AN: So this was supposed to be a one-shot for AkuRoku day but I guess I'm just not capable of writing one-shots, apparently nor am I capable of publishing anything on time. Apologies for the long first chapter, I'm going to try not to make a habit of it but we'll see. Also I've never posted here before so sorry if it looks wonky. More notes at the end but they're boring and about me. (See the end of the work for more notes.)
Bright, bright, everything was too bright and it sent a sharp, stabbing pain pounding Roxas' head with each beat of his heart. He awoke to dappled sunlight filtering into the room and straight onto his face from sheer curtains that barely did anything to cover the windows at all, which was… Odd. Because in his room the curtains were thick enough to keep out the pesky morning sunlight and heavy enough to keep out the pesky chilly air, and in his room the curtains matched the decor which was in truth a mish mash of themes but all tied together with a nice mix of blues and teals and colors that matched and complimented each other, which this place was... Just not. To describe this place as a hideous eyesore was to be putting it mildly.
The walls were a light peach color but the furniture was all various shades of greens and browns, and the carpet looked like a relic from the seventies being the heinous shade of orange it was. There was an ancient TV sitting on a table across the room that it shared with the filthiest looking coffee maker the blond had ever seen, and on the table beside him was a lamp whose lampshade was cracked in several places. The bedding seemed to be the only normal thing there was in that jumbled mess of a room, looking and feeling just like any plain old white hotel bed sheets. His problem didn't lie in what this outlandish place looked like, however. His problem was that he had no clue how he got here. Feeling the arm he was laying on start to grow tingly from lack of blood flow, he turned over onto his other side and nearly had a heart attack.
Now instead of an ugly peach wall and a grubby coffee maker he was face to face with a complete stranger. Holding back the yelp of surprise that he could feel quickly trying to escape his lips, he tried to remember how the hell he ended up in bed with someone he didn't recognize in the slightest. Luckily whatever choked noise did manage to escape him didn't seem to wake the man at all, and the blond thanked his lucky stars because he didn't know how he'd be able to explain it away without possibly sounding like an asshole.
Examining the sleeping man beside him, Roxas wracked his brain for even the smallest memory of how the hell he could have gotten himself here. The last thing he remembered was having a few drinks… Suddenly he felt an ice cold prick of fear run down his spine. Oh god. He couldn't have actually slept with this guy could he? It wasn't entirely out of the question, he was in bed with another man, wearing only his boxers, but it just didn't make sense.
Roxas was about as vanilla as a person could be. His friends teased him about it, his cousin teased him about it, hell even his own sister would tease him about it. It wasn't as if he was entirely unaware that everything he did tended to be on the…. Tamer side of things. It was just that this way was safe. This way was comfortable. So he didn't really mind when people called him boring, and he was fine with not stepping out of his comfort zone.
He just felt so much more secure when everything in his life was in its proper place, and he couldn't think of any reason why he would do something so rash. That was why he was definitely not someone who'd do something like sleeping with a complete stranger… At least he'd always thought so, until now.
Remaining completely still so as not to wake his newly discovered his bunkmate, he went from pondering the situation he was in to examining the person beside him. The pale face just a few inches from his was still relaxed with sleep, much to the frazzled blond's relief. He still wasn't sure what to say to him once he did wake up. He looked to be around the same age as Roxas, perhaps maybe a couple years older, with the brightest red hair he'd seen in his entire life which even after having been slept on fluffed out in every direction like the mane of a lion. He really was quite handsome, if a little out of the ordinary. The strangest features, however, stranger than even the wild hair, were the little teardrop shaped tattoos that rested on each striking cheekbone.
'Oh wonderful, I fucked a gang member.' Roxas would have kicked himself if he could've without waking the probable mafioso he was sharing his bed with. That didn't matter though because it seemed said probable mafioso was doing a fine job waking up on his own now, brow furrowing at the sun streaming in on them from the thoroughly ineffective curtains. He felt like panicking, heart thudding loudly and wildly in his chest as if by some chance it could maybe escape the uncomfortable situation. He had been awake long enough to think of something to say by now and he'd spent it sizing the guy up instead? The stranger grunted, bringing a large hand to groggily rub his face and Roxas felt himself jolt back as far as he could without falling off the bed and creating a new problem entirely. Wouldn't want to finish the job and break the lamp on the end table completely.
Unfortunately this sudden movement seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of waking the sleeping stranger, because now two sharp green eyes blinked open holding almost just as much surprise as Roxas felt. He couldn't think of even one thing to say to break the ice, which seemed fine since the redheaded man seemed too busy trying to determine the situation himself.
"Well shit." Was the first thing to come out of the man's mouth, followed by, "This is kinda' weird." Whether it be from hysterics or a simple inability to grasp the absurdity of the situation, Roxas felt a mad giggle bubble up and escape his lips. That made the redheaded man chuckle as well, which helped to ease the tension, thank god. Once he'd recovered from his fit as best he could, the blond cleared his throat and attempted to speak.
"Do you uh- know how we got here?" He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I don't um… Really remember. I think I probably had a lot to drink so…" He felt his face heat up in embarrassment and prayed it wasn't too noticeable. A spark of something akin to realization flickered in those green, green eyes.
