Author's Note: Hey fellas! I'm a piece of shit! I came around in August and haven't made my way back until now. But! I am working on a fic a week for the year! This is my first one (a bit overdue, a bit rushed, but whatever.) Anyway, this story took it out of me. I really hope it's good! It's the first thing I've written and completed in 4 or 5 months! It may be a bit of a mess, I literally just finished it, so no editing. I probably won't be editing anything in this series of stories and I probably won't attempt something this long again. We'll just see what happens! Anyway, the theme of the first challenge was a story titled A New Beginning so here we are. Pure, self-serving New Year fluff because WHY NOT. In any case, I'll be posting once a week, but I'll be exploring different fandoms and stuff so I'm not going to confine it to a MC story. Thanks for your support! I hope you like it!
Axel had never cared for cliches. They seemed to follow him around constantly, forever threatening his simple life. He did his level best, at all times, to avoid things like drama and cliches. Despite all of that, here he found himself: A walking, talking, living, breathing cliche.
The truth was, he never put much stock into things like "new beginnings." He knew it was that time of year, where everyone was writing lists, resolving to become new people in a magical place called "tomorrow." If you asked him, people were set in their ways, and never really changed on the inside. At least, that's what he would have said a week ago, to anyone who'd listen. This week, though, Axel was deeply troubled by something inside of himself.
It all started when he met a petite blond. Although, one could argue that he leaned more toward average, and only seemed petite in comparison to the tall, lanky mess of limbs that Axel was. Anyway, that's not the point. The point was that Axel had met a fair amount of petite blondes in his lifetime, and none of them ever made him question his own beliefs. That bothered him.
A lot.
In the beginning, he just ignored the blond. That's the best thing to do with something that makes you feel uncomfortable, if you ask Axel. Then, at some point, he had become less and less avoidable. So unavoidable, in fact, that Axel started questioning his own sanity. He found the list of things he questioned ever growing upon the arrival of said blond. His name was Roxas, not that Axel even cared, really. Roxas was one of those really outgoing people, who would remember your name after hearing it once and who would, apparently, strike up a conversation with you if you happened to bump into each other at the grocery store. That was something Axel had learned the hard way.
It definitely wasn't his deep, sparkly blue ocean eyes that made Axel feel uncomfortable, just so you know. It had not a thing to do with his perfect crooked smile or the freckles on his chin. The boy was incredibly handsome, he wouldn't deny that. Everything that Roxas was, though, repelled Axel. He couldn't tell you why, or how. Maybe in a different world, they'd be inseparable, he thought. But, something about the blond man here and now made Axel want to run as far as he could.
He tried his best. And now here he was, at the tamest New Year's Eve party he had ever seen, ducking into a personal office in avoidance of said man. Roxas seemed like an impending doom that he could not escape. Axel knew it was a NYE party, but he still wore his ugliest Christmas sweater. 'Tis the season, he had figured. He peered briefly out of the office window, noting the kind of slushy gray snow that would likely soak into his shoes and grunted.
The home office was nicely decorated, Axel thought, with things like framed movie posters and canvas prints lining the walls. It had been mostly spared the holiday decorations that permeated every inch of the rest of the house, the only decorative item being a single snow globe. Inside of it there was a tiny town.
Axel spent some time admiring the tiny details of the tiny snow globe town and listening to the bustle of the party. There was a lot of laughing, there were a lot of voices. Being surrounded by so much noise had Axel feeling like he was in a snow globe of his own. He felt it would be too much an invasion of privacy to seat himself in the chair in front of the desk- the only seat in the room – so instead he settled himself into a patch of plush carpet, using a wall for support and taking a sip of his scotch. He knew fuck all about scotch, but everyone at the party was ranting and raving about aged scotch and he didn't feel like being the odd man out. He was happy now that he took the drink with him.
The outside noise suggested that everyone was enjoying some kind of party game. The redhead had never felt more relieved to be locked in an office. He tried to curb his boredom by texting a few friends who were clearly drunk and having a better time than he was. Wrong party, wrong time, he sighed to himself. When that failed to entertain, he turned to social media and virtual pets. A good 5 minutes passed that way, and then he was bored again. He heard a siren and saw police lights flash by the lone window. Happy New Year, drunk drivers.
Axel sighed. He was so bored. He paced the office, read the movie posters, examined details in the paintings and determining that one was an original and the other two were prints. He cocked random books on the office bookshelf, like people did in movies to open false walls. No luck there. After about 10 more minutes had passed, he had had enough of being bored and ducking into home offices. He didn't realize that may have something to do with his emptied glass, but that didn't matter so much anyway.
The redhead fiddled with the lock on the door for a few seconds before managing to free himself from his well-decorated prison. He tried to sneak out carefully, he really did, but his feet were funny and he was tripping over them and people noticed. Naminé, one of the other petite blondes Axel happened to know, was nearby and gestured for him to join the group with a soft smile. She was always so subdued. He thought it was weird.
