There were times when not getting around to investing in a tv or newspaper really bit him in the ass.
It was less a matter of money and more a "why bother buying something I probably won't use?" kind of thing, but Axel did have to admit that he felt a little more disconnected from the world since his old unit finally gave up the ghost six months ago. He hadn't really missed it, per se—he had his podcasts and music to keep him going during work and downtime—but he definitely tuned into stations and sites that tended to tune out the rest of the world.
Oh, he could wax poetic if you needed to know about the latest trends in visual tech or new discoveries in the art world, and he knew the intimate (oh god, in some cases far too intimate) details and updates of his regular clients and friends. But the world at large? Not so much.
So really, could he be blamed for not knowing about the accident until three months after the fact?
…well, yes, probably, but he'd be damned if he was going to admit it.
From the start, he'd known the day was gonna be a shitshow when Marley decided to schedule a special session during Axel's regular hours. Not that Axel disliked the man; Marluxia did good work, paid on time, and asked very little from his employees other than they kept their spaces clean and showed up more or less on time. But Axel worked best to music, preferably something upbeat and peppy and loud , something that sounded good with the drone of a tattoo gun. Marley like classical shit that disappeared into the background at the best of times, or burst into a sudden crescendo of strings and drums in a matter of seconds, which could interrupt the flow of Axel's concentration, or startle him while working.
Today, there was opera.
Axel had to lift the gun away from his customer's shoulder to avoid slipping when the male baritone on the radio hit a particularly long and quavering note. The man in his chair also winced, although Axel had a suspicion that it had more to do with the man's aversion to needles than it did to the music. He sighed, pressing on once the singer's voice dipped to a level that sank below the drone of the machine. Fortunately, he was almost done, just a minute or two more and then he could clean up and clock out. And really, it could be worse—Marley could be singing along.
Ten minutes later, his customer was out the door and Axel had the last of his bottles back on the shelf, the machine cleaned and packed up, and the lights in his "studio" off. He scooped up his sketchbook and keys and headed for Marley's room to verbally sign off for the night.
The private room in the back was reserved for private sitting that usually involved inks and piercings in places of an "intimate" nature. However, whether it was because he liked the privacy or because he tended to do larger, more expansive designs than either Axel or Larxene, more often than not, Marluxia took his clients to the back room, away from the cheaper, more common customers. Axel suspected it also had something to do with Marley's "My store, my choice" attitude when it came to sharing the prime real estate.
Sure enough, Axel found him in the room, his "canvas" laid out on the padded table, the design already beginning to take shape. He resisted a sigh. Another cherry blossom motif. Lovely enough, but he'd have gone crazy having to do the same sort of design over and over again. There were only so many ways to draw a tree with pretty pink petals, after all. He blamed Marley's absurd collection of shoujo anime.
Marluxia didn't even bother looking up as Axel stood in the doorway, waiting for a break in the opera singer's mournful bellows. The canvas, however, turned and smiled at him, giving him a drowsy wave from her position on the bed.
"Hey Axel, been a while," she said. He nodded and leaned against the door, crossing his arms.
"Hey Bradford. Another branch on the family tree?" he asked, seeing the outline of yet another branch unfolding.
"You know Edgar," she giggled. "And you know how Edgar and I love our kids. It's a puppy this time, though." Marluxia pulled back from the outline he'd been inking and sighed, looking up at last. Instead of chiding his client for moving, however, he turned his irritation on Axel.
"Did you need something? We still have a lot to get done today."
"Just wanted to stop in before I left for the day, see if you needed anything else," he said, trying not to sound too willing to actually follow up on it. Marley probably caught the insincerity of the offer but relaxed all the same, shifting back into position over Terra's back.
"No, we should be fine, go ahead and take off. I'll see you in the morning."
"Axel!" called out Terra as he turned to go. "Can you turn up the radio on your way out? I want to catch the news."
He nodded, walking across the room to excavated the old radio from under the various sketches Marley had draped on top of it, no doubt looking for inspiration as he added yet another branch to the Figaro family tree. The opera singer had fallen blissfully silent, and a calm British voice droned on about what was happening in the world. The woman's voice jumped as he cranked the volume a little louder than necessary- thank god he'd be long gone before the opera started up again.
