Short Story: Sunsets
Sunsets
The perfect view was something that Axel wanted to cherish.
- - -
The soft, gentle echo of the clock tower chimes rippled through the air, a result of a new hour. It was six o’clock in Twilight Town, and the perpetual sundown-suspension of its skies was at its peak. Six o’clock was when the clouds reached their blossoming tint of gold and pink, a velvety stretch of dynamic marble splayed across the silk of the red orange sky. The roofs of the quaint little town were bathed in blooming pools of light from the setting sun that cast warm shadows that welcomed the coming of night. It was also at this time that Roxas sat on the clock tower ledge, sea-salt ice cream in hand, watching the sunset at its peak.
Frowning, the blonde craned his neck slightly so that he could see the time displayed on the large face of Twilight Town’s clock tower. A couple of minutes past six.
He righted his position, searching the seemingly miniscule array of buildings and homes for any sign of his friend. Axel wasn’t normally late for their usual sunset get-together. In fact, it was Roxas who typically forgot the designated time, and when he arrived five minutes late, Axel would then proceed to chide him jokingly, then they would carry on watching the sunset.
Roxas stared at the unopened sea-salt ice cream beside him that he had bought for Axel. If the dummy didn’t get here soon, it would melt.
Their meetings at the clock tower at six o’clock every evening had started out as a coincidence. Roxas had been new to the area and had wandered around, a little lost, until he found himself on top of Twilight Town’s tallest building and distinguishing landmark. There, he had met Axel, who had all but ignored Roxas for the first few moments since the blonde had reached the clock tower ledge.
Smiling, Roxas could recall the incident vividly in his mind. It had been somewhat humorous, actually. And he couldn’t help but laugh a bit every time he remembered.
“Er …” Roxas had muttered, quite unsure of what he had seen. It wasn’t everyday that he saw someone with hair like that. But it hadn’t just been the hair.
Axel had stared at him piercingly with those scorching yet glacial jade eyes of his, mouth situated in a frown. “What?” he had asked, his voice reverberating impatience.
When Roxas had finally recovered from the momentary shock, he had shrugged and sat himself down a couple of feet away from his future friend. “Um, nothing. I just happened to find this place by accident, that’s all. I didn’t expect anyone else to be here.”
Axel’s reply had been curt. “Right.”
“Um … I’m Roxas, by the way. I’m new in town, in case you’re wondering.”
“I wasn’t.”
In that terrible excuse for a conversation, he had gathered his first impression of Axel: rude, arrogant, and he had please-push-me-off-this-twenty-story-or-so-building written all over his forehead.
Laughing, the blonde couldn’t help but think how right he had been. Axel was rude, arrogant, and at times Roxas really did want to push the redhead to his bone-shattering doom off the clock tower. The only thing that had changed since the day they met was that they had become friends, but that was basically it. Axel was still his cocky self and Roxas could barely keep himself from kicking the older boy in the shin. Repeatedly.
“I wasn’t.”
The arrogant tone of his voice, that high and mighty come-hither-oh-common-mortal attitude that the stranger exuded made Roxas’ left eye twitch, a bad habit he had developed from his older twin, Sora.
Mentally, he reminded himself that he was new in town, and pushing another citizen off the signature landmark was probably not going to get him in the neighbours’ good graces. However, Roxas wasn’t going to let the hair-dyeing boor get away with his impolite attitude.
“You know, I’m just trying to be friendly here,” Roxas said, careful not to sound snappy. “The least you could do is be a little polite and civil.”
But obviously, his scolding wasn’t going to work, seeing as all the redhead did was raise a condescending brow at him.
“I don’t have to be civil to you,” he insisted nonchalantly. “Because, let’s face it buddy, I don’t know you, you don’t know me. End of story.” He then faced the setting sun, going back to pretending as if Roxas didn’t exist.
Stomping down on the irresistible urge to gnash his teeth, Roxas settled instead for glaring at his shoes, grudgingly noting a scratch on the right one. Dammit, they were a new pair, too!
