Fire + Treadmarks
Chapter 1
I can't believe that slime. He leaned on his hand on his desk, staring up rather inattentively at the teacher lecturing. He was never all that engaged in school, but even less so when he had just done so poorly in a race. Especially against Hayner. He hated Hayner. He was so cocky just because he was relatively new to racing and was already so good. The boy did have to admit that; Hayner had talent, and maybe that's why, more than anything, he hated him. Hayner would probably go into the Twilight Cup, a fact that he hated. He didn't even entertain the thought that Hayner would beat him all the way up to the Struggle Cup Championships. Just thinking about Hayner's stupid, cocky grin made him so angry…Next time I see, I swear I'll…
"Psst, Roxas."
Roxas came awake when the boy behind him called to him. The boy had crazy brown hair and striking blue eyes. His face was still rather young even though he was fast approaching on 18, just barely older than Roxas himself. And he smiled like all the time, like a second nature.
"What's it, Sora?"
Sora gave a wary look up at the teacher before responding, "Whatcha doin' this Saturday?"
"Nothin', why?" Roxas answered, unable to hide the smoldering anger in his voice.
"Just askin'. Geez, you still angry about that race last week?" Sora asked, a little dumbfounded.
"Whatchoo think?" Roxas responded, not even trying to hide his resentment.
"Dude, you gotta learn to let it go. You won't be able to race-"
"Roxas! Sora! If you have things so important to talk about, then you can take your imperative conversation to the principal!" their teacher yelled. Immediately the two boys straightened up and looked forward. They forced themselves to keep their faces masked into eager awareness until the bell rang near half an hour later.
"C'mon Roxas, let's do something fun today," Sora said as the two friends gathered their books into their bags.
"I don't feel like it, Sora. Maybe later," Roxas replied, sliding his bag onto his shoulder.
"I promise you'll have fun," Sora persuaded. "C'mon, what's the worse that could happen?" Roxas desperately searched his brain for an answer to Sora's question, but found none. What was the worse that could happen?
"Okay, okay, fine. We'll go out tonight. But where?" Roxas asked, hoping that Sora wouldn't have an idea already in mind. Sora chuckled as they passed through the doors of their school to the student parking lot.
"I know just the place!"
"Well… where is it?" Roxas questioned, his voice rising as he moved farther away from Sora because their cars were parked away from each other.
"It's a surprise!"
Great. Last time he "surprised" me, he tried to get me a stripper for my birthday. That didn't go over too well with mom. "Okay… just don't make it like last time…" Roxas's voice trailed off as he got into his car. He didn't hear if Sora said anything or not because he shut the door and drove away, suddenly in a hurry to get away from school.
XXX
"Axel, thanks for coming over and helping me out. I mean, I have a lot to thank you for—"
With a flick of his slender hand, the slim, red-haired man waved away the appreciation his friend was giving him.
"Don't mention it, Demyx. I mean, fellow authors gotta stick together, right? Besides, you've given me plenty of great ideas for my stories, and now it's time for you to start getting some spotlight," he said, smiling as he walked out of Demyx's apartment. In truth, Axel was never good at accepting compliments or thank-yous. In high school he chose not to use his intelligence, he never tried out for any sports and he didn't make an effort to be nice. He hadn't really cared for what others thought of him, therefore, he never had anyone really say anything positive to him. But ever since he was twenty-two, he'd come clean from everything that brought him down in life -- his parents, alcohol, drugs. The only remnants of his past were two purple upside down tear shaped tattoos under his eyes. He didn't mind them being there, though. He thought they reminded him of what he didn't want to be again. Now he was an author, and a successful one at that, but even though he had changed for the better, his old self always found a way of coming back sometimes.
"See ya later, Demyx," and with that, he turned toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.
"Hey, wait! Axel… do you wanna do something tonight, maybe?" Demyx inquired.
"Um, sure… just call me with the details, I really need to get going," Axel said. He didn't feel comfortable knowing that people could hear their conversation through the walls and doors of the apartment complex. And that's why he always made Demyx come over to spend the night. Those nights where they both just needed to let go, let loose, get creative. And well, sometimes, things got loud.