"Oh shit yeah…. This probably looks really bad, huh?" That seemed to wake his companion up a little more as he sat up and ran long fingers through cherry red hair. The cocoon of blankets the man had previously been huddled up under fell away revealing that he was still somewhat dressed in a beater and a pair of tight, faded jeans. The blond managed to hold in his sigh of relief but that probably answered one question then.
'At least we probably didn't sleep together…'
"It's not what it looks like." The redhead continued, apparently not noticing Roxas' immediate relaxation at the revelation that at least one of them was dressed. "See I was out drinking with some friends but they bailed on me and then I noticed you..." He paused trying to gauge the other male's reaction. "Anyway," he progressed, "It had gotten pretty late and it seemed like you'd had an awful lot to drink so I went to see if you could get home alright and well, you were so plastered you weren't going anywhere on your own anytime soon."
Roxas remembered going to the bar and he remembered going alone, something out of the ordinary for him considering he almost never drank. And when he remembered why he went he felt like maybe he was going to be sick. Granted the splitting headache definitely wasn't helping that. But that didn't stop carrot top from finishing his explanation. Or… Tomato top he supposed would be more accurate due to just how red that hair was.
"I wasn't really sure if you were even legal or not since that bar is pretty lax when it comes to carding so I figured maybe I should help you out. You couldn't even type your own text messages so I did it for you. I lied and said I was your friend just in case you were underrage and maybe being picked up by a total stranger would land you in hot water, and asked around for any names or numbers of people I could drop you with. But since it was that early in the morning I never got any replies." Another offhanded shrug, as if it was nothing, though this time he did notice the look on Roxas' face, a raised eyebrow and a look of incredulity.
He paused for a bit but when the blond said nothing he just went on with his story. "Anyway so after going around in circles for like forever…" The red haired man stopped for a moment, apparently thinking about whether or not to add something to his tale. "Uh so nobody answered any of the texts or calls and I couldn't really drive since I'd imbibed some too and I couldn't afford two cab fares and I couldn't understand where you were saying it was you lived so we both ended up crashing here." He nodded a bit to himself, seemingly satisfied with his retelling of things. "But um nothing happened if that's what you're afraid of." He hastily added. "I was a perfect gentleman, scouts honor."
Between the wave of relief he felt at finding out for certain that no, he hadn't hooked up with a complete stranger, and the man's clumsy explanation, Roxas began laughing again, falling back on the soft hotel bed and letting the feeling overcome him. He supposed he probably shouldn't have jumped to such panicked conclusions so easily, after all one would most definitely be able to tell if they'd slept with someone the night before. Still it felt good to have such fears assuaged completely. Sitting up again so as to face the now very confused man, he felt comfortable enough to ask his own questions now.
"So uh… Thanks for helping me um-"
"Axel." The red headed man answered with a lopsided grin, extending a hand cordially even though the blond was still sitting in bed right beside him. "And I already know your name," he continued as the young man accepted the hand, "unless Roxas is drunk for something else."
Roxas rolled his eyes, drawing his knees up to his chest. "No, that's right. And I am legal by the way so don't worry... I'm twenty five." Geez did he really look that young? "So Axel… What else did I tell you?" The problem with living such a dull life was that he rarely ever drank, and when he did he was never quite sure how the alcohol would affect him. Axel shrugged again, not quite meeting Roxas' eye.
"You didn't spill your guts to me if that's what you're worried about. All I managed to catch was that you were upset with someone named Hayner." He turned his head to look at Roxas, sharp viridian eyes searching him for… Something.
Hearing Hayner's name sent another wave of nausea crashing through Roxas' stomach as he suddenly remembered exactly what put him at that bar and exactly what had him ordering scotch after scotch until he could no longer feel the sting anymore. Until he could no longer feel a damn thing anymore.
Up until that day he would have said that he was comfortable, that there was nothing needing changing in his life. There was no reason for him to act out on his emotions or do anything rash.
At least this was his philosophy before his best friend Hayner decided go and selfishly turn Roxas' whole world on its head and announce his marriage of all things. Now of course it wasn't Hayner's fault that this shattered the perfect, dull little life Roxas had made for himself, and truly he wasn't being very selfish at all.
After all, one should be allowed to date and marry at his or her own pace, and how was Hayner to know that over their many years of friendship Roxas had begun to develop certain feelings… Feelings that caused time with his best friend to be absolute torture. Feelings that had his heart beating like a heavy metal drum solo and dried his mouth like the sahara desert.
So for the first time in his life he felt like being rash, letting out all the anger and sadness and hurt before he would say something he'd regret. Only now maybe he had, to a complete stranger, all because he decided to get snockered instead of handling his feelings appropriately.
"You gonna be sick? You did drink a lot…" Axel trailed off, perhaps thinking again since he sure seemed to be keeping a lot of his thoughts to himself, Roxas observed sourly. "The bathroom is that way," He gestured lazily to his right. " You should probably have some water anyway so your hangover doesn't get any worse." Such thoughtfulness was nice, Roxas supposed.