"- and investigators are officially reopening the area. Ventus Lux, the investigator injured in the attack, is still in the hospital in stable, but critical condition. Academy Superintendent Xemnas says that the attack was the result of an unauthorized investigation, although they continue to follow up leads into the events that happened. Anyone with any information about the incident should contact the hotline number listed on our website. In other news, Ansem attire stock is up 50% after an incident at the playboy's private beach property this past weekend. Reporters are saying that…."
Axel froze in the doorway, the woman's voice echoing in the back of his mind. Ventus Lux. It had to be a coincidence, right? Axel turned to Marley and Terra, ignoring the latest escapades of the fashion designer and trying to remember if he'd heard anything about an accident, or hearing the name Ventus anytime recently.
"What incident are they talking about?" he asked, pulling up his phone even as he said it. Ventus Lux Accident. He hit search then waited for the results to load, tapping his foot as he watched the results begin to slowly emerge on the screen.
"Have you been living under a rock?" Marley asked, pulling away from the design once again. Even Terra looked concerned.
"It was all over the news three months ago," she said, propping herself up to make it easier to talk. "There was an explosion, two officers went missing, and an off duty officer got caught up in the mess. It was on the north side of town, near the docks and shipping district. They closed down the area for weeks," she said as though she expected it to ring a bell.
He shook his head, looking down at his phone again to see if he could find an article that had loaded yet. All he needed was a picture, something to show him that it wasn't his Ven. For god's sake, the guy had left town over ten years ago, heading off to the islands to live with his extended family. It could theoretically be him, of course, but if he'd moved back into the area, wouldn't he have tried to contact his old school buddies again-
The article's image loaded, and Axel swore.
"Axel?" Terra asked, clearly not expecting that kind of reaction. Axel held up his phone.
"I know him," he said, flashing her the picture of someone he hadn't seen since he was 16, but would recognize anywhere. "I've gotta go, see what else I've missed these past six months."
"I still don't get the sudden interest," Demyx said, sipping his soda as they sat in the hospital cafeteria. He'd put on a gummi-ship set of scrubs today, which would've been more appropriate if he worked in the children's ward. Given that most of his patients were in comas or in highly drugged states, however, Axel supposed they wouldn't care that much. He shrugged, stealing a handful of fries and popping them into his mouth.
"We went to school together, man. He was like my best friend," he replied around a mouth full of food. Demyx growled, pulling his lunch farther out of Axel's reach.
"Ok, first off, I thought I was your best friend in school-"
"Yeah, but this was before I met you!"
"And secondly, I told you about him when he first came in," Demyx continued over him, taking a bite of his burger. "I tod you he waf in my ward and I waf in charf a hif safey." Demyx swallowed, then continued. "I told you about the guards and stuff, and the police protection. Don't you remember me telling you about how I had to get cleared to check in on this guy? How I was interviewed on the news? How I had to get a special badge to get access to the room, and how I got a red phone to call the academy if there were any changes?"
Axel held up a hand. "So, ok, that sounds sort of familiar, but dude, in my defense, you know that you just start rambling when you come off a long shift, I thought you were making shit up again."
Demyx glared at him, although some of the edge was lost as he noisily slurped his soda down. "How about the fact that I worked overtime for like 3 weeks and never showed up at the apartment during that time? Do you remember that? Ringing any bells?"
"Again, in my defense, you do that a lot. It's one of the reasons you're the best roommate ever," Axel grinned. "And besides, I was kinda hoping that meant you'd gotten lucky or something."
"Look, I don't know what bee you've got buzzing around in your bonnet, but I can't get you in to see him," Demyx said, ignoring Axel altogether and taking another long slurp of soda before cramming more burger into his mouth.
"Can't, or won't?" Axel asked.
"The guy is in a coma!" Demyx protested, then shrank into his seat and whispered when he realized he'd been shouting. "Besides, even if he was awake, there are guards stationed outside of his room. You couldn't get in there for more than a few minutes before they caught you, and then we'd both be in hot water."