"Alright then," Axel's caramel color haired friend replied. Demyx was about six inches shorter than Axel, who was 6' 2", and wore a mullet. Axel didn't know anybody but Demyx who still wore anything that was stylish from the 80s. And he had a sense of humor that could make anyone laugh. Even Vexen, probably. No, maybe not. I don't think Vexen knows how to laugh. Vexen was Axel's harsh, but reliable editor. He was an older man, with long, blonde hair. When Axel first met him, he made note of the fact that Vexen wasn't pretty, probably never was, and probably won't be.
Axel realized he'd been daydreaming all the way out to the parking lot. He spun in a circle twice before he found his car, got in, and drove away. He was in a hurry to get home. Thinking of Vexen made him remember that his deadline for chapter two of his new story was in three days. Turning out onto the street, and onto the highway, he noticed, dismayed, that all the cars were at a standstill. Oh, well this is fucking great. At this rate, I'll never get this chapter done. What a pain in the ass. Axel's ranting continued in his head for the next two hours in which it took him to get home.
XXX
Roxas shut the door to his room with an exasperated sigh; the day's stressors hanging over him like bad drapery. That metaphor right there made Roxas think about just how much his bedroom needed redecorating. His door was a bright, near electric blue with little stars and saltwater fish painted on it in faded blues and grays. Here and there white was added for emphasis. The same went for his curtains, one of his lamp shades, and the comforter that topped his bed. The little lamp at the head of his bed was a large white star shape lamp that glowed during the night. It gave the feeling of melancholy, like dreams half-forgotten of a far off life. The rest of his room was a non-descript brown, making the blue here and there stand out to the point of almost being an eyesore. His mother had forced him to have a few plants here and there in his room, for the ultimate feminine touch that brought everything together. Guess I never thought about how horrid this room looks because I've never had to bring a girl in here.
He shrugged off his book bag on to the end of his dull but sturdy desk, and then kicked off his shoes next to the door. Thumping across the hard wood floors to his bed, Roxas kicked some random clothing and forgotten books aside. He let himself drop onto his bed, running his fingers through his hair, his mind going 100 miles per minute, but not getting anywhere significant.
Opening his eyes, the pattern on his door met him on the ceiling, only the stars and parts of the fish glowed in the dark. Not that he could see it now, but it made him feel even more like he was in the room of a little kid. Still…he liked his room, although he'd never admit it. It was soothing, calming. In a stretching motion he reached his arm across to the phone on his nightstand, which had woken him up by ringing. He thumped his hand on the 'Talk' button and brought it to his ear with a groggy, "Hello?"
"Hey Roxas, it's Sora!" Roxas all but groaned.
"What's it, man?" he replied half heartedly into the receiver.
"Dude, you sound sleepy. Did you just get up?"
"Nah…still in bed. Whatchoo you want?"
"Are we doin' something tonight or what?"
"Mmppff…yeah."
"Well get up and get in your glad rags, I'll pick you up in a bit," Sora said enthusiastically.
"My what?!" Roxas asked a little stunned by his friend's usage of out-of-date slang. Roxas could practically hear Sora roll his eyes.
"Your good clothes, we're not just going to McDonalds. Mkay?" Sora explained, a little frustrated.
"Okay, whatever. Give me a half hour."
"Cool, see you then!"
XXX
"Finally… home…" Axel sighed, exhausted, as he made his way into his couch. He plopped onto it, and laid down. Turning over on his stomach, he let out another sigh, but this one was a sigh of comfort, since the cool black leather felt nice against his skin. I'll just close my eyes for a second…
Two hours later, his shocking green eyes snapped open to the sound of his telephone. He quickly sat up and jumped off the couch. There was always this gush of adrenaline whenever he was woken up by surprise. Leaping over his black wood coffee table, he grabbed the phone which was hanging on the opposite wall.
"Hello?" he asked, his breathing a little heavy.
"Hello, Axel. It's Vexen."
"You don't need to tell me twice. I could tell by the way the phone was sending me 'Don't pick up this call, or you'll regret it' vibes." Axel replied, sarcastically. Truthfully, he didn't know who was calling. He never bothered to use the caller ID option on his phone. If he'd known it was Vexen, he probably would not have answered.
"I get that a lot. Listen, I just called to check on the status of chapter two of your new story… you are working on it, aren't you? You know the deadline is in… oh, let's see… three days?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know… you don't have to call my house to tell me, you know," he could barely keep the irritation out of his voice. Glancing back over at the couch, he noticed a little puddle of drool where his face had been.
"I don't? I see. Well if that's the case, then I expect the new chapter in, hmm… two days," Vexen said with a chuckle.
