore some of the uninhabited islets, and the others are going to make sure they don't get lost, or drown, or die."

"Or have too much sex and forget to head back before the weather gets funny. Naminé said there's a storm on the way and she's rarely wrong. We've got a couple of days, tops."

"I didn't realize Ven and Terra needed to be babied on vacation," Axel drawled, rolling his eyes. "Or off vacation, for that matter."

"Sora's probably planned some sort of sex challenge. I heard Ven ribbing the others for using his apparent lack of intelligence as an excuse to make like rabbits."

"Vanitas is going though," Isa murmured, "so it's entirely possible they're all there to dissuade him from performing pranks that might lead to their watery deaths."

"For the best," Axel said. "The last thing I want to deal with is a crying Vanitas, and he'll definitely end up crying once he realizes watery deaths are 'bad' and 'hurt people.'"

The others laughed, but left it there. For all Vanitas was easy to tease, at least two of the three people around the fire had been antagonistic at some point in their lives, and all three had suffered due to their hearts being compromised. They knew how hard it was to recover from that. Vanitas's understanding of 'consequences' was minimal and he was a poor judge of his own strength, but he was getting better at separating 'funny' from 'mean' and 'risky' from 'sane'.

Axel glanced out toward the bonfire where Xion was teaching him how to dance. 

"Do you think Sora will invite him to join their sex games?" He asked.

"Maybe," Isa said.

"He is hot," Roxas snorted, shrugged. No one disagreed.

"But he's definitely going to be out tomorrow?" Axel asked.

"Yeah." Roxas grinned. "They'll all be gone, so we can be as loud as we want. That is the idea, right?"

"Going by his words, it's a necessity," Isa said.

Axel shivered. He wanted them both so badly right now, but he had to wait. All the things he'd thought, the all things he'd said, all those desires that had spilled out of him, undeniable—they were going to come true.

"Can we—can we video it for Xion?" He asked.

"Yeah. You did say you wanted her to watch, after all. Considering she won't be there, a video would be the next best thing," Isa said, smiled. His hand twined with Axel's, coming to rest upon his stomach. "Maybe better, since the video will keep."

Roxas hummed, gaze out toward the bonfire where Xion twirled and spun, dipping Vanitas with a grin on her face. There was a spark in his eyes, devious and dancing.

"This is gonna kill me, isn't it?" Axel said.

"Well if it does you, it does me," Isa mumbled against his hair. Roxas laughed, standing and stretching his arms above his head.

"You asked for it," Roxas said. "Got it memorized?" He pointed a finger at his head, sticking out his tongue for a little personal flair.

Axel scowled. "That's my thing!" He shouted, as Roxas darted down the beach to join the others. Isa's laughter reverberated through him and he sighed, leaned back. There was only fire and light in him though, the sort that flared whenever Isa stole food from his plate, Xion borrowed clothes from his drawers, and Roxas took words from his mouth.

All those little pieces of him engraved forever in their lives. All those little pieces of them forever bound to him. The moment faded but the memory lingered, a treasured thing to be taken out whenever one needed it. We were here together. 

He swallowed thickly and snuggled closer to Isa. Excitement and anxiety built in his chest, but none of it compared to the comforting warmth growing inside him. "I suppose if this kills me you'll find a way to bring me back, right?"

"Always," Isa said. "Now lie down properly so I can sleep. Not all of us have had the pleasure of napping our vacation away."

"Alright, alright." Axel settled back and let Isa rest his head on his chest, their fingers still tangled together. He watched the firelight dance across the sand, the sea, and all his friends as they hopped and leaped and chased each other around the flames. Isa's breath tickled his neck, gradually slowing. "Y'know, a nap sounds kinda nice."

"Then have one," Isa mumbled. Axel smiled, and did.

 

---

 

Sunlight spilled across the covers, the breeze a warm kiss upon Axel's skin. It lifted the curtains and made them dance, gauzy and glittering as the sea. Everything shone, save the rain clouds sailing far in the distance.

Skin brushed against skin, fingers trailing gently.

Such a tease, Isa, Axel thought, heart pounding, and so soft compared to what we're about to do.

Behind them, Roxas clattered about setting up the camera. They'd picked up a fancy recorder some years back, although the stabilizing tripod was a recent purchase. Kairi had recommended it last night, apparently, when Roxas asked about equipment designed to resist vibrations. Cameras were fairly new on Destiny Islands, but there were enough tropical gusts, mild quakes, and similar phenomena that secure supports had come soon after.

But the fact Roxas wanted something designed to resist earthquakes for today...

Well, if Axel's cheeks had gone red as his hair as they made their purchase, the salesman had been polite enough not to comment.

"Lea? Are you alright?"

Isa's breath tickled his cheek. He always said his other name so softly, unwilling to alienate Roxas and Xion with its use. Now, though, Roxas was busy and Xion absent, and Axel supposed his faraway look had been concerning enough to deserve his childhood name.

He turned to face Isa, smiled, cheeks flushing red for an entirely different reason than they had in the camera shop. Or not so different, if you consider both moments preludes to 'earthquakes'. Isa was beautiful, naked as Axel himself, their clothes discarded immediately upon arriving home. As much as Axel delighted in the idea of clothes ripped from his body, he hadn't brought anything he wanted torn. That was alright. Instead, he appreciated Isa, the late morning light painting him in lovely shades, shadows dipping deliciously along the curves and planes of his body.

"Axel?" Isa tried again.

"Yeah," Axel said, swallowed. "Sorry. Just—nervous, but ready."

"Really?" A blue brow quirked.

"Yes." Axel leaned closer, slid along the edge of the bed so he could press their bodies together. His fingers twined in Isa's hair, watched the colors shift in the sun. "I'm nervous, but ready. That's all. Got it memorized?"

Isa rolled his eyes, but the quirk of his lips was genuine. Axel drew him closer, their chests touching, nipples growing hard as they rubbed together. Isa moaned, and Axel muffled the sound with a kiss. He wasn't worried about volume. He just wanted to taste him.

It was slow, languid, but it had Axel's cock aching.

The quiet clatter across the room ceased, approaching footsteps setting Axel's blood on fire. The camera's on, he thought, and Roxas is going to kiss me. He sighed, moaned, let Isa swallow it with a kiss of his own. Belts and buckles clicked, clothes falling away with a whisper. Then a gentle hand—but not gentle for long—slid over his back and cupped his neck. He was guided to turn and he did, until Roxas was all he saw.

He gave in when Roxas kissed him, opened his mouth to let his tongue press inside and dominate him. Roxas remained soft, but there was an edge of power beneath their sloppy kisses, the threat that Roxas could be a lot more than just 'a little' stronger.

They parted and Axel sighed, heart skipping wildly as Roxas took Isa's mouth the same way. Axel had front row seats to Isa's submission—to their tongues sliding against each other, to Roxas's hand coming up to pinch a nipple—and he loved it. Isa shivered and Roxas smirked, released him and turned his dangerous gaze back to Axel. Oh.

Back and forth Roxas went, overpowering Axel before drawing Isa close and kissing him again. They shifted further onto the bed, Roxas crowding them both. He was still in his pants, and that made Axel more aware of his and Isa's nudity. It did something to him, that power play, had his cock leaking against his abdomen. The scent in the air betrayed Isa's wetness, damp patches smeared on the sheets as Roxas herded them backwards, caressing one, then the other. When they reached the pillows Isa collapsed, pressing kisses to Axel's chest while Roxas's lips, tongue, and teeth slid over the back of his neck. Then Roxas pushed him into Isa, and Isa into the mattress, and whispered, "Kiss him. Kiss it."

And Axel did, soft and sweet as Isa shivered.

But this wasn't what he'd been imagining, this gentle touch.

A hand snarled in his hair and he gasped. Thought too soon. There was no mercy in the way he was dragged backward, his scalp burning and eyes stinging. Roxas held him tight as Axel scrambled to keep up, repositioning as he was guided to do so. He ended up with his hands on either side of Isa's head, straddling his hips with his knees on the bed. Roxas was ruthless, however, giving his hair another pull as he forced his head to the side.

A hot tongue licked the shell of Axel's ear, toying with the lobe. There were kisses along his neck again, then teeth, scraping just slightly. Threat. Promise. Beneath him, Isa's eyes had gone a deep green, his chest heaving with every breath.

A voice reverberated in his ear.

"So I hear you've been bad, Axel."

Fuck. It was that tone. Roxas's voice wasn't deep, but when he spoke like that it didn't matter. Heat pooled in Axel's stomach, his back arching just slightly, inviting even as he cleared his throat.

"Heh. Have I, Roxas?" He asked, tried to laugh as he put up a front. Yet despite knowing it was all a game, Axel felt genuine trepidation. What's he going to do to me? How much is it going to hurt?

How much am I going to like it?

"Axel."

"Ah!" Axel hissed as his hair was yanked again. Fuck, that's good.

"You know, I thought we'd agreed you wouldn't keep secrets from me," Roxas said, voice soft, hand gliding down Axel's back. Axel shook under his touch, knew he couldn't look back and wanted to anyway. "Remember how that went before? When we were younger you..." His voice trailed away, skirting but not prying into their sensitive past. His hand ran soothingly over the small of Axel's back, cupped his ass. "No more secrets, Axel. Not bad ones, not good ones, not dirty ones."

That last he said with a grin. Axel knew.

But he had no idea what else was coming. He wasn't shaken to the core yet, but it was all he wanted—to be broken and fucked so hard it changed his body, his very self altered and forced to know Roxas's shape forever.

A constant reminder of what they'd done.

There were hands again, but these were larger, gentler as they ran up his arms. Isa. The same excitement that burned in Axel existed in him, the same lust. His lips were pink and swollen from their kissing, beautiful as Isa bit them. Axel wanted to taste him, but he couldn't. The hand in his hair held him back, tight enough that Axel couldn't practice disobedience even if he'd tried to.

"Hey Axel?" Roxas asked, voice light.

"W—what, babe?" He asked, voice shaking. Isa cupped his face with one hand.

"Do you know what I do to bad boys?"

"N—ah!"

The first smack dislodged his voice from his throat. It came as such a surprise he couldn't hold it back; a sharp, strangled sound that rung through the room. His arms and legs stiffened, cock twitching, hole squeezing around nothing. His body was painfully tense, hyperaware of its surroundings.

"Now you do," Roxas said, sounding pleased.

Then the second smack came.

Blow after blow rained down on his ass, brutal in a way Xion's rarely were. Any chance he'd had of holding back was gone, pathetic gasps, cries, and whimpers slipping past his lips. The sounds were so pitiful he could scarcely believe they came from him, but they did. That voice was his, stripped of dignity, stripped of lies.