Angrily listing all the things within the day that had pissed him off, Roxas’ mood began to sour more and more.
1) While passing by Sora’s bedroom, a heavy box had somehow fallen on his foot, succeeding in making him tumble into the hallway bathroom, earning Roxas a bump on his head from when his skull made hearty contact with the marble tub, and a scratch on his arm when the shower curtain hooks came down along with him.
2) All afternoon he had searched the boxes in his bedroom for his Struggle bat, but four hours of sifting through cardboard box after cardboard box bore him no fruit, for his bat was still missing, to Roxas’ dismay. The Struggle bat was one item on a long list of missing things: his digital camera, his USB connector, his table lamp, and, oddly enough, a belt buckle.
3) Aforementioned piss-off factor led Roxas to taking a stroll around town to clear his head of steam, and also to acquaint himself with the neighbourhood somewhat. What had started out as a simple trot five blocks down with a couple of lefts and a right here and there soon turned into a labyrinth of lost, disoriented, and that-street-was-so-not-there-five-minutes-ago.
And who could forget …
4) He happened to wander up the town landmark, met a high and mighty stranger (whose hair was so obviously fake), and just so happened to feel overwhelmingly giddy at the thought of “accidentally” letting said arrogant bastard fall to his death towards Station Heights.
Really now, Roxas thought with a withering frown. Was it too much to ask for a moment of serenity in this godforsaken place? He had been hauling box after box into his new house, up the damn flight of stairs and into his new room (which, at the moment, looked more like a warehouse) for, what, three days? Was a break too much to ask? Would lightning strike him in a few seconds if he even so much as prayed for a moment’s peace?
Sighing, Roxas leaned back, staring far off into the sunset. Well … it can’t get worse.
An embarrassing growl penetrated through the silence, like the sound of a million dollar cheque being ripped in half. That, or the crack of one of the most classic clichés in history.
Roxas felt like crying. He was lost, currently sitting beside a possible lunatic, his brand new shoe was scuffed, and now he was hungry. Worse, he couldn’t go back home, because, what the hey, he didn’t know how. Worse than worse, any sort of financial status was, at the moment, nonexistent.
Great, he thought sourly. No money, no food, and I’m lost. I was wrong. Things can get worse.
“Pft!”
Stiffening, the blonde slowly turned his head towards Fire Truck Hair. The guy was looking at him, obviously amused on more than ten levels, and his lips were stretched so far into a grin that it split his face. A vein pulsed on Roxas’ temple. What the hell? The guy had chosen to all but deny his existence about a few moments ago, ever since Roxas had stepped foot on the tower ledge, now he was laughing at the blonde’s misfortune and misery? The nerve of the asshole!
“Just what in the hell is so funny?” Roxas hissed through gritted teeth, painfully trying to ignore the nagging throb of his ailing stomach.
The redhead chuckled, not bothering to hide his glee. “You.” Just like that, plain and simple.
Roxas glared at him. “You think me being hungry and lost is hilarious, don’t you, you sadistic bastard?”
Green eyes twinkled mockingly at him. “Well, sort of. But there’s also the issue of … how should I put it?” he stroked his chin dramatically, staring upward at the sky. His sultry gaze returned to Roxas, the jade orbs unabashed in their amusement. “You could have left, say, five minutes ago, but you didn’t. Instead, you stayed here of your own free will. In my presence. I would have thought that you’d hightail it out of here the moment you saw me, considering how I acted. And yet you stayed.” Facing Roxas fully now, the stranger’s lips quirked into a searing smirk. “If I’m a sadist, you must be a masochist.”
Scoffing, Roxas faced him as well. “No thanks, man. I don’t go that way.”
Fire Truck Hair shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t either.”
