Sooo sorry to all (ffft, like, the 5) watchers/fans I have out there. I know. I suck. I need to update PtF, ANSLC, etc. I have no excuses. But I need to get some stuff out of my system before I can go back to those, because I can't write that stuff when these things jump in my head and won't go away. D:
So, without further ado, here is your AkuRoku treat. Happy 8/13 to all you fangirlies! And fanboys... if you exist.
Dedicated to my very own Roxas-Uke. :3 Happy Anniversary! Lawl.
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All Fun and Games
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It wasn't long after 8:30 am, and Roxas was already exhausted. He wished that he could sit on one of the black metal benches, but none of them were free. They were standing in the huge, sweaty crowd waiting to get in to Cedar Pines. They being Hayner, Olette, Pence, Riku, Sora and himself. It took four hours to drive to the amusement park, so they had woken up at 3:30 am in order to get on the road so they would arrive there before it opened. After much complaining about comfort in the cramped car and Riku almost hitting an old couple in a minivan, they made it, parked and waited in line for tickets. Which lead them to stand with the large amount of people that had the same idea as them about getting in early.
"C'mon! When are they gunna open already? I wanna ride the Hot Streak! It's supposed to be the fastest roller coaster ever! And it does this amazing turn where it flips, and then goes like this..." Hayner waved his arms wildly while he spoke, eyes shining with glee.
"It's only 8:34, Hayner. Calm down. And there's no way I'm riding that crazy thing! I'll stick with the Steel Dragon, thanks. It's the one that goes through the mist cloud, and doesn't flip, or go like this..." Olette mimicked Hayner's wild arm wave, making a weird face.
Riku and Pence snickered.
Hayner crossed his arms and frowned. "Fine. Sissy. Pence will go on the Hot Streak, though, right?"
Roxas looked over to his friend and tried not to laugh out loud. Pence had paled and shifted his eyes, looking anywhere but at the excited camo shorts wearer. "Yeah..." He took a swig of the water he was holding to avoid looking at Hayner.
Said male was oblivious to his nervousness. "Yeah! How about you, Roxas?"
The blond grinned, clear blue eyes sparkling. "Hell yes. That's the entire reason I came here! Did you see that in the brochure said it goes straight up, and then there's the turn-"
Hayner cut in, "and then you go in the triple upside-down flip? YEAH!" The two blonds high-fived, failing to notice Pence turning slightly green. "What about you, Sora?" Hayner asked.
"Sora tends not to like rides that frighten 12-year-olds," Riku smirked.
Sora punched Riku in the arm. "Shut up. I just don't see the point in puking my guts out, when I can enjoy myself on less... intense rides." He pouted, and Riku patted his brown spikes.
He smiled. "I know. Just teasing." Sora smiled back and hugged him.
"Ugh, quit the sappy love-fest over there, guys. Please." Hayner made a gagging noise and Roxas smacked his side.
"Leave 'em alone. It's in their nature. Especially Sora." Roxas rolled his eyes. "He's been like that forever." His cousin took a swing at him, but Roxas danced out of Sora's reach and hid behind Pence. He stuck his tongue out.
Olette stomped her food impatiently. "Behave, boys. Or else no snacks at lunch time." She wagged her finger.
Riku turned to her with a mock pout. "But mommy, you said!" He then laughed and held up his arm in defence as it was her turn to lash out.
They all froze as a shout started at the front of the crowd, making its way slowly back. People shuffled forward, and Hayner jumped up to see what was happening over the heads in front of him, moving his hand to block the blazing sun from his eyes. "Did they open the gates early?" He jumped again, narrowly missing landing on Riku's shoe.
Eyes narrowed under silver bangs. He peered over the crowd and saw people flooding in to the amusement park. "Yes. So shut up, move, and don't step on me."
All talk was lost after that as everyone pushed their way through the large, deep green metal gates, entering the park and running toward the rides they wanted to go on.
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After sifting through rides in the front half of the park and eating a quick lunch at a burger stall, the group decided to split up. Hayner and Roxas went to ride the Hot Streak, Riku and Sora to the Ferris Wheel, and Pence and Olette to the Steel Dragon. Pence was quite happy to accompany Olette rather than face certain doom to his stomach on the Hot Streak.