He shook his head. "I'm fine it's just a headache…" Throwing his feet over the side of the bed and clumsily gripping the bedside table to steady himself, the blond began shuffling around the room in search of the belongings he'd had with him the night before. It didn't take long to find his shirt and pants wadded in a pile on the floor, wallet and phone placed neatly on top. Opening his wallet he did a quick inventory of its contents, finding nothing out of place.
Though if this weirdo had planned on robbing him he probably wouldn't have stayed. Suddenly feeling rather rude, he turned to find Axel up and stretching, apparently taking no offense to the fact that the blond was checking to see if all his things were as they should be.
"D'ya suppose a place like this has room service?" The redhead asked, poking around the unsightly room himself now.
"You mean you've never been to this hotel before?" Roxas blanched. Not only did he wake up in bed with a stranger, but it appeared neither of them really knew much about where they were. The other man laughed. "Hey I was drunk too okay, just not as drunk as you were." He fiddled with a rather large, rather obvious hole in one of the armchairs, the upholstery foam clearly visible in several places. "I just picked the first place I could find, it just turns out it wasn't the most… High end." He then set his sights on the coffee maker, making a disgusted noise. "Think of it as…. An adventure!" He smiled, putting the coffee maker to the side and turning his attention toward the fossil of a television set.
"I don't really do adventure." The blond responded flatly, pulling his shirt from his pile of belongings and carefully buttoning it. Now that the redhead, Axel, was up and fiddling with every decrepit amenity he could get his hands on, Roxas could see just how tall he was. Damn... He had to be nearly a foot taller than he was.
"Well," Axel began, waltzing over to Roxas with those long legs of his. "You were pretty adventurous last night. Maybe you just have to start!" A big hand clapped him on the back as the smaller man sent a glare his way.
"The most adventurous I'm getting today is eating whatever questionable shit they serve for breakfast here." He answered dryly, arms folded, which for some reason seemed to please Axel. Returning to his exploration he did indeed find the beaten up piece of laminated cardboard which constituted as a room service menu. Making a flying leap back onto the double bed he began reciting what offerings were listed on the worn menu. Once he'd finished getting dressed and shoved his phone and wallet back into his pockets, Roxas gingerly sat beside the eccentric man, listening silently as he listed off various food items.
"I'd kill for some pancakes, you s'pose they'd be able to make decent pancakes here?" Axel tapped his chin in deliberation. "What about you? You looked pretty green there for a while, think you can hold anything down?"
A little surprised at receiving so much consideration from a stranger, though at this point they probably were leaving stranger territory and hedging on 'acquaintance', Roxas nodded dumbly.
"Great!" Axel was smiling brightly and Roxas thought for the second time that morning that maybe he was a little handsome. Reaching over for the phone that looked to be in just as bad if not worse shape than the coffee maker and the lamp, the lanky redhead began dialing.
For some reason having breakfast (crappy questionable breakfast) with Axel was the most fun Roxas had had in a long time, and only every once in awhile did he remember that he was supposed to be crushed and heartbroken. And he still was, that every once in awhile when he remembered Hayner, remembered how happy he looked when he told his best friend the good news, he could feel his heart turn to ice and sink like the goddamn Titanic. But for some reason reminders of Hayner were few and far between, what with the dynamic redhead he was sharing breakfast with never shutting up. And the talkativeness wasn't annoying to Roxas so much as endearing, especially with all the strange tales Axel went on to tell.
"When I was growing up my little sister, my older brother and I would always have these contests to see who could do things faster, meaning we'd also try and see who could finish their food faster." The redhead snorted, picking at a pancake. "Made our parents furious because more than once one of us seriously choked. You'd think being heimliched would turn you off contests like that but we were the competitive types." For some reason this was completely believable to Roxas, who laughed and rolled his eyes.
"Not the brightest kid, were you?" He snorted. Axel brushed it off in good humor.
"Nah. Some would probably argue I'm still not the brightest, what with me sharing a hotel room with someone I'd only had like… Three drunken conversations with, but that worked out pretty well, I think." There was that smile again, ridiculously wide and a tad mischievous. Roxas certainly couldn't deny it was an alluring smile. "We also had contests to see who could climb higher in the tree in our backyard, and one time my sister definitely won, but she got stuck. Fire department had to come and get her down and she was so embarrassed she wouldn't talk to me for three whole days." He laughed, shaking his head and sending mussed red spikes of hair bouncing. "You got any siblings?" The shorter man nodded.
"A sister, though we were never competitive as kids. Not like you and your sister." He smiled around his glass of orange juice. "She was always a social butterfly, but I've never been that way. She gives me a hard time… Says I need to spice up my life or I'll end up sad and alone until the day I die.." He rolled his eyes and Axel laughed, giving him a nudge with his elbow.
"I don't know, I think you might have a story for her now to get her off your back." Axel joked. "The only thing that could have made this little experience spicier is if we had actually fucked." Roxas choked, feeling orange juice go up his nose at the taller man's suggestion. This seemed to panic Axel who reached over to give the blond's back a few good, hard smacks. Gasping for air and hoping to god that Axel would think the redness in his face was merely from lack of oxygen, he sent the man an icy glare. That only made him chuckle, putting up both hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just saying…" He didn't specify what he was saying, just returned to the task of finishing his lumpy pancakes. The rest of breakfast was quiet, though not really uncomfortably so. Nothing with Axel had been really uncomfortable once they'd been able wake up a little and actually talk.