Continuing, Roxas pointed a finger towards the stranger. “As for the masochist comment - no. I don’t enjoy my own pain. In fact, I would give anything to lessen the misery that I’m feeling right now,” he muttered, stroking his rumbling stomach. And suddenly, all Roxas could wish for was flying French fries. Then, at the elevation he was at, he could snatch one right from thin air, and that was one less problem to worry about. Now, if only he could find his way back home …
He was sure that his mother was worrying her head off right now, and if the household residents sent Sora out as a one-man search party, things were going to go from bad to worse. Worst case scenario would be that Sora would do something stupid that would have half the town in an uproar while the remaining half cowered in the safety of their homes. Roxas loved his twin and all, but the guy could do some pretty scary things. Single-handedly, at that. So it would probably be best if he retraced his steps back home. Now … to get off the tower ledge …
Where was the door again?
Fire Truck Hair suddenly stood up, stretching slightly. “Well, this was certainly interesting. Roxas, was it?” he asked, jade eyes landing questioningly on Roxas.
The blonde nodded. “Yeah. Though how you managed to memorize my name and pretend I don’t exist at the same time is beyond me.”
The redhead chuckled, then extended a hand towards Roxas. “What say you and me get a bite to eat? Judging by the thunder coming from your tummy there, I bet you’re just dying for food.”
Rolling his eyes, Roxas momentarily thought about the stranger’s offer. While he held his suspicions about the guy, Fire Truck Hair could have already done something horrible to him the whole time they had been seated on the clock tower ledge. So if he had any malicious intents, he could have expressed them earlier, but didn’t. Which tipped the scale from foreboding to most likely safe.
“But I don’t have any money,” Roxas muttered somewhat unhappily, taking the redhead’s proffered hand, standing up alongside the taller male.
The stranger shrugged as he headed towards the door to the stairwell that led to the station. As Roxas followed him, he spoke. “Pay me back when we get you home, kid. Which part of town do you live in, anyway?”
They went through the door on the clock tower side, and then down the staircase.
“Um, near Sunset Hill,” Roxas said, following the redhead down the dimly lit flight of stairs.
“No way,” the stranger said with a disbelieving snort. “You mean to tell me that you got lost from there to here?”
“Stop that,” Roxas said with an irritated frown, his brows furrowed at the long, wide back of the redhead. “I’m new in town. It’s not my fault.”
Roxas could tell that the guy was pretty entertained. “Did you go through the Underground Concourse, then? I mean, unless you took the train here, that’s the only other way you could have gotten this far.” The redhead suddenly stopped his descent down the stairs, turning around to face Roxas with an amused smirk. “Wait, don’t tell me. You flew?”
Scowling, Roxas’ patience finally snapped. “Okay, what is your deal? Do you enjoy being an asshole to people you barely know?” His eyes narrowed. “You know what, forget about food. I don’t care if you can feed me in my dire time of need, but no thanks. I’d rather eat my own shoe.”
The blonde shoved past the redhead and descended down the stairs as quickly as he could.
Just as he was down the last couple of flights, Roxas heard the annoying bastard’s voice come from up above. “By the way, the name’s Axel! Commit it to memory!”
The sheer arrogance of Axel rebounded off the stairwell walls in an irritating echo. Why the hell would he wait now to tell Roxas his name? And telling him to memorize it, too …
“Like hell!” Roxas shouted back, stomping through the door that led to Central Station. The nerve of that guy! If all people in Twilight Town were like him, then Roxas would swim back to Destiny Islands if he had to. Hypothermia be damned, there was no way the town was big enough for the both of them. Maliciously, the blonde began to hope that “Axel” would trip down the stairs and get a concussion. That would teach him for being a total douche bag. No, no. A concussion and a twisted limb. A fracture or two, maybe. People like him didn’t get the message unless karma hit hard.
Huffing indignantly, Roxas marched straight to the ticket booth of the train station. But then he stopped dead in his tracks. Just for good measure, he patted his pants pockets. Nothing.