"Two?! You're joking, right?"
"Well, I think you'd have it done by then, right? Since you've been working so hard…"
"Okay, okay, I was sleeping. Jesus, how do you do that?"
"Do what?" Vexen asked, his cluelessness obviously fake.
"Get people to tell the truth," Axel said, sighing.
"Wouldn't you like to know? Anyway, get to work, Axel. Three days, got it memorized?"
"Yeah, yeah, memorized," Axel said with a sigh of relief as the other side of the line went out. That guy's gonna be my death. Sighing, Axel gave a longing glance to his cool, leather couch again. The red pillows, almost as read as his hair, burning images of squares into his eyes. How he wanted to go back to it. It's okay, baby. I'll be back soon. And with that, he turned around and went up the stairs to his computer room. This room was adorned with the color yellow. The lights in this room gave off a yellow-ish glow, the cushioning on his computer chair was yellow, the lights of the computer were yellow, the book shelves had yellow designs on their black wood… he didn't know why, but the yellow made him feel comfortable and got his creativity going. Okay… time to get to work.
Sitting down, he opened up the file in which his new story was in. I still don't have a title for this thing, do I? Oh well, it'll come to me as I go along, I suppose. He stared at the words 'Untitled' at the top of the document, then sighed, and began to work. For the next hour and a half there was nothing but the sound of fingers clacking on keyboard keys. Axel took a moment to stretch his hands out and massage them. Big mistake. His eyelids began to droop, and he leaned back, looking up toward the yellow ceiling. Once again, he had dozed off.
Another hour later, he was woken up by another phone call. I wonder if Vexen has like… ESP or something. Axel knew he was probably just being paranoid, but if it were Vexen calling to make him confess to sleeping again, that would be just a little too creepy. Even by Vexen's standards. This time, he didn't jump at the phone. Axel readjusted his black framed glasses and took his time coming down the stairs, hoping whoever it was would just hang up if the phone rang enough. Instead, it just kept on ringing, like a persistent child whining about getting a toy, or some sea-salt ice cream. Something like that. He finally reached the phone. Moving his hand slowly and reluctantly, he ignored the caller ID flashing at him once more. He snatched the phone up quickly, deciding to just get it over with.
"Hello?" he asked, a little bit of nervousness escaped into his voice.
"Hey, Axel, it's Demyx," came a cheery reply.
"Thank God…" Axel whispered to himself.
"What was that?"
"Oh… nothing. So, what's up?" Axel said quickly.
"Um, yeah, I called to tell you the directions to the place I wanna show you tonight," Demyx answered with a little suspicion in his voice.
"Uhh... okay, just say it,"
"You got something to write with?"
"Nah, I'm going to memorize it," Axel said with a smirk.
"Okay then…." Axel listened to Demyx's directions and sure enough, he had them memorized. He was always good at memorizing things. It was like… one of his talents, as he would say.
"I'll meet you there in like… an hour?" Demyx asked.
"Sure thing," and with that, they both hung up.
XXX
Sora was always an insane driver, just about as insane of a driver as Roxas, only, in public. He brought his car into parking spot only centimeters before another guy, screeching to a halt. After recovering from the whiplash, both Roxas and Sora stepped out of the car. The guy they had beat to the parking spot was still sitting in his car, looking incredibly pissed and little fruity. He looked them both up and down before driving off to scavenge for another spot. Roxas adjusted the cuff of his shirt, which was a pleasant blue dress shirt. He also wore some blue jeans that were just comfy and black lace up shoes. On his right forefinger he wore a black onyx ring. He usually wore it, but tonight it just seemed to be the perfect final touch. Sora, on the other side of the car, was running his hands down his own white dress shirt, trying to rid it of any wrinkles it may have had. The only other difference in his dress was that his shoes were these large, and oddly shaped things that were an obnoxious yellow color. Roxas had learned long ago to never say anything about it. For some reason, Sora was quite fondly attached to them.
They turned towards the building behind them, a large and snazzy looking encampment where the undulating 'uhntiss uhntiss uhntiss uhntiss' bass of some dance music emitted, giving the area a heartbeat. The warm night air of the downtown city washed over them, no area of the street left totally untouched by the lights that were everywhere. People seemed to all thrive near the building.
"This is it."
"A bar? This where we're gonna have fun?" Roxas asked, cocking an eyebrow at the place. It didn't seem like anything special. It had neon lights running its length with a line of people trailing around the corner.