Putting what he was unable to finish to the side, hangover placated but still not entirely willing to give up the ghost, he took out his phone to check for any messages he might have gotten while he was passed out.
There were four from Namine, being the worrywart she was Roxas was surprised she hadn't sent any more.
Two from Sora, one from Xion, one from Pence and one from… Hayner.
Head snapping up to look back to Axel who was flicking rubbery eggs around with his fork. His voice ended up coming out far harsher than he intended. "Who did you message last night?" He barked. Axel raised an eyebrow but answered calmly as ever.
"I asked you who I should message for you and I only texted the people you mentioned." He began picking at a hangnail somewhat nervously. "I gave them my name too, remember, so if there's any trouble you could probably have them message me. I wasn't as out of it as you were."
This was perfect. Drunk Roxas had given this weirdo express instructions to text his little sister, his cousin, his best friend, and Hayner for some god forsaken reason. Hayner, the very reason he drank himself stupid, had been texted by this guy as per Roxas' command. "I told you these were the people to text?" The redhead merely nodded in response. That did nothing to calm Roxas, rather it only rattled his nerves all the more. Bringing himself to his feet so abruptly this time made both his head and stomach voice their complaints, he began to furiously pace the ugly orange carpet. His hangover was not liking this one bit but he needed to pace, goddamn it. Axel was starting to look a little alarmed, shoving his tray of half-eaten room service to the side so as to awkwardly tumble off the bed and follow the smaller man around. Not that the room was big enough to do very good pacing or pursuing.
"I can tell them whatever you want, you know, it doesn't necessarily have to be the truth." Roxas stopped mid-pace, sending Axel, who had been attempting to follow, crashing clumsily into his back. Turning to face his pursuer, he had to crank his neck quite a bit just to meet those green, green eyes.
"It doesn't matter what you tell them or I tell them." Roxas groaned, tangling fingers in messy golden hair. "I don't get drunk. I don't even go out!" The blond was beginning to pace again, looking even more uncomfortable than before. "If they know I got drunk…. If they find out about this…" He gestured to his surroundings, arms flailing wildly. "Then they'll know I lost it, and if they know I lost it they they'll find out why I lost it and everything will be ruined." The tone of his voice went from one of distress to one of anguish in mere seconds. In an attempt to stop the smaller male's impending mental breakdown, Axel cleared his throat, gingerly putting a hand on Roxas' shoulder to stop his pacing.
"Listen, we went to that bar together, got it? We got wasted together." That seemed like the most reasonable thing to tell Roxas' friends, and it certainly sounded less suspicious that what actually happened. The suggestion seemed to throw the blond for a loop, blue eyes widening in surprise, but Axel continued, not about to hear any protests until he was finished, "You never drink, right? So we can say you couldn't hold your liquor and I had to pick up the pieces, being the wonderful friend I am." The redhead pursed his lips in thought before going on. "Give me your phone for a sec?"
Roxas raised a suspicious eyebrow. "What do you need my phone for?" He demanded, still a little unsure about the story he'd have to weave all because of one lousy night.
"Because if you don't have my number how am I going to save you if you drink yourself stupid again." He responded snidely, a smirk sneaking its way onto his face. "And if you need me to corroborate whatever story we come up with how are you gonna' get a hold of me? I don't live at that bar you know." Shit, he had a point. "Plus you seemed pretty bummed about something last night and I do happen to be an excellent listener." Roxas heaved a long, heavy sigh. This guy was a pain in the ass, but he was a charming pain in the ass. Swatting Axel's hand away, he grabbed his phone and offered it to the man. "Here. Put your number in but don't snoop." He shot the redhead the most scathing glare he could muster. "You got a cell?"
"You think I'm a goddamn cave man? 'Course I got a cell." Waltzing across the room with those long, long, too long legs of his Axel began rummaging through what must have been his things and pulled out the sorriest looking phone the blond had ever seen. It would have been pretty nice considering the model had the screen not been shattered and the back not been scuffed up quite a bit. "Oh come on, come on, come on… Turn on damn you!" The redhead was grumbling and tapping his fingers impatiently on the table beside him, waiting for the poor damaged cell phone to power on. The scene was enough to actually turn Roxas' mood around, if only a bit, due to the sheer ridiculousness of it all.
Roxas chuckled. "Leave the poor thing alone. The fact that it even can turn on after all you put it through is a miracle." The blond's comment caused Axel to redden slightly, but his shoulders seemed to relax now that the shorter of the two wasn't glaring daggers at him. When the device finally began doing something he let out a sigh of relief.
"It's fickle." He explained sheepishly. Roxas waved it off, taking the device from Axel and typing in his contact information as best he could. Axel's phone was a complete disaster, but somehow he managed.
"You really need to get a new phone…." He snorted. "I don't know how you can see shit on this thing." With a roll of those green, green, beautiful green eyes Axel merely shrugged. He seemed to do that a lot, Roxas supposed he was just the warm congenial type.