Hayner and Roxas raced toward the ride, huge grins on their faces. As they neared it, they looked up at the coaster, and sights of the loops, turns and corkscrews made them more excited. They glanced at each other, then picked up speed. The bold sign above the cue opening showed bright blue flames dancing around the red letters of 'HOT STREAK'. They paused at the entrance, excited to find out the sign posted claimed a 30 minute wait. "That's amazing! I thought it would be about an hour by now!" Hayner lead the way through the metal railings, Roxas close behind. When the reached the end of the line, the short girl in front of them turned, popping her gum.
"Just so you know, they've been having a couple problems, and that's why the line wait is so short." She flipped her short black hair, lips pursed and bubble peeking through them before it popped.
"Aw, just great. Now we'll never get to ride it! And we drove four hours with the lovebirds just for this!" Hayner slumped against the railing in defeat.
The girl waved her hand. "Don't worry. They said they almost have it worked out. 'Shouldn't be much longer' was what the speaker said about five minutes ago." But she put a hand on her hip and blew another large orange bubble, posture saying she only half-believed it true.
"Right." Roxas rolled his eyes. He leaned on the rail beside Hayner, facing the line of people. It was getting quite hot. Roxas pulled on the collar of his shirt, feeling beads of sweat rolling down his neck. "I wish we were under one of those fans." He nodded at one 20 feet in front of them which sprayed a light mist on the would-be riders.
"That's about 15 minutes of wait." The girl pointed a black nail polished fingernail at the fan. "Or 10 if we're lucky."
Suddenly, the speakers flared to life and barked out, "Sorry for the inconvenice, yo. We're back on track and sending you kiddies to your horrible doom-" The mic crackled, a scuffle was heard, and another voice came on. "Excuse the idiot. The ride is fixed, so get ready to have some fun!" The line cheered, laughing at the exchange.
Roxas stared at the speaker. He had always been a sucker for voices, and that guy... not the first one. He had a nice voice, but the second... Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two. It sounded like they might be twins. But Roxas could hear better than most. The second had a spicy edge to it. He'd like to see what kind of guy it belonged to. He shook his head, shaking himself back into fun mode. He was here to ride the awesome Hot Streak, not look for a date.
"You alright?" Hayner's face popped into view, ten inches from his face, startling him. "You need some water? Can't have you getting dehydrated and almost passing out so I have to take you to first-aid again."
"Shut up." Roxas blushed at the mention of what happened when they went to Cedar Pines two years ago. "Yes, I'll take some water." He took the bottle his friend offered, gulping down some of its contents.
They then waited, chatting with the girl in front of them. When they made it to the misting fan, a collective sigh could be heard, and Roxas closed his eyes, spreading his arms and letting the water cool them. Hayner stepped in front of him, blocking the refreshment. "Hey!" Roxas elbowed him, and a battle for the fan's spray ensued.
It was cut short as the line moved forward, and they groaned at the loss of a reprieve from the heat. But about seven more minutes down the line, they came into a covered structure that led to specific lines for each cart of the coaster. Even though the metal above was absorbing the sun, fans came from every direction, keeping the occupants cool and safe from the heat. Roxas surveyed the lines, noticing the two for the front car were about five times as long as the others. Dang. And he and Hayner wanted the front seat. Whenever they rode a coaster, they picked those. It was most fun being right in the action, no hands or heads in your way, able to see all the curving metal tracks in front of you. It was such a great feeling. But Roxas didn't think he was willing to wait so long just to get that seat...
"Front seeeaaaattt!" Hayner yelled, pumping his fist in the air.
Roxas groaned. "Hayner, it's longer than the other lines! Look!" He pointed, waving his finger for emphasis.
But the other shook his head. "You know how it goes. First time on a ride means first seat. We can wait a little longer. The rest of the line wasn't that bad! Plus, it's cooler in here. Nicer than outside, so it will be like resting." He grinned and poked Roxas in the side with his elbow. "Sooooo?"
He sighed in defeat. Hayner was too excited about it, and he didn't mind staying out of the sun. "Fiiiiiiiiiine." Hayner 'whoop'ed, and they waited in the front line. Now that the ride was working again, it actually didn't take long to get to the front. When they were next in line, they were getting jittery. Not bad jitters, very excited jitters.