"A few minutes is all I need," Axel said, feeling his way through this. He ran fingers through his hair, sighing. "I know it's stupid and reckless and it probably won't make a difference to him, but I feel like I owe him an apology for, I dunno, not realizing he was in such bad shape 'til now."
Demyx stared, chewing on his fry and leveling a steady, thoughtful expression at him.
"If we do this… it would need to be now, rather than later when the shift changes. I've gotten to know Laexus pretty well these past couple of months," he said at last. "Not friendly enough to get you in, but, I think I know a way you might be able to steal a few minutes. But it's only a few minutes, then you're in and out. And you've gotta promise me that you're not gonna do anything stupid."
Axel grinned. "Since when have I done anything stupid?"
"Dude, you owe me," Demyx hissed, peeking around the corner at the large police officer stationed outside of the room. The man seemed to be reading a book, looking up only briefly when someone walked by, or when there was a slight change in the quiet hum of this ward.
Demyx leaned back in and gave a quick nod. "Ok, so, I'm gonna go over there and start talking to him. You wait about 3 minutes then text that number I gave you. That'll set off the phone in the nurses' station and I'll be able to pull him over when I can pretend that you're asking about when the shift will change and then you're in. I'll text you when you're in the clear again to leave, got it?"
Axel nodded, and Demyx leaned against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut, drawing in a deep breath. He let it out, slowly, then opened his eyes to lock onto Axel. He gave a curt nod, a swift salute, then took off around the corner at a rapid clip.
Axel stayed where he was, straining to hear what Demyx would say to lure the officer away from the door. Ten seconds later, there was a crash and a high-pitched yelp from Demyx. Axel did sneak a quick peek to find that Demyx was sitting on his ass amid a pool of jello and broth, directly in front of the guard. The tall man looked none too happy—orange jello slid down the officer's face and the front of his shirt.
Demyx tried to stand up amidst apologies, but the slick floor kept him slipping as he tried to stand up, and had the man Laexus not been built like a tank, there was no doubt in Axel's mind that the officer would've gone down, too. As it was, he reached out, trying to catch Demyx before he fell again. Axel bit back a laugh. Only Demyx could come up with a master plan involving strategic arguments and important phone calls and other assorted secret signals to immediately botch the plan and fall on his ass.
Granted, it did the trick. The officer stood, trying to brush off the worst of the mess from his shirt, and cursed as he tried to step away from the sticky globs. Demyx made it to his feet at last, and hurried over to the nurse's station to grab a roll of paper towels and a bottle of water, turning to hand both to Laexus. Unfortunately, the movement was too fast, the bottle already half open, and Demyx ended up splashing the looming officer across the face. Laexus was not pleased.
As Demyx tried to pull off sheet after sheet of paper towels, Axel slipped behind them, quietly pulling the room door open, then shutting it behind him with a soft click. The loud apologies from Demyx and the low grumbles from the officer immediately muted with the door solidly in place, and for a moment, Axel paused, taking it all in.
Beeping. Beeping and the hiss of oxygen, and a low hum of machines blanketed the room in a quiet, constant drone. The window curtains were closed, although the light-blocking shades were up, so the room glowed in a pale, muted white light. He could smell disinfectant, and fresh linens, and somewhere, the faint aroma of flowers. It wasn't a particularly large room, and the second bed was unoccupied, no doubt because no one else had clearance to make it into a guarded room.
Still, it felt cozy in a way that surprised him. There was a blanket draped over one of the chairs, clearly homemade. A desk pushed up against the far wall had the look of someone who'd given up in the middle of a particularly difficult homework problem, covered in what looked like books and notes and binders. A collection of unopened drinks stood in a row along the edge of the small bedside table, and there was, in fact, a bouquet of flowers. There was even a pair of fuzzy slippers beside the bed, like someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make it feel less like a hospital ward.
But the illusion fell away as Axel made his way closer to the bed and got a good look at a face he hadn't seen in almost ten years.
Ven looked terrible.