"Not just any bar. This is the newest hot spot! This is their Grand Opening!" Sora exclaimed, motioning to a banner on its wall stating this in an array of extremely bright colors. Roxas just looked at it. For some reason…he just felt as though something was wrong.
"Oh, come on! We'd better get over there before the line gets any longer. It's a good thing we're getting here early as it is. By the end of the night, we won't be able to get in at all!" Sora grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him across the street. They promptly took their place in what was a continuously growing line. The two boys looked ahead of them up a little deck where some large lookin' dudes checking ID's and letting people in. Occasionally they turned some guys back who made a large ruckus.
"This looks like it could take a while…" Sora commented pensively.
"If it takes too long, I'm outta here," Roxas said in an offhand matter, not really caring all that much. It was about fifteen minutes later that Roxas and Sora were much nearer to the bar entrance. It was then, when Roxas was playing with the ring on his finger, that he made a slightly disturbing observation.
"Hey, Sora," Roxas nudged his friend. Sora lifted his head to look at Roxas, his eyebrows lifting to his hairline and his eyes opening wide to show his full, bored, attention was on his friend. "Is it just me, or are all the people in this line a bunch of guys?" Sora's eyes brows connected in the center of this forehead as he looked around him suddenly in every direction.
"Looks like…I bet the girls are probably just gonna come later. It's only 10:30..." Sora continued to look around a little confused.
"I dunno man…some of these guys look a little queer…." Roxas trailed off as he looked up at the bouncers as the line inched forward a little bit. They were really close, only a few more people before it was their turn. His eyes drifted up to the neon lights above the door. In a bright pink light, the sign read The Flower Petal. Roxas's eyes just about popped out of their sockets.
"THE FLOWER PETAL!?!?! Sora!! What are you thinking!? This is a gay bar!" Roxas rounded on his friend who shirked behind him.
"Nah…it isn't. I swear! Seriously, the girls will probably come later…I mean…you know girls. They take so damn long to do their hair and make up. They will probably show up in a little while. Promise!" At that time, they were pushed forward by the older men behind them, putting them face to face with the big bouncers. The really big guy had an ugly looking frown on his skinny lips with red hair slicked back from his face leading off into these squiggly pieces of hair that looked like a cartoon of some sort. The other bouncer was a little smaller, but much more intimidating. He had ferocious sideburns that came up on his face that ended in point along his cheek bones. The rest of his mass of black hair was pulled into a large ponytail that ended in a whole bunch of dreadlocks.
Just then, the boys were momentarily spared a confrontation. Up came two guys, a dirty blonde and red head with outlandish hair. The blonde wore a mullet type hair-do, dressed in a smart light blue dress shirt with electric blue pinstripes that really made him stand out. The red head had hair that grew away in these large spikes that stuck out in the air, and down his back to his shoulders. He wore some black glasses, black pants, black shoes… and a dark green turtle neck. The only piece of color on him that stood out as much as his hair. The two walked up the bouncers, the blonde in lead, and immediately confronted the bouncer with black hair.
"Xaldin? Hey man, I'm Demyx, and this is The Flurry of Dancing Flames. We should be on your list," the blonde said in a voice that sounded younger than his face, and way too playful to be trusted. The bouncer must have caught onto this and gave the blonde a suspicious glare. The blonde guy only gave him a cocky smile; hardly convincing. The bouncer, Xaldin, then consulted the clipboard in his hands. Behind the blonde, the red head began to look around him, looking slightly bored. He looked down slightly at Sora and Roxas.
Bam.
The red head's eyes met Roxas's. They were a brilliant green that made Roxas just stare. Apparently this feeling was shared, for the red head held Roxas's gaze. Roxas seemed unable to breathe, his stomach felt like it was being pulled down by some invisible force, stretching it out, then letting it go, and snapping like a rubber band. His throat got tight and dry, but Roxas couldn't seem able to move enough to swallow. The moment seemed to suspend with intensity flaring between the two.
"You the Flurry of Dancing Flames?" The green eyes flicked away from Roxas, leaving him with the feeling as though he had just run a mile and couldn't quite catch his breath. The red head stared at the black haired bouncer for a moment, almost accusingly before he answered.
"Yes," He then curved his lips into a small smile. Xaldin smiled back revealing some brutal incisors.
"Marluxia would love to know that you've arrived. If you'd follow me, I'll take you to him."