They watched as the attendants made their way back to the platform from the control booth, checking the restraints on the passengers. Roxas' breath caught as a tall, lean redhead made his way in front of them. Somehow, he made the park uniform look sexy. His black pants were tight and low on his hips, forest green and tan vertical striped shirt with a name tag he couldn't read tucked in. He had two tattoos, one dark upside-down tear under each eye. If his fire-engine red hair of deadly looking spikes hadn't caught his eye, then his poisonous green eyes would have. Those green eyes paused over Roxas, freezing him into place, then turned without a second glance to do his job, leaning over each occupant, pushing, then pulling up on the lap bars. When he was finished, he shuffled backwards to the front car again, holding his right hand in the air and giving a thumbs up.
"Alright guys, seems you're ready for take-off!" The speaker accross the track blared, and Roxas tore his eyes from the redhead only to spy another, the one on the microphone. His bizarre hairdo and red tattoos that curved under his similar green eyes made Roxas quirk an eyebrow. "Three, two, one, sayonara!" His attention was again shifted as the coaster car shot forward, inhabitants screaming. In delight or terror, he'd never know.
Once it was gone, Roxas knew from watching it would be about a minute before the next car took its place. He turned to Hayner to say something, but it froze on his lips as he saw Hayner stare over his shoulder. He moved to see what it was, and green filled his vision.
"Hey there, cutie." The redhead leaned on the gate blocking entrance to the track. He held one hand on his jutting hip. A playful smirk was on his lips, and those eyes were sparkling. Was it amusement or something else? "Something interest you?"
Roxas tried to act unimpressed, though on the inside his stomach was trying to try out for Olympic gymnastics. That voice. It was the guy on the loudspeaker! He took a small breath to calm himself. "Yeah. The ride. I've only been waiting 40 minutes to get on it." He rolled his eyes.
"Hmmm." The man cocked his head, looking thoughtfully to the ceiling. "Because I could have sworn those pretty cerulean eyes of yours totally checked me out." Roxas blinked, trying not to sputter or blush, looking down a moment, and noticed his name tag. 'Axle' was spelled out in bold black letters. "The name tag's wrong." Roxas looked up again, blushing at being caught. So much for that... "But it's six bucks for a new one, so I can't be bothered. It's still said the same, but A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?" He tapped his index finger to the side of his head, smirk growing wider.
Hayner scoffed. "You must think you're so cool, don't you?" His crossed his arms over his chest.
Axel looked over to the other blond, straightening and turning a bit. "Nope." When Hayner opened his mouth, he cut him off. "I think I'm pretty damn hot." Roxas smiled in disbelief, small noise escaping his lips. His raised eyebrows shot up into his bangs when the man leaned forward, much closer than Roxas thought he could handle, and said with another evil glint in his eyes that was definitely amusement, "And I think you think so too." He winked, but before another thing could be said, the buzzer sounded and the next train came in.
Axel twirled gracefully away from the railing and went to do his job, checking his line for anything in the cars. When he was done, he joined the other employees at the front, though his eyes went back to Roxas, cheshire grin taunting him. The gates opened with a mechanical whirr, and Roxas let Hayner get the left side while getting in behind him, pulling his lap bar down and locking it into place.
"What was that, Roxas?" Hayner cocked an eyebrow at him. "Were you really checking him out?"
Hayner knew that Roxas was gay, but he still didn't like discussing things of the "romance" category with his best friend. It was awkward. "No. Definitely not." His gaze strayed back to the man who was still watching him.
"Right. I totally believe you, Roxas. Because you're not staring at him or anything right now. Nope, not at all." Roxas tore his eyes away, focusing on Hayner, who had a smirk of his own to show him. "C'mon man. You're practically holding up a sign that says 'I'm flirting.'"
"Am not."
"Are too."
Roxas sighed. Was it really his fault that Axel was, as he stated, hot? And his voice... But he wasn't going to dwell on that right now. That would lead to a very embarrassing situation. Because thinking of Axel whispering in his ear... breathing hot puffs of air on his neck... telling Roxas what he was going to do to him... trailing his tongue around his ear...