In the center of the party there was a group of people playing charades, drunkenly and ridiculously. Axel realized his own drunkenness as he watched. He couldn't tell if the heat in his face was from that, or from embarrassment. Roxas was one of two drunk dudes doing the acting portion of the game, because of course he was. Life Of The Party was his middle name. Middle names? Something like that. He was clearly the better actor.
Axel felt fidgety and uncomfortable with the entire setting; Roxas wasn't helping. He retreated to the back porch for some peace and fresh air.
Outside wasn't much better, the air was thick with smoke blowing around from fireworks that were still being set off. The breeze was appreciated, at least. He checked his watch– a Christmas gift from his sensible best friend who thought watches were still relevant– it was 11:25. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to escape the party this close to midnight, and with alcohol already in his system. He fished his pockets for his vape pen – he hated the fad but he was trying to quit smoking – and drew off of it for a minute. He wasn't sure it helped, but at least he had something to do with his hands.
Despite the breeze, it was unusually warm for winter and the scotch had warmed his body. He rolled his sleeves up, resolving to ditch it altogether if he got any warmer. He was alerted to Roxas' charades victory by a round of muffled cheers oozing through the walls and windows. He exhaled and watched the sky, wondering whether or not anyone had even noticed he slipped out. The stars weren't very visible due to the lights from town and the smoke clouds littering the neighborhood's sky.
Axel wondered. He wondered what it must be like to be Roxas. He wondered why he was hiding out from a party. He wondered when he'd become so paralyzed by new things. He wondered when he'd lost his fire. He went on like that for a while, until his train of thought was violently derailed by a quiet, sloshy voice.
"Hey," said the voice, belonging to Roxas. Axel's train of thought crashed into a wall and everybody on it died, the end. He shivered, finally feeling the wind and pulled his sleeves back down.
"Hey," he mumbled back in a gruff voice. How long had he been out here? Was he an old man now? He cleared his throat. "How's the party?"
"It's okay." Roxas shrugged with amused eyes. "How's hiding from the party?" He was looking out over the balcony, leaned against the railing. Of course he was wearing a sweater layered over a button-up. Axel's throat felt tight.
"First off," he began, "I'm not hiding. Secondly, it's going maybe not as well as I thought it would." He smirked, glancing at his watch. It was 11:45 PM. His stomach churned and he ignored it. The party was noticeably quieter without Roxas. Axel peeked into the window over his shoulder and caught Naminé's eye, she offered him another small wave. His mind was still wandering in the background.
"Got any resolutions?" Roxas' breath swirled out of his mouth in a puff. Axel hadn't realized the temperature had dropped that low. Axel had realized that wasn't something he should have been paying so much attention to. He mulled over the question, not because he didn't know his answer yet, but because he wanted to play it by ear and not sound, well… rude as hell when he said he thought resolutions were bullshit. Because they totally were. Axel sighed.
"I know," Roxas cut in again. "New year, new me, whatever. Some people don't buy it. But there's some magic to the New Year, you know? All these people want to change, and they don't feel down about it for once. Besides, no one's asking you to become a new person." He sighed and thought for a moment. "I mean, at the very least you can't deny it's a great opportunity to sit down, have a drink, and figure out exactly what the fuck it is you want right now. God knows there aren't really enough of those." He looked Axel dead in the eyes.
Axel froze. The silence wasn't awkward, but it was there. He hadn't paid any mind to the fact that he was looking at Roxas, until their eyes met and he locked him in place. He wasn't sure how long it'd been. It felt like too long. His stomach was turning again.
"I… honestly never really thought of it that way," Axel finally managed, a little flustered at the exchange. Their eyes were still locked. He wasn't sure if it was uncomfortable. He sighed. He wanted to say more. He felt like he owed more to the conversation, but nothing came.
"Oh yeah?" Roxas smiled and looked away. Axel felt physical relief when he did. "I've spent a lot of time thinking about it." His voice was still sloshy but warmer and less far away somehow. Before, he was an inebriated person at a party getting fresh air and making small talk. Now, he was still inebriated, but beyond that he was a person with thoughts and feelings and complex ideas. Axel realized he had never met this Roxas. Axel realized he liked this Roxas.
"How's your buzz?" Axel smirked. He felt bad for not having more to contribute. "I haven't had a drink in at least 30 minutes. Besides..." He trailed off, appreciating the view over the balcony one last time. The stars were still sparse, but the moon was big, full, and bright. Bright enough to render the streetlights useless, he was sure. Roxas looked up in shock and his eyes lit up, he almost forgot.
"It's almost midnight!" Axel was sure the whole neighborhood heard his companion shout, but if they did they seemed not to care. The world went on as it was. He smiled.
They went back inside and topped off their drinks. Everyone's cheeks were pink and their eyes were glazed. Axel liked them more now, somehow. Maybe it was the alcohol creeping into his blood stream. There was a large, modern-looking digital clock on the wall, where everyone could see it ticking away to midnight. There were party poppers and confetti and merriment waiting for 12 AM. The music was considerably louder and the people were considerably more drunk, but they were still managing to focus on the time just fine. In a room full of, what, 10 people? Who were checking the clock constantly, there wasn't much risk of missing midnight.