His ass stung, burning as Roxas spanked him. Every time he begged for relief, he got it, but Roxas's pauses were not kind. His hands stroked and squeezed, giving no reprieve. "You're so cute Axel," he whispered in his ear, voice rough. His fingers slid between the curve of his cheeks, then slipped out again, gripping one so he could part them. Axel's hole contracted again, in desperate need of something. Still, Axel prided himself on not whimpering as he was groped.

That same pride flickered and died when Roxas rubbed his thumb around his rim and he mewled. "Anh!"

"So cute," Roxas repeated. "Isn't he, Isa?"

"Y-yes—"

And fuck, Isa was wrecked. Axel focused his eyes and saw him, hair splayed across the pillows, a hand between his legs. Axel couldn't see what it was doing, but the soft, wet squish just audible beneath the spanking made it rather obvious.

"Good answer," Roxas said. "I like your honesty." Then he gave Axel another slap, somehow harder than the ones before. Axel quavered, letting loose a single sob. "Oh wow. Y'know, he's softer down here now. Jiggles a little." Then there was a weight over Axel's back and that perfect voice in his ear again. "I like that too."

Axel broke, slumping forward and burying his face in the crook of Isa's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around him, felt Isa embrace him as if he were trying to keep his heart in his body. He choked, couldn't express his gratitude or his desperation as Roxas went back to work. He wondered how loud he was being, how his voice and the constant slap of skin against skin must sound to anyone unlucky enough to have left their windows open today.

Well, maybe they'd consider if lucky! He thought, hysterical. It's not every day you get to listen to something so unforgettable!

The thought flew from his mind with the force of Roxas's next slap. He dug his nails into Isa's back, wished he could kiss him but couldn't. All he'd get for his efforts was a broken tooth or two with Roxas spanking him the way he was, and he'd forgotten how to use his mouth anyway. He couldn't even risk running his tongue up and down his neck, though Isa seemed willing to try. His lips were sweet, a stark contrast to Roxas's hands.

If he could lower his hips he'd run his cock between Isa's legs, thank him for holding him as shame and heat flooded his stomach, tears filling his eyes and pleasure filling his cock. As it was he nuzzled his head against his cheek and groaned in his ear. He was so close. The tingling in his crotch rushed through his body, his mind hazy to everything except the hand striking his ass. He wanted to come, he was going to come, and from nothing more than Roxas's spanking and fuck, fuck, please, please—

Roxas stopped.

"No!" He cried out. "Roxas, please!" But when his hand came back his touch was gentle.

Roxas laughed, a teasing sound. It would've been endearing in any other instance, but right now Axel was going out of his mind. Everything felt hot, too hot, and that laughter only ensured his cheeks were as red as his ass. "Shush, Axel. We're not done yet. You wanted a show of my strength, yeah? Well you're gonna get it."

"You've done enough, Roxas, please—I just—I want—"

"No," Roxas said, silencing him. "Up."

It was neither a command nor a request, as Roxas hefted him before he could move. Axel had no choice but to rise onto his elbows, then his hands, then finally sit upright upon his knees. From his new position he could see Isa properly, sunlight catching on his slick folds. Axel knew he wasn't allowed to fuck him in the front, but he was allowed to taste. 

"You want to get your toy ready?" Roxas asked, pressed against his back. "Make sure it can take it?" Axel nodded, even as some bastard part of him reveled in how he could feel Roxas stretching up behind him, trying desperately to whisper in his ear without making his struggle obvious.

Unfortunately, his disrespect must have shown on his face—either that or Roxas could read his mind—because he grabbed his hair and dragged him down just a little more. "Nnh!" Axel grunted, too sensitive to keep silent.

"Bold, aren't you Axel? I suppose you always have been. Guess that means I have to try harder, huh?" His lips were kind when he kissed him, at odds with the oath he'd just made. "Get your toy ready and do it properly. I'm going to fuck you, and fuck him through you. I'm going to make you both forget everything except us, except this."

Roxas released him. Axel's arms could barely support him but he did as he was told, crawling down until his head was between Isa's legs. He'd only just got in position when Roxas grabbed his waist and lifted, ensured he was head down, ass up. He's making sure I'm ready. Axel was, but he supposed Roxas really wasn't planning on holding back. Let's just hope we don't leave a hole in the wall. I can't imagine explaining that to the others, let alone the hotel staff.

Axel stroked his hands over Isa's hips, trying and failing to still his shaking. He couldn't, but Isa didn't seem to mind. He sighed as Axel rubbed his hands gently over his curves, down his thighs and then around his ass. He didn't have enough strength to lift him, but that was okay. He could perform at this angle, and Isa had prepared beforehand. Probably more thoroughly than me.

He heard the click of the lube bottle behind him and flinched. Every sound, every motion was a reminder of how close he was to what he wanted. He swallowed thickly, then pressed his head between Isa's legs and breathed in. He smelled so good. Above him Isa groaned, a low, needy sound. It was all the encouragement he needed to start, pressing his tongue against his folds and licking up and around more sensitive spots. He adjusted his hold so he could keep him angled properly with just one hand, fingers pushing into Isa's ass while his lips sucked at his other hole. He wasted no time, three fingers in and thrusting while his tongue lapped up the wetness Isa pushed onto it. He wasn't moaning, but Axel could feel the way his body quivered, hips rolling.

Carefully, he slid his tongue inside. He never pushed too deep with Isa, just enough to feel him tighten around him. Both his holes squeezed, desperate. Axel got so lost in the sensation he jumped when cold fingers trailed between his cheeks and over his own hole. It still burned from the earlier abuse, the chill sharp when contrasted against the flaming heat. He choked when Roxas shoved his fingers inside, three at once. He pushed deep, rubbed against his walls and lit Axel's body on fire.

"Don't stop," Roxas said, and Axel felt a little flare of pride to hear how breathless he sounded. "You need to do a good job for Isa. We don't start until he's moaning too."

Axel groaned, felt Isa twitch against his lips. His fingers worked eagerly, mimicking the drag and thrust of Roxas's in his own body. He pushed inside Isa, tongue slipping in and out, nose pressing against him. He kissed and sucked all over, the flat of his tongue swirling again over where he was most sensitive before dipping back inside. The hand on Isa's hip offered comfort and support, thumb rubbing soothing circles on his hip, fingers gripping him tight even as Isa squirmed and pushed down hard, pleading without words. Little sounds began to slip out, slowly growing louder until the room was filled with Isa's gasps and the wet sound of their fingers and tongues. Axel's moans was muffled against Isa's body, but that was fine. The vibrations were clearly doing something for him, after all.

Roxas's fingers slipped out. Axel groaned, then cried out when Roxas's palm connected with his ass. It wasn't a hard smack, not like the ones before it, but even that touch stung his already swollen cheeks.

"Alright, sounds good," Roxas said. "Get in position."

He grabbed Axel's hips and Axel flailed, rising on shaky limbs as Roxas dragged him back. He was so ready for his cock, but Roxas didn't provide it, instead moving past Axel to grab Isa instead. The sight was delicious; Roxas stripped down, pants discarded, his tiny, gorgeous body a perfect contrast to his terrifying strength. Axel felt it just beneath the surface, hidden in every movement as Roxas ran a hand down Isa's body, slid a finger inside his ass to test him.

"Good here too." And fuck, but his praise made Axel's cock throb. That, and the power he displayed when he grabbed Isa's hair and tugged it, gentle threat enough to make Isa moan and roll onto his stomach. Roxas let the strands slip from his fingers, falling delicately over Isa's shoulders as Roxas guided him onto his hands and knees.

His blue eyes burned when he turned them on Axel. "Fuck him."

Axel scrambled to obey, Roxas stepping off the bed with considerably more grace. The bed dipped when he climbed back on behind him, but Axel didn't turn. No matter how tempting a sight Roxas made—especially his ass, which, unlike Axel's, had always had a soft layer of fat over muscle—he wanted what came next. He couldn't even bring himself to be cheeky for fear of delaying it, although the fact his body was still on edge from Roxas's earlier punishment might also have encouraged his good behavior.

I'll be able to watch it later. All of it—everything we do here will be immortalized.

The thought made him shiver, heart pounding. He lifted Isa's hips and pressed his cock to his ass, mounted him like an animal. His mind lost itself in the frenzy, stuck on the thought of an eternal image—Xion with her hand in her panties, fingering herself as she watched it for the first time, begging him to eat her out as the sounds of their fucking played through the speakers. Roxas and Isa beside them, grinding as they gave themselves over to the memory. He thought of watching it alone while fucking his ass with his favorite toy, recalling how it felt to be split wide like he was about to be, his entire self broken by Roxas's strength and rebuilt by his love, Isa holding him throughout.

Take me and change me and remember every moment.

"Fuck." His voice cracked as he pushed into Isa, felt his body clench around him. A shameful moan filled the room and he wished he could pretend it belonged to Isa, but no. It was him, all him, tears trailing down his cheeks and ass desperate, burning for something even as Isa's heat wrapped around his cock. "I—won't last. I'm—"

"It's okay," Isa said, voice raspy. "Just fuck me, Axel. Please...please..."

He didn't have the strength to pound him, but he tried. He rocked his hips, heard Isa groan each time he thrust his cock into him. The fourth thrust was accompanied by a hand on his back and a voice in his ear, a grin and whisper. "You're kind of cute when you fuck him like that, you know? I think you're beautiful when you try. I think you're beautiful when you fail too. Still, you'd both look nicer if I made you cry. You want that, right?"

Axel already had tears in his eyes, but he knew what Roxas could do. "Yes. Please."

Lips pressed to his neck, a fragile kiss. A promise. "Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

Axel arched when his cheeks were spread, Roxas settling his cock between them. He slid it back and forth, teasing, dragging out Axel's agony before he pushed the head inside. Axel choked, tears spilling onto Isa's back. Just the tip and already he was burning. He would've thrust back, except a hand on his hip stopped him whenever he retreated from Isa's body. It was a reminder; Roxas was in control, not Axel.

That only made him melt when Roxas finally pushed in, chaos and heat running wild in his stomach as he was pushed down over Isa's back, forced still. He froze, and Isa tensed beneath him.

"Are you ready?" Roxas asked.

"Yes," Axel managed, and felt Isa nod in agreement.

"Good, because I'm not waiting."

