A/N: This chapter wound up being a bit dialogue-heavy, so yeah. Hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's not quite as long as the first chapter, but still a bit longer than my usual fare. If you enjoy my style, hit up my FP account (link on my profile). To the wonderful nicayal, as usual, thanks for the reviews, I hope you're happy that I got sucked into writing a KH fanfic. I wonder if that makes us even. Anyway, here goes! Reviews are appreciated!
Chapter 2: Drivers to Staging
The two young men made their way back to the midway, Axel in the lead, each loaded with a camp chair. "So why do we need these?" Roxas asked, swinging the bundle so that it bumped his friend.
"We're gonna camp at main stage for a bit to score some swag," Axel declared, bumping the blond back. Roxas bit his lip doubtfully, before remembering Zexion's previous comment about the stage host being funny. As they approached their destination, he noticed that there was already a small collection of camp chairs fanned out in front of the stage, and a clean-cut, dark-haired man was chattering into a microphone.
"So I gotta tell you, I love coming to Wisconsin. Every time I'm here I eat so well." He gestured at his stomach, holding a hand out to indicate a big belly. "These guys know how to eat. Have you had any cheese curds?" The collection of people in front of the stage cheered. "They are so good, fried and all melty, I love them. And they go great with that vitamin B!" Roxas smirked, knowing full well about the Wisconsin treat of fried cheese curds. As far as he knew, it was the only state where they could be found. "Check out this guy's hair!" the man on stage called out suddenly, pointing at Axel, who was setting up the first chair. "Man, he must really like the color red. Hey, let me ask you, is your car red, too? What do you drive, my friend?" He pointed the mic at Axel.
"A Hellcat," the redhead shouted. "A redline one." To Roxas he said, "That's Clarence."
"You hear that folks? He's got one of those Hellcats, and he's proud of it, too. You can always tell a Hellcat owner, they have this swagger in their step," the man demonstrated with an exaggerated stance, and changed his voice to a growl, "'I got a Hellcat!' Those guys love their horsepower, and they're always ready for a race. Watch out if you encounter one on the highway, they'll blow you away!" Axel grinned widely, not even denying it. "What's your name, Mr. Redline Hellcat? Where're you from?"
"Axel, from Brookfield," he shouted back.
Clarence feigned shock. "Axle? You mean to tell me you're named after a car part? Did your parents name you that, or did you change it?"
"Parents." He didn't bother to correct the man on the spelling, and Roxas found himself chuckling as they spotted Kairi and Namine and maneuvered over to set their seats up by them.
"Wow, how cool is that? See, this guy gets a cool, manly name like Axle, I'm so jealous. My parents must've been trying for the most boring name ever, because they named me Clarence." He took on a nasally voice, "'Clarence, take the dog for a walk.' People make fun of a name like Clarence. Axel, that's a name you can trust." His voice went deep, "'Axel, go pick up the kids from school for me, will you?'" The audience laughed as Clarence made a few more impressions, mocking his own name and glorifying Axel. "Hey Axel, for being a good sport, I got something for you. I think I even got your colors." He picked something off of a table at the back of the stage and tossed it to the redhead, who caught it easily: a black t-shirt with a red and white design.
Axel grinned and gave him a thumbs-up, before settling down in his chair, next to Roxas. The girls grinned, and Kairi held up a shirt of her own. "Hey, so I saw a couple people's cars were missing. Larxene, Xaldin and Saix, Luxord. Did they go do the autocross or something?" Axel asked, letting the stage fall to the background.
Kairi's grin turned into a frown. "No, I think they went and checked into the hotel already."
Roxas looked on curiously as Axel's eyebrows quirked up. "Already? It's only four!" Roxas glanced at his watch to confirm that, yes, it was already four in the afternoon. The time had flown with Axel's car on the road course. "Didn't you say that they give all the good stuff out after five?"
Namine shrugged. "They didn't really seem interested. They left around one, said they were going to go to lunch and then the hotel."
It was Axel's turn to shrug. "More stuff for us, I guess. But don't you think they're missing out?"
Both girls nodded emphatically. "Xigbar, Marluxia, and Dem and Zex are still around here somewhere, though," Namine added. "I think Dem and Zex were watching you guys at autocross. How'd you do, anyway?"
"Twenty-three-seventeen!" Axel grinned. "I could've done better but I had to slow down for Blondie here, he couldn't handle the speed!" he teased, reaching over to muss his friend's hair.
