Author's Note: I have no effing clue what I was thinking when I wrote this. You're going to be confused, because I sure as hell was. Until the end, when I masterfully pulled it all in. Sorta. Still fairly disappointed though.
Disclaimer: I dun own please. You would know if I did
Warning: Roxas as a very wangsty teenager, Axel as an actor, and Demyx the cameraman.
At night there was something about the stars that made the air in Roxas' throat hitch.
At night Roxas would stay awake and watch the stars start to come out one by one, and then he would wait for them to go out, one by one. He followed this process day in day out, until he passed out and started running on 4 hours of sleep every night.
During his younger years Roxas would get caught and be told to go to sleep, or else he would be grounded and punished. When his Mother got back from work, which was usually at 3 in the morning, she would find him still awake, looking outside his windows. His eyes would be wide with wonder and the stars were twinkling and magical. How were they so magical Roxas wondered.
His Mother would sigh, tuck him back in, and close the door with the fleeting warning that he would get in trouble if he was caught up again. But Roxas never listened, and he always looked at the stars, wondering if one day he would be able to reach them.
High school posed as a problem for Roxas because for days on end he would think about the stars, and then they would suddenly become less important because he had a GPA to hold and a job to work.
The stars started going out one by one, but they wouldn't come back. Roxas failed to notice.
His days at the gas station working at the till were becoming routine and boring. He had seen everyone and learned every one's secret. So-and-so had bought a copy of Hussler, some one had purchased a large pack of chewing tobacco even though they said they stopped fifteen years ago. Roxas amounted that the top three things sold at the gas station were: Gas, Cigarette's, and Slurpee's.
There were days when he had to work the late shift. They night would slowly start to come out and suddenly Roxas felt a flutter in his stomach when he looked up at the sky. Where were the stars?
He would shake his head and scold himself. He wasn't a child anymore. He was sixteen and had a steady job with a steady income and an OK GPA. He was going to go to University in Montreal where he could help take care of his grandmother. He was going to be the poster child for every kid ever born. Roxas was living his life, the only way he knew how.
There was a night. A single night in which he was about to close up and a black car, he didn't know what kind, came up to a pump and a lean man came out. Sunglasses were perked up on his head and Roxas didn't know whether or not if his flaming red hair was real or not but he didn't want to ask in case he would make an indirect insult.
The man pumped gas into his car and Roxas found it hard not to stare at him. It was going on 1 in the morning and nobody ever came, usually too busy sleeping or out partying and stumbling home. The man put the pump back into the slot and started walking towards the door. His stride was confident and his long legs made him reach the door in no time. Roxas felt inadequate seeing someone so collected.
Roxas staid quiet when the man started fiddling around in his pockets. He stared at him for a while before the man put both of his hands on the counter, leaning forward. The red head let out a breath of air, his cheeks puffing out before blowing back out. He looked to be contemplating.
"You sell Player's Light, right kid? King size at all?" The red head tilted his head to the side. Roxas kept staring and still felt inadequate.
"Oh and do you guys sell any teriyaki beef jerky?"
Roxas shook himself out of his revere and nodded. "Yes, we do have Player's Light. You said King size, right Sir?" Roxas opened up the sliding booth from behind him, standing on his tip-toes to reach the pack of cigarettes. His head was turned towards the man, "Also, all the beef jerky is over there. Different brands and everything,"
the red headed costumer turned around and looked at the various sorts of jerky before smiling and picking up a certain brand. Roxas was already at the counter with the King size of Player's Light on the counter. "Anything else Sir?" The man threw the jerky onto the counter and walked off to the Slurpee machine.
"Yeah, one of these sugar filled concoctions while your at it," He got a large cup and put it under one of the many machines and started pulling triggers. His Slurpee started turning into a horrid brown with little flakes of orange and white in places.
Roxas tried not to gag at the drink and gave a professional smile while he tried to remember the quotes he was supposed to say to costumers. "Anything else Sir?" He shook his head, staring at the items on the counter.
"Nnnnnnno, I think I'm good now," He nodded and pulled out a wallet from his back pocket, said something about being at pump number 3, and opened it but stopped. He looked at Roxas expectantly.
He widened his eyes, "Oh right, that'll be uh..." He typed in the items onto the till, "That'll be 41.75 please," the man stared at Roxas before scoffing and mumbling something about rip offs, smoking too much, and the price of gas not being like it used to be. He took out a card and Roxas swiped it through the machine, sliding it along the surface to give it back to the man.
