Alright, it's a shorter author's note this time, I promise. ._.; sorry about the last one! At any rate, sorry for taking so dang long to get this up. Too many attempts to start it, then once I finished it, I became obsessive with editing. But no more! Thank you to Mayfall, Mitsuru, and Hannah for editing help!
December
Axel hated the holidays. Or, perhaps not the holidays themselves as much as the people that hung around Seventh Heaven during those "bright and magical days'. Those particular people varied between celebrating and sulking, but no matter what their intention was, they always got drunk.
It was on days when the crowd was extra rowdy that Axel appreciated having Roxas around. Just as he had hoped, the blond came back. He could be found at the bar at least three days a week, sitting in his normal seat at the bar, chatting happily (and soberly) with Axel.
But the closer it came to Christmas, the less Axel saw of Roxas. The college student had finals coming up, and he was forced to lock himself in the library and study. Axel was lucky to see him on weekends; during the rest of the week when Roxas wasn't around, Axel was significantly grouchier.
The final week leading up to the big day was always the most stressful. The shoppers needed a drink to relieve the stress. The loners felt the need to drown themselves in alcohol until they didn't know what time of year it was. Not to mention everyone found it necessary to flirt with the man who gave them alcohol, which, with, the redhead's already sour mood, caused him to nearly hit one poor drunken soul who had dared to try to catch him under the decorative mistletoe.
But the worst aspect of that week was the lack of Roxas. The blond didn't have time to merely poke his head in and say "hi" on his way home. It took a considerable amount of will for Axel to convince himself that Roxas was busy with his studies and not spending time with his other friends instead of visiting the overworked barman.
It wasn't until the twenty-third that Roxas was finally freed from his exams. It was dark and freezing when the blond slipped through the door of Seventh Heaven, where he found himself stuck in the largest crowd he had ever seen at the bar. The stench of alcohol and smoke nearly overwhelmed him. Regardless, he began weaving and occasionally shoving his way through the drunken crowd as snatches of conversations floated by his ears.
"And I still don't know what to get her!"
"-was the last one on the shelf-"
"Another year spent at the bar…"
"Cheers, lads!"
"Old Jim's having another go at the barman. Poor guy's too drunk to even realize!"
At last Roxas reached the bar, only to discover there were no empty spots. Lovely. He'd have to stand around until someone left, which could easily mean a couple of minutes or a couple of hours. Roxas inched his way towards Axel's usual post, ducking under someone's arm just in time to see a man lean toward the redhead with a flirtatious grin. He heard something that sounded like "fire-head" before Axel turned with a look of rage, ready to bite the offender's head off. To the man's luck, however, a hand suddenly reached over the counter and covered Axel's mouth, cutting off any shouting or foul language.
"Yo, isn't there somewhere else you should be?" Roxas recognized the speaker as Reno, Axel's twin-like cousin and new bouncer who had started working just a week earlier. "Maybe home, wrapping presents for your wife?"
Roxas was sure that he'd never seen a man break down so quickly. "You're right!" the man cried, eyes welling up with tears. "I should be… she's… she's so good to me…. I don't deserve her!" The drunk pulled Reno into a suffocating hug and continued to bawl into his shoulder. The bouncer chuckled and patted his back. "It's okay, yo. We'll just get you home."
Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas saw the other bouncer, Rude, adjust his sunglasses uncomfortably. "I'll go call a cab," Rude said, quietly, before moving towards the back.
While Reno helped the drunkard to the street, Roxas saw his chance. Quickly he slipped onto the previously occupied stool and tapped his finger on the counter. "Hey. Fire Head."
"Fire-Head", who had long since turned his back on the crowd to fill an order, spun around and slammed his palm on the counter. "For the last fricken time-!" When he saw who it was he quickly pulled his hand back, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Oh, Roxas…" Well, this was awkward. "Uh, good to see you again. Your tests go okay?"
"I think so, but I won't really know for a week or so." Roxas couldn't help but chuckle a little. "It seems you've kept busy without me around, it seems."