He fucked in without further warning or mercy, splitting Axel open just like he'd promised. Axel cried out, one hand digging into the bed, the other scrabbling for Isa's. Roxas wasn't big but he thrust hard, filling him up and tearing into him. It should've hurt, should've been nothing but pain, but Axel didn't feel it. He felt loved and owned and punished and redeemed. He was burning up, but something better would rise from the ashes of their sex, something he'd never forget.

Beneath him Isa gasped, Axel's cock forced deeper into him by the power of Roxas's thrust. The hand on Axel's hip guided him back out, though Axel would've been forced to follow Roxas's cock regardless. The wet squish and smack of their bodies meeting and parting made him shiver.

And he'd thought his earlier spanking had been loud.

Axel could do nothing but cling to Isa as Roxas fucked him to pieces. The friction of his cock inside Isa, and Roxas's cock inside him, was nearly unbearable, every contraction like a vise, every thrust piercing him to the core. He felt everything—wet and heat, stretched and empty, pleasure and pain. He wanted all of it and he got it. He gave himself up to Roxas and let him fuck the breath from his body, smearing tears against Isa's back, his neck, his hair, face resting against him. He wasn't surprised when Isa's arms went limp and he collapsed into the pillows, both their bodies surrendering. All Axel could do was kiss along his spine and throat. It was sloppy, messy. He couldn't remember how to do it, just that it felt right.

Roxas fucked him deep, grinding ruthlessly against his prostate, forcing Axel's cock to swirl inside Isa as well. At one point he grabbed his hair and tugged his head back and fuck, that hurt, but it was the best hurt he'd ever known. His insides had been fucked past agony and into bliss, his body shaking. He was just a sleeve for Roxas's cock, a toy to fuck Isa with, and he loved it. He never wanted to know anything but this pleasure born of fire and flame and light.

He cried. He couldn't hold back his voice. He didn't want to.

"So good," Roxas said, voice huskier than Axel had ever heard it. "There's nothing but this. Forget everything but this.:

Axel did.

He writhed, but it was useless. Roxas controlled everything; speed, strength, when he paused to roll his hips and when he dragged his nails down Axel's back. He was going to fuck him until he couldn't scream, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He was going to fill him with cum, molten heat in his stomach, and as he thought that Roxas placed a hand on his stomach. Axel sobbed. Want it, want it, want it. 

It was too much. The entire bed shook, squeaking barely audible beneath the smack of Roxas's cock and balls against his ass, their thighs against thighs. Axel's nipples were rubbed raw against Isa's back. Axel had just enough awareness left to reach around and press his fingers between Isa's legs, let the force of their fucking grind Isa's sex against his hand. Everything was hard, deep, fast. Roxas's hands were on his hips, forcing him back and forward and fuck, he couldn't last. He was sure the only reason they hadn't been fucked through the headboard and the wall was the mountain of pillows that had been pushed up against it. He was doubly sure the only reason he hadn't slid across the bed was because Roxas was holding him and Isa down.

He was so strong.

There was a tight squeeze around Axel's cock and he knew Isa was close. The pink of his ears was another giveaway, the same color as the cheek not pressed against the pillows. Then there was the way he tilted his hips and rubbed himself against Axel's fingers, a desperate display of lust Isa rarely gave. Axel couldn't judge him. Neither of them could last long when every nerve in their bodies was assaulted, Roxas fucking Axel hard enough to send them both over the edge.

Everything was burning hot and tight and wet. Axel ached and Axel loved, powerless to do anything but be taken. He gasped a name but didn't know whose. Did it matter, really, when he was so utterly claimed? Roxas's power and Isa's submission, and Xion's eyes watching from the not-so-far future. They took everything from him until he was just a body, shaped by the cock inside him, the heat around him, the gaze upon him. He was trapped in their web and there was no escape. The hands on him promised that.

He was glad.

That last thought was all he needed, and with Roxas's next thrust he cried out, coming hard inside Isa. Everything grew sticky as he spilled into Isa and Isa wet his fingers, slick dripping as his orgasm pulsed through his body. Behind them Roxas groaned, bit the sound off as he filled Axel up one last time. Axel collapsed, groaned at the feeling of hot cum inside him. The only thing that kept him up was Roxas's arm, wrapped around him and Isa—short and slim, but somehow holding both men in its embrace. Their voices hung in the air, all Axel could hear.

Well, I hope the neighbors enjoyed that.

That ludicrous thought flitted from his mind as he succumbed to the pleasant tingle of his afterglow. He was going to be sore later, but for now he felt wonderfully boneless. His heart tripped over itself when Roxas laid him and Isa carefully on the bed, belly down for the time being. Somewhere at the back of his mind he had enough sense to be glad. I won't be able to sit down properly for a week. Nice.

A haze fell over Axel's eyes then, and he dozed as Roxas stopped the video, fetched ice packs and other comforts. "Drink," he said, making them take sips of water through a straw before letting them collapse again. The loose sheet they'd laid down before the session was yanked out from under them, Roxas skilled enough to remove it without needing them to get up. Axel whistled when he saw the holes where Isa's knees had been.

"Woah," he said, giggling when Isa nudged him indignantly. "C'mon, let me be impressed while I'm too blissed out for my inhibitions to stop me."

"They wouldn't stop you anyway," Isa laughed, sounding tired but happy.

"I'll have you know I have inhibitions."

"I know. Roxas and I had to bait this out of you after all." He paused. "Were you happy? Was it everything you dreamed of?"

Axel smiled. "Yeah. You?"

"I had a good time. Roxas isn't good at keeping pronouns consistent though."

"Aw, he tried."

Isa smirked. "I suppose I can be 'he' and 'it' at the same time."

"Hey, in all fairness this was my day. We can ask him to play to your kinks another time, alright?"

"Alright," Isa said, smiling. "And I was satisfied, for the record."

"You two should be sleeping!" Roxas called from across the room.

Axel laughed, but listened. He felt perfectly loose and limp, ready to nap. The sun slipping in through the glass doors was still warm, the rain clouds still distant. Isa's heat beside him was pleasant. It would've been nicer if Roxas was with them, but Axel knew he wouldn't come over until he'd finished tidying up. But when he's done with that...

The breeze from outside was sweet, the scent of sea and summer alongside the promise of a storm. There was sex too, the aroma of Roxas, Isa, and Axel himself. He let it all wash over him, relished feeling fucked out and bruised, cum leaking from his ass until Roxas cleaned it—and the rest of him—with a cool cloth. He took care of Isa once he was done with Axel, then crossed the room to take down the camera.

Axel watched him, enjoyed the furrow of his brow as he fiddled with the tripod, the teeth in his lips as he checked the footage. He was still naked, breathing heavily as he worked. Something welled in Axel's chest when he noticed how he shook, those tiny limbs seeming so much more fragile now than they had just ten minutes ago. Roxas might insist on doing whatever he wished, whether that be during sex or their daily lives, but he still often drove himself to exhaustion performing kind acts for others. He wasn't self-sacrificial, but he was so strong, so determined to see things through that he sometimes neglected himself.

Some people said he got that from Sora. Axel knew that even if he had, he'd made the trait his own. It's not innate, after all. You have to keep it up to call it yours.

That shaking made Axel rise, propping himself up on one weak arm as he reached out with the other. "Roxas."

Roxas looked up from the tripod and saw him beckoning. "Yeah?" His voice was a little raw. Axel's heart trembled in his chest.

"Come here. We gotta make the afterglow unforgettable too, y'know? That's how these things are done."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Got it memorized?"

He performed the accompanying gesture and Roxas laughed, paused. "Should we start a second video then? We can edit them together, give Xion a chance to enjoy that unforgettable afterglow of yours. We've got enough memory left for that."

"Sounds good. We can just put it on the bedside table this time, I think. Doubt we need the tripod."

"Not unless you're intending to start another earthquake," Isa mumbled, voice muffled by the pillows.

The three of them laughed as Roxas strode back to the bed, angling the camera on the bedside table so it could catch the noon sunbeams, the curtains in the breeze, and the three men in bed with their bodies wrapped around each other. They snuggled together, naked arms and legs tangled beneath a simple white sheet, hearts slowing as sleep approached.

Content, they napped the afternoon away.

 

---

 

It was late afternoon when Axel woke, the promise of evening just on the horizon. The sunset shades spreading across the sky assured him they'd be beautiful, and no dusk Destiny Islands had offered him so far had given him reason to doubt. Of course, Twilight Town's sunsets were just as gorgeous, but their eternal presence made them rather routine, and though they burned more brightly on some days than others, they could never hope to match the sheer variety of colors displayed above and below the ocean here. A thin band of clouds scudded along in the distance, but the puddles on the balcony and droplets sliding down the glass implied the rain had come and gone while they were sleeping. 

Axel winced as he sat up, but rose and limped over to the balcony anyway. He pointedly ignored Isa's laughter as he went, knowing full well he would be just as insufferable when Isa finally attempted to stand. Roxas made no comment because he wasn't present, having slipped out before either of them woke. Axel wasn't too worried. He could smell someone cooking in the kitchen, after all, aroma mingling with the evening breeze. It was warm and sweet and savory, and inclined to make his hair dance.

"When did the others say they were getting back?" He asked, turning to face Isa without moving from his spot on the balcony.

Isa yawned, stretched, and generally made himself a delight to watch. "After dark, I believe. Xion won't be back for a few days."

"Girls' Week Out, huh."

"More like Girls Eat Out."

"Roxas already made that joke!"

"But you're still laughing."

And Axel was. Their immature giggling filled the room and the air beyond it, disturbing some birds in a nearby tree. That only made them laugh harder, and Isa's attempt to shut Axel up failed miserably when the bathrobe he tossed missed his face and went sailing over the railing instead. Axel cackled as he caught it, fingers just snagging the hem. They were in hysterics by the time Isa rose, slid on his dressing gown, and limped—just as badly as Axel and boy, did he let him know it—out onto the balcony to join him. They snuggled together, finally calming as they watched the sun begin its final descent. The rain hadn't robbed the air of its warmth and Axel felt well-fucked and safe, wrapped in Isa's arms and a fluffy bathrobe.

"Axel."

"Yeah?"

"If you ever want to do something like this again, tell us. None of us are going to judge you."

"I know, but I think..." He paused, shrugged. "I think sometimes I need to keep a secret or two. Not forever and not well but...it helps having something you guys can discover and discipline me for. A secret where the punishment is pain and pleasure, not just...pain."

"I see." Isa hesitated. "Does Roxas know this?"

"I think so. I was going to talk to you guys about it later. You guys both know I like getting punished during our scenes with Xion. I figured it was kind of obvious."

"Hm. Alright." Then Axel felt him chuckle. "Are you sure you weren't just embarrassed about wanting really rough sex with your really tiny boyfriend?"