Roxas batted his hand away, looking affronted. "What! Can too! You probably lost time burning rubber, you freak!"
Kairi and Namine laughed at the exchange, and the darker haired girl backed Roxas up, declaring, "Knowing Mr. Pyros, he was definitely burning rubber!" She winked at Roxas as she referenced Axel's renowned penchant for fire, and he laughed, already feeling comfortable with the two girls.
Axel smiled good-naturedly, but a few minutes after their laughter had died down, he remarked, "So they took off without so much as a good-bye, huh?" His lips were still quirked up, but Roxas wasn't buying the new smile.
"Yeah," Namine murmured, although anything else she might've said was cut off as a commotion on the stage caught everyone's attention.
Roxas eyed the redhead, who had turned back to watch the stage. It was subtle, but he could tell Axel was annoyed: there was an almost imperceptible set to his jaw, and a tension in his shoulders. Maybe he hadn't known the older man long, only a couple years now, but the circumstances that had brought them together had given him the perfect opportunity to learn and recognize his moods. Roxas had been a fresh, new intern, and Axel a new hire, already a couple years out of college. Nothing encouraged a friendship like two lackeys trying to stay afloat during a company regime change. Roxas had survived the internship mostly unscathed, and by now Axel was beginning to climb the company ladder, and both had come out up one friend.
And here Roxas was, doing something he'd never think of doing with anyone other than the redhead. It wasn't so bad, so far. Spending time outside was nice. The autocross had been pretty fun, and the stage guy had proven himself entertaining. His friend was annoyed, though, and he took note of what had caused it and filed it away for later: so-called friends ditching without a word. He hadn't gotten a good vibe from those people to begin with, and this wasn't putting them in his good graces, either. Not that he cared too much, since he doubted he'd socialize with them much after this, but still.
One of the event sponsors had already started giving things away from the stage when Xigbar and Marluxia appeared on the opposite side of Kairi and Namine, hailed with a hearty "Hey guys!" by both girls. They had sat down just in time for Xigbar to answer a question about the sponsor on the stage to earn some free Sta-bil, and a scowl from Axel, who'd been trying to win something for the last half hour. The scarred man only offered back a competitive grin, challenging the redhead to race for it, who scoffed at the offer. "That's a losing bet," Kairi chimed in. "Axel's got more horsepower and you know it."
"I didn't specify what kind of race," the man smirked.
"I'd beat you any time, any place, old man," Axel laughed. "I'll let you keep your Sta-bil," he drawled the word in a southern accent, "and save you the humiliation of losing."
Their exchange was interrupted as Demyx and Zexion's arrived, the lanky blond announcing his appearance by winding his arms around Roxas' shoulders from behind with a sultry, "Hey cutie!" that had the shorter blond jumping out of his seat.
Roxas was on his feet, spluttering, while Axel et al laughed, although Zexion had only raised an eyebrow. Demyx was chuckling as he wheezed out, "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy," he composed himself slightly and handed Roxas a slip of paper with a roman numeral on it, "but here's my number, so call me maybe!" The impromptu rendering of the song had Axel and the girls laughing especially hard. Roxas smiled unsteadily, looking down at the slip the taller blond had given him, a bold black "IX" scrawled on it.
Slate-haired Zexion was the one to come to his rescue. "Dem is like that with everyone. Overly friendly," he gave his companion a meaningful look, somehow managing to look both irritated and amused at the same time.
"But he is cute," Demyx whined. "Axel never said he was this cute." He leaned in close to the redhead, "You've been holding out on us."
Axel was giving the other man a dirty look, but Roxas had already screwed his face up in protest. "I don't really think cute is a word to describe me," he protested, while at the same time Zexion smacked the guy.
"Stop calling other guys cute," the slate-haired man intoned flatly.
"Is my Zexy jealous?" Demyx cackled, turning to throw his arms around him. Zexion looked bored as he endured the embrace, and Roxas couldn't help but laugh, too.
"I'm jealous," Marluxia piped up. "I didn't get any Dem hugs today."
"Me neither!" both girls giggled.
"Count me out," Xigbar's gravelly voice proclaimed.
Demyx, still hanging over Zexion's shoulders, made a move to oblige, but stopped as his companion wrapped a hand around his forearm. "Sorry guys, my hugs have been rationed," he chirped. Roxas studied how easy the two men were with each other, and glanced around at the rest of the group, who all seemed pretty comfortable with the two. Maybe they could play it off as Demyx being overly friendly, as only messing around, but Roxas suspected he was seeing genuine affection between the lanky blond and Zexion. His eyes flicked to Axel, who caught his gaze and flashed the usual toothy grin.