"I can see the screen well enough so that's all that matters." He seemed to take Roxas' dry sensibilities in stride as well, flashing him that exquisite smile and handing him his phone back. "Okay, all set. You can feel free to sic any of the people I texted for you on me and I'll explain to them it was all my fault. I'm a terrible influence." He winked playfully which caused Roxas' stomach to do a flip and Roxas himself to curse the universe for sticking him with this idiotic attractive redhead when he was supposed to be mending a broken heart.
He snorted, pretending like that stupid wink hadn't affected him. "Yeah well you say that now, my sister can be pretty scary when she's giving you a piece of her mind." Namine was very protective and certainly didn't mince words. Considering all the messages she'd left she would probably have a lot to say about this. That didn't seem to bother Axel however, still smiling as he began redressing himself in the flannel shirt he'd apparently thrown over one of the sinfully ugly armchairs.
"I think I could probably take it." He grinned, plopping himself on the double bed again and fixing those vivid eyes back on Roxas. "Having a sister of your own gets you used to that kind of thing. I'm twenty seven years old for god's sake but she nags me more than our mother does." He laughed, shaking his head. "I suppose it's a good thing though, having family that cares enough to get on your nerves. Makes up for the family that doesn't care at all." It made the blond want to ask what he meant by such a remark, but before he could say anything the phone in his hand started ringing shrilly, causing both men to jump a bit.
"I should probably take this." Roxas sighed, his companion merely nodding and gesturing toward the tiny bathroom.
"Take your time, check out isn't for-" He checked his own busted up cell phone. "Another hour anyway. Gee for someone with a hangover you woke us up early!" The blond only sneered at him before retreating to the miniscule bathroom. Unsurprisingly, it was just as dirty and broken as the rest of the hotel room, with spots of mold forming on the walls.
Checking the caller ID he grumbled, swiping to answer the shrieking phone. It was his sister and he probably had a lot of explaining to do. "Hey Nam-
"Roxas where are you, are you okay?" There was a hint of panic in her voice. He'd expected this call at some point, knowing his sister, but apparently she hadn't wasted any time. "Did you find somewhere to stay last night? Do you need me to pick you up? Are you alright Roxas this isn't like you, and who is Axel?"
Nibbling at furiously at his lower lip Roxas took the barrage of questions in stride, making note of each and trying his best to think of the best possible answers. He sort of wished Axel was here to help him think of a good story… From what he knew of him so far, the redhead always seemed one step ahead. "Calm down, Nami, I can only answer one question at a time." He laughed nervously, but he could here his sister's impatient huff over the phone.
"Roxas, where are you? I woke up this morning with a text from some guy I've never even heard of asking if I could come pick you up at a bar downtown! Since when do you go to bars?" Her voice had gone almost shrill by the end of it and Roxas felt absolutely terrible for making his little sister worry.
"I'm uh-" Shit he still didn't know exactly where he was, just that it was the worst hotel in the world. "At a hotel right now."
"A hotel?" That answer didn't seem to sit right with Namine at all, who balked at the idea immediately. "Roxas I love you and I'm not about to judge-"
It seemed like she was jumping to the logical, yet entirely wrong conclusion, and Roxas had to put the kibosh on that quick. "Oh god no Nami it's not like that!" He heard a relieved puff of air from the other line. "See I was having a really shitty day so me and a buddy of mine decided to go out to let off some steam and I guess we had a little too much to drink." The lie flowed more smoothly than he thought it would and it filled him with confidence. That story Axel had come up with was actually really good!
"This buddy being the Axel that texted me at three in the morning?" It seemed like Namine still wasn't completely buying it.
"Yeah. He's a really good guy-" This Roxas was guessing from their breakfast together and conversations following, but it seemed like a decent guess. No complete jerk would take express time out of his night to text not one, not two, but five of Roxas' contacts to see him home. Which sure, didn't work out, but he did try. "He was drunk too so he couldn't take me anywhere. In the end I guess he found somewhere for us." He chuckled softly.
"Uh huh." His sister's voice was still laden with disbelief. There was a pause, before she simply added. "You should introduce him sometime then. I wasn't aware you had such reliable friends I didn't even know about." Something about the way she said it made it seem like she still didn't think he was telling the entire truth, but he was relieved she wasn't prying.
"Sure thing, Nam, you know how busy I've been what with the Internship and school." He looked at himself in the cracked mirror and suppressed a shudder. He looked like the living dead, with circles under his eyes so dark it was as if that was where life had decided to punch him. Not to mention his hair was going every which way and he wasn't sure how Axel wasn't laughing his ass off every time he caught sight of him.
"Rox, you need to get out sometimes too." Namine sounded calm now, loving and concerned like she always did when she tried to give him advice. "Even though it sounds like you had kind of a crazy night…. I'm glad." He could almost hear that demure smile in her voice. "I was so worried you'd gotten yourself into some mess or gotten yourself hurt somehow, but maybe you're just having the adventure you needed. As long as you're safe…" She trailed off.
