Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, I just borrow the characters to make them go through my plots on a whim.
Warnings: Yaoi (Boyxboy). Don't like, don't read.
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Just a fun, short-ish one-shot that will hopefully encourage the AxelRiku fans out there. Mm, more fanfiction.
Jetlag hurts my mind.
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Something A La Go Go
Awkward moments and shoes dirty from too much walking… Along with fantasies of carousel rides and melting snow cones.
It was pure and simple.
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At the carnival, it's complete and utter joy.
It's in the morning, when the sun's as high as their eyes can reach without hurting and breakfast is finished, when their car reaches the brightly colored rides and booths.
Riku looks up, and he can see the ferris wheel turning. Each compartment sways gently in the warm wind.
They have no worries.
Swallowing a perfectly deep breath of freshly-popped popcorn and the hot metal scent of the rides, Axel looks over and grins.
Around them, others are enjoying the day as well. Little children with red candy apples, the candy adorning their faces as much as their mouths.
Axel and Riku walk, and their features are hit with a welcome blast of cold air as they enter the tent. There are people there already, but like an answer to their question, there are two seats near the ring.
The seats are a bit dirty, and not-quite-perfect, but in their eyes they're quite fine.
The lights dim, and it's a scene of utter amazement and wows when the spotlight centers on the ringleader, and at his command the sounds alight with a thunderous noise.
All of a sudden the tent bursts with life. There are people wearing thin, intense and dazzling clothing - dancing in the air! And look, at the birds flying around the audience and bowing, well-trained and proud tail feathers swooping around.
And then the spotlight shines on a single person in the ring, who sits on a stool that no one noticed was put there but her.
She sings a song that touches the hearts of the audience, of Axel and Riku, and as she waves an arm, paper and shards of light come out of the sky of the ceiling. Riku blinks and reaches his hand, the one that isn't holding Axel's, up in an attempt to catch something.
It's all a show of lights, a clever imitation.
But they don't mind, not really, because it's all so beautiful in its own aspect.
Then with a roar, there are lions and big cats that are still wild. They prance proudly, heads lifted and blonde-orange manes shining. One leans its huge paws, as big as Axel's head, on the decorative fence surrounding the ring, right in front of them.
The lion purrs smugly, black eyes of marbles staring deep into their own.
Axel, much like Riku before, reaches out a hand, but with another command from the singing girl, the lion turns away with a flick of his tail that is no less magnificent than the rest of him.
Axel almost pouts, disappointed, and Riku chuckles.
They aren't upset for long, though, because the show never stops. With another set of vibrantly colored beams from the ceiling, a pair of twins lower to the floor, hanging on to a silver ring.
They twist around in practiced performance, their bodies turning, and the audience is astounded in wonder. Because they know how much practice and work it must take to produce such a show.
When they hang off each other and flip, others join them until it's a chain of people hanging from one end of the stage to the other, and clapping is heard far and wide.
Then they all flip and land on the net put there just-in-case, which in the end provides a safe landing and a spectacular show.
Jugglers rush out and start tossing objects that change before their very eyes. From harmless plastic to shoes to sticks of fire that don't burn their hands…!
Axel's especially happy, because it's fire, and he doesn't mind that at all.
And when they toss them effortlessly into the crowd, there's a gasp of "What if they get burned?" then laughter when the fire turns into balls of cotton and ribbon. Then there are cries of kids laughing "Throw one here too, mister!" and the jugglers are only too happy to comply.
Sparkles of glee fly in the air, and Axel grabs a group of ribbons into his hand. Without pausing, he ruffles them into Riku's hair, who blinks then glares at him softly.
It's a pretty sight, the gleaming red and purple strands mixed in with equally bright silver.
A pure-white bird flies over to say hello, flowers decorating its crown. It chirps happily, fawning over Riku's jean-clad leg before flying to the row behind him. Axel hears shocked whispers and someone clapping in glee.
Another bird, a doppelganger, flies in loops around the stage. Circles upon circles. It chirps hello, and all the other birds around the area chirp back in unison.
It's a lovely sound.
A complete opposite, a feathered creature of complete black with marbling eyes twinkling with intelligence, flies in. There's a bell tied onto its leg, so when it flies the bell jingles. And the blue, blue light that looked almost white followed it around, isolating the bird from suddenly dark surroundings.
And then it's over – the lights go up and there's a kind voice announcing a break.
Axel gets up and, after making sure that Riku would save the seats, beats the crowd to the concession stands. He gets a drink to kill his thirst and hurries back, where the other teen steals it and takes a long draw.
The redhead's been sitting for not half a minute before the stage lights up and a booming voice announces the next act in a pretend-whisper.
For Axel, seeing Riku's features brighten in sheet enjoyment like a newborn child's, he can't find a reason not to grin.
As bubbles bloom out from behind the curtain, he taps his feet against Riku's, and doesn't say a word when Riku nudges his foot back.
But they're both smiling, because it isn't over.
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It's noon, when they settle on a wooden bench painted lilac and green, to a lunch of french fries and half a hot dog each, because it tastes better when they share and they're both not that hungry anyway. It's washed down with small bites from a candied apple that neither of them quite finishes, but leaves their lips dyed cherry red.
It's not a bad look for either of them.
Because they spent the entire morning watching the show – the carnival's pride and joy for good reason – they have the rest of the day to see the sights.
And enjoy the rides.