"Roxas!"
Yelling his name... wait.
"ROXAS!" Hayner's face once again popped into view, severing him from his daydream. "Man, you are so far gone." He laughed. "I give up."
Roxas groaned, putting a hand over his eyes and leaning his head against the headrest. "I can't help it, Hayner." He shrugged his shoulders. "He's exactly my type." He felt the air shift beside him, and moved his hand, looking to see what it was. Axel was walking by, and that damned grin was from ear to ear now. He shot a look of horror to his friend after he passed. "Please, please, please tell me he did not hear that."
Hayner's eyes were bugging out and he had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "From the way that he is doing a wonderful impression of Sora after he's found something shiny, I'd think so."
He muttered a sarcastic "...awesome," then turned his head to sneakily spy on the man. He would have jumped right out of his seat if it weren't for the lap bar keeping him in place.
"Talking about me?" Roxas' eyes traveled up from the stomach in front of him to Axel's face. One small eyebrow was raised. "Because it just so happens-"
A yell of distress echoed from the control booth, and Axel groaned. He looked from Roxas to the booth, then back. He dragged a hand through his spikes and leaned in toward the blond. "Don't you go anywhere, now." He then walked to the front, jumped the track to land on the other side, and stepped into the control booth with the other redhead, leaning in close and looking intently at whatever was in front of him. He and Hayner watched the two argue back and forth about something, then the other man seemed to lose and picked up the mic.
"Sorry folks, but it seems that the track is overheating, so we're going to take some time to let it cool, lest you kiddies fly off the track or something. Not that-" Axel grabbed the mic and smacked the other man upside the head.
"Excuse Reno. He's going stupid from the heat. As he said, the track isn't in prime conditions right now, so we'll be taking a... small break until it's in prime launching conditions. So... sit back and relax. An announcement will be made when we're ready to start again." Axel clicked off the mic, shoving it back in front of Reno with a glare. He yelled something that was muffled through the glass and metal of the booth, but it sounded suspicously like 'dumbass' to Roxas. Axel exited and slammed the door. He looked up, spied Roxas, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
He jumped back over the track, moving next to Roxas and sitting on the concrete with a huff. "Well, since we won't be going anywhere for a while," he glanced at Roxas' lapbar and laughed, "tell me about yourself, cutie."
"My name's not cutie." Roxas' eyes narrowed. He'd never liked nicknames like "baby,""honeybunch" or "sunshine." They all sounded cheap to him. He had a name, and some people should learn how to use it.
"Oh?" Axel raised his eyebrows. "Well then, what should I call you? I didn't hear a name earlier."
Roxas didn't even blink, his name leaving his lips before he had a chance to consult his brain on the matter. "Roxas."
Axel grinned, as if he knew the response was automatic. "Mmmm. Sexy. So Roxas, where you from?" He leaned forward, resting his chin on his left hand.
Hayner didn't give his mouth a chance to blurt it out. "I don't see how this is any of your business." He had leaned and talked around Roxas, eyes narrowed.
Axel laughed. "Just conversation. If you don't like my direction, take it somewhere else. And I wasn't talking to you, Mr. Suspicious."
Hayner rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat. "Whatever." He crossed his arms and looked pointedly the other way.
Axel turned back to his target. "So, Roxas, how are you enjoying your day so far here at the wonderful, amazing park of Cedar Pines?"
Roxas tried not to shiver when Axel said his name. He really, really did. But he couldn't help it. He just hoped that the other man hadn't seen his reaction. He probably imagined that twitch in the other man's smile. Definitely. And he wasn't looking at his lips. Nope. He wasn't thinking about how they would feel against his own, soft, yet demanding, if the look of his lips and his personality so far were any indication. He wasn't seeing in his mind's eye himself shoved against a wall... mouth being assaulted by the redhead's... bodies pressed together... hands in those spikes, pulling his head closer... mouths opening and tongues-
"A-hem." Roxas blinked three times before Axel, the real Axel, came back into sharp focus. "Having fun there?"
