Drabble (?) based off of a picture I wanted to draw but have never gotten around to.
I have no rights to Disney, Touchstone Pictures, or Square Enix, but I DO own my imagination and WILL express it when I am able. I've only played to Day 70-something in 365/2 Days so there are no spoilers and I don't know if I'm messing any true storyline up *teehee*.
Roxas and Axel found themselves in Halloween Town for the newest reconnaissance mission. Under their Organization coats, their clothes had once again changed. Roxas jumped as Axel brushed his hand across something that made his shoulder blades squirm.
"Ah!"
"Hehehn." Axel snickered. "Well, come on. Let's look at this town square thing."
While they walked around a very creepy fountain, Roxas noticed an odd shadow attached to his normal shadow. His shoulder blades twitched and he noticed a small webbed wing in the corner of his eye.
"Gah!"
"So you figured it out? Hahahn!"
"How come you don't have anything like this?"
"Dunno."
"Hmph."
Roxas and Axel determined that for the village to have such a "flair" there must be some importance to it. They walked through outskirts of the town and found in-between a small graveyard and large pumpkin patch, a very curious hill that seemed to lead to nowhere.
"It's like a weird lump in the ground. You couldn't even jump from it to the end of the pumpkin patch. This is so weird." Roxas huffed.
"You're right. There's no natural explanation for it. In that case, it could be mechanical." Axel's brow furrowed.
"What?"
"Well, let's see what we can see from the top of it anyway." Axel pushed on Roxas's back, guiding him up the hill. As they walked higher, Roxas noticed that the view was very good. You could see a very stark, German-Expressionistic forest beyond the pumpkin patch, and the town and a few tall houses back behind them. He also noticed that the now setting sun had a pumpkin face in it.
"Axel, the sun's a pumpkin face."
"Yeah, I just noticed that too. Makes you wonder about their moon. It's probably not good if we get stuck here in the middle of the night though. Let's hurry this up."
As the two reached the hill's zenith, they watched, horrified and awed, as the hill extended itself further, into a thinning tendril, just enough to walk on, down to the bottom of the pumpkin patch.
"…wwWWOOOAAAHHHH!" Roxas didn't realize he'd jumped backwards and elbowed Axel in the gut.
"oof!"
"Was it rolled up or something? Under the rest of the hill? Where did it come from?" Roxas pointed at it like a child amazed at a magician's tricks.
"Yeah, it looked like it rolled out, like a proboscis."
"Huh?"
"A butterfly's tongue. They spiral up when not in use and roll out when collecting nectar."
"Kinda like an elephant's trunk getting water then?"
"Um, yeah. That works too."
"Should we try walking down it?" Roxas looked up at Axel.
"Nah. Maybe next time."
"Oh, okay. Are we finished then?"
A metallic squeak suddenly echoed through the dusk.
"Locals!" Axel and Roxas shushed each other and did the best they could to be inconspicuous, considering they were largish silhouetted figures on top of a hill. They watched a tall tuxedoed skeleton man leading a shorter lady wearing a patchwork dress stroll into the pumpkin patch. They halted when they noticed Axel and Roxas.
"Hallo there! A splendid evening isn't it!" The skeleton man called out.
"It sure is!" Axel called out, and tried to shield Roxas from sight.
The locals continued to walk, even starting up the hill, when moonlight appeared and illuminated the pumpkin patch. Roxas's eyes almost bugged out when he saw the local's faces. The skeleton man towered over the both of them, and actually smiled down at him.
"Now now young man, I haven't seen a human boy like you for quite a while, but that doesn't mean you don't have a curfew."
"Um, sorry?" Roxas managed to say.
"Oh Jack, you're confusing them." The lady, who was even more shocking to see said. Axel's eyes even bugged a little when he realized her entire body was sewn together.
"Well he looked so much like Sora I had to come say hello, but that was a mistake. Nevertheless," he turned towards Roxas again, "Your friend here had better take you home soon. Curfew is in an hour and I highly doubt you live anywhere near here. Seeing as I'm the King of Halloween, I'll let you two admire our town's moon on this hill for awhile longer, but I'd like your word you'll go home right afterwards." He poked Axel in the chest friendlily.
Axel obliged him and even shook hands with him (awkwardly), and with that the local duo walked back towards the town.
"Huh. Weird people." Axel chuckled. "But if he's met a human before, and there are no humans here,"
"The human he met must have been able to travel through worlds?" Roxas piped up. He noticed he could see his breath.
"Yeah. We better memorize that." Axel shivered a bit. "Dang it's cold!" He pulled Roxas close to him and hissed. "Augh, stupid leather!" He then unzipped his coat to wrap Roxas inside for warmth, but Roxas saw the clothes underneath and snorted.
"Nice vest!"
"Oh be quiet. It's pinstripes, that means it's classy."
"Even your pants are pinstripes, and they're waist-high!"
"I know for a fact this is stylish in some century. Must be cool in this world too." Axel grumbled and huddled closer to Roxas. "…That guy was right though, it IS a really nice moon." Axel murmured.
Roxas stopped giggling and looked up, to find a beautiful full moon right at face level. He sighed and tipped his head to the left.
"It's really peaceful." He felt very relaxed and comfortable.
"Nyeah."
Roxas felt Axel rest his head on top of his own. His heart stopped for a second. He became more conscious of Axel's arms wrapped around his much smaller frame and pulled away from his superior's enveloping posture.
"What the heck am I wearing to have bat wings anyway? Hahaha!" He turned to face Axel while he unzipped his coat and felt the cold air hit him painfully. He grimaced at the cold, but was fairly pleased with his own clothing.
"It's kind of Goth, but not too Emo. At least it's recent." He needled Axel, who rolled his eyes and smirked.
"Get back here I'm freezing." He reached out towards Roxas again, and in just one second, realized how picturesque they both must seem, silhouetted against the moon. Objectively, his outstretched hand probably looked like a Romantic invitation to the smaller shadow. How ethereal this scene was. If it was a painting, he'd have told himself to "memorize it."
Roxas hesitated for a moment. In this moonlight, Axel looked, well, very loving. This gesture, this smile, he looks so Romantic for some reason. If they weren't friends he would have frantically questioned if his superior was coming on to him or something.
He ended up getting grabbed by Axel again and feeling his nose smoosh into the pinstripe vest.
Axel slid his arms across Roxas's back, avoiding the wings, and bent his head over Roxas's again. Roxas found himself wrapping his own arms around Axel's waist, underneath the coat, now truly enveloped. It was so warm and comfortable, like waking up from a wonderful dream and feeling like the bed was the best bed you'd ever slept on.
The still night was once more broken as a slightly raspy but quiet voice came from on top of Roxas's head.
"I think I love you Roxas."
The Tentative End.
~A/N The original drawing I wanted to make was of Axel singing "My dearest Friend if you don't mind, I'd like to join you by your side…" from the end of the Nightmare Before Christmas when Jack actually proclaims his love for Sally. He was walking up the hill like Jack does, and Roxas was sitting on the top like Sally. Teehee. Anyway, this is supposed to be fluff, but I realize there's not much until the end, and even then, it's kind of out of nowhere. Well, constructive feedback is welcome. Thanks! ~Mika Mikhailovna.