"Shut up," Axel laughed.

They didn't linger long on the balcony. As lovely as the twilight was, both men were starving and the scent of Roxas's cooking was the perfect lure. Dusk might not be eternal here, but there was still plenty of time to enjoy it with food in their bellies, and that was all the knowledge they needed to head indoors and seek their dinner. An assortment of seafood and savory pancakes greeted them in the kitchen, alongside a platter of tropical fruit and hot coconut milk—set aside for dessert, they were informed. Axel was quite happy to inform Roxas that he better resembled dessert in his adorably plain apron, and Isa was quite happy to go along with it.

They both regretted it when it came time to sit, however, Roxas's teasing floating down the hall as he went to fetch them cushions. He returned moments later, obnoxious grin still plastered on his face. Axel poked him with a fork and Roxas squeaked then denied he had. Isa rolled his eyes and tried poorly to hide his amusement. It was the perfect opportunity for Axel and Roxas to gang up on him, their conversation becoming ridiculous as Roxas plated their meals with a surprising amount of care.

It was in the middle of this perfect moment that they heard the toilet flush.

Silence.

Wait...

As one, the three men turned and stared as Riku stepped out of the bathroom.

There was a brief moment during which nothing was said. Riku looked up and froze, earbud tumbling from his ear. There was an expression on his face that could only be described as scarred—ridiculous, considering the sort of things Axel knew he'd got up to over the years. Three guys goofing around at the kitchen table was nothing. And even if he—no way, he couldn't have—but if he had—

No. He and the others must have come home while they'd been sleeping and decided to clean up. Riku had gone to the bathroom before Roxas had woken, changed into fresh pajamas—

But a quick look down revealed he was still wearing his rumpled sleepwear from the night before; cotton shorts, a loose shirt, and Sora's ridiculous mismatched slippers. They looked like Donald and Goofy, hilarious and heartwarming gifts from equally hilarious and heartwarming friends. He could've decided to wear them two nights in a row. He could've—

Except Riku wasn't the sort to wear the same pajamas two nights in a row, especially not if he'd dressed during the day.

"You're back early..." Isa said, haltingly.

"Actually we, uh, never left." Riku cleared his throat. "Terra called us early this morning and said they were calling off the trip until the rain passed. Apparently Ven still wanted to go, but they'd planned their day assuming it'd be sunny and storms can be pretty dangerous around here, especially if you're out on the water. They decided they'd just hang out on the mainland and enjoy the bad weather that way. Better not to take a risk like that on vacation. Don't wanna spoil things by being too reckless."

"Huh," Isa said, when Riku finished his awkward rambling.

"Yeah."

The silence stretched thin, Riku squirming under their collective gaze. He kept glancing desperately at the door down the hall, looking as if he'd like nothing more than to make a run for it. Axel couldn't decide if he were more amused or embarrassed by the whole affair.

"Hey Riku?" Roxas asked.

"Yes?" Riku said.

"Did you go out at all today?"

"No." Riku averted his gaze. "Sora and I decided to have a lazy day and Vanitas stayed with us. Said he couldn't be bothered getting up."

Axel whistled. "Damn."

Riku gave a strangled laugh. "Yeah."

It was then the door down the hall opened, a quiet, "Riku?" followed by a pause and then an, "Oh, you got caught!" carrying to the kitchen. There was a minor tiff Axel couldn't quite hear, and then Sora stepped out into the corridor. He was wearing Riku's slippers, shaped like Mickey and Minnie of course. "Hi guys!" He said.

"Hey Sora," Roxas sighed.

"Nice day to stay in, huh?"

"If you say so, Sora."

The shuffle of slippers heralded Riku and Sora's arrival in the kitchen, both men smiling despite the awkwardness. Things might've been amusing, if mildly uncomfortable, had the new arrivals stopped there, but trouble always came in threes. Knowing that, Axel wasn't surprised when a third and final person slipped into the kitchen, slinking like a shadow behind Riku and Sora.

"Oh look! Everyone's up now," Vanitas said, grinning. His smile was all teeth. "I'm surprised. I wouldn't think some of you could walk in your condition."

"Good evening, Vanitas," the kitchen's occupants sang in weary chorus.

"I was just explaining why we didn't go out today," Riku said, filling him in as Vanitas—accursed interloper that he was—leaped up onto the countertop. He stuck his fingers in the leftovers of a sauce Roxas had made, licking them clean as he snickered.

"Oh yeah, you hear that storm guys? Those were some big claps of thunder. I swear the walls were shaking."

Everyone in the room groaned, and not in the context Axel preferred. I take back every positive thought I've ever had about you, Vanitas.

Vanitas, of course, didn't care about his thoughts, cackling merrily away from his perch atop the counter. Axel wished he had something witty to say to him. Even a one-liner would be better than sitting here in silence! But Roxas had apparently shaken his brains out of his skull when he'd shaken the walls, and the plate of food he'd just placed in front of him was not helping matters.

"Are you always so amused when people do what you cannot?"

Axel's eyebrows shot up, a low whistle escaping with his exhale. Isa had turned to face Vanitas, brains apparently unshaken as he delivered his words with perfect poise. Riku and Sora, huddled in the corner whilst they scarfed down their dinner, paused to stare bug-eyed, cheeks stuffed like chipmunks. The implication of Isa's words took a moment to sink in, but when they did Vanitas scowled.

"Well, you don't have to be rude, Isa. I was just saying you three really rocked the walls in here. I wouldn't be surprised if someone three floors down felt the need to file a noise complaint—or an earthquake warning."

Smack! Isa's feet were bare, but they had the same psychological impact—if not physical result—as Saïx's old Claymore when they hit the ground. Everyone jumped. Isa didn't stop there though, but rose up off that first slam of his foot and somehow managed not to limp taking the two steps he needed to reach Vanitas on the countertop. He loomed, hair wild and beautiful in its untamed state, and suddenly all Axel could think about was how lovely black and blue were when paired together.

Though usually it's Xion and Isa that make me sit up and take notice. A quick glance at Roxas reassured him he wasn't the only one paying attention now, however.

"I'm sure—" Isa said and leaned in, forcing Vanitas to back up against the wall—"that anyone listening three floors down is more likely to be thinking about how they'd like to experience something so unforgettable, as opposed to filing a noise complaint." And oh boy, Isa's remaining sliver of dominance had emerged. Axel supposed embers from their scene centering Roxas a few weeks ago had lingered and flared to life. "I'm sure you, Vanitas, are thinking much the same."

"Phew," Axel muttered. "If it gets any hotter in here I think the fire alarm's gonna go off."

Roxas choked, then hid his face behind Axel's hair. It was one of life's small mercies that Vanitas didn't notice.

Axel did notice the way Vanitas's expression changed, however, his cocksure grin dropping away as something like longing slipped in to take its place. For Vanitas's sake, Axel wished he could say he was surprised, but he doubted a single person here would be shocked to discover that Vanitas longed for intimate touch. Axel watched a little shiver crawl up his spine, his eyes widening, darkening, a singular second of open want—open need—coming to life inside him.

Then that cocksure grin was back and he pressed forward, stalked Isa as stepped willingly all the way back to his seat. Isa dropped, almost hiding his wince as his backside connected with the cushion. He showed no signs of discomfort as Vanitas bent over him, nor when one booted foot came to rest on the chair between his legs. Axel thought it likely he'd deliberately sat so his bathrobe rucked up around his thighs.

"You're so sure you know what I'm thinking, huh?" Vanitas sneered, lovely as ever. But then there it was again, that spark of longing. Axel had seen it one too many times in the mirror to mistake it for anything else. "Well, if you were right and that was the case then...would you want to?"

"Hm?" Isa turned away, lifting his cup of hot milk to his lips and blowing lightly. "I'll think about it. You should know, however, that I was not responsible for today's performance. Those two—" he nodded toward Roxas and Axel—"were director and scriptwriter. You'll find my name in the acting credits and nowhere else."

"I'd say you helped with production a little," Axel muttered. What else would you call you and Roxas feeling me up on the beach?

"Your name seemed more like it was in the opening titles," Sora said, speaking over Axel. "I mean we heard it a few times after you got started, but mostly it was just, er, y'know...like you forgot everything except how to scream."

Isa choked, losing both his poise and his dominance. Axel bit down hard on his lip to keep from laughing, heard Roxas wheeze, saw Vanitas cock his head as if to ask, "Did you have to ruin my moment?" For his part, Sora seemed to realize the nature of his statement and blushed.

"I mean, it's just—you sounded like you were having a really good time and—I guess—like you forgot your own names or something and—er—uh—Riku?"

"Never mind?" Riku offered, his voice again displaying that strangled quality.

"Never mind," Sora squeaked. "Just forget I said anything."

Their faces—sunset red—were the last straw. Axel burst out laughing, succumbing to the hilarity of the situation and the ridiculous mental image of three guys trapped in a bedroom whilst an absolute pounding happened next door. How pent-up are they right now? We must've driven them absolutely mad!

He laughed and laughed, and when it became clear no further conversation was going to happen, Vanitas took that as his cue and swaggered off. He seemed content with his stolen pancake and a not-quite-but-if-he-asked-again-he'd-probably-get-it date with Isa. At the very least, he'd have something decent to imagine the next time he and his hands decided to play nice with each other. Riku and Sora scurried off not long after, shouting, "Thanks for dinner!" over their shoulders as they stumbled into their bedroom. They were probably feeling trapped and horny, what with the lack of privacy and Riku's shyness—still ridiculous, because Axel really did know what he got up to at home. 

But who knows. Maybe Riku and Vanitas are pent-up enough to decide they're okay with fucking each other as well as Sora. I mean, c'mon Riku! It's not like you haven't dated darkness before! 

Axel cleared his throat, finally managing to get his laughter under control now that the others were gone. The three remaining men exchanged amused glances, but otherwise made no comment until Roxas finished serving their meal. The food was still warm and the light still catching on the horizon, sunbeams slipping through their open bedroom door and painting the room in pretty colors. As the mood shifted from comically tense to something a little calmer, Axel took note of Roxas's hand on his shoulder, soothing.

"You alright?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah. Cushion helps. Come sit down before dinner gets cold."

Roxas did, and soon the three of them were digging into their seafood and pancakes, hunger finally satisfied. There wasn't a lot of conversation, but that was alright. Axel felt serene, sated and floating on his post-sex high. He looked at the two men he loved and grinned, murmured, "You think they'll be able to forget it?"

"Sora and the others? Probably not." Roxas grinned. "Neither will Xion when she finally gets to watch it."