Groaning, he palmed his face irritably, feeling like an idiot for even forgetting about his total lack of currency. Well … there was always the option of walking. That guy did say something about the Underground Concourse. Roxas had gone through some tunnels earlier, now he just had to find the tunnel entrance that led him here. But that was also a problem. Because of the total change in environment, he couldn’t exactly remember how he had come to arrive at his current location. He could ask for directions, but people were hardly out on the streets at this hour. Maybe he could ask the guy at the ticket booth … well, at the risk of looking like a total retard, Roxas could say that getting home was most likely worth it.
He inclined his head to look at the clock by the trains. It was six-thirty already. That meant he had wandered away from home for about two hours. His mother was probably worried sick already. And the Sora search party was a likely possibility at this point in time.
“You said you had no money. What, you planning to hitch a free ride to Sunset Terrace? I don’t think they allow that here, kid.”
The hairs on the back of Roxas’ neck literally stood on end at the sound of that irritating, godforsaken, galling voice.
He stiffly turned around, finding that “Axel” was standing right behind him. Roxas’ left eye twitched. “You.”
Axel raised a perfect brow. “Did your eye just twitch?”
Roxas sighed in exasperation, facing Axel. He wasn’t feeling very cheery at the moment, but he had to keep his temper in check. Because this time, they were in a public place, and if anyone witnessed him maiming a complete and total stranger, he would undoubtedly become a wanted criminal. And that was the last thing he wanted. He could just hear his mother’s voice …
“I let you out of my sight for two hours! Two hours! And this happens!? You are grounded, young man!”
The blonde shuddered inwardly. He had to get home now, before he did something stupid and regrettable. And Axel wasn’t helping his mood.
“I don’t have time to deal with you right now, so buzz off,” Roxas muttered in exasperation, raking a hand through his gold locks. “I have to find my way home because my parents are possibly freaking out right now, my brother is probably looking for me and he’d also get lost, I’m tired and hungry, I have to unpack a lot of my stuff, and I have a huge scratch on my arm that is stinging like hell.” Roxas jabbed a finger at Axel’s chest. “You are adding to my growing list of problems. Please leave me be and go about your life. Terrorize other little children, because as of now, I am making myself unavailable.”
Giving the redhead a mocking salute, Roxas spun on his heel to make for a smooth exit. Unfortunately, “smooth” wasn’t exactly the way to put it. Because as Roxas turned around, his foot somehow caught on the end of his pants, resulting in a rather painful crash to the floor that made Axel wince.
As Roxas lay still on the ground, obviously bemoaning his misfortune, Axel scratched his cheek, squatting down next to the boy.
“You know, kid, I was only joking up there. You seemed way too tolerant, so I was a little tempted. Sorry if I seemed like a total asshole,” Axel muttered, feeling rather awkward talking to a guy he barely knew who was planted face first on the floor of Central Station.
There was a mutter that sounded distinctly like, “You are an asshole,” and Axel was pretty sure that he heard correctly. Maybe he felt a little guilty about driving the blonde crazy, but he just hadn’t been able to help himself. It was easy to get a reaction out of this Roxas, but at the same time it was unpredictable and difficult. The kid was entertaining, for sure, and Axel just couldn’t let the amusing little specimen get away from him.
Having successfully imprinted an unforgettable first impression, now was the time to make amends, he thought. He couldn’t just leave the poor kid lying there, defeated and hungry, now could he?
“Well, if you wanna get a nice meal and go home, you have to get up, Roxas,” Axel said as he straightened. “I can’t get you on the train like that.”
Roxas rolled onto his back, staring long and hard at Axel. “You’re helping me?” he asked after a long pause.
The redhead shrugged, appearing nonchalant, but was careful not to seem too indifferent. “It seems appropriate, after I drove you to this momentary state of insanity. And get up. People might think things if they see you lying there.”
He extended his hand towards the blonde, which Roxas took grudgingly. Once he was properly on his feet, Roxas gave Axel a blank stare. The man was so confusing, he thought, brows furrowed. First he had acted irritated and intolerant towards him, then he had switched to arrogant and perpetually irritating, now he was playing the good Samaritan. Was the guy bipolar? Most likely. That, or Roxas had gone horribly insane. Or this town was horribly insane …
“Let me get this straight …” muttered Roxas, shaking his head in disbelief. “First,” he extended a finger, as if to enumerate, “you act as if I don’t exist, and at first I doubted that you would even so much as blink if I fell off the tower ledge.” A second finger was raised. “Then, you focus your wholehearted and annoying attention on me, like I’m some sort of interesting source of amusement-”
“Well, you are.”