Of course, he'd been in an accident where there'd been an explosion of some sort, and while it was good to see that the burns that Demyx had mentioned really were healing pretty well, Ven was too pale to be considered healthy. Breathing tubes explained the hiss of oxygen, and it looked like he was hooked up to a couple different drip stands and monitors. No doubt Demyx could explain things if Axel asked, but he really didn't want to know.
He walked over to the edge of the bed and slumped into the visitor's chair.
"Gotta admit, I'd hoped that I'd get to see you again, but this was definitely not what I had in mind." Ven didn't respond of course, but Axel blew out a shaky breath and laughed, running fingers through his hair. "I'm gonna be completely honest here, man: you look terrible."
"Who the fuck are you, and how did you get in here?"
Ven's voice cut through the low hum of machines, and Axel jerked out of the seat and away from the bed, nearly tripping on the drip stand and visitor's chair. Now that he was no longer sitting in the chair, Axel could see yellowy bands of light spilling in from the hallway, and noticed the sudden rise in noise as people bustled about on important errands. Demyx had warned him it might be a quick visit, but he'd been adamant that no doctors would be in for an hour at least.
Axel turned to face the guy who'd caught him snooping in on his old classmate, then froze, excuse dying on his lips.
Ven was standing right there.
Axel's mouth snapped shut, and he turned to look on the bed, heart racing. No, Ven was in bed, swathed in a mass of tubes and pipes and bandages. And yet, he also stood in the doorway, that familiar, fiery scowl, voice tense and blue eyes bright with fury. The kid clutched a takeaway bag with white-knuckled fingers, his other hand still on the doorknob. Axel allowed himself another glimpse at the bed before focusing on the vision in the doorway. What the hell?
"I said, just who the hell are you?" the boy with Ven's voice repeated, stepping into the room.
Now that he thought about it, Axel could see that the Ven in the bed looked a little older than the one standing in the doorway, the hair a little longer, his build slightly heavier, more muscled than when he'd been the scrawny kid in high school. Of course, Axel himself had gone through some shit, gotten taller and more wiry, more comfortable in his own skin. The Ven in the doorway was still stuck in that awkward stage of young adulthood where there's still some residual baby fat to soften your looks before Life started kicking you while you were down.
Thinking back, he could vaguely remember Ven being tailed around by a younger sibling—no, weren't there two of them? There was a shy, dark haired girl, never said a peep and was sort of sickly, if he remembered correctly. She just looked up at you with those big blue eyes, the only trait she really seemed to share with Ventus. Not like Ven's little brother, the one who looked like a mini-me and tagged along after them wherever they went and whatever they did, copying everything to the point where he'd earned the nickname—
"Repeat!" Axel laughed, and he could feel the warmth of blood returning to his face. He collapsed back into the chair beside the bed, expelling a shaky laugh. "Shit, I thought you were a ghost for a minute there. You're the spitting image of—"
"How did you get in here? How did you get past the guards? Why the hell are you here?"
"Geeze, kid, take it easy. I know one of the people on staff here, the three of us went to school together. I just wanted to check in on Ven, I feel terrible that I only just found out," he replied, keeping his voice calm. No way in hell he'd throw Demyx under the bus, but the kid had a valid point. Hadn't Dem mentioned something about Ven's family saying it hadn't been an accident? Kid probably had reason to be paranoid about strangers in his big brother's room. He raised his hands in surrender, trying to show the kid he didn't have anything in his hands.
"Look, Repea—"
"Roxas," the kid interrupted, closing the door at last, now that he'd determined that Axel wasn't a threat. He dropped the bag of takeout onto the desk and what must have actually been his homework, then he crossed his arms, still frowning. Axel scrambled to his feet, realizing he was probably sitting in the kid's—Roxas'—chair.
"Roxas, right. Look, I didn't mean to come and make a fuss, I just had to come see him. When I heard what happened, found out he was here…" he trailed off, looking back at the quiet form on the bed, the wheezing machines a dull backdrop to their conversation. He sighed, watching the slow rise and fall of Ven's chest. "We were best friends, you know?"
