Author's Note: These two scenes are part of a much longer fic we are in the process of writing, but thought they could also translate well as a one-shotish story. Hope you enjoy! Reviews are much appreciated ^_^
Disclaimer: We don't own Axel, Roxas…or anything!
Axel followed silently up the stone stairs, made his breath silent, presence unknown. It was just like doing a mission, except this actually seemed important.
Important, why? Honestly, he didn't know – a couple short encounters with this weird blonde kid had left him shaken. And what the hell was the kid doing running up to this clock tower, anyway?
Axel shielded his eyes as he stepped out onto the top of the clock tower – the dying sun glared fiercely, as if trying to stave him away. He forced himself to stare right into the eye of the sun and saw the outline of a boy.
The kid was standing on the edge of the tower, his toes pointed just an edge over. He stared forward into the sun, then his shaggy head tilted down.
"Thinking of jumping?"
The boy turned around, eyes wide and glinting like shards of a mirror. "What are you doing here?"
Axel leaned against the face of the giant clock. What am I doing here? "Dunno," he said. "I just followed you. Roxas." It felt important to say his name, say it like it was worthy of its own sentence. For some reason, it was.
"Well, go away," Roxas said, turning back to the sun.
"Tell me," Axel replied, letting the cruel smile shield his actual curiosity, "you thinking of jumping?"
Roxas looked down. "Maybe." He turned suddenly, snapping his whole head at Axel. "What's it to you if I do, huh? Why the hell would you care?"
Axel ran a hand sheepishly through his blood-red hair. "Good question," he admitted. Why did he care? He'd seen people die, people kill, people threaten his own life. Why he would care if this little dipshit was having an emo moment was beyond him.
"'Cause I'd be cheating you out of some sort of fetish-feeding fuck, huh? Is that it?" the kid screamed. "I'm just like another piece of meat to everyone in this damn world! Give me one fucking break in my life and go away!"
"Hold on," Axel said distractedly, holding up one finger and scrunching his eyebrows in concentration. Why the hell do I care? Hmmm, do I even care? He looked up at Roxas's face, at the annoyance that hid pain. Axel had never been one to care for people, never actually felt genuine feeling for a person that came without purpose. And there certainly was no purpose to care for this temperamental little shit, besides the fact he was pretty darn cute and slightly engaging in a sadistic way. Yet, Axel did care. In fact, it would be pretty sucky if the kid stepped off. Not that he ever would - Axel had seen the faces of suicidal wackos, and this kid certainly did not classify, regardless of how emotionally-damaged he thought he was.
Why do I care? Axel thought, most disturbed. He flicked his eyes toward the kid who was now trembling in frustration. "Don't give yourself a hernia," Axel muttered under his breath. "Give me a sec, won't you?"
Could it possibly be that Axel cared because there was…something in the kid's – Roxas's - eyes? Something in the way he stood, the way he talked, the way he seemed to understand what was going on in Axel's head…
"But dammit, what is that something?" Axel muttered under his breath.
Roxas groaned, looked dangerously close to stamping his foot like a child. Then you'll accidently fall off and I'll never know what it is, idiot, Axel thought. Roxas ground his teeth together, ran his hand through his blonde hair, and sighed, "Jesus, are you for real?"
Axel straightened, stiffened in shock. His eyes popped open. Real? Real?
Roxas sighed again, stepped off the edge and headed towards the stairs. "Maybe its you who should worry about the hernia. I wasn't going to jump anyway."
Real…something real…
"Just interesting to think how the world would be without me…"
There's something real in the way he looks at way, the way he talks to me. Is…that it?
"Discovered the world would be just the same…s'not like I'm anything to anyone anyway…I'm nobody. Whatever, don't even know why I'd tell you. I'm not real to you or anything." Roxas began descending the stairs.
Axel snapped into movement. "Hey, wait!" he cried, lurching forward.
Roxas turned, mouth opening slightly.
Axel dashed to him, stood on the top of the stairs and looked him straight in the eye. "No reason to get so emotional, kid. Since you decided today's not your day to become a blonde pancake, how about we…we get a coffee?" He put his hands up in the air like a jailbird. "No tricks, I promise! Just one cup of coffee! Just…just to talk."
Roxas's face changed slightly – instead of confusion there was apprehension. "Wh—"
"And don't damn ask me why I want to talk to you," Axel said, began nudging Roxas down the stairs. "Just because I do, okay?"
"Fine," Roxas said. "One cup."
Axel closed his eyes and smiled, knowing that he was going to order a jumbo.