Roxas smiled back, before letting his mind wander off, only vaguely aware of the goings-on of the stage, laughing here and there when appropriate. But really he was wondering…why had he agreed to come with Axel on this trip?
It was nearly seven before the giveaways on stage were done, and the group packed their things to head back to the cars. They had all booked rooms in the same hotel, so they drove out as a group, same as they had driven in, with Xigbar's black leading the way. The day hadn't been overly hot, but Roxas was relieved to be in the air-conditioned car nonetheless, and he gulped a cold bottle of water gratefully. He was already starting to dread the southern weather they were bound to encounter. Humidity was something he preferred to live without, but the tradeoff of visiting new places would make it worth it. Or anyway, so he hoped.
"Today was fun, right?" Axel spoke into the quiet of the car. His normally confident tone held a thread of sincerity, making Roxas feel glad that the redhead really wanted him to enjoy himself, rather than just get dragged along for company.
"Yeah, it was pretty cool," he murmured. "Well, a little hot," he conceded, "so I'm glad to be back in the AC!"
Green eyes regarded him for a moment, before returning to the slow-moving traffic leaving the venue. "No wonder, Rox. You're sunburned."
Roxas looked down at his arm, which was, admittedly, quite red. He reached up and scratched at his mess of hair. "I guess I am, a little. I hadn't really noticed." He grimaced, imagining how painful the burn was going to be once his body realized the fact. "Should've put on sunscreen like Namine and Kairi. Should've packed sunscreen," he added wistfully. He looked over at Axel's already-tan skin with envy. "I don't suppose you have any?"
Axel chuckled. "No sunscreen, but I have some aloe gel. I always keep first aid for burns around, just in case." He grinned and lifted his hand off the shifter to show Roxas the scars that flecked his forearm. "I may be a pyro, but I'm not an idiot."
The blond smiled at his friend. "If you say so."
"I do say so!" He flipped his passenger off playfully. "Anyway, we'll stop somewhere and get you some sunscreen for the rest of the trip."
"Thanks. Hey, Axel?"
"Hmm?"
"Are Demyx and Zexion…together?" Roxas asked tentatively. "I mean, Demyx was pretty friendly with everyone, but it was different with Zexion, or anyway it seemed like it."
Axel let out a bark of a laugh. "That's actually pretty toned-down for Dem, believe it or not. But to answer your question, yes." He glanced at the blond sideways, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you ask? Does it bother you?"
"No," he answered evenly. "I was just curious. Anyway, they seem cool. Kairi and Namine, too."
Axel's lips quirked at the edges. "Yeah, those girls are sweet. Cute, too, right?" he baited.
Roxas shrugged. "Yeah, cute, like, little sister cute."
The redhead chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like them, alright."
A natural silence fell between the two as Axel drove them to the hotel and Roxas gazed out the window. The blond was comfortable enough to doze off, but his stomach nagged at him, reminding him that he hadn't eaten lunch that day. He sighed as they pulled into the hotel parking lot, wishing they could eat first, but the group had already decided to check in before going to find food. When Axel sent him a questioning glance, he pointed at his stomach, which obligingly chose that moment to grumble.
Axel looked a little weary, too, he realized. It had been a long day for everyone, so as Axel checked in, Roxas loaded a luggage cart up without complaint, taking special care not to scratch or ding the car. The redhead had quickly ingrained that into Roxas' memory: don't fuck up the car or you die. Well, maybe not so crudely put, but his friend probably valued the car higher than most things or people, and Roxas imagined that's what the man had really meant when he'd been warned to be careful around it.
Within record time, Axel had checked in and the two friends had unloaded their belongings into a room with two double beds. The rest of their party seemed just as anxious to eat, and unanimously agreed on a local diner near their hotel. Dinner was a more subdued affair, with everyone paying more attention to filling their empty bellies than each other. However, once stomachs had been appeased, the conversation livened up. Roxas found his mind wandering nonetheless, as the main topic was about cars. He passively observed the cheerful back-and-forth about different engines, car brands…he couldn't even keep up. He and Zexion exchanged a look, which ended in an eye-roll on Zexion's part.
