"Hey, kid." The blonde turned his head to see a redhead cruising beside him in a powder blue Chevrolet, the convertible top down. "Come here for a second."
Roxas looked at the car for a moment, looked at the car's driver for a moment (and paid extra attention to the tear drop tattoos beneath his eyes which looked like they had been done in prison) and shook his head. "No thanks. I have to get home."
"Aw, come on, kid…What's your name?" The car sped up as the blonde sped up, the redheaded driver grinning like a maniac.
"I don't see why you need to know." Roxas glanced at him nervously before picking up his pace once more, mentally cursing himself for deciding to take the long way home. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Well, I'm trying to get rid of this thing." He gestured toward his car, which Roxas raised an unbelieving eyebrow at, and shrugged. "Its old and I hate it."
"Why on Earth would any sane human being want to get rid of a 1967 Chevy?" He asked. "And why don't you put an add in the paper or something?"
"I don't have the cash to put an add in the paper, kid. The damn economy means that the lower half can't afford luxuries such as putting adds in the paper and what not." He grinned again, which sent a chill down Roxas's spine. Quickly he glanced at the street sign on the intersection that he was coming to, and was relieved to find that he was only four blocks away from home.
Upon receiving no response, the redhead frowned and sped up so that he was a few feet ahead of Roxas. "Come on. Will you at least let me drive you around for a little while? I mean, how are you going to know if you want it if you have no idea how it runs?"
"I'm fourteen. I don't need a car." The response was short, and now Roxas's cerulean blue eyes were trained directly in front of him, not deviating from his path.
The redhead groaned. "Come on kid. You have got to be the most stubborn person that I've ever met." He paused to wait for a response, but when he didn't get one he continued speaking. "Would you at least let me give you a ride home? Its hot, and from the looks of the way you keep looking up the road you've got a ways to go."
Roxas opened his mouth to say something, then just decided to give the redhead a rather incredulous look. They were both silent for a few moments, and the blonde took advantage of that time to consider the offer. It was incredibly hot, and every step made his backpack seem heavier. And it was a really nice car, and depending on how much he liked it…
"How much are you asking?" He couldn't believe the words had actually come out of his mouth, but as they did, he felt his steps slowing. The redhead smirked.
"As much as you're willing to offer, kid."
Roxas mulled this over for a moment. He wasn't rich (for some reason his parents felt that it wasn't necessary for them to share their fortune with him) but he wasn't poor, either. His private school, college-prep uniform was a dead giveaway.
"Two grand."
"Oh! You're killing me here." The car came to a complete stop, as did Roxas, and he leaned against the fence of the closest house with an eyebrow raised. "You've gotta give me at least five."
"Three and a half. Final offer." Roxas grinned, shrugged. "I guess it just depends on how much you feel you need to get rid of it."
The redhead mulled this over for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Three and a half. Now, do you need a ride home in your new car, or are you content with walking?"
From the moment Roxas pushed himself up off the fence, threw his backpack in the back of the car, and jumped in the passenger's seat, he could hear his mother's voice screaming at him not to talk to, accept rides from, or take candy from strangers. Sure, there was a small part of him that felt really bad for going against everything he had ever been taught and, in fact, a little afraid. But that part was greatly outweighed in comparison to the elated feeling he got knowing that he was the proud new owner of a 1967 Chevy.
"I live on Pleasant View, in Seaside Estates." He told his driver as the car began moving again, grateful for the breeze that blew against his overheated body.
"Oh good God." The redhead muttered, shaking his head. "You attend Lexington Preparatory School for Boys, you live in the most wealthy planned community in the city…"
"What's wrong with that?" Roxas barked a little defensively, to which the redhead recoiled and held a hand up.
"Hey, will you relax? I'm just saying, what the hell is a rich kid like you doing walking around on the wrong side of town? Shouldn't you be at like, fencing club or something like that?"
"Fencing club was cancelled today." Roxas said matter-of-factly, holding his nose in the air. "I didn't feel like going straight home, so I decided to take the long way."