Roxas could have died. He wished that the ride would just shoot him forward right now. He was just caught fantasizing about another man. While he was right there. Talking to him. He could have sworn his skin turned the color of Axel's hair. He decided the best course of action was to act like none of that just happened and just answer the question that was asked before he went off into lala land. "Uh... Yeah. The park is... fun. I rode most of the rides last time though, so Hayner and I came to ride this one specifically this year."
Axel tilted his head. "You come here every year?"
Roxas sighed with relief at the crisis averted. "Not every year. We couldn't come last year. But two years ago was nice. Though it rained for the last four hours..." That hadn't been fun. They ended up standing in the arcade waiting for the downpour to let up.
"Lucky it's so nice today then." Axel moved his arms, stretching them behind and leaning back on his hands.
"Nice except for the fact that the ride is having malfunctions." Roxas snorted.
Axel shrugged. "I dunno. I think it has its benefits." He pointedly raised his eyebrows at Roxas.
Roxas was spared a response, (besides his blush) because of Reno walking up to them. "Hey, Ax. Who's the shorty?" Roxas frowned.
Axel laughed, and Roxas tried not to be enchanted by the sound. "Cool it, Reno. He's not short, he's fun sized."
"Whatever. Just came over to let you know Larx is taking over booth duty in about ten." Whoever she was, they both obviously didn't like her. Axel groaned, and Reno sported a grimace as he had said it.
"Wonderful. Bitchy-McCrabby-Skirt. I'm so excited she's leaving in two weeks. Maybe life won't be so hellish when she's gone." Axel shook his head. "Now get. Can't you see I'm busy?" Reno's eyes shifted to Roxas, and he wore the same grin Axel usually had on his face.
"I'll leave you to that, then." He gave a salute, and went back to his booth.
"Where were we?" Axel shifted again, back to his head in his left hand.
Roxas decided he would stop playing around. He'd beat his damn shyness and flirt back. What was the worst that could happen? "You were talking about the benefits of malfunctioning rides."
Axel chuckled. "Ah, yes. Some of them involve not having to work. And the other involves a very delicious blond who has these gorgeous blue eyes."
Roxas' breath caught. He watched as those green eyes went from bright to smouldering. He licked his lips, and saw them follow the movement. Ah. So he wasn't the only one. "Have any plans for this blond?" He tried not to rasp out the words, but his mouth had gone dry, so it came out lower than his usual tone.
The corner of Axel's mouth twitched again. "Hmmm. Perhaps. It all depends."
Roxas met those eyes, not breaking contact. "On?"
Axel took his hand from his palm, folding his arms in his lap. He opened his mouth-
'BZZZZZZZZZZZ'
The buzzer jolted them both out of their own little world. The speaker crackled and Reno's voice drifted through. "Alright! Track is cooled enough. Time to get moving before we all get hot and bothered." Axel glared at the booth, where Reno was wearing a shit-eating grin, waggling his eyebrows. "Checkers, to your stations."
Axel growled, standing up and moving to the back of his section. Roxas took this moment to calm himself. He glanced over as the employee on Hayner's side reached over, pushing down and then pulling up on his friend's lap bar. She scooted backwards, left hand sporting a thumbs up.
Suddenly, an arm came into view. Roxas watched as Axel pushed down, then pulled up on Roxas' bar, leaning forward into him so close that he could smell cinnamon on his breath. Must have had one of those mints... Then he felt that hot breath move from his neck up to his ear, and his eyelids fluttered closed. He heard a small intake of air, and that voice melted him. "Have a nice ride, Roxas." Then he was gone.
Roxas didn't even hear Reno announce they were ready for take-off. He didn't see Axel watching him hungrily. He didn't see Hayner, eyes wide as saucers and mouth gaping like a fish. He didn't hear the buzzer go off three seconds before they were to be launched. He was too busy taking deep breaths and keeping his eyes firmly shut to try to Calm The Fuck Down.
But he did feel the coaster shoot forward. His eyes shot open and he rode the ride he came there for.
o0.0o.o0.0o.
Hayner swung open the exit gate, Roxas following closely after. "That. Was. AWESOME!" He jumped in the air, fist pumping toward the sky. "They didn't even tell you about that turn where it looks like you're going to hit the wall, then it lifts, and then that other part! That one with the turn, and the sideways spiral! We have to ride it again. NOW." Hayner started toward the entrance.