"And neither will we," Isa put in. "Wasn't that the point, Axel?"

Axel exhaled. "Yeah. To do something unforgettable..."

Unforgettable. The word swam in his stomach, turning dizzy circles in a pool of warmth and need. There had been a time when that word had gone untended, his desire for eternity crushed beneath empty years and tragic days. He had lost his fire, been stripped of important memories, and left with only his physical shell, barely able to imitate the boy who had longed to live forever in others' hearts.

Yet now he and that word, that dream, lay curled together like cats with cream before a hearth. Roxas and Isa had burned themselves into him, and soon they would be burned into Xion. Even Riku, Sora, and Vanitas had been touched, changed. Maybe even their other friends would know, hear whispers from those who had heard what happened. Each and every one of them might flow together, bound by a singular flame.

A little piece of Axel's whole, his joy, that might exist within them. His pain turned pleasure, his desire brought to life and passed on to so many wonderful people who longed for him to touch their hearts.

Every moment, every friend, entirely unforgettable.

"Guess we got it memorized, huh?" Roxas said, and just like that Axel laughed. He laughed as they headed back out onto the balcony after dinner, and when they went to sleep that night, bright and happy and alive. He was sure they'd all dream of today, but no one seemed unhappy with that, least of all the two who collapsed into bed with him in a tangle of limbs and sheets and love.

A perfect memory, burned into their hearts for all eternity.

The moon shone down, bathing Isa in pale, pristine light. Dark always fell beautifully upon Destiny Islands, whether the night was clear or streaked with storm clouds. The skies were a perfect indigo for now, sweet and speckled with brilliant stars. If he were to step onto the balcony he would see the play island in the distance, as visible during these late hours as it was during the day. The air would be humid, but clean, sliding over his skin like a silken nightgown, and he would sigh, at peace.

But he did not step out. He had another purpose, one that must be achieved beneath purest moonlight. Renewal. Redemption. Rebirth. I have received it a thousand times, yet still I seek it a thousand more.

Tonight, however, the ritual would end differently. Tonight, I give myself entirely to her.

He remembered his words. "Xion, this time you can..."

His throat had closed for a moment, but she'd understood. This wasn't a request that would burden her, not like the last. This was something she might enjoy, a task she wouldn't have to ask Axel and Roxas to take over.

"I...trust you," he'd said. "I trust you'll take care of me every time."

Still, he shivered, heart racing now at the thought of what he'd offered her.

Snap. "Got it," Lea murmured, successfully fastening Isa's babydoll. Isa shifted, felt the lingerie slip over his skin. Shades of periwinkle and cornflower hugged his chest, then hung loose, sheer silk flowing freely all the way to his hips. Delicate lace in the shape of moons and stars adorned the cups, while the hems glistened with jewels, matching the fabric's glittering sheen. His panties offered little modesty, the hem and front the only places with any opacity.

Behind him, he heard Lea fussing with something. The soft caress of satin followed, wrapping around his neck and—ah. Calm took his mind, washing his fears away as the waves washed footprints from the distant shore. The collar bound him to his body, offering him the opportunity to take what pleasure this shape had to offer while diminishing the pain he felt within it.

Long fingers retreated from his neck, and the bed sunk, shifting like the seas as he was embraced. The body against his was mostly bone, arms long and sinuous. They drew him back until his head rested upon his partner's shoulder.

Lea was bright as ever, burning against the blues of night.  For all that this evening was Isa's, he would never seek to take the fire from his friend—even when it did not suit the mood. Besides, there was nothing he could do to diminish the blaze in his eyes, green as a cat's. The makeup lining them added flare, moonlight making them glow. His lingerie matched his hair, vivid red and lined with jewels in emerald, gold, and violet hues. Its cut and style was much the same as Isa's own, save the lace pattern better resembled a swirling inferno than the night sky.

His choker was red and black, Isa's midnight blue. The simplified Eternal Flame set into Lea's was still showier than the dark, moon-shaped gem upon his, but that was fine. That was right. Each man was collared as his Mistress saw fit.

"You look good," Lea murmured.

"Fortunately I can say the same to you, Lea, if only for tonight," Isa replied, smirking when Lea pinched his nose.

"Some friend you are, rude as ever." He laughed though, a warm sound that made Isa feel safe. It—combined with the gentle fragrance they both wore—reminded him of warm spring days and playing games in the fountain courts of Radiant Garden, of ice cream and teasing and endless adventures. It reminded him to breathe.

The door clicked.

"The others are here now," Lea said. He licked his lips. "You ready?"

"As I always am, Axel," Isa replied, his friend's other name rolling easily off his tongue. He gave his mind a moment to shift—all he needed these days, to change Lea to Axel in his head. It was still enough time for Axel to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Good," he said, grinning. "We've got you, alright?"

Isa nodded, smiled, and turned to face the door.

Their hotel bedroom always seemed so different at night. The moon dyed the world in delicate shades; light gold, pale yellow, and warm silver, deep navy, indigo, and violet. The interior, white with bold accents during the day, became ethereal once dark fell. That was the magic of the Islands, he supposed, and felt a moment's gratitude that this world cast such a spell whenever they came to visit—that the moon was always kind whenever they performed their ritual here.

Perhaps he was also grateful he did not have to pretend it was night, as he did in Twilight Town.

Perhaps he was also grateful that the moonlight so flattered his beautiful lovers.

Roxas came first, wearing nothing but a black band bearing his symbol around his neck. His cheeks were flushed, but that took none of the strength from his stride. Isa knew that power intimately; as an enemy, and as a friend. He knew that Roxas would tear the world apart to protect those he cared for, could sink the teeth of his weapons into flesh and steel and all other things and shred them to pieces.

But the little quirk at the corner of his lips was a reminder that, above all else, Roxas had a loving center, far softer than one might suspect. That sweet sincerity made Isa smile as Roxas caught his gaze, blue eyes warm. He sat in a seat along the side of the room, an observer for the time being.

Isa breathed. Sometimes, he wondered if he might not deserve Roxas's love. The thought rarely occurred to him now, dismissed by years of affection, but when they gathered on nights such as these he let his fears and vulnerabilities surface. You could not wash away what was swept under the rug, after all. His mind played out the actions he had taken back when he was a Nobody, a theatrical performance he longed to distance himself from. Yet instead he watched, and wondered how Axel had found his heart again while Isa had failed, how Roxas and Xion had learned to be kind while Saïx had forgotten what he'd known in his youth.

He accepted things were complicated. He also accepted he took some of the blame.

That was alright. That was the point of tonight. Beneath the watery moonlight all would be washed away, naught remaining except divinity.

And there she was. His Mistress stood across the room, glowing as the moon did in her dark draperies. She was dressed much like Roxas, save that black cape. It was the color of pitch, clasped at the throat then parting, the front falling to just below her breasts. The back fell to her knees and the hood hung limp, discarded. She wore a black collar—a ribbon tied in a large bow. It symbolized bond, without the additional promise of submission. She had a riding crop in hand, but he knew she would not hit him with it. Such activities were saved for the dungeon back home, away from silken sheets and moonlit baths.

His heart caught in his throat. There were times when he could not help but compare her to his former Master. In some ways they were entirely opposed; his dark, her pale, the white cascade of his hair, the short silhouette of her own, their heights and breadths unalike in all ways. His Master had not been capable of love, and his Mistress loved him so very dearly. Wherever he looked, he found contrasts. Yet in other ways they were alike. They both cared for him as they were able, tended to him as their hound and puppet. Insofar as he was capable, he gave them his heart, his soul, his body.

He closed his eyes and recalled a life torn between plots, plans, and desires. Between his past actions and his current affections.

He breathed, and looked upon his Mistress once more.

"Flame. Puppet."

A shiver ran down Isa's spine, and he tensed. He already faced her, sitting on his knees with his back straight as she approached the bed. Beside him, Axel did the same. He lacked his usual mischief, restraining himself on these sacred nights. Isa loved him for that.

Mistress stopped at the edge of the bed. Isa's heart raced, eager to please his puppeteer. Still, it was not difficult for him to behave as she pressed one knee against the bed, leaning forward without quite climbing onto it. Her crop came up under his chin, and he raised his head with her guidance. He held his breath. He did not wish to show even the slightest rise and fall of his chest without her command to do so.

"Lovely," she whispered, as if the words were only for him. She tilted his head, watched the way his hair fluttered around him. His ears had been adorned with silver cuffs, and he thought she liked the way they caught the light.

There was a heavy exhale to his right. Mistress turned her head, let her crop follow to press against Axel's chin. Isa had not been given permission to look, and so saw only a flicker of red at the corner of his eye as Axel swayed. "You are also quite pretty, my flame," Mistress said, "but I do not recall giving you permission to dance."

Another heavy exhale. Was it desire or defiance, Isa wondered. Some part of him was amused. I suppose we can endure a little of your cheek. It is a part of why we love you, after all. Still, Axel made no further noise, and Isa appreciated his self-control.

"Kneel," Mistress said.

Isa fell forward, palms flat on the bed. He kept his gaze down, unwilling to show even the slightest disrespect to his Mistress. It made the pleasure all the sweeter when he felt her hand in his hair, petting lightly. She was pleased. Very pleased, he realized, as her fingers trailed lower, running over his shoulders and back, caressing both muscles and curves. Heat coiled in his stomach and he stiffened, restraining himself.

She seemed unperturbed, likely expecting such good behavior from her puppet. Isa slowed his breathing, resisting the buzz that ran through his body as fingers dipped under silk and over skin, dancing across his waist and hips to catch on the hem of his underwear. They did not dip beneath it, however, instead darting down the outside to slide against the damp line there. A shudder ran through him as he felt her fingers, hot and deft, stroking such tender places. Still, he accepted her touch. He trusted her above all others with the right to touch that part of him. Even Roxas and Axel would have to wait until she took him there before he let them take a turn.

But do I want this? Immediately, he put the thought from his head. You asked for it. Just consider yourself lucky you weren't taken long ago. Your Master could have done that to you, and you wouldn't have stopped him.

Sometimes, he wished Xemnas had taken him, even though he knew it would have hurt him. Other times, he wondered why he hadn't. He hadn't been kind. He'd been as broken and cruel as any other Nobody, maybe even more so. Yet when he recalled his touch, he remembered large fingers doing much the same as Xion's did—a coy caress and nothing more.

Mistress's hands were kinder though. They did not linger as she stroked down his thighs and over his ankles, ending with a gentle squeeze of each foot. "Very good," she said, before stepping to the side.