"I'm Axel, by the way," So he was Axel. That was nice and everything, but so what?
"You're Roxas," Axel leaned on the counter, narrowing his eyes like he was a piece of meat. Roxas felt uncomfortable and shifted. "Um yes I am. Is that all Sir--"
"Please, Call me Axel," He gave a smug smile and Roxas regretted thinking that this Axel seemed so provocative.
Roxas dead panned, "Axel Sir. Is that all?"
Axel turned around, putting his elbows on the counter, and letting Roxas have a view of the back of his head. Roxas glared.
"You know, you're starting to sound like one of those little robots. The ones that keep repeating the same thing? Like a stupid GPS that keeps telling you your destination? Like, you are here. Yeah, no shit Sherlock. I just hit the island of obvious,"
There was only one conclusion about Axel, and it was that he liked to hear himself talk.
A lucid sound broke the tone of Axel's voice and Roxas recognized it as his phone. He looked at it and frowned. It was his Mother. He answered the phone and gave a dull, "Hello" like he didn't know who was on the other end of the line when he had caller ID.
"Hey, I just got off work. Want me to pick you up? I'll get McDicks on the way if you want," Roxas looked back at Axel who continued to talk, thinking that Axel was listening, and answered his Mother.
"Yeah sure. See you in a few. Bye." He hung up his phone and turned back to his costumer.
"Axel Sir? Yeah, I have to close up soon, so if you could please?" He tried not to sound to desperate because he thought if he did the talkative red head would keep on with his long monologue. Axel staid put.
"Sir, I have to ask you to leave. I'm closing up. Here's your receipt," Roxas had the piece of paper in his hand and had it outstretched to Axel, but he just looked at it like it was a foreign object. "Forget about the receipt, I don't need it," He waved it off and Roxas let his eyes narrow before crumpling it up and putting the receipt in the trash.
"Do you know who I am?"
The question was from no where. Roxas then found himself wanting to take a MK-40 to his head to make a bloody mess all over the dirty floor. He wondered if the colour would rival Axel's red hair.
Roxas dead panned once again, "You're Axel. You said that," Axel scoffed and threw his arms up in the air. He scoffed and continued to scoff until the sound started meshing in Roxas' head and Axel sounded like he was chocking. Roxas had a wave of panic come over him with that thought.
"Okay," Axel turned back around, "This is crazy. Do I look familiar? Like, have you might have seen me before?" He leaned in and stared at Roxas with a serious expression. He felt like if he gave the wrong answer he would die.
Axel then smirked and leaned back from Roxas, clearing his throat, "I want to play a little game Roxas,"
There was silence. Roxas stared at Axel and wanted to strangle him."Oh, that's original,"
Axel kept the smile on his face, "You have until the clock hits 1:20 to find the answer to my question,"
The ticking of the clock suddenly became very loud to Roxas and his eyes darted from it back to Axel realizing that he had given Roxas less then a minute to figure out the answer. "You're starting to sound a little crazy,"
"It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again!"
Roxas raised a single brow and wanted to run away, "Are you crazy?" Then a flash of the same smiled crossed his mind.
"Are you on TV or something?!" The words came flying out of his mouth and Roxas cursed, wanting the words back. Axel started making little ding sounds, signifying that Roxas was correct.
"Smart little bugger. Really had the audience on the edge of their seats there." Axel smiled, his hands in his jacket pockets.
Roxas looked down and thought about what Axel was famous for. He was on a popular TV show, probably. He couldn't have been in a movie because he would have figured it out sooner or something.
"What TV show are you on?" Roxas crossed his arms, glaring at Axel, "Or are you just one of those guys that sell shit on infomercials?" Axel frowned.
"Hey, I started on infomercials, that's not fair," He crossed his arms as well, mirroring Roxas' image but smiled after, thinking it was funny. Roxas kept his face serious.
The eccentric red head gave up with a sigh, "I'm on a daytime drama okay? And I've appeared in Supernatural a few times. Besides that I do commercials..." He looked away, seeming embarrassed when only a few seconds ago he was proud of his job.
One of the lights flickered in quick succession and Roxas found himself biting his lip, embarrassed for Axel like Axel should have been. Roxas just stood there, thinking of all the ways that Axel could of been crazy.
Then he looked over at the clock and realized he should of been starting to close up. His Mother was going to pick him up, and if she saw Axel there she would probably call the police. Axel wasn't a rapist, he was just a crazy actress. Completely normal.