“And then,” Roxas gritted out, raising a third finger and glaring at Axel, “you act as if good will and common sense came flying down on your saintly head and begin to help me. After you did the aforementioned things that, last time I recall, aren’t really essential in the friend-making agenda. Tell me something here, Axel. Are you, honest to god, insane?”
They both stared at each other, with Roxas frowning, hands on his hips, and Axel simply blinking at the blonde with a mixture of amazement and incredulity displayed on his face. As the silence dragged on, Axel began to wonder at the situation. He had originally intended on just ignoring the kid until he went away, but when Roxas had simply sat down silently beside him on the tower ledge, the kid had piqued his interest. What began as overlooking a mere stranger soon turned into driving him far in order to lure him closer. Roxas was the type to be easily provoked, and Axel sensed that the moment they began talking to each other on top of the clock tower. Well … it wasn’t much of talking as it had been more of a grudging exchange in words. But the kid was interesting, and Axel would be damned if he let him run away now. Granted, it would be his own fault, but that was beside the point.
“Okay, I know you’re mad at me, and all that,” Axel began with a roll of his eyes, trying to sound even the slightest bit repentant. “And I’ll make it up to you by buying you food and helping you find your way home. Sound good?”
Roxas was still frowning. “Really? Are you going to start insulting me again?”
Axel smirked. “Can’t make any promises.”
The blonde sighed, his shoulders slumping. Well, it was either this, or he wander around town again until he found someone who had even a slight sense of responsibility to point out how he could find his way home. If he said no, Axel’s offer probably wouldn’t be extended to him again, and right now, Roxas rather preferred the easy solution to things.
“Fine,” he said, sighing. “The train leaves for Sunset Terrace in ten minutes so you should probably get our tickets now.”
Axel nodded. Before he could take a step towards the ticket booth, however, Roxas tugged on the sleeve of his shirt, stopping him. The redhead turned around with a raise of his brow. “What?”
Roxas crossed his arms over his chest. “As for my meal, I want to you to buy me a burger, soda, and sea-salt ice cream. Oh, and fries. No take backs; you brought this upon yourself.”
Snorting, Axel grinned at the blonde. “Harsh.”
Roxas shrugged. “It only seems fair.”
Once Axel got their tickets, the two headed to the small, orange train lined with gold patterns that would take them to Sunset Terrace. They were the only ones there, and the silence was oddly calming after Roxas’ bizarre encounter with Axel. It was a strange way to start out an acquaintanceship, but with the redhead, Roxas felt that it just had to happen that way. Axel wasn't like other people, and it was pretty much obvious, both in his personality (from what Roxas knew so far) and his appearance.
“You know,” Roxas muttered, staring at Axel who was seated beside him. “I'm not very convinced that your hair's naturally like that. The dye job looks really professional though.”
As the train moved, Axel's laughter filled the interior, and Roxas couldn’t help but look a little confused (and frightened, somewhere deep down).
When the redhead stopped his hysterical fit, he turned to the blonde beside him with a very amused grin. “I don't know if you’re gonna believe me or not, Roxas, but my hair is one hundred percent dye free. I mean, I get that a lot and I understand. My brother and I have the exact same hair. Well ... We’re pretty much the exact same period, but point is, this is all natural.” Axel paused, then his expression changed to flirtatious, and he batted his eyelashes at Roxas. “Of course, there is a way for you to see for yourself, seeing as we’re all alone …”
Roxas scoffed, leaping to the seat right across Axel on the other side of the train. “Stop that! You said you didn’t go that way!”