Axel talked to Roxas, they were part of the crowd but still somehow alone. Somehow they didn't need to yell and no one seemed to care that they were there. People were laughing and dancing and fooling around. They stayed in their own world. They didn't talk about things like change and resolutions. They didn't talk about much of anything, really. But it was the best empty conversation Axel had had in a while. He was sure it was the liquor he was still working on. They carried on like that for what felt like ages. Axel knew it was close to midnight. He wanted to go home but he was more than a little drunk. Maybe someone had thought ahead to bring a designated driver.
"It's almost midnight," Roxas said, shaking the redhead out of his own thoughts. Roxas gestured toward the clock. His face was pink and his eyes were dreamy, framed by thick lashes. His hair was organized golden chaos. Axel knew he was staring again. His sober brain gave a shit and told him to stop, but his drunken brain was in charge now and wanted to keep looking at pretty things. Roxas was a pretty thing.
Axel broke his focus on Roxas' face and instead looked to the direction his finger was pointed. There was one minute left, and the blur of faces around them was becoming more and more rowdy. Axel tried to identify the people. There was Roxas, Naminé, a couple people from work. He gave up. He knew he was at someone's house. That was good enough, he figured.
He looked back at Roxas, who was wearing a huge, pretty grin. His teeth were so white and he had dimples in his cheeks that were sprinkled with freckles. It took Axel's breath away. Obviously, he was drunk, so that was all it was. Had to be. Because Roxas made him feel uncomfortable. Roxas scared him, petrified him to the core. Because Roxas was nice and confident and outgoing, and he made Axel feel special. But Axel wasn't. He was just a plain old guy who was bitter about new beginnings.
Everyone started counting down out loud, cheering and clinking glasses and blowing on party favors. For not many people, they were a loud group. There were 9 seconds left and there was a lump in Axel's throat. Maybe new beginnings weren't so bad. Fireworks sounded like gunshots outside. Roxas started counting down, too, pumping his fist in the air with every second. Someone turned up the music that Axel had somehow forgotten was playing.
"Happy New Year!" The room boomed with voices. Suddenly he was being kissed, on the mouth. It shocked him, to say the least. As soon and as easily as it had happened, the kiss was over. Axel's mind was still trying to catch up to what had just happened, and rather than slowing down, everything around him got louder, more intense. His heart was pounding in his ears and his face was so, so hot and there was Roxas, drunk and flustered and a shade of red to match Axel's hair. He wished he were sober so that maybe he could wrap his mind around all of this. How did someone so much shorter than him manage to steal a kiss so easily? Was he that out of it? He was baffled.
Pull yourself together. He tried to shake off his surprise.
"Happy new year," he said to Roxas, although now it just looked like he was mouthing it and things were so loud that he wasn't even sure he had said it out loud. Roxas cheered and hugged him. He had a light to his eyes that Axel had never seen in anyone before. His mind was racing so fast and he just wanted to know what Roxas was thinking, feeling. He felt so greedy, for the first time in so long, wanted more. Wanted it so bad that he was on fire. Who was this person? How… How could he just show up in Axel's life and change everything? How could he change Axel when he wasn't even sure he could change? He'd be mad under different conditions, but not here and now. There was booze in his blood and there was a blond boy consistently invading his personal space and he liked it that way…
He surrendered. It was a new day, he could worry and over-think and drive himself insane some other time.
The sun was bright. Like, really bright. Axel grumbled. He was warm and comfortable. He cracked open his eyes, trying and failing to adjust to the light. He was in a living room. The same living room. There were glasses and confetti everywhere. The blinds were closed but the sun continued to burn, he could taste his own breath and it was bad. He was draped over Roxas' small body, or Roxas was tucked into him perhaps. He sighed. Not a dreamy sigh or anything, just a regular sigh. His face was warm as memories from last night flooded him. He wanted to get up, to stretch his bones and maybe drink some orange juice, but he didn't. Instead, he propped himself up on his elbow and waited for Roxas to wake up.
He spent about 30 minutes rested on a numb arm before the petite blond woke up. He grunted, then stretched clumsily, accidentally punching Axel's chin as he did.
"Good morning," Axel mumbled, massaging his chin and trying not to yell.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Roxas hissed, still trying to adjust to the morning time. He fussed over Axel's chin, making sure it wasn't bruised and placing a soft kiss there. They both reddened.
"Oh good, you two are awake." A sweet, pleasant voice interrupted their moment. Axel instantly recognized it as Naminé. He turned to see her in a robe with her hair a mess, but still glowing. She had two mugs of coffee and he sincerely hoped that one was for him. That hope was met with a warm mug in his hands. He smiled, still awkwardly wrapped around Roxas. Axel knew from working with her that Naminé always made the perfect coffee. He was convinced it was a sixth sense.
"Wow, this coffee is amazing!" Roxas exclaimed a little too loudly, putting a hand to his head as if he just realized it hurt. Axel smiled.
Maybe new beginnings weren't so bad after all.