Chapter One - Clean Clothes
Characters belong to Squeenix, Story belongs to me! :3
"One large iced capuccino, right here." Axel said, sliding the drink across the counter to the customer on the other side. It was a young blond haired boy who looked overjoyed to have his iced capuccino in his hands, and he replied with a quiet thanks. Axel couldnt stop himself from staring at the boy as he came up to the counter, handed him his money, grabbed the drink, walked away, sat down at a table with his friends. It was the first time he'd seen that boy in this small town, and there was something unique about the way he looked that caught Axels eye.
"Ax, come here for a sec." The deep voice of his Boss interrupted his stare towards the boy.
"We have to let you go." His Boss said in an ignorant tone of voice. "You've had your time mister, and you're just not keeping up with the rest of the cashiers, can you not see how good of a job your fellow employees are doing compared to you?"
Axel was furious. He could feel the mental ember of anger rise inside of him, and his boss' talking just fueled the flame. Axel worked in a small cafe, and he had just gotten fired. Being 17, he couldnt stay living at home for much longer, and of course he had to pay his own way now. He was nearly grown up. Of course Axel had a reason to be pissed at his boss.
"Whatever!" Axel yelled, ripping off his uniform apron and pounding it onto the counter with his palm. "Take your shit back! I dont want to work here anyways!"
Axel thought of those words he just said. Maybe he didnt want to work here, but he had to. He needed to make money so he could buy things he wanted, his father refused to pay for him anymore as a way of trying to set him up for the real world. And he knew, deep down inside, that his dad was most likely right. As soon as Axel left the cafe, he ran for his car, slamming the door behind him as he sank into the comfortable car seats and put the key into the ignition. He drove up and down the streets, not wanting to come home early from work since his dad would wonder why. He wasnt going to tell his dad that he lost his job ; atleast not right now. Axel noticed, just up the road there was a perfect set up for getting back at the world. Getting back at how cruel the world had been to him lately, or so he thought. Maybe he was overreacting, but he was so furious, he was desensitized from his real thoughts. There was a massive puddle up ahead, looking grotesquely muddy, and a person walking beside it. How perfect. He ripped through the puddle, splashing the person. Haha, vengeance! He had an evily wicked smile playing upon his thin lips, until he looked in the rearview mirror and saw it. The boy from the cafe. The blond one, the one he gave the iced capuccino to.
Feeling absolutely upset and remorseful, Axel pulled over and jumped out of the car. He ran to the short blond boy and came to his side. Raising an eyebrow, the boy didnt look very happy at all. There was a shocked look on his face, one that was about to shed tears as he pulled down his sleeves and wiped dirty liquid off his face.
"Oh my god, I am SO sorry!" Axel yelped.
The boy didnt respond. He just stood there, his clothes drenched, and didnt look up at Axel.
The redhead felt terrible, and was having a hard time searching for the right words to say. "Really, Im really terribly sorry and I didnt mean to splash you, I didnt see the puddle..." He tried to sugar coat his action.
"These were my new summer clothes..." The little blond teenager hissed, before wiping the hair from his glum eyes. Suddenly he recalled the familiar face staring down at him. The radiant emerald eyes and those weird tattoos that he questioned. "Hey you're that guy from Struggle Cafe..." His words trailed off into near whispers.
"Yeah!" Axel exclaimed, he remembered him too! "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"No its okay." The teenager peered down at his muddy shoes.
"Are you sure? Do you live close?" Axel asked. The other kid shook his head.
Axel, being the generous person he was used to being, suggested something else. "Well, I live kinda close, and I have a car. So... How about I get some clean clothes for you at my house? And you can clean yourself up, then Ill drive you home."
The kid looked up at Axel, raising an eyebrow once again except for this time it was the other one. "Well... I... I guess?" He noticed that the redhead, despite his towering height, was very close to his age and couldnt be that dangerous. After all, it was an accident what happened, wasnt it?
. . .
"Im Axel, by the way." He said as he pulled up infront of his house.
"Im Roxas. And thanks alot for this." Roxas replied, getting out of the car and following Axel towards the front door.
The house was big and wrapped with clean white siding. Under the front window sill were many terracotta pots of summery flowers that looked like they had just been watered. The driveway had been taken up by another car other than Axels, his dads. This house looked like it was very well taken care of to Roxas, he was impressed. Axel guided Roxas through the front door and down the wide hallways to the bathroom.
"Here, get cleaned up and Ill go look for some clothes of mine for you, okay?" Axel claimed, pointing to the shower. "Well, I know my clothes might be kinda big and weirdly fitting on you, but it'll have to do!"
Axel closed the bathroom door behind him, proceeding to his room to look for something that Roxas would agree on wearing while his own clothes went through the wash and dried. He dug through his drawers of clothes, tossing everything off to the sides. Too long. Thats too colorful. No, this ones my favourite shirt. This ones too small. After a while of contemplating, Axel had an outfit strewn across hid bed that he thought Roxas would be fine with wearing. A gray pullover sweater and a pair of his old jeans that werent too long anymore. He grabbed the clothes and walked towards the bathroom as he heard the shower wasnt running anymore. He knocked on the door.
"Okay, I got some stuff for you to wear." He announced through the door to Roxas. "But you'll have to wear your own boxers."
"Funny." Roxas replied. "Ill be out in a second."
The bathroom door opened a crack, and an arm reached out. Roxas clawed around outside the door looking for the clothes that Axel was holding, until Axel handed them to his hand, laughing.
"Okay, Im dressed." Roxas came out of the door. The sweater was slightly baggy on him since it was so long, and the jeans dragged on his feet but Roxas was comfortable.
"Good. Are you hungry? I can go get snacks and you can watch TV or something while your clothes are drying to make the wait seem shorter." Axel suggested, being friendly to this new boy.
"Sure that sounds fine." Roxas answered back, not sounding to enthusiastic. He was tired and just wanted to get home, but he needed his clothes washed anyways. Axel showed him to the living room, and then headed back up to the kitchen where he grabbed two popsicles from the freezer and brought them down for the two of them.
"So where is your mom and dad?" Roxas asked, noticing the abnormally silent house.
"Oh, my dads probably out at the car part store or something. And, well, I dont have a mom. Heh."
"Oh." Roxas didnt know what to say next. His house was so clean and shiny and flowery, and there wasnt a mother around to do all of this?
Before he knew it, Roxas' clothes were clean and dry. He changed out of Axels comfortably worn in clothes, and Axel insisted on driving him home to save some time that a walk would take up. Roxas gave him the directions to his house and they finally arrived at one that looked similar to Axels except the exterior of the home was a faded out blue opposed to a white. Roxas stepped out of the car.
"Thanks alot!" That was the most enthusiasm Roxas had used in his voice through this whole ordeal. Axel waved at him, and Roxas opened his mouth to speak again. "Do you think we could hang out again tomorrow?"
What? Was Axel really hearing this? The random kid he met at the cafe who he served just before he got fired, and then splashed him purposely with filthy mud water, was asking him to hang out again? The cute one?! Did he honestly even have to answer this question?!
"Well, if you're free, but if you're not then thats okay..." Roxas' voice was trailing off again.
"No!" Axel cried. "I do! I mean... Im free tomorrow! Is 5 okay with you?"
Roxas smiled, "Thats good. Where do you want to meet me?"
"Ill be right here. Tomorrow at 5, dont forget it!" Axel chimed, a playful smile among his lips. He waved after Roxas shut the door, and drove off back to his own house.
This is great. This Roxas kid seemed really nice from the beginning, and now I get to be his friend! But I forgot to ask him how old he is...