Isa was not surprised to hear a whimper. Even an obedient Axel struggled with silence, and if Mistress was giving him the same treatment she'd given Isa then he would break. But she knows that. That's why she won't punish him—this time.

Her voice was full of approval when she spoke again. "Both soft and sweetly-scented. Good. You have done as I asked and bathed in pure waters. Now, we may move forward with your purification."

There was no click of heels as she moved, feet bare and floor carpeted. Still, Isa felt the room vibrate with her every step, responding to her energy as she came to a stop before them once more. He did not look up. Nothing above her waist was visible. His heart thundered at the sight of slick on her inner thigh, glistening. It was hard to miss, her pale legs already standing out against the stark black of her cape.

A flash of memory—dark skin against white silk—and then countless others sprung forth. A faceless doll hooded and cloaked, the red flame of sunset weeping for golden light and fading darkness, a collar around his neck and scars on his face, old allegiances crumbling and plans collapsing as envy and desire grew anew in the crevasse of his chest. Cruelty, brutality, loss, death, ending.

Her touch brought him back, a hand on his cheek freeing him from the past. But—no. Her fingers tilted his face up and shame curdled in Isa's gut. He could feel the wetness on his cheeks, tears besmirching the once-clear night.

She did not punish him though, merely kissed them away. She gathered all that had spilled upon her lips, then murmured, "Tears may cleanse, but that is not the purpose of this ritual. We will be the ones to break your heart open and share it with the moonlight, puppet, so let us save this weeping until then."

Isa did, putting aside his sorrow. Distantly, he felt a spark of relief she had never commanded him to surrender anything more this. Not his private places, nor his private thoughts. His past cruelty he would happily abandon, but his need to obey? That was harder. He would've given her so many things before he was ready had she but asked for them.

But Mistress was kind. Kinder than his past Master, and certainly kinder than Isa himself. She treats her puppets well.

"Now," she said, holding her crop to his chin once more, "before I can break you, you must be cleansed in fire. You may have washed in water, but have you burned in heat? No?" Isa shook his head. "Then tend to my flame and he shall tend to you. I would have you kiss first, then—" and she paused here to gesture with the hand not holding the crop, circling a finger as she looked toward Axel—"you understand, flame? Good. Puppet, lie down."

She stepped back and Isa moved to obey, a shock of shame and arousal coursing through him when he felt how wet his underwear was. Had he truly become so easy over the years that he soaked himself the moment someone clipped their leash to his collar? But then, have I even been a challenge to own?

He didn't think so.

Isa laid back on the mattress, Axel lying on top of him, heads pointing toward the foot of the bed. His weight was a pleasant pressure, skin feverish against Isa's own. Red hair spilled over his shoulders, green eyes soft and hazy. Isa knew then that at least half Axel's good behavior was due to having fallen under their Mistress's heel so early in their play, an uncommon thing for the bratty submissive. Either that, or he was lost in thought. The tender thumb against Isa's cheek made him wonder.

Are you thinking of me, Axel? Are you worried about what I agreed to do, knowing that I've avoided it since we were young and experimenting behind locked doors? 

He sighed, realized that his eyes likely mirrored Axel's, what with his worry and wandering thoughts. And my heart beneath my Mistress's heel. He smiled just slightly as Axel drew closer and pressed their lips together, tongue sliding into Isa's mouth. Isa accepted all of him, returning the favor. This was the easiest thing in the world; an adult reflection of eternal childhood moments. There was an intimacy now they had never had back then, Axel's hands gliding over his body, hot like fire, lips and tongue burning as they pushed against his own. Isa parted his legs and Axel canted his hips, pressing his hardness against the wet indent in Isa's underwear.

It soothed him, the slow pace comforting. His heart refrained from pounding out of his chest at the thought of what would come later, focused on kissing and grinding. He hadn't forgotten his Mistress's gesture, of course, nor what it meant. He flushed, always a little nervous when certain parts of his body were more involved in sex than usual.

But I trust Axel and Mistress, and it's not like he didn't have his head between my legs when we made that video a fortnight ago. I enjoyed that. I enjoy it whenever we do this. Axel mouths off a lot, but he really does know how to use his tongue.

Besides, Isa was a puppet. He would follow his Mistress's instructions, and if that meant bowing before her flame to appease her whims then he would.

The thought of his own obedience sent shivers down his spine, warm and tingling. He moaned, and felt a moment's gratitude that Axel caught the sound in his mouth, drowned it in the wet slide of their lips. Isa wasn't taciturn—especially not when someone was grinding against him—but a part of him had always liked impressing others with his self-control.

"Change." Mistress's command cut through his thoughts. Then, more softly, she added, "Roxas, come here."

"Need something?" He asked, stepping into view. Isa watched a rivulet of sweat drip down his back, bit his lip at the sight of his cock standing erect. That was for him—for them. He gave a roll of the hips, barely conscious of doing so while Axel kissed down his throat, drawing away.

"Do I need something?" Mistress hummed, reaching out to touch Roxas's face. "You, silly." Her smile was sweet, a reminder of the girl just behind Isa's Mistress. His heart skipped a beat at the sight, but her presence wasn't something for him to comment on. 

I belong to both of them—Xion and Mistress. It's just...having them together, blending into one, it's...overwhelming. That wasn't a bad thing, even on a night such as this when his absolute obedience was necessary. But she's beautiful. She's always beautiful, and so is he.

Their words faded into foam as Axel finished adjusting himself, straddling Isa's face. He wouldn't be able to watch Roxas and their Mistress, but Isa knew they would spoil him at a later date. As if he won't enjoy what we're about to do to each other, with or without a view. 

"Lie down for me?" Mistress asked, voice drifting over Isa's consciousness as the sea.

"Sure," Roxas murmured. "I can do that."

He laid back on the bed, body perpendicular to Isa's own. The mattress was wide enough to take his full length, designed to support four adults comfortably. Isa felt a brief moment of gratitude for Kairi—if she claimed she'd chosen this suite for them based on the fact it was completed and the others weren't, he also suspected she'd taken the size of the bed into account. 

He watched as Mistress climbed onto Roxas, straddling his abdomen. She'd set her crop aside, though her cape still fluttered behind her. Somehow, it made her seem more naked rather than less, darkness falling about her in such a way that nothing was hidden from Isa. Her eyes flicked to his just once. She took the opportunity to gesture toward Axel's half-hidden cock, before returning her attention to Roxas.

It was then Isa felt a hot tongue gliding over his panties, warm fingers on his thighs. A shaky breath escaped him, but he knew enough to return the favor. He took Axel's waist in one hand, freeing his cock from his underwear with the other. It was long and hot, slim and throbbing against his palm. Lovely. He drew Axel's hips a little lower, guiding him inside his mouth. His throat was loose, ready as he swallowed him deep. He heard a long moan and shivered, canted his hips as Axel pressed his lips against Isa's most sensitive places. He rolled his tongue over his clothed folds, sucking the nub they hid. Isa gasped, then sucked hard, encouraging Axel to rock his hips deeper—in and out.

They fell into a comfortable rhythm, Isa feeling hot all over. He never thought he'd enjoy the taste of Axel's dick—or any dick, considering the only one he'd had before was Xemnas—but too much sea-salt ice cream had apparently ruined his tongue. There was something pleasant about his skin, his sweat, his precum leaking down his throat. It was warm, soothing in its familiarity, and instantly arousing. Xemnas tasted like nothing, and Roxas tastes like Axel but...lighter, a little fruitier.

Delicious.

A spark ran through him as fingers hooked in his panties and tugged them aside, a hot tongue sliding over him. The wet sensation left him squirming, tingling pleasure building in his stomach and crotch. It felt like shooting stars, heat gathering so it might burst through the sky—a brief inferno of ecstasy. He rolled his hips up into Axel's mouth, eyes squeezed shut, teeth digging into his lip. He might be still for his Mistress, but for her flame?

He gets off when I writhe. Tease.

The sticky sound of lips meeting lips prompted him to open his eyes. Through his half-lidded gaze he saw Roxas and Mistress kissing. She looked like Xion again, cheeks flushed, her tongue in Roxas's mouth and his in hers. Isa didn't quite mean to copy their motions, but it felt right as he caressed Axel's cock, sucking hard when Roxas did. Mistress—Xion—moaned, mimicked him, tweaking his nipple as she did.

In some ways, they were as different as black and white. Right now, though, Isa could see their strange bond—not just their familiarity, friendship, and intimacy, but the pull-push of their tangled hearts. The artificial ties forced upon them and Sora had become something else, something their own, and how right it felt for shadow and light to meet this way beneath the moon. They existed as a powerful whole, solidifying each other's existences rather than stealing from them. No longer fading, but shining. 

With Axel here they are complete. He is the spectacle of sunset, the fire when day meets night.

And who am I?

His eyes fluttered shut again.

Just a moonbather, reaching for the celestial while seeking my heart.

"Mmmm." Isa's body snapped taut, eyes opening as Axel hummed against his sex. The sound reverberated through him, escaping around Axel's cock in a moan. Axel twitched in his throat, hot and heavy and so close. Isa felt heat in his own belly, coiling tightly. His legs twitched with every swipe of Axel's tongue, his eyes darting between the man buried between his legs and Roxas and Mistress. Both sights were beautiful, but his gaze came to a stop on Roxas, laughing as Mistress whispered in his ear.

"Would you give me a hand on my way to divinity?"

Roxas grinned. "Always, Xion."

Divinity. This was it. The moon granted it and Xion grasped it, submerging herself in its mystique. She shone with it now as her hands came to rest on Roxas's chest, running over his nipples, the lithe planes of his body. Roxas's fingers traced over her breasts, palms squeezing and caressing. Mistress smiled—smirked—and rolled her hips along his body. A shudder ran through him, and Isa felt the fires in his stomach burn. He swallowed thickly around Axel's cock, eyes on the glistening trail his Mistress had left across Roxas's stomach and cock. 

Then they turned. Their twin blue gazes bared down on him, and Isa arched his back. Did he and Axel make as pretty a picture as they did? He hoped so, hoped to please and pleasure them here in this hallowed pool of moonlight.

That desire prompted him to action, fingers trailing down Axel's hips to squeeze his ass—a silent request. He got what he asked for—a rustle of pillows, the click of a bottle, and thick lube poured over his waiting fingers. The bottle vanished and Isa retreated, taking Axel's ass in hand again. He caressed between his cheeks once, twice, before pressing inside, swallowing around Axel's cock at the same time. It was a little trickier than expected, if only because Axel was doing the same to him, his tongue sliding down his slit while his fingers slipped inside his ass. 