"Who said I needed any adventure?" Roxas griped, trying very hard to forget how fun his terrible breakfast Axel was. Namine only hummed her response as he continued, "This was just a one time thing, make no mistake I-" Flustered he really didn't know what to say. He was trying to forget how much fun it could be to be in a new place, with a new person… With Axel… Because he didn't need that, he had all the friends he needed and he had his habitual haunts and they were enough…. They were enough, so why then…?
"Well, it sounds like maybe you've found a good person to rebel with, so thank Axel for me. I wasn't kidding about bringing him by sometime though. I can't believe you're keeping secrets from me." And now he could hear that demure smile of her's turn sly, which only served to fluster and infuriate him more. "Well my lunch break will be over pretty soon, I just wanted to make sure my favorite brother was okay."
Roxas rolled his eyes. "I'm your only brother." He replied dryly.
"Then you should be even more glad you're my favorite." She chirped. "If you were my only sibling in the entire world and you weren't my favorite, I bet you'd feel pretty bad."
"Or I'd be relieved to finally have you off my back for once." Roxas retorted sardonically. But as annoyed as Namine made him, he could always tell everything she did, as irritating as it may be, was out of care for him.
"You say that now. I think you'd miss me if I wasn't harping on you all the time." Over the speaker he could hear shuffling, then a sigh. "Now I really need to go if I want to finish this bagel before lunch break ends. Talk to you later okay?" Roxas affirmed that, yes, he'd call his sister later, and with a click the line was dead. Grumbling, the blond began finally looking through the text messages he'd received that morning. As he slept next to someone he didn't even know….
The tiny little bathroom hardly had enough room to pace but Roxas wasn't about to let a little thing like space stop him. Walking around the room in little circles he could feel himself growing more and more distressed as he read message after message.
From Namine:
Roxas where are you
Are you alright?
Who's Axel?
Call me!
From Sora:
Where are you?
Who is Axel?
From Xion:
Holy shit are you ok? Who the hell is Axel?
From Pence:
Rox did you make it home alright? Who's Axel?
From Hayner:
Who is Axel? Are you home yet?
It seemed like every single message was about the obnoxious red head in the next room over, and Roxas didn't know how to answer any of them. They'd concocted a solid enough story but what if he ended up forgetting it? What if his sister or his cousin or…. God forbid Hayner found out he'd gone out and gotten plastered alone? If Hayner found out about this what else would he find out about?
"I can always count on you Roxas."
"At least one of us can keep their cool."
Roxas had spent so long learning to control and hide how he felt about his friend. There were times when the agony of stuffing it all inside was almost too painful, but he had endured it because above all else he didn't want to lose Hayner as a friend. But if Hayner somehow found out, after all the hiding, after all the suffering…. He could feel his breathing start becoming irregular, the walls of the small decrepit bathroom closing in as his heart started pounding erratically in his chest. Tears burned his eyes as he sunk to the floor, gripping his phone with such force he was surprised it didn't explode into bits right there in his hands. He couldn't stand to lose Hayner, and yet he was going to lose him no matter what because he was getting married now and he would be starting a new life with someone else. Someone that wasn't him.
A soft knock on the bathroom door nearly caused the blond to jump out of his skin. "Sorry to interrupt… Whatever you're doing, but we have to check out pretty soon." It was Axel. Stupid to forget the redhead was right in the other room.
His breathing was ragged and he could feel tears threatening to overflow. He wasn't sure he could really form an answer, not when he could barely even breathe, so instead he used the counter to hoist himself up onto unsteady feet, and left the bathroom. He was starting to feel like he was about to die, but he'd rather do it in one of the unsightly chairs or on the double bed that was decent at best then on this dirty bathroom floor.. He was only twenty five, could people have heart attacks and die at twenty five? But with the way his heart was beating he felt that surely this was it. All because he decided to go out and try to numb his feelings with alcohol.
Staggering out of the bathroom and back into the main room, he missed the look on Axel's face, one of surprise and then alarm. He missed the puke colored chair and he almost missed the bed, collapsing and clutching his chest, breathing so uneven now he was seeing stars.
"Jesus Christ man what happened in there?" Roxas just shook his head in response. He didn't feel he'd be able to answer, and even if he could he didn't want to explain what had led up to whatever this was.
That would open a new can of worms, one he wasn't sure he wanted anyone knowing about, much less someone he barely knew..
A large warm hand took hold of his wrist and the blond's head snapped up in surprise. The redhead seemed to have lost all sense of personal space. "Relax, I'm not going to bite." Pausing Axel decided to explain, pressing two fingers to the blond's pulse. "I work as an EMT, part time." Disregarding whatever sarcastic thing Roxas had to say about this revelation the redhead knelt in front of Roxas, still holding his wrist and from the looks of it silently counting. Meeting Roxas' eyes again he seemed to be thinking. "You're hyperventilating, you need to not do that or you're going to pass out. Cup your your hands together like this and breathe through them, basically like you'd do with a brown paper bag." He attempted to illustrate what he meant by cupping his hands together and breathing slowly through the space left after one thumb curled around the other.
Attempting to replicate the technique Axel had shown him, Roxas cupped his hands together and attempt to control his breathing through his hands. "Your heart rate is elevated but I'm pretty sure it's nothing to worry about since that happens to a lot of people when they have panic attacks."