And there are so many to choose from. From the sickness-inducing roller coasters to simple carousels that neither of them have ridden since childhood. And there was always the ferris wheel, to go on before or afterwards.
They choose one, and it's a rapid ring that twirls upside-down and all around. The ride starts, and Axel lets go of the bar in front of them and yells in exhilaration.
Riku lets one hand go to cover his ears, but Axel grabs it and raises it into the air in victory.
They both get off a little dizzy.
Axel drags Riku onto a ride with those silly teacups that spin. Trying to make it creative and more fun, Riku flips their cup to the side so that it's laying on its edge. Axel chokes and holds on while their booth rolls around.
The owner looks at them and talks about fines and costs afterwards, but neither of them seems to care.
Riku regrets buying a soda when Axel decides to go on the roller coaster again.
The carousel's both a welcome break and a bit disappointing, because although they were tired, it was also a big change.
But it's also a childhood favorite, and the up-and-down motion is familiar.
A click of the fence, then a step or two down the lane, and Axel pauses as music hits his well-trained ears.
There are people dancing in the streets. Wearing bright costumes of red that match Axel's hair, their legs kick with energy. They're pulling spectators in to dance with them, and even though they aren't experts, it looks fun just the same.
One of them lands a hand on Riku's wrist and smiles, nodding to the action, and Riku looks over and meets Axel's eyes. But the redhead grins and nods, and they all join in and swing their arms like children.
They're happy.
It's late afternoon when they stop inducing in the chorus, and by then they're all like old friends, poking and laughing at each other. Riku grins, because the dance has taken all his energy and it's all he can do not to collapse to the floor in breathless enthusiasm.
Axel holds onto his arm, all sweat and smiles, and keeps him upright.
The dancers bid them goodbye, and Axel and Riku nod to them as well. They look around for a place to rest, if only for a little bit.
There's a bunch of flags fluttering in the center of the fair, and below them is an area for sitting. Like many others looking for a break in the action, Riku spots a bench, and they sit.
It's quiet for a moment.
"Wanna head back?" Axel knows Riku's reply before the last word left his own mouth.
"It's too early." It's too early.
They both wanted more.
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It's at night, late in the evening. Stars are blinking into existence from every which angle, and their clothes are dusty and warm from all the hot metal. They're full in more ways than one, in both body and mentality.
Riku's mouth is still cherry red, but just a bit faded from where Axel coaxed it off.
He smiles when he remembers it.
There's still room for one last ride, so they choose one – the ferris wheel that, by now, they can barely see the top of.
There are less people around now, so the line isn't too long. The top few cars of the ferris wheel look so encased in black; it's a little scary.
Riku can't help but wonder that, when they reach the top, will they be able to see?
Axel gets in line and pulls Riku along with him, feet giving their last heartfelt attempt against gravity-filled concrete flooring.
The ticket person just smiles at them – it's too late to ask for tickets, too many people are gone so it doesn't matter – and tells them to watch their step.
Riku nods back.
They get on, and Axel's shoes are suddenly heavy from the amount of walking they've done that day. The metal compartment feels too overwhelming, too hot.
At least, that's what Axel thinks before they start to rise into the air, stopping every so often for another group of people to climb into another car. All of a sudden, the windows seem like paper-thin glass and it's so open.
They don't just see the fair. They see the sky and the waterlines, and the steam and the crispness of the night air.
It's beautiful.
And when they get to the top, they're awash in a sea of stars and unnatural lights from the fair below. So it's not dark at all, not as they saw it from below.
Riku's features are glowing as brightly as his eyes, and his hair looks as if Axel could see auras.
It takes a long time, and they remain suspended almost-at-the-top-but-not-quite, but it's perfect that way.
They're a little sick from the change in height, but it's not a bad feeling. It's more a feel of…their heads spinning just a bit too high.
And then they're going down, and Axel holds onto the rail in the center. So unlike the fast-speeded ride from earlier.
The ground feels faint under their feet.
Ice cream heals, so they head to the creamery in all their ecstatic, tired delight. It's still open, the yellowish-white illumination spilling out onto the road and making their shadows stronger.
There are neon lights in the windows.
The bell chimes with their arrival, and Riku debates over a smoothie or a cone. In the end, Axel's fed up and gets them each a cup of matching chocolate and vanilla.
They bypass all those other odd, colorful confections. That one time they tried papou was enough – it was far too sweet. But, as Riku remembered later, would sharing papou-flavored ice cream work just as the legend said with the fruit?
It was something to think about. But later.
Oh – there was another time, too. Axel just had to see what a rose tasted like.
It tasted like…too-thin wine made from paper grapes and flowers.
They're seated on stools, red plastic with long silver legs that give off a retro feel. It's comfortable, and Riku's legs are resting on Axel's stool, and Axel's are on Riku's.
Axel licks his spoon clean – why didn't he get a cone, again? And Riku toys with it, a small spoonful occasionally ending in his mouth, but most of it splatters onto the nearby napkin and table.
Axel spoons his melted chocolate onto Riku's melted vanilla, and it makes neat swirls that neither of them wants to ruin.
"Wanna head back?"
"…Yeah. Yeah, let's go."
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It was Axel and Riku, and a day from the sun to the starry night sky. From start to finish...
And nothing else needed to be said.
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Hope you enjoyed. I'm growing pretty fond of this couple, so they decorate my sketchbook quite a lot. Next to all the LeonRiku sketches, mm.
And Sora's in there, cause…his hair is fun to draw. Yeah.
Review, please. :3
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