He blinked as he heard his name, dragging him into the conversation. "What's that?"
"I said, you got so burned you're almost as red as Axel's hair," Marluxia teased.
"Better red than pink," Xigbar commented dryly.
The pink-haired man shot him a look, while Kairi came back with, "I have some body paint that could fix that." She grinned when the older man let out a harried grumble. "Anyway, Roxas, you can use some of our sunscreen tomorrow if you want," she added. Her blond cousin nodded in agreement.
Roxas gave her a smile. "Thanks. Axel said we'll get some tomorrow, but I'll take you up on it if we don't."
The girls smiled back, and Roxas let himself fade into the background as he munched his fries. He idly checked the messages on his phone: a text each from Pence and Olette, wishing him a nice vacation. Hayner had sent a chain of messages, bitching about everything going wrong at the summer job they shared. No doubt he blamed Roxas, and no doubt he'd get over it with time. The blond rolled his eyes at the thought of his fickle friend and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He was certainly glad to be getting some time away, he decided.
He'd spaced out, thinking of all the things he didn't have to worry about this week, and had missed his bill coming, and, since Axel had picked up his tab, he'd missed it going, too. Their party was setting out again when Roxas noticed he didn't have a check. As soon as he realized it, he shot the redhead a glare, but waited until they were back in the car to say anything.
"You didn't have to do that, you know. I can pay for my own food," he huffed.
The older man shrugged and ran a hand through his red spikes. "Don't worry about it, Rox."
"You're already paying for hotels, gas, everything else. The least I can do is pay for my own food," Roxas protested, blue eyes blazing.
"I'm the one who insisted you come along, so it only seems fair."
"And I agreed to come along. I can take care of myself."
To his credit, Axel looked slightly flustered as they pulled into the hotel lot. "I know that. Anyway, you were zoned out. But you can pay for mine next time if you want."
Roxas didn't reply, and Axel parked the car in a tense silence. It wasn't until they'd both closed their doors that the blond grunted, "I guess," over the roof of the car. He trailed behind the redhead quietly, mulling over his thoughts.
Axel, recognizing the mood, was ready to leave him to it as they entered their room, until he remembered the shorter man's sunburn. Digging a bottle of aloe gel out of a bag, he showed it to the blond and tentatively offered, "I can get the burns you can't see very well here." He laid gentle fingers on the back of Roxas' neck as indication. Blue eyes stared at the redhead flatly a moment, but the blond nodded in assent and turned around. "It'll be easier if you take off your shirt."
Roxas bobbed his head and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it to the side. He felt his face get hot as his friend spread the cooling gel carefully over the back of his neck, and over the backs of his ears. It felt intimate, especially in the hotel setting. He mentally shook himself. On the other hand, here was Axel, the older man, taking care of him again, even though Roxas could take care of himself. He bristled at the thought all over again, and wordlessly took the proffered aloe when Axel finished.
"I'm going to go ahead and shower," the redhead announced, as Roxas slathered the clear gel on his face and arms. The blond nodded, still giving his friend the silent treatment.
He knew he was being childish, but he hated to rely on other people. Gas and hotel were one thing, Axel would've been paying for those whether Roxas tagged along or not, but the redhead didn't have to pay for his food, too. As a student, Roxas didn't have a lot of pocket money. Especially not when compared to Axel, who'd finished college and been in the work force for a couple years already. The man didn't have to rub it in his face.
Roxas hissed in pain as he tried to lower an oversized shirt over his aloe-sticky, burned neck and debated for a moment if the shirt would be softer than the sheets, before tucking the shirt back into his bag. Black jeans were exchanged for a pair of plaid cotton pants, and he settled himself into bed, more than ready for sleep after the long day.
His eyes had already started to droop when Axel emerged from the bathroom, pulling the blond fully awake again. However, not feeling chatty, he kept his lids lowered, watching the man from under his eyelashes. The red spikes had been defeated by the shower, the man's hair now a darker shade, plastered closely to his neck, dripping rivulets down a bare chest. A pair of cotton pants similar to Roxas' own hung from his slim hips. It wasn't a new sight; the blond had spent many nights on Axel's couch. The expression in the green eyes was what made it different.
Axel had crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Roxas across the room, a wistful sigh escaping his lips at the (supposedly) slumbering blond. His normally sharp features had softened, green eyes unreadable, and he was biting a lip.
The expression lingered in Roxas' mind as he finally, truly slipped into sleep.