Pulling his hands away from his mouth Roxas' balked at the diagnosis. "A panic attack? That's all this is? A panic attack?" The redhead smiled gently and nodded. "And you're a fucking EMT?"
Axel shrugged. "Part time. Good news is you'll be fine. The symptoms can get pretty gnarly so we get calls for 'em every once in awhile. Bad news is that it'll have to go away on its own." He shot the blond a stern look. "Actually breathing how I told you to breathe would help." Glaring, Roxas resumed breathing through his hands as Axel took a seat beside him on the bed. It was actually helping, to Axel's credit. Being able to breathe was helping calm his pounding heart, and pretty soon he was feeling mostly back to normal. Drawing his knees to his chest, he wrapped his arms around them and clasped his fingers.
"Thanks…. For that." He mumbled, staring blankly at some mystery stain on his pants. "That's… Never happened to me before. I must really be losing it." He had become so dependant on the way he'd been able to live his life up until that point that that when a wrench was thrown in he completely crumbled. Now that he thought of it, that probably wasn't the healthiest way to live in the first place, and it was probably a miracle that nothing like this has happened up until now. He could feel a warm hand gingerly placed on his back, rubbing gentle circles. It startled him, but he didn't find it unwelcome per se…. Just unexpected. Though that in and of itself frustrated him and made him want to give himself a talking to
"Pretty lucky I was already here." Axel mused, still not looking at Roxas but not yet withdrawing that comforting hand. "I'm not going to pry, seeing as we don't know each other all that well, but it seems to me like you're pretty stressed…"
Roxas snorted. "Is that your medical opinion?" The redhead just shrugged a shoulder. The look of professionalism on his face was replaced with a small smile.
"Nah, I'm just pretty good at reading people." He replied, withdrawing the warm, soothing hand he took Roxas' wrist again, checking his pulse for the second time. Looking satisfied with the result, he stood and offered the blond a hand. "Your heart rate's back to normal now which means we should probably head out." Turning to glance at the analog clock on the end table he sighed. "We've passed check out time by a little bit but it's fine. I bet if we beg and throw a fit they'll let it slide. No one wants to do more work than they have to." Taking the offered hand, the shorter male let his companion help him to his feet, still feeling a little unsteady. It didn't take them long to gather the rest of their belongings and make their way down to the lobby, Axel having already seemingly gotten most of his things together while Roxas was on the phone with Namine, and Roxas only really needing to recover his shoes.
The desk clerk, a woman appearing to be in her mid thirties, looked up from the crossword puzzle she was doing with a look of disinterest on her face. Roxas noted that the lobby itself was rather small and nearly as tacky looking as their room. This confirmed that this certainly was no upscale venue.
"Hello welcome to the Twilight Historic how may I help you?" She sounded as bored as she looked, cracking and popping the gum in her mouth. It seemed she was the only staff member in sight.
Axel cracked the most alluring smile he could muster. Even Roxas, cynical as he was, was sure he'd be won over by a smile like that, all big and bright and slightly crooked. "We're just here to check out."
The clerk's expression didn't change one bit. "Check out is at noon so you're gonna have to pay a fee-"
It appeared the redhead was still trying his hand at charming the woman into submission, leaning his elbow casually on the counter which Roxas thought looked kind of stupid considering how tall he was and that he was having to bend down to do so. "We know! God, the funniest thing happened. So on our way here the elevator got stuck and I told Roxas, Roxas didn't I tell you? I told Roxas we'd be late." He nodded to the blond who at that point was examining a crack in the tile floor.
He looked up first at Axel, then at the thoroughly unconvinced woman now tapping her pen impatiently on the desk. "You sure did Axel." He deadpanned, not at all thrilled to be dragged into this. If Axel wanted to try and weasel out of a fee fine, but why make him an accomplice?
"You're still late." She responded blandly, blowing a bubble in Axel's face. Popping it, she added. "Still gotta pay the fee."
This seemed to slightly phase Axel, but didn't throw him off his game entirely. "True, but we aren't even a half hour late. I'm sure you could give us just a little leeway." His voice was as sweet as honey, but even that didn't seem to snare his target.
Putting down both her crossword and pen, the desk clerk leaned forward a bit now. Anyone on the outside could see that she had not taken the bait and things were not working in Axel's favor, but he seemed to take this as a promising sign. 'Idiot.'
"Still late." She replied shortly causing the redhead's smile to falter. He seemed to have just now taken the hint that this wasn't working, and probably wouldn't be any time soon. Quashing the urge to roll his eyes, Roxas stepped forward now, shoving Axel to the side with his elbow.
"May we speak to the manager? We would like to file a complaint." He could feel Axel looking at him questioningly and he gave him another jab. 'Don't you know how to play along, you idiot?' However now a speck of comprehension shown in those dazzling eyes, and the blond felt a little more confident that he wasn't going to say something stupid and ruin his plan.