Chuckling, Axel leaned back in his seat, relishing the newly acquired space. “I did. Though I’m not exactly against the thought of being gay. ‘Cause with you baby,” the redhead winked, “I could be.”
Roxas wrinkled his nose and was about to say something snarky, but instead paused, blinking. Then he scowled. “Isn’t that a line from a movie?” he asked, somewhat annoyed. “And I know you’re joking now, so quit it.”
The redhead, looking pretty pleased with himself, shrugged. “Yes, it just so happens to be a line from a movie, and yes, I just so happen to be joking. Though, honestly speaking here, if you did go that way, I’d be on you in a heartbeat. You’re seriously cute.”
“How flattering,” Roxas stated dryly. “And while I’m not homophobic, you’re creeping me out. Is this how you talk to every single stranger you happen to meet?”
Axel winked at him again. “Nah, just the cute ones.”
Sighing, Roxas looked heavenward. “First you ignore me, then you annoy the living daylights out of my soul, you decide to suddenly help me like you’re some saint, now you’re flirting with me. Dude, can you get any weirder?” The question looked more like it was being directed to whatever deity would give a crap upstairs, but Axel chose to respond anyway.
“Hey, it’s not my fault that you’re too easy. Everything I say seems to provoke some sort of amusing reaction out of you, so I don’t see why I should spare you from my interest. Although, I’m really not lying when I say you’re cute. The girls must love you,” Axel teased with wagging brows, both successfully steering the subject away from his sanity and embarrassing Roxas.
The blonde’s cheeks turned pink at the girl comment. “Man, shut up. What is with you and your weird inclination to make me feel bad about my life?”
Axel laughed. “It’s not so much that I want to make you feel bad but more like you’re amusing when you’re miserable. You’re the first person I’ve met that’s like that.”
“Yeah, well, you’re the first person I’ve met who makes friends like this,” Roxas snapped back, looking fairly disgruntled. “Seriously, I think you’re insane.”
The redhead blinked at him. “Oh, so we’re friends now?” he asked with a confident grin.
Roxas snorted. “We’re barely acquaintances. My wording was wrong.”
Sniffing, Axel poked himself in the middle of his chest, right where his heart was. Feigning a hurt, kicked-puppy expression, Axel muttered, “You wound me, Rox. Right here.”
“Glad to know that you don’t just have a gaping hole in your chest where your black heart is supposed to be,” Roxas deadpanned.
Axel let out a bark of laughter. “Ouch!”
The next few minutes of the train ride passed by in relative silence, with Axel asking odd questions here and there, with Roxas responding with the usual “…No,” or the occasional, “Well, yeah …” and the reoccurring, “For the last time, Axel, I’m not gay!”
By the time they reached the station at Sunset Terrace, Roxas was beginning to feel a little relief seep into his bones. The setting was at least a tad bit familiar to him, but still not enough to get him around on his own. Axel, no matter how annoying he was, was a small blessing, and Roxas could begrudgingly thank heaven that the redhead had decided to help him and he had accepted. God only knew where he would be right now if he did walk out of the station to find his own way home …
“I take it that you’re a longtime resident here,” Roxas spoke as he and Axel descended the station steps.
The redhead nodded. “Yup, pretty much. Don’t worry, kid. I’ll get you home. I know my way around.”
“But first,” Roxas said, a grin on his face, “there’s that other promise you owe me.”
“Ah, let me think,” Axel extended his hand to his chin, trying to look as if he was thinking hard. “A burger, soda, ice cream, and … French fries? Am I right, or am I right?” He smiled down at Roxas, smirking.
The blonde feigned irritation, and yet smiled. “Your memory really does bother me.”
Laughing, his jade eyes glinted. “That’s ‘cause you’re not easy to forget.”
“There you go again with the flirting. Are you seriously just kidding around with me?”
“Hey, man! I was serious. Why do you need to hurt my feelings all the time?” Axel pretended to wipe away a tear.
Roxas rolled his eyes. It seemed that he was doing that a lot since he met the redhead. “Get over yourself. You don’t have feelings.”