"Sounds delightful!" the mullet head responded and followed the bouncer inside, the red head following closely behind him.
"What the hell, man?!" Sora boomed out of no where. "Why'd they get to go in like that?!" He then gave the remaining bouncer an accusing glare. The large carrot top met his glare and only over powered it.
"ID?" he grumbled, out stretching his hand. Both boys begrudgingly took out their wallets and gave their ID's to the guy. He took them sharply and looked them over, comparing the pictures to the boys' faces. After a moment or two of pondering, he handed them back.
"You may go in," he said, pulling aside a large black velvet curtain to allow the boys entrance.
"Sora, you'd better be right about the girls."
XXX
Axel followed behind Demyx who followed behind the bouncer named Xaldin. Demyx's friend, Marluxia, apparently ran this place, and idolized "The Flurry of Dancing Flames", Axel's pen name. Because of this knowledge, Axel had a superior smirk on his face. One would describe such a thing as an ego trip.
Looking around the bar, the first thing Axel noticed was the many different colored… flowers. Red, orange, yellow, green… pretty much all the colors of the rainbow and anything else in between. There were flower pots hanging from the ceiling, on the bar, on the tables… everywhere. Well, if that's what this guy likes, then... Axel's thoughts were interrupted by someone stomping on his foot. Another observation: it was extremely crowded in there. With hardly any room to move, it was no surprise that if Axel hadn't have been following such a big guy, he would have had to brush shoulders with people, and perhaps compete with other people for the right to even breathe.
Last observation: the paint. Whoever painted this place was either color-blind, or a genius. The floor was wood, of course, but painted in a vast array of blues and yellows. The walls were striped with greens and pinks and the ceiling was orange.
The entire dance floor was lit only by black lights, the DJ stage was black, decked out in flowery glow in the dark designs that you could find on the side of a VW microbus in the 70s. Disco balls and strobe lights sent the spectrum of color into the air like a rabid bear. Artificial smoke oozed through any empty space there was. On the opposite side of the room, the bar was darkly lit and decorated in the same black light theme, with live flowers everywhere. The entire placed smelled like floral incense.
Xaldin lead them to the opposite side of the room where there was a set of black iron stairs with arm rails striped in a glaring glow in the dark hot pink. The stairs lead up to a small balcony that was dotted with a few individuals who looked more like business men than ravers. The upper area was lined with doors, obviously rentable to VIP costumers for their personal use. Axel was both afraid and yet extremely curious to find out what would be in one of those rooms. At the end of the aisle of the balcony, there was an ornate door perpendicular to all the others. Xaldin lead Demyx and Axel to this door. He rapped on it with his knuckles and then pressed his ears to the door. He must have heard something that Axel didn't, because he then opened it and showed the two in with a flourish.
Axel blinked a good many times instead of gagging at the visual…display. The entire room was pink, including the goddamned carpet. It was a light, bubble gummy pink carpet, the walls a flamingo pink with the ceiling a bright fuchsia. All the furniture was jungle-type green with black trimming, and in every corner of the room stood a small little table with more flowers, ornately arranged. From the wall opposite was a large desk, with a coffee table standing in the area between, flanked by a couch with two arm chairs on their ends on each side. The room was perfectly symmetrical. And there was the Marluxia behind the desk.
The man was tall, and well built, his face slender and almost sinister. Around his face was shoulder length, straight, pale pink hair that was almost the same shade as the man's skin. His eyes were a pale, icy blue that were slanted upward. He wore a black business suit that was trimmed in green stitching with a bright pink tie at his chest. I don't think I've seen a man so fucking gay in my entire life! The man stood up, smiling with his eyes softly laying invisible hands all over Demyx. Demyx was fast approaching him with arms open wide for an embrace, smiling with just as much enthusiasm.
"Demyx! My petunia, I'm oh so glad you could come!" Marluxia said in voice that was just as flowery as the décor. He hugged Demyx tightly.
"Oh but of course!! Wouldn't have missed it for the world," When the two of them drew away, Marluxia stroked Demyx's hair fondly before turning his head gracefully over to Axel with half closed eyes. His eyes widened immediately with excitement. He looked Axel up and down.
"Why, this must be the Flurry of Dancing Flames!" he exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with eagerness as he and Demyx migrated toward him. It was then that Axel realized that Xaldin had left, closing the door, and somehow leaving them in silence, with the latest technology in sound proof walls no doubt.