Roxas shook his head and got out from behind the counter, waving his hands around, "You are so fucking crazy. I have to close up, and you gotta leave," He walked towards the back room. When he got there he realized that Axel had followed him.
"Okay, fine, I'll leave, but in return for me leaving you alone you have to do something for me, savvy?" Instead of reacting to the pirate lingo Roxas decided to react to the fact that Axel wanted to see him again. Well, that was nice and all but Roxas didn't really want to see Axel. He didn't find crazy all that attractive.
"I don't think that's a good idea,"
Axel scoffed. In a total Axel way, "Oh please, half the things humans do aren't a good idea. I'm just following humanities example," Axel pulled out the small piece of crumpled paper from his pocket and a pen, and starting writing on it with pure concentration.
"I'll be shooting tomorrow all day. Come see me, we can catch breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Depending on what time you show up of course,"
Of course he would start acting obnoxious again. Most actors were insanely obnoxious.
"Well I'll see you Roxas. At least I hope I see you tomorrow" He smiled and walked out of the station and Roxas thought that should of taken a lot less time then it should of. But he found himself staring at the scribbled address on the thin paper. A small smile was on his face.
Roxas didn't get to mop the floor that night before his Mom had arrived, the car smelling of McDonald's and cigarette smoke.
His bed started to smell rank. The other night Roxas could of sworn that he had gained a head ache of some form. Roxas got up from his bed, his legs warm under the comforter, and felt a soft crinkle of paper. He looked down in his right hand to see the piece of paper from the night before still in his hand. It was crumbled and seemed un-readable, but Roxas seemed to already know the address. He was slightly scared at the realization
After the night, there was a day in which Roxas was walking around his small town. The town square seemed to be blocked off and he knew the reason why. He stood behind the blocked off area. Inside the set Roxas searched; his eyes scanned for too red hair.
There was a yell from a certain direction and his heart skipped a beat.
The people that were around him started looking at each other, trying to find out who "Roxas" was. When the familiar red head greeted him he felt the stares of all the people land on him. He didn't want to turn around to see if they were murderous or not.
Axel took his hand and led him around the break into the set. He introduced Roxas to a few of the cast members, and a bit of the crew. One of the camera men introduced himself as Demyx. He was apparently one of Axel's good friends. He had gotten Axel into the show.
Roxas personally thanked him with much sarcasm, in which Demyx just laughed and said that most people felt like that when they first met him. Roxas had explained that he must of had to do that a lot.
The director cut everyone off for lunch, or brunch because Roxas' phone was dead and he couldn't check the time. He sat near the side lines and watched as Axel acted. For a day time Drama Roxas had to admit, it was interesting seeing people act. The only person that he didn't like in the set was the woman with the full, fake lips. Her surgery was too obvious, and Roxas thought that maybe that was the point. That everyone was supposed to see and laugh at the fact that she couldn't smile because her lips were too full of collagen.
Axel had come back up to him, saying that he was done for a while and they wouldn't need him for a few hours. Roxas seriously pondered that, though instead of asking about it Axel drove Roxas to brunch.
He felt bad, eating at a fancy hotel that Axel paid for, but it was nice, except for the looks; Roxas could have gone without the looks.
Then he asked what was really on his mind.
"Why are you doing this?" because I'm confused was left out, but Axel seemed to of understood, even without the proclamations.
"Because I like you," He leaned back, practically begging for Roxas to prove him wrong. What Axel didn't know was that Roxas didn't mind the idea. Axel liked him. Sure that was a nice thought, but he felt cheated for some reason.
"I met you last night, that seems a little weird,"
"I'm a weird person. Not a regular Oscar Wilde, but pretty damn close,"
Roxas didn't know whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. "Okay," Roxas leaned back, "You like me," He shrugged, "What now?"
There was a smile from Axel, his eyes sparkled, like there was a challenge, "I was sort of hoping you would say that,"
The red head got up from his seat, the chair scratching the floor underneath it. Axel stood in front of Roxas, and leaned over, close to his face. The air was starting to become breath. Suffocating really.
"Now this," Their lips met some where in the middle, because Axel had only gone 90 but Roxas had gone the last 10. That wasn't fair, he thought. What was Roxas supposed to do?
When they parted Axel whispered softly, his breath smelling of cigarette smoke and syrup. Not a very appealing smell but Roxas forgave that, because Axel seemed to be ignoring his terrible breath, so he might as well bothered to do the same thing.
"I mean, who doesn't love stars?"
*fail