"You're telling me!" Axel exclaimed, leaning on the counter and running a hand through his hair. "It just keeps getting busier and busier in here! I swear, if someone calls my name one more time..."
"Axel!" The redhead winced at the call from his coworker, Leon. "There are three customers trying to get your attention. Quit flirting and get back to work!"
Axel straightened and glared back at the brunet. "Well excuse me for wanting five seconds to breathe!" He sighed and mumbled a soft apology to Roxas before shuffling away.
Roxas watched him attend the rowdy customers with a frown. He was just causing more stress by being there, wasn't he? Axel didn't need more people to handle. With a final nod, Roxas slipped a small, poorly wrapped package from his coat pocket, set it on the counter, and slid off his stool to head in the direction of the door.
Axel looked back to where Roxas had been just in time to hear the tinkle of the bell above the door. When he realized that Roxas had already left, he visibly drooped. The barman grabbed a cloth to wipe down the open counter space when he caught sight of the little package. Curious, he picked it up to find his name scrawled across the top, with a small "From Roxas" scribbled beneath it. For the first time that week, a small smile spread across Axel's face.
"Axel."
The sound of his boss's voice made Axel jump, and he spun around to find Tifa standing right behind him.
"You'll be working late tomorrow night. Get out of here and go do something so you stop snapping at all my customers."
Not one to look at gift horse in the mouth, Axel grabbed his coat and bolted for the door.
Tifa laughed. Lately she had been suspecting something between those two.
"Roxas!"
Roxas turned at the call of his name. "Axel?" He somewhat reluctantly came to a stop on the sidewalk to let the older man catch up with him. He really hadn't intended for Axel to catch him in the gift-giving process. "I thought you were working."
Axel came to a halt a few feet behind and leaned on his knees, panting. "I was… Tifa let me off early," he gasped out. "You… left this for me?"
Roxas felt a small blush rise in his cheeks when Axel held up a familiar present. "Oh, yeah… I did…It's not really anything. I just saw it and thought…. You haven't opened it yet?"
"Should I?"
When Roxas only shrugged, Axel pulled off the paper to find a bright red scarf. Roxas felt the color in his cheeks darken just a little more. "Like I said, it isn't much. I just saw it and it reminded me of how much you hated the cold and how it's been so cold lately, so… yeah…"
Axel wrapped the scarf around his neck before smiling warmly at the college student a warm smile. "Thank you, Rox. It's perfect." He scratched the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly. "I, uh, didn't get you anything, but…"
Roxas shook his head. "I wasn't expecting you to, you know."
"I know, I know!" Axel said quickly, blushing and looking at the ground. "But I still want to do something for you. Would… you want to do dinner or something sometime?"
Axel dared to glance back at Roxas in time to see his lips quirk up in a hopeful smile. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"You'll be around tomorrow? I'll be working, but…" Axel was trying not to sound too excited.
Roxas, however, shook his head sadly. "I'm flying out tomorrow to visit my family, as long as the snow doesn't close the airport," he said, looking amused as he kicked the thin layer of snow on the street.
Axel did his best to keep the smirk from his face. It seemed that Roxas had yet to become accustomed to unpredictable winters. "Well, you're welcome over at Seventh Heaven if things don't go as planned. It shouldn't be too busy tomorrow."
"I'll keep that in mind," Roxas said, pulling his coat collar a little tighter around his neck. "Well, I should get home and pack. Merry Christmas, Axel!"
Axel was quiet for a moment as he stared at Roxas, unreadable thoughts lingering behind those eyes. He reached out a hand, hesitating, before ruffling Roxas's hair. "Merry Christmas, Rox," he muttered, offering a soft smile before turning and heading towards his own apartment, hands clutching the ends of the scarf tightly.
The next morning, Axel couldn't think of a time he had ever been so glad to dig his car out from a fresh snow bank.
-o-
I can't believe I doubled the length of November. ._.; how long is my next one going to have to be? Oh dear...
Thank you for reading!