"This, Marluxia, is Axel, The Flurry of Dancing Flames," Demyx announced grandly, pride in his voice. He flashed Axel a look of sheer confidence. Marluxia outstretched a long arm with perfectly manicured nails at its end towards Axel, who grasped it. They held a sturdy handshake. Marluxia just beamed at Axel.
"I've always wanted to meet you; I absolutely love your work. You're really quite talented."
"Oh, well…thank you. It's quite the event to be making your acquaintance, "Axel managed to sputter out, not sure how to take the compliment. Marluxia seemed to be tickled pink by it anyway.
"Could I possibly ask you to give me your autograph?" Marluxia begged, clasping his hands together. Axel assumed that Marluxia wasn't a practiced business man.
"Uhh…sure."
Marluxia almost squealed like a girl as he went to his desk and picked up a large parchment type piece of paper and an expensive looking fountain pen and brought it back to Axel. He handed the pen to Axel who held it awkwardly. He then carefully scrawled his name on there. "Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames" near the bottom right corner where Marluxia directed him to.
"Could I maybe get a picture of us?" Marluxia then asked, leaning towards Axel like a flirty girl, smiling like an idiot.
"Absolutely."
Then here came a magic trick. Out of now where, Marluxia summoned a tiny digital camera out of the inside of his jacket, hugged Axel next to him, and placed the camera above their head heads.
"Smile!" Axel managed a boyish grin before there was a tiny little flash and Marluxia pulled away just enough to peer at the little screen on the camera. What's he gonna do? Post it on MySpace? The camera then disappeared back inside his jacket.
"Come, sit down!" Marluxia took Axel's arm and pulled him towards his couch, Demyx following behind, hoping to grab some attention. "So Axel, tell me. How do you like my bar?" Marluxia plopped down on the couch, Axel falling beside him, Demyx taking a place across the coffee table on the other couch, grinning his head off.
"It's…really colorful. And… you certainly have a lot of flowers."
"Yes, I absolutely adore it. Who was your designer?" Demyx got out, acting the savior to Axel who was growing more and more uncomfortable.
"Designer! For God's sake, Demyx. Use your brain. I designed it myself. Honestly…" Marluxia sent a playful glare at Demyx, which caused laughter to erupt between them. Axel only joined in so they wouldn't realize that they were the only ones laughing. From there the conversation went from flowers, to gardening techniques, to gardeners, to male fashion models, a youth named Riku, to old men, and finally to pedophiles, all with Marluxia sending provocative glances towards Axel like a naughty Christian school girl.
"So, Axel, tell me," the pansy began, "where do you get your inspiration?"
"Mostly from experience," Axel said simply, giving Marluxia an aloof look.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really," Axel cut the man off, not wanting to go in the direction that he could feel the conversation was going. "Like Demyx here. He's going to be joining me in my business as well. I'll be helping him out there at my agency." The attention all went onto Demyx who smiled modestly and waved off Marluxia's sudden bubbling of 'Why didn't you tell me!' and 'You'll do so wonderful!'
"Well, Axel's really the master. He's working on…isn't it your ninth novel?" Demyx inquired.
"Yes, my ninth," Axel smiled, feeling a headache approaching.
"You know Axel, we really should get together sometime and tell me about some of you writing secrets," Marluxia oozed, his hand playing suggestively on Axel's knee.
"Oh, if only I could find the time," Axel flashed a smile at Marluxia before standing up.
"Where you goin'?"
"I'd like to stretch my legs and get a drink," Axel tried to smile innocently back at the two lounging on the couch. Demyx picked up his anxiety and nodded to him to go.
"Would you bring back a French Martini?" Marluxia asked, beaming again, in a disgusting manner.
"I'll make sure it gets up here," Axel waved at the two before opening the door and stepping out.
The sounds and smells of the bar all came back at him in a rush. He welcomed the life that thrived in the room, the pulsing of the music and the chaos of all the bodies and movement. For a moment he just looked down into the throng of bodies moving together like a sea of lust and energy. Holding onto the rail tightly, he closed his eyes and let the atmosphere around him take over his senses. Marluxia might be one dull dude, but his bar was something else. Some life returning to him, Axel looked back down into the crowd. I wonder if he's still here…
Axel made his way back to the stairs, scanning the crowd for the boy with blonde hair and blue eyes like that of a hurricane of passion, music, and melancholy. Those eyes were poetry in the realm of monochromatic art. They sang like Langston Hughes and droned like Poe. Axel wanted to find that boy. His eyes searched everywhere as he walked up to the bar, trying to snake through the bodies that danced, and rubbed and urged. Finally he broke through the peace of the bar and picked himself a stool to place himself upon. He motioned over to the bartender, who then edged his way over.