Heaving a long, pronounced sigh the desk clerk picked up her phone and dialed. "Hey boss, can I get you down at the front desk? Nah nothin' major just some folks tryin' to file a complaint." She paused, listening to whoever it was on the other end with the same stone faced look she'd had during the entire exchange. "Yeah but they specifically asked for you so-" This time her brows furrowed as she listened to the person on the other line, before hanging up. Hanging up by smashing the phone back in its cradle. "He'll be right down." She explained flatly.
Smiling acerbically, Roxas replied. "I'd appreciate that." Now a new figure clomped over, appearing from somewhere behind the desk clerk.
A sort of stout, middle aged looking man wearing a worn suit regarded them skeptically. "Hello I'm the manager here at the Twilight Historic, is there something I can help you with?" He smiled a big fake smile, obviously not pleased with having been called to handle such a situation but still trying to look welcoming.
Leaning forward and placing both forearms on the service desk, Roxas spoke in a firm, low voice. "I've noticed several health code violations in our room alone. Now, I didn't feel inclined to report them and in effect close your establishment for the time the Department of Health investigates this place top to bottom… Until your desk clerk informed us we would be billed for not checking out on time. This of course being due to your faulty elevators, you remember those don't you Axel?"
He turned his head to look at his companion who was grinning ear to ear now. "Sure do Roxas." The redhead responded, only a hint of cheekiness to his tone, which it seemed, knowing Axel, was as good as they were going to get.
Returning his attention entirely to the manager he progressed. "I'll still be willing to let these infarctions slide, provided we aren't billed for something that is, in effect your fault." The Manager seemed to be visibly uncomfortable at this point, shifting his weight uneasily as he listened to the blond's calmly delivered threats, and the desk clerk had backed away into another room entirely.
"Well th-that seems entirely reasonable…" The portly man was awkwardly scratching the back of his neck as ocean blue eyes pinned him to the very spot he stood. "What say we overlook that late fee then eh?" He licked his lips nervously, waiting for Roxas' response.
Pulling back from the counter he folded his arms, pretending to think. "Alright. Fair enough. Though I will be keeping track of the charges made to my card, so if things don't look right-"
Interrupting the blond before he could continue being a menace, the manager replied. "Certainly not, we're a business of upstanding morals." The look on the younger man's face plainly said that he very sincerely doubted that, but he began digging for his card anyway.
"Hey wait I was gonna pay!" Looking up he could see Axel reaching over in an attempt to stop the transaction. Thank god he had been quiet up until now, Roxas had been sure the redhead would completely blow it by saying something that one of the hotel employees could run with.
Roxas shook his head, offering his companion a small smile. "It's my fault the two of us are here, right? You were just sticking your neck out for me. I should be the one to pay." He handed the manager his card, noting how melancholy those words sounded, though he wasn't sure why.
Axel seemed to notice the bitterness in the way Roxas said this. "No one had a gun to my head, damn it. I didn't do it because I had to, I-" He cut himself off. They were still in the public eye, and it seemed even he was aware he was making a scene. "I just did it because I wanted to okay." He finished lamely.
Roxas blinked, taken aback by the taller man's comment. The outburst was unexpected to say the least, and a stark contrast to the suave way he'd been trying to speak to the desk clerk. 'Not that any man on earth has a chance of cracking that.' he mused. Still, it definitely peaked his curiosity. What a weird guy... The hotel manager offered his card back and he took it, noticing the extensive number of rings on the hairy knuckled hand. He definitely wouldn't be returning to this hotel any time soon. Putting it back in his wallet he motioned the redhead to follow him out of the lobby.
Once they were standing on the sidewalk in front of the building under a rather sad looking awning, he decided to break the silence. "So," He began, feeling nervousness begin welling in the pit of his stomach without knowing really why, "If you're that desperate to pay for something…" He couldn't believe he was doing this, but this guy was good conversation, and he desperately, desperately needed someone to talk to right now apparently. Otherwise he'd just end up getting wasted again and maybe not landing himself in the company of someone so… Decent. And he did have a feeling there was more to last night than the redhead was telling him. "Maybe you can buy me coffee? You have my number and I have yours."
Smiling that damn attractive smile again, Axel nodded. "Alright. I think a coffee date will be sufficient in nursing my wounded pride." Roxas wondered if the redhead was purposefully turning on the charm or if it he just oozed it unconsciously.
Roxas put a hand up to stop the redhead. "Not a date." He asserted. Whether he was trying to convince Axel of this or himself he didn't know. "Just coffee and conversation with a friend. You can handle that much, right?" He raised an inquiring eyebrow but Axel didn't seem phased.
"Fine fine, friendly coffee then." He waved a hand in indifference. "Call me whenever you want me to lavish you in the gift of caffeine. Or y'know whenever you feel like it." He winked, causing Roxas to roll his eyes. How absolutely cheesy.
"Yeah, yeah, you have my number too." The man was an absolute dork, but he felt himself snort regardless. On his way back to his apartment he noted that for the first time in a long time he felt, overall, just a little lighter.
Note: It took everything I had to cut it down to just 9k some words. I hope you all liked it regardless. Also based on some true stories from my life, though nothing major since I'm not that exciting. My sister really got stuck in our tree. Anyway chapter 2 will be out fairly shortly and if you read this you're great and thanks for tolerating the length, I'll try to hold back next time!