“Ouch, Rox. Why do you have to be like that?”
“Because you’re being an idiot. Now hurry up. I’m hungry, and your wallet better be full.”
Grinning, Axel sped up his pace in order to keep up with Roxas. He was right. The kid really was entertaining. Better than satellite television, actually. He had been right about pushing him around at first. Axel didn’t want a polite, proper Roxas that would just be like every other stranger he passed along the street. Provoking him then toning down the pushiness had gotten him just right where he wanted to be. He had brought out the blonde’s spunkiness with just the right pushes, but he could tell that the kid still held himself when they spoke.
Well, Axel thought. Time to get rid of those inhibitions.
“Roxas, do you know where you’re going?”
The blonde froze mid-step, then turned around to frown at Axel who was casually trotting behind him. “Fine. You lead,” he said indignantly.
Axel couldn’t held but grin, but didn’t laugh. He didn’t want Roxy storming off again. “Your wish is my command.”
As directed (albeit, begrudgingly) by Roxas, Axel led the younger boy a couple of blocks through Sunset Terrace and into a small restaurant that sold just the kind of food that had been requested by his newly acquired friend not so long ago. Once Axel had ordered their food, the two found a table just by the window of the quaint little restaurant. It was just the two of them there, and the warm glow of the lights inside the shop served to give it a homey feel as the streets outside darkened.
Contrary to what Roxas had said earlier, he didn’t just order a simple burger, soda, ice cream, and French fries combo. What began as a simple meal soon turned into a double cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, onion rings, curly fries, regular fries, a chocolate milkshake, green apple soda, and two bars of sea-salt ice cream. Axel had protested, of course, saying that that amount of food couldn’t be healthy for Roxas.
The blonde had whined and argued with him, then finally resorted to underhanded tactics like flashing him those cute, blue eyes coupled with, “Please, Axel. You promised.”
Five seconds later, the redhead was resentfully handing over his cash to the lady by the cashier while Roxas trotted happily to their table with a tray full of his food preferences.
“I never thought I would say this to you, but Roxas that is disgusting,” Axel muttered, setting down his half eaten burger, watching in horror as Roxas consumed his onion rings, having already finished the cheeseburger and chicken nuggets. “ … Where do you put all that weight?” he said in a hushed tone, eyes narrowed in disbelief.
Swallowing, Roxas glared at him, unhappy about being interrupted during his meal. “I’m a growing boy,” he replied curtly, then returned to eating.
Axel snorted, rolling his eyes and picking up his food. “Could have fooled me …”
A foot went sailing towards his shin under the table, succeeding in making Axel yelp in pain. He then glared vehemently at Roxas. “Your welcome,” he deadpanned.
Roxas smiled happily at him.
The redhead rolled his eyes and went back to eating. At least the kid seemed happier and less pissed off now. He was still entertaining, but Axel could do without the decline in his finances and the shin kicking. Roxas was more pleasant to look at when he wasn’t wasting Axel’s money and harming his physical wellbeing.
After dinner, the two cleaned up and hit the streets. After having told Axel where he lived, Roxas had to endure about five minutes of the redhead’s rather insulting comments, like “My god. You got from there to the clock tower? Kid, someone should put a leash on you!” and of course, “Seriously. Did you fly from here to there? C’mon, tell me. Because I simply won’t believe that you wandered that far away from home.”
Having replied in exasperation (“Axel, I can’t fly, you moron. Memorize that.”) for countless times, Roxas didn’t seem to notice the minutes ticking by. Axel had that effect on him. He made time fly by like yesterday with the promise of tomorrow. That was the redhead for you.
Smiling to himself, Roxas had to say, the day had taken an interesting turn. Axel would take some getting used to, but he figured that the guy seemed to be worth it. The blonde could already feel the older boy growing on him, no matter how annoying and arrogant he seemed right around every turn. Though … that was what made Axel himself. Roxas couldn’t imagine him any other way, judging by what he had seen today.