The redhead burst out in laughter, which proved to be contagious as Roxas soon joined him. "You're kidding, right?"
"Of course I'm kidding." The blonde said, snorting. "The only kids in my school who fence are those who have some rich stereotype to live up to. Everyone else is too preoccupied with being normal."
"I'm Axel, by the way." The redhead said, sticking out his hand. Roxas took it cautiously and smiled.
"Roxas."
"Well Roxas." Axel began. "Do you listen to music?"
"Of course I listen to music." Roxas answered as though the answer was completely obvious, giving Axel a look that said he should've known that answer already.
"Do you want to put the radio on?" The redhead suggested, and immediately Roxas's hand was fumbling with the old AM dials, trying to find the number that corresponded with his favorite station.
"I know its old, but if you need any help I guess I could try to figure it out…" But just as the words exited his mouth, the car was filled with the loud voice of Clem Curtis, Build Me Up Buttercup ringing in their ears.
"Got it." Roxas said a little smugly, leaning back against the seat.
"A sixties station? Seriously?"
"'Why do you build me up, Buttercup baby just to let me down?'" The blonde sang, grinning. "I love this song."
Axel shook his head and chuckled, shrugging. "Whatever. Do you mind if I put the cover down? I'm getting kind of cold."
Glancing around, Roxas noticed that the sun was already setting and that the smothering heat they had experienced during the day time hours was quickly fading. And that they were about five miles past where they should've turned for his house.
"Yeah go ahead…um…aren't we supposed to be going to my house?" He chuckled nervously, glancing around once more. However, Axel was silent. The only sound between them for a few moments was that of the windows rolling up and the cover coming down over their heads.
"Axel." Roxas gave the redhead a serious look, for the first time the sour bile of fear constricting his throat. "Where are you taking me?"
"Roxas…" Axel sighed, smiling softly and shaking his head again. "Didn't you mother ever tell you not to accept rides from strangers?"
The blonde choked, unbelieving of what he had just heard. Could he really have let this happen? Was this really happening? "Take me home." He gave the redhead a desperate, pleading look and clutched onto his arm. "Axel, you've got to take me home."
Axel tossed Roxas into the passenger door of the car, which had been locked as soon as the windows had gone up. "You'll get home. Don't start freaking out."
"But…" The confusion was evident in Roxas's voice and his expression at these words, and he shook his head. "But you missed the turn for my house like, a few miles ago."
"I said you're getting home. I never said you're getting home today. When you return his entirely up to your parents." His expression was blank as he turned onto an exit that led to the local strip mall, as soon enough they were in the parking lot of a department store.
"Take me home, please." Roxas whispered desperately, tears filling up his eyes, making his vision blurry.
Axel ignored him, but once he turned the car off he faced Roxas and sighed. "What size are you?"
"Take me home."
"What size are you?"
"Take me home."
It didn't seem like more than a second before the blonde found himself being pinned against the side of the car, Axel's lips at the shell of his ear. "I'm not going to take you home, alright?" He hissed. "Now tell me what size you are so that I can get you some different clothes that no one will recognize." As he pulled away he placed a kiss on the blonde's cheek, and Roxas could feel his smirk.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, a sob tore through his throat instead of the words he was looking for. Axel looked at him impatiently for a moment, and the blank look in his emerald eyes was enough motivation to force a response from his captive. Everything had happened so quickly. He almost couldn't believe that this was really, actually happening to him. This was the kind of stuff you heard about, not the kind of stuff you experienced.
"I'm a z-zero." He choked out. When Axel laughed, he felt like stabbing the creep with something very sharp and very painful.
"Wow, kid. You are really tiny." With that he opened the door and started to get out, but just as Roxas was forming a plan for escape, he turned with an 'oh.'
"I almost forgot. If you try anything, I'll hunt you down and kill you. And maybe you're family can join the fun to." He chuckled innocently and slammed the door shut, and Roxas heard the doors lock as his captor waltzed carelessly into the store.