"Can you get me something strong?"
"Sure thing."
"Oh, and Marluxia would like a French Martini sent up," Axel remembered to mention, hoping that if the man got drunk, he wouldn't notice his favorite guest's absence. The bartender looked at him for a moment before nodding. He gave Axel an odd looking drink of a thin bluish color.
"Drink it slowly, or you'll regret it," the bartender advised before yelling at a bus boy to take Marluxia his drink. Axel took the advice well and sipped at it to inspect it. Its taste was actually pleasing with a soothing sensation, but he could feel the alcohol. He looked over at the bartender who was farther a ways down the bar. And wouldn't you guess who was there.
He sat there looking like he was sulking; drinking what looked like water, staring off into space with a dissatisfied look on his face. Axel slowly took in the scenery. The blonde's hair was quite the event, styled in strange curves, framing his face and sticking in the air to the right side of his head. His clothing was perfect for his eyes, brought out by intense dark lashes that clashed with his striking blonde hair. He also observed a black ring on his right forefinger. The boy then turned to meet Axel's gaze, seeming somewhat shocked to see him there. All Axel could do was smile. Hey, blue eyes…
XXX
As soon as Roxas and Sora had got into the bar, Roxas had regretted it. The place was filled with nothing but guys, and it reeked of too many colors and flowers. Everyone was dancing, grinding or jumping around to the music, a few people moving in between the dance floor and the bar.
"Oooh yeah," Sora chanted, absorbing the environment, "the girls will be here in no time." Roxas just looked at his friend like he was insane. For a while, they both just smashed the decorations of the place, having to constantly yell at each other to be heard. Roxas kept insisting on leaving, but Sora wouldn't budge, convinced that females would indeed show up. It was when Roxas was about to plant his fist in his friend's mouth that this girl walked up to them.
"Yeah, you guys wanna dance?" she had long blonde hair, some great looking legs, and cute face, with a jaw that was rather square. Sora grinned, and walked toward her, beginning a conversation. Smelling danger on the horizon, Roxas grappled at his friend's sleeve.
"Sora, I don't think that's such a good idea…"
"Hey man! Don't mess with a good thing," Sora grinned at Roxas, motioning to the blonde who was giving them both innocent and curious looks.
"Are you comin'?" she tugged at Sora's arm.
"Yeah baby, I'm comin'!" Sora grinned at her cheerily as he shook Roxas off. Roxas just stood there looking defeated. With a sigh, he went over the bar, and sat down with a thud. The bartender finally came around.
"Hey, could you get me a Bud Lite?" Roxas asked, trying to pull of that 21 year old look. The bartender didn't buy it.
"You got an ID for that, sonny?" he said dryly as he did the classic bartender thing and dried a clean glass before putting it away behind the bar. Roxas just glared at the man.
"Get me water then, will ya?" The bartender nodded at this and brought him back a plain glass of water. Roxas took it, glad for something to help cool him down, the bar being a little warm for his liking. It was near midnight when Roxas had finished what seemed his hundredth glass of water, feeling all washed out. He needed to go take a piss, but was afraid of what he might find in the bathroom, and he was pretty sure his ass was asleep. What in the world could possibly be taking him this long? Roxas looked over his shoulder to look in the group of dancing men, not finding his friend anywhere. With an exasperated sigh, he turned back to the bar and ordered another water. When he gets back here, I'll kill him.
It was when the bartender moved over to another man on the bar, that Roxas looked over. There he was again. The green eyed red head that had walked into the bar like he owned it. Flurry of Dancing Flames or something, whatever that meant. To Roxas's great surprise, the red head was looking right at him with great intensity. He looked absolutely thunderstruck, which was how Roxas felt. Then he smiled. Roxas was suddenly reminded of the first time Naminé had smiled at him all those years ago, and a swelling happiness and fear spread through him. It was the same sensation. His hands began to sweat, he couldn't blink, couldn't breathe, couldn't move.
Then the red head got up, walked over, and sat next to him.
Holy shit.