Roxas had to admit, it was the best roller coaster he'd ever ridden. It had so many of his favorite moves, and the wall was a nice touch. But as for the first ten seconds of the ride, he couldn't remember them. He hadn't been brought out of his Axel-induced brain fog until the first huge drop. Then he was quite lucid. He went after Hayner, smiling. He definitely wanted to ride it again. And not just because it was everything he thought it would be. Because that certain redhead who was up there... There was no way he was just going to leave things like that. Roxas was one to see things through. And this kind of... Connection, spark, attraction, whatever it was, Roxas loved it. And wanted more.
Just as they got to the opening again, grimacing at the 50 minute wait, Olette ran up. "Hey! Hayner! WAIT!" They came back the ten feet they had walked in.
"What's up, 'Lette?" Hayner's brow crinkled.
She leaned over forward, obviously out of breath from running. Her right hand was held up to signify she needed a moment to regain airflow to her lungs. She stood again. "We need to get into that locker you used. Pence's wallet is still in there from when we went on that water ride, and he wants to go to the arcade. None of us are willing to spot him. He'd bleed our wallets dry."
Hayner looked like a kid who'd been told sea salt ice cream was no longer being sold. "B-but! No! The ride!" He pointed at it, arm shaking. "I have to go on it again!"
Olette rolled her eyes. "You can do that when you get back."
He waved his arms like she was crazy. "It'll be a 65 minute wait by then!" He pouted.
Olette crossed her arms. "You already rode it once, right? You can wait. or do you want to be the one to spot Pence?" She smirked when he flinched, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the lockers. "We'll be right back, Roxas."
"I'll save you a spot in line!" Roxas called after Hayner. Then he rushed in, power walking to the end of the line.
All in all, the wait the second time wasn't that bad. Turns out the wait-time was supposed to be changed. They had switched it because of the overheated track, but hadn't fixed it yet. It only took Roxas about 25 minutes to get back to the metal structure that housed the platform. Roxas was a little worried that Hayner never joined him, but he figured the guy was just held up my Olette. He filtered in with the rest of the people and chose the front again. This was one of those rides he didn't think he would want to ride anything but that seat. He peered through the other bodies and spotted tell-tale red hair. His heartbeat accelerated, and he told himself to calm down. He was acting like a teenager. After three years in college, you'd think he'd learned to keep his horomones in check.
Well, someone obviously hadn't told that to the horomones.
As his line moved forward, Roxas got more nervous. He didn't even know what he was going to say. Would Axel be surprised? Laugh because it had all been a joke? Wearing the cocky smirk because he expected it? He rocked on the balls of his feet, trying to keep some semblance of cool. Wasn't working very well. When all that was left in front of him was a young couple, Roxas caught those green eyes again. They widened, just for a brief moment, then Axel smiled. Not smirked, smiled. Roxas' heart stopped. He was gorgeous. No other way about it. And Roxas wanted him. BAD.
The couple in front of his boarded the ride, and Roxas waited. He watched Axel check the bars, give his thumbs-up and shuffle over to him. "Hey."
Roxas licked his lips, because they were much too dry. "Hey."
"Fancy seeing you here again." Axel's eyes twinkled.
"Thought I'd come for a second round. Couldn't help myself." Roxas gave him a smirk of his own.
"Of the ride? Or me?" Axel was bumped by the gate as it opened, so he stepped back, moving to where the other employees were. Roxas stepped into the ride, pulling down the restraint for himself and the empty seat next to him.
Axel started at the back for checks, and made his way up once again. When he reached Roxas, he slipped his hand down to check the bar, then dragged it up his chest to rest on his shoulder. He whispered something in Roxas' ear, then moved away.
Again, Roxas didn't hear the buzzer, or even the new voice of "Larx" over the speakers. As soon as he was shot forward though, he grinned like an idiot, and keep that smile for the entire ride, one sentence running through his head.
"My break is at 4."
o0.0o.o0.0o
WHOOOOOH! So. You like? Wanna hit me for ending it? Well... I might do a second shot for this one later. :3 One with more deliciousness, if you know what I mean.
HAPPY AKUROKU DAY, EVERYONE~! I love you all~
~Axel-Seme