But not the front—never the front—although if Mistress is going to take me then maybe he should—

A whine tore him from his thoughts. There was a moment of confusion, but then he focused his eyes and realized he had heard it correctly. He stared at his Mistress, grinding hard and fast against Roxas, cunt aligned with his cock. Another little moan escaped, a common sound from Axel and Roxas, but a rare one for her. It felt special, especially on a night like this.

Roxas whimpered, eyes glazed and hands reaching out for her. She smiled, then adjusted her hips and pushed back against the head of his cock. Isa felt Axel shift above him—to watch, maybe—but his attention remained on Roxas and Mistress as she giggled, sat down, and took him all the way inside. All of them gasped, Isa's body trembling as Axel groaned and buried his face between his thighs once more. He sucked harder, and Isa returned his enthusiasm.

His eyes, however, stayed on Mistress as she rode Roxas's dick, her teeth in her lip, her chest bouncing with every thrust and roll. Roxas's blond hair stuck to his face, eyelashes fluttering as he rocked his cock up inside her. He was lovely, sweat catching the moonlight, eyes dark. "X—Xion, I'm—"

She pressed a finger to his lips, grinning. "Hold on for me, Roxas. I know you're not the obedient sort, but please. Hold on for me."

He did. Isa could tell by the determined set of his brow, the way his fingers gripped her thighs. Mistress's cheeks flushed, another giggle escaping that broke off into a moan. A litany of pretty noises spilled from their tongues. He didn't think either of them would last long.

Yet Mistress's words were also a reminder—hold on for me. Focus for me. Isa had a task, one no less worthy than watching day and night become one, and he needed to see it to completion. Her flame is kind enough to help me, yet I keep succumbing to distraction.

His throat hadn't stopped working around Axel's cock, thankfully, so perhaps he had already 'held on' for him in a fashion. While Mistress ascended to divinity, Isa would see himself and Axel burn. There were no true rules to redemption—it could be given easily or denied indefinitely; a gift, a requirement, or a natural occurrence upon the cessation of cruelty—but Isa wanted to earn it. That was a choice his redeemers had granted him, and he would take it. But first, he had to cleanse himself in Axel's flame.

Roxas and Mistress continued until their voices rose in pitch and the wet sounds of the sex ceased, but Isa did not look. Instead he focused on filling Axel, his fingers thrusting into his ass while his tongue curled around his cock, head bobbing along its length. His own body felt feverish, core throbbing as Axel licked and sucked his folds, fucking his ass as Isa fucked his. He trembled with the pleasure, barely noticing when the bed dipped—Roxas and Mistress departing to watch their submissives play. 

That thought nearly tipped Isa over the edge. He drew Axel deeper into his throat, humming around him. He could taste salt on his tongue and knew Axel was close, canting his own hips so Axel could slip his tongue inside his opening. Not too far—please never too far—but just enough, teasing his walls and rapidly loosening the coil in his stomach. It burned up in moments, fire rushing through him as Axel came down his throat, ass squeezing Isa's fingers. Isa swallowed, gagged once, swallowed again, and felt a twinge of embarrassment that it was Axel's cum that prompted his release, his own body pulsing and pushing wet into Axel's mouth as he licked him through his orgasm. They took all the other had to give before collapsing on the mattress, Isa's mouth dripping and thighs soaked, Axel's groan loud now his head wasn't buried between Isa's thighs.

There was silence then, interrupted only by the susurrus of fabric—Mistress's cape rustling as she climbed out of Roxas's lap. He remained in his chair—moved to better observe—while she came over to the bed, bending slightly so she might take them in.

"Well done, both of you," she said, encouraging Axel to turn so she could stroke both their heads. "My puppet, you have been cleansed completely. I trust Roxas to see to your final preparations while I thank my flame for his efforts. We will reconvene in a moment."

Isa gave a single nod, missed the feel of her hand when she stepped away and around the bed. Still, he'd been given instructions and Roxas's company was just as appealing. He'd come to sit on the bed, eyes inviting as he gestured to his lap. Isa crawled to him on shaky hands and knees, accepted the support of Roxas's hand under his chin when he reached his side, as well as the single kiss he laid on his lips. His tongue swept through Isa's mouth, tasting both Axel and Isa himself.

When he pulled back, his eyes were dark and his lips quirked. "Hm, nice flavor."

Isa shuddered. Roxas's expression belied his gentle touch, however, careful hands arranging Isa's hair and adjusting his clothes. His panties were removed first, Roxas's fingers delving between his legs. They ran through the wet, sloppy mess Axel had left behind, over his nub and folds. They never entered, but Isa could feel the way they circled his opening, testing the waters. Roxas had to make sure he was ready, loose enough to take what was coming next. It had never really mattered before tonight, but—

His stomach coiled again, but there was only anxiety this time. His eyes darted to the other side of the bed where Xion and Lea—Axel—stood. She was petting his hair and cheeks, cooing softly like she did whenever he was well-behaved. "You've done so well," she said. "I'll ask Roxas to take care of you while I tend to my puppet, alright? He'll like that, and you'll both get to watch."

"Mmmm." Lea—Axel—leaned into her touch, grinning. His gaze flicked over to the bedside drawer, where Mistress's cock sat. It was an insertable dildo, shimmering pearl and periwinkle as the moon, with straps and a harness for support. "Can I help with that?"

"I suppose," she said, kissing his cheek. "Just don't get too rowdy down there, okay? One taste, and then I have to take care of my puppet."

Lea—Axel—Lea said something, but Isa didn't hear him. He would've loved to watch him and Xion—Mistress—together. His partners loving each other always made him happy. But instead, all Isa could focus on was what Axel was preparing her for, what she planned on doing—what he himself had asked her to do.

He struggled to focus, shaking, wondering why Roxas's touch felt so muted. He pressed his head against his hand and tried not to feel the wet between his legs. His awareness of his hole—that hole—made him shudder as if dumped in an ice bath, every contraction, pulse, every eager tingle chilling his blood. At the same time, something hot blazed to life in his chest. It was far from sweet, a terrible feeling that awakened with fear and anger beneath the light of the moon.

Hysteria. Dysphoria.

Berserker.

I don't want to disappoint her. I asked for this. I wanted this. I'm curious, I trust her, but I—I don't—I can't—I—I—I have to—I have to—stop—start—finish—end—

"Isa."

He blinked, winced when Roxas gave his hair a sharp tug. It wasn't violent though, and the same hand that hurt him also soothed the sore spot, massaging softly. The physical pain grounded Isa in the now, brought his attention back to Roxas's warm, blue eyes. He let the other man embrace him, felt his lips against his ear.

"Isa," he murmured. "You're a puppet—her puppet. She knows you. Trust her."

Just like that, Isa breathed. His pain lingered, but in a diminished state, and his panic stopped in its tracks. The feeling of threat that might have swelled into his Berserker state faded, all worry of a manic episode with it. Those weren't common, but he had them sometimes when he remembered Xemnas, or his past, or thought too long about his body. There was no way to know if he would've had them had he never been a Nobody, never known the power of the moon, but they were a—mercifully rare—part of his life now. He was just glad Roxas had noticed.

But he will always notice this. He can see the violence that exists in me, and the vulnerability that lies beneath it. He acknowledges it, he knows it. Those of the sun have much in common with those of the moon, after all. We are fury and madness...

Isa sighed, slowing his heart as he breathed in time with the fingers combing through his hair. Usually, Roxas was a little rougher with him—the salt to Mistress's stern sweetness—but beneath the sacred moon he was either wild, or delicate as the slivers of light washing over them in the dark. Tonight, he was gentle, barring that earlier tug, petting Isa's head and rubbing his back soothingly.

Trust her.

Isa rose, sitting so that Roxas could assess him properly. His makeup needed adjustment—balm reapplied, liner tidied. His ear cuffs were removed, along with all his other jewelry and clothes, save the collar around his neck. His nudity brought a flush of genuine shame, but Roxas's steady hands brushed it away.

Isa didn't feel much true shame these days, but he wasn't surprised his nakedness left him shaky in the moment. He was glad Roxas was kind, not asking questions Isa wasn't sure he could answer, just catching his mind before it could float away. His touch was all Isa needed, really, able to lose himself as his head was tilted this way and that. The strength inside Roxas was palpable, power and protection seeping out his hands and wrapping around Isa's heart.

Roxas turned his head one last time to fix his liner, and Isa saw Axel get his single taste. He'd finished helping Mistress get her straps on, her cock in hand as he pressed his head between her legs. He sucked, long and hard. Her body tensed, back arched as he drew the flavors inside her out. Her wet and Roxas's cum intermingling in her cunt must've been a delight on the tongue.

Axel moaned when he pulled back, and Mistress laughed. Then, with no further fuss, she spread her pussy and let him slide the small end of her cock inside, adjusting her harness to ensure it stayed put. She had the strength to keep it in herself, but preferred not having to worry about it. Axel slid back and she shifted, testing it, before turning her eyes on Isa.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Roxas, prepare him for me."

Roxas did, Isa following his silent instructions as he laid him out on the bed. He was directed to face the glass doors and the moon, legs spread so his body was properly presented to his Mistress. He swallowed, felt his throat bob under his collar.

My collar. That's all the protection I have. That's all I have and—she's—she's going to—

"Trust her," Roxas repeated, pressing a single kiss to his neck. Then he stepped away, departing to join Axel at the head of the bed. They would sit there and observe, appreciating the ritual from their out-of-the-way pillow pile.

Isa's attention wasn't on them, however. His eyes fell on his Mistress, standing with her back to the balcony. The moonlight limned her black hair, her cape and the straps of her harness striking against the pale of her body. Her blue eyes were dark with pleasure, and her cock shone, sticky with lube. He swallowed, thinking of how it disappeared inside of her.

Will it disappear inside of me too? Or will I fade away instead, losing myself, losing...

Her finger crept under his chin, ensuring his gaze remained on her face. She was perfectly radiant; a Priestess of the Moon, born of pale light and doused in shadows. The bed dipped as her knee came to rest on it, her body slotting between his open legs. Hot and cold pooled in his stomach as her cock slid neatly along his folds, presented slit parting readily for her.

He would take whatever she gave him.

He would take his punishment.

His eyes squeezed shut, heart shuddering within the shelter of his ribs. His stomach roiled, and he tried not to think of his body, his shape, tried to focus on the delight he should feel at his Mistress claiming all parts of him. The soothing rock of her hips did little to ease him, mind reeling. Fear as much as desire made his body tighten with every thrust, contracting around nothing. His chest heaved, even as he tried to slow his breathing. It was hard, when a thousand shimmering threads of fear and dissociation scattered and strangled him all at once. Still, he took one breath, two—

We've got you, alright? 