"I remember you now," Roxas admitted, and his frown softened as he tilted his head and rubbed his chin. "You were that photographer guy who came over sometimes."
"Heh, photography was a long time ago, haven't touched it since school." Axel smiled, feeling the room being to brighten and warm. "Impressed you remember that, though."
"I didn't bother learning all the people Ven hung out with here before we left," grumbled Roxas. "You made an impression, I guess."
"Haha, well, I'm flattered then." Axel moved away from the bed, giving up the chair for Roxas. "Glad to know I was memorable."
"Not memorable enough to remember your name," admitted Roxas, and the kid had the decency to look a little embarrassed about that. Axel laughed, though, and patted through his pockets, digging out his wallet and pulling out a card.
"Axel," he said, offering it to the kid. Roxas stared at it, then looked up to meet his eyes. Axel winked. "Keep it, then you don't have to worry about memorizing it." He nodded to the card as Roxas gingerly reached out to take it. "You need anything, you just give me a call."
Roxas stiffened, and the room took on a distinctive chill again. "What could you possibly offer that I would want?"
Axel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I dunno, lunch, transportation, blackmail stories about your brother in high school? Jesus, kid, it's called offering an olive branch and being friendly."
Roxas stood stiffly for a few moments, then sighed, shoulders slumped. He dragged a hand across his face.
"Sorry," he mumbled, "it's been a long couple of weeks." He ran fingers through his hair and the short strands stuck up like bed-head. Axel suppressed a smile, since it really wasn't the time or place to be making dirty jokes to his old best friend's little brother.
"Look, I know you don't know me from the bum in the alleyway, but Ven and I were close, and it kills me that it took me this long to find out he was hurt. You think of anything I can do to help—anything—" he looked back at Ven on the bed, then caught Roxas' eye once more. "You just give that number a call, ok?"
Roxas didn't reply, but he nodded, tucking the card into a shirt pocket. Axel sighed, scratching the back of his head. He hadn't really gotten to talk to Ven at all- not that he really had all that much to say- but staying was now clearly out of the question. He made his way towards the door again, turning before he left. "Right, well… I should get going. It was good to see you again, kid. I guess I'll see you around."
"Yeah, I guess," was the less than enthusiastic response. Roxas watched him the entire way back to the door, no doubt trying to figure out what Axel's game was. Axel didn't hold it against him. For all the puffed up posturing, the kid looked tired, strung out, and beaten. Hell, if he didn't know there was takeout on the table, he would've called for a pizza and left it there as a peace offering. Maybe he could still order a pizza and have it delivered later, when Demyx let him know the kid would be there.
Turning away from Repeat- Roxas -, he opened the door a fraction to see if the guard was still there. Demyx was standing off to the side, face beet red and gummi-ship scrubs changed out for a pair covered in hearts. The guard was glaring at him, but he was looking away, and Axel seized the opportunity to slip out and into the hallway.
He headed away from the ward at a steady, purposeful clip, nodding to people are he passed, exchanging greetings with a few of the nurses he recognized from Demyx's gang. He headed out the doors and back towards his apartment, shoving his hands in his pockets and drawing in a deep breath as he ran through the scene in his head once again.
Well, that had been… less that successful, but he wasn't about to call it a complete loss. He'd seen Ven, gotten to start talking to him, and had been abruptly reminded that Ven had family that probably relied on him, and they were probably going through a tough time. Repeat looked a little worse for wear to say the least. He would definitely be sending that pizza around. Apology pizza. Apolo-pizza?
He stopped, a thought popping back into focus, and he made an abrupt turn down the street. First things first; He was going to go out and buy a god-damned TV.
Author's Note:
Hey guys! The full (Explicit) version of this fic is up on AO3: /works/11437335/chapters/25629888
I'll be posting more of the current chapters on here each Friday until we're caught up to where I currently am on AO3.
I also have a companion fic of short stories that fully flesh out the characters and other scenes called "There is a Crack In Everything", which you can read here:
/works/12300699/chapters/27962508
I hope you guys enjoy it! Please feel free to drop me a line on my Tumblr, I'm SirLadySketch there, too!