As they walked down Roxas’ street, the blonde stared up at the star sprinkled sky, hands in his pockets. “You know, it’s odd,” he spoke, not looking at Axel.
The redhead didn’t look at Roxas either, but instead kept his eyes on the road. “What is?”
“I feel like I’ve known you for a long time, but we just met …” Roxas shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. An hour ago.”
Axel laughed, turning his head to look at Roxas. “What, you feel it, too?”
Chuckling, Roxas nodded. “Weird, huh?”
“Not weird …” Axel muttered, the corners of his mouth lifting up ever so slowly. “Just different.”
“Different … huh?” Roxas murmured, almost to himself. He smiled up at Axel, for the first time that day, truly feeling content. “Yeah. You’re right.”
They both stopped walking, stopping right in front of Roxas’ house gate. The blonde stared up at the windows illuminated by the lights from inside. Everything seemed to be in relative peace, and even though he knew he was going to be in trouble for coming home late, he couldn’t stop smiling. He would deal with his parents later. Right now, he would make the most of his day in Twilight Town.
“So, this is your house, huh?” Axel said, standing right beside Roxas to observe the modest building. Smiling, he looked down at the blonde. “Well, you’re home, kid. What did I tell you?”
Roxas grinned. “Okay, so you were right. Big deal.”
The two just stood there for a few seconds, looking at each other but not really speaking.
Sighing, Roxas raked a hand through his hair, averting his eyes. “Axel … thanks. For everything. You did a bit more than just feed me and help me find my house,” he muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed, and yet the sensation of contentment never left him.
“Awww, you falling for me, Roxas?” Axel asked, smirking.
Rolling his eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, Roxas shook his head, smile still intact. “Nah. I’m still straight.”
“That’s good,” the redhead said, laughing. “Because so am I.” Taking one last fond look at the blonde’s house, Axel took a step back, winking at Roxas. “ ‘Night, Rox. If you ever need me, same time, same place.”
Before Roxas could ask what he meant, Axel had taken off, sauntering down the darkened street, disappearing from sight.
Smiling, Roxas could only shake his head as he went on to his front door, readying an explanation for his parents. It didn’t take him long to figure out what Axel had meant by “same time, same place”.
Presently, Roxas smiled. That was all he could do every time he remembered the day he met Axel. His best friend. Sure, their meetings were now limited to six o’clock at the clock tower, but Roxas never failed to leave feeling satisfied once the sunset was over. He would never say it aloud, but he was glad he had met Axel at this very spot all those months ago, no matter how rocky it all started out. Somehow, just knowing that but never saying it was enough.
“Roxas? Well, for once you’re on time.”
The blonde turned around, confident grin in place. “What’s your excuse?”
Axel shrugged, walking carefully towards Roxas, sitting down beside him on the ledge. “My brother left his Electro-Mag Rod out in the open in the living room. I’ll spare you from the gory details.”
Roxas winced. “Have I ever mentioned that I’m scared of meeting your brother?” he said. Axel had told him about Reno on occasion, and from what Roxas knew, they were supposedly really alike. “You’re a handful on your own,” Roxas had replied, to which Axel had laughed.
Suddenly remembering the ice cream that he had brought, Roxas reached for the frozen - well, semi-melted - treat beside him and handed it to Axel. The redhead accepted it with a smile and a murmur of thanks, and as usual the two sat silently beside each other, watching the sunset.
“Roxas …” Axel muttered, not turning to look at the blonde. “What do you think the perfect view is?”
The blonde shrugged, already somewhat used to Axel’s odd questions. “Well … I’m not sure,” he began staring at his ice cream. “But … I don’t think it’s the view in front of you that makes it special. The person you’re with is what makes it perfect.” Roxas smiled, staring far off into the sunset, feeling the fading warmth ghosting on his skin.
Closing his jade eyes, Axel nodded with a satisfied smile. “I see.”
The sunset drew on into a close, the sky fading into a cool purple, with remaining hints of orange and gold.
“Then … the perfect view is something I want to cherish.”