Axel.

Trust her.

Roxas.

"Isa." The bed sunk deeper as his Mistress's hand came to rest by his head. He opened his eyes, staring up into hers. "I can take you any way I want?"

His breath caught. "Yes, Mistress."

"That's right," she said. "I can."

The head of her cock slid down to his hole, a second of heat and pressure. Isa nearly sucked her in himself, squeezing tightly, catching the head. But he closed his eyes once more, forced an exhale, and—

She never entered. She fucked forward, cock slipping away from his hole and instead pushing through his folds, grinding over all his sensitive places. He flung his eyes open at the sensation, friction making him flinch. There was little pain though, almost entirely pleasure and—relief, so much relief. His fingers tangled in the sheets, body shaking.

"Hold on to me, puppet," Mistress commanded.

His hands came up and wrapped around her, blunt nails nipping at her shoulders with every roll of her hips. She pressed down hard, thrusting but never entering. His anxiety spiked whenever she teased him, cock head against his hole, but so did his pleasure. His body tingled, pressure building inside. He'd burst soon, filled to the brim with heat and life, awash in the moonlight.

Sometimes, when she paused at his entrance, he almost wished she'd take him. There was a yes in him almost as deep as his no, seeking what that no denied. Perhaps it would get its wish another night.

For now, though, he celebrated that her insight—her choice—had brought him this joy while sparing him from pain. Punishment and redemption are not the same. Ecstasy exists in both, but they are not one, and it is my Mistress who decides what I deserve.

I am a puppet. I exist to obey.

Wet trickled out with every thrust, legs twitching as each rock of Mistress's hips sent heat spiraling downward. He whimpered when she nudged her cock against his nub, feeling oversensitive, overstimulated, shocked by the rapid pace intertwined with her sudden pauses. His heart tripped over itself when he thought of how she fucked herself too, toy deeper in her than in him, and how regardless of that fact she took his everything. She owned him.

New noises joined theirs—Axel and Roxas touching each other, writhing against the pillows. It was hard enough for Isa to resist excessive movement, drowning in moonlight and fucked mindless by his Mistress, and their voices didn't help matters. Every part of him touched by the night tingled, the growing heat irresistible. Everything in him surrendered, his grasping fingers only holding on because he was told to. They dug into her skin through her cape, keeping him with her as she slid against him and whispered, "Beg me."

His lips parted, a single, breathy, "Please," all he could muster.

It was enough.

She shuddered, and with another hard thrust against his oversensitive sex, he broke. The last of his air slipped away and he drowned, body throbbing and gushing. He was sure when he was done he'd be so wet and loose she could slip inside and he wouldn't notice, but he no longer cared. Everything swum in the warm embrace of the moon—their moon. Even Axel and Roxas let go, all giving themselves over to the sacred power of its light.

He blinked, vision dark and stars glittering before him. When his senses came back, she was there, smiling. She bent forward and stole a kiss from his lips, then stepped away and spread her arms. "By the rite of our Lunar Ritual, this Diviner has seen you purified. Your past his washed clean, your present set, and your future blessed. You are redeemed."

Isa smiled, closed his eyes, and found peace.

Time passed, though not much. The others came down from their high and shuffled around the room, tidying this and that. Clothes were put aside, muttered comments about how they'd do the laundry tomorrow passed back and forth. Jewelry was returned to its boxes, and new sheets were fetched. Isa laid still, undisturbed until someone clambered onto the bed and nudged him. He wasn't surprised to see Axel when he opened his eyes.

"Water," he said. "Xion said you should have some."

"Is a moonbath not enough?" Isa asked, brow raised, voice embarrassingly raspy. 

"Hey, I said you drank heaps of my cum and she threw your panties at me," Axel laughed, holding out a bottle and straw. "Although I'm guessing my dick down your throat is half the reason you need water right now. Besides, Roxas said too much moon on an empty stomach makes you sick. You go berserk, and then wake up with a nasty hangover!"

"That's alcohol."

"Same thing, he said."

Isa rolled his eyes and took a sip, then promptly guzzled the whole thing. He ignored Axel's smug expression as he handed the bottle back.

"As good as my cum?"

"It's certainly more hydrating. Less salt."

"Ah."

There was a second's silence. Isa wondered if Axel might bring up the change of plans toward the end of their session. Surely he had to have noticed Xion hadn't fucked him in the front. Yet he seemed disinterested, content as he always was after a night of good sex.

Isa sighed in relief.

"Roxas and I are gonna shower first," Axel said. "Xion said she'd clean you up."

"Mmhm. Roxas, come here."

The blond looked up from where he was sorting their lingerie into linen bags. Isa beckoned and he set the clothes aside, plopping down on the bed. "What?"

"Here," he said, and opened his arms. "Both of you."

"Why?" Axel asked, letting out a snort as Isa inelegantly folded him into an embrace.

"Because you two will go shower, and then we will switch places, and then when I come back you will both be unconscious," Isa stated, voice cool. He hoped the little nuzzle he gave belied his tone though. "And maybe, just maybe, I want to be with you right now." 

Axel and Roxas shared a look he didn't miss, but neither commented as they cuddled him. I want to thank you, Isa thought. I hope you had a good night too. I hope you know I—I care. I hope you don't think I'm a coward. I hope you think I've changed.

"Thank you for being there with me—" he said to Axel, and then to Roxas—"and thank you for reminding me to trust Xion. Thank you both for taking part in my redemption."

"You're fine, Isa," Axel said, kissing his neck. It wasn't sensual, just sweet.

"She won't do anything you're not ready for," Roxas added. "I think you knew that though, or you'd never have asked her in the first place. She'll wait however long you want. Until tomorrow, or forever. We all will. Besides, you were 'redeemed' ages ago, Isa, whatever redemption even means." He paused, frowned. "Look, I haven't really wanted to beat the shit out of you in years, which isn't the same thing, but it's kind of all that matters to me."

"Where'd that come from?" Axel asked.

"I just—" Roxas scowled. "I know you like being punished, but make sure to pick punishments you like. You're not that into real pain, Isa, and we don't want to give it to you. We—we're happy with you as you are, okay?"

"I'm glad," Isa said, trying not to laugh.

"I mean—we love you as you are. The past sucks sometimes, but where we're at now...I think we're good. No throttling necessary, unless you forget to use your fucking safeword again."

"You're so much sweeter than you are salty, Roxas."

Roxas blushed. "Yeah, fine," he grumbled.

"Cute," Axel said, grinning.

"Shut up. Just remember we don't mind waiting, especially now we don't have a ticking clock hanging over us, counting down the seconds until our lives end. Well, not the way we used to, anyhow. Besides, you've heard Aqua go on about how patience can yield good things, right? Like, uh..."

"WINNER sticks?" Axel offered. "Cause if you rush to get those you get a stomachache, or like, brain freeze."

"Our constant reminder that you do, in fact, have a brain," Isa murmured.

"Yeah," Roxas snorted, yelping when Axel poked his ticklish sides.

"Boys," Xion called from the bathroom down the hall—washing her toy, most likely. "Don't have all the fun without me!"

"We won't!" Roxas shouted back, lowering the volume when a thump sounded against the wall. "Get over it, Riku!" He hissed, likely inaudible to Riku himself in the bedroom over.

The three men laughed, before Isa reached up to stroke both their heads. Roxas's comment on patience, and waiting, came back to mind. He recalled how long it had taken for their relationship to blossom, remembered the tension and the struggle and the embarrassing moments when they'd been vulnerable. He thought of how calm he was now, and kissed them both. "Patience might very well be a virtue. How lucky it is to grow. How lucky I am to be surrounded by so many who have grown so well, and now shine even during deepest night."

"Like the moon," Roxas said, rolling his eyes. "You really waxing lyrical when you're not being sarcastic, huh?"

"Do have fun cleaning Axel's ass out in the shower, Roxas."

Roxas slapped his shoulder, cackling as Axel butted him with his head. Isa kissed the two men again, then laid back, watching as they headed into the bathroom. A short conversation flitted into the room before Xion returned, packing her toy away.

He wasn't surprised when she came over to him. She said nothing, but gestured until he sat up and allowed her to remove his collar. No words were exchanged as she helped him stand, nor when they worked to remake the bed. It might have been Isa's night, but he liked to help when he could. The silence was contented, and remained so even when Axel and Roxas returned and Xion and Isa took their place, washing each other down with water instead of moonlight.

They focused on their task, but just once Isa tilted her head up. He saw the worry in her eyes and kissed it away.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," he said softly, throat still a little sore. "My breakdown, I mean."

"Okay," she said. "I made the right choice, yeah?"

"Mmhm."

His heart lifted when she smiled.

When they returned to their room, neither was surprised to see Axel and Roxas already asleep. Axel was snoring, Roxas curled around his splayed body like a tiny kitten. His hand reached out when Xion climbed into bed though, clinging to her pajamas. Isa chuckled, sliding in behind her on the side closest to the balcony doors. Even outside their rituals he found the moonlight soothing, and wished to rest in it

Once he settled, Xion turned to lean against his chest. She shifted just so Roxas and Axel slid down the mattress, bodies tangling with her own. Isa grinned, glad to have all his partners where he could reach them. Sometimes, he liked to sleep alone, but on sacred nights he longed for their company. Or maybe I've just gone soft over the years.

"Isa?" Xion's voice broke the silence.

"Yes?" He said.

"Did it help?"

"It did. It always does. I feel...clean again. I feel alright being the person I am, living the life I do. You make a very good Priestess of the Moon."

She giggled. "I'm glad. I know the moon means a lot to you."

He closed his eyes. "It just...feels sacred, untouchable. It reminds me of my time with Xemnas, but also of my time with you—all of you, and all our friends. It reminds me of the good, the bad, and everything in between. It reminds me of all I've been, and everything I can be. And it's pretty. That doesn't hurt."

"I suppose it doesn't." She snuggled against him. "You know what though?"

"What?"

"It makes me happy, helping you with your ritual. I think it makes us all happy, really. We're glad you let us give it to you."

Isa looked down at her. "Give what to me?"

She smiled, and her eyes were canny. "Divine Redemption."

Isa shivered, but it wasn't a bad feeling. He felt warm, safe, and loved, in fact, seen by those who mattered most.

He let those feelings blanket him as he held Xion, fingers reaching out to touch Roxas and Axel. Their soft snores and grumbles were the perfect accompaniment to his own breathing, slow and getting slower. He let himself sink into sleep by their sides, all at peace beneath the pale, pristine light of the moon.