"Why are you wearing that?"
"It's warm."
"Oh. What are you suppose to be?"
"Gizmo."
"From ... Gremlins?"
"Yup."
"Oh ... okay."
Axel looked down at his best friend, who was curled up searching for a movie. Sitting beside him, Axel looked at the outfit and raised his eyebrow. He had seen people wear these things around, but not often; he didn't even know if they had an actual name. It wasn't like Axel was judging anyone who wore one, if that was what they liked to wear and they were into it, more power to them, but Axel couldn't and didn't understand it. The outfit made him think of a cage, and Axel hated being caged in anything.
He had heard they were incredibly comfortable though, so he guessed that would explain some of the hype it got. Comfortable clothing was always a good thing ... But again, too much like a cage for Axel. Plus, he would be too embarrassed to wear one anyway. It had always baffled him that people wore them outside.
"What are they called?"
"Kigurumis."
"Oh."
"They're used as pajamas too, you know."
"Ah. Right, that makes more sense."
"Don't hate because you're too embarrassed to wear one."
"I'm not hating."
"You think it's stupid."
"Never said that."
"Thought it."
"You're a mind reader now?"
"Everyone else thinks it's stupid."
"I'm not everyone else, am I?"
Frowning at his friend, Axel wasn't sure why he was getting so defensive. All he wanted to know was why Roxas was wearing it and what it was called. The kigurumi looked like the sort of outfit you'd put on if you were sad, sick or cold and Axel didn't want his friend to be any of those things. It was an innocent question.
"Did something happen?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course."
"Sure it does."
"Whatever, Rox."
Standing up, Axel walked into the hallway and put on his coat, too tired and sore from his day at work to deal with this shit. Steadying himself to put his shoe on, Axel noticed Roxas in the hallway with him.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
"I thought we were going to watch a movie?"
"Rain check."
"When?"
"Maybe when you stop being a dick?"
Axel knew that was probably harsh, but he didn't like when his friends made him feel like a piece of shit for asking a question, especially when his reasons were out of concern.
"Do you think I'm a loser?"
Sighing, Axel looked up and looked at Roxas.
"Why would I think you're a loser?"
"Because of the shows I watch?"
"You mean stuff like Naruto?"
"Yeah."
"No ..."
"And the stuff I read?"
"No ..."
"And what about the stuff I wear?"
"No. What the hell, Roxas? Why are you asking me this?"
"Someone in class said I was a loser after they noticed the buttons I have on my backpack. They said that since I was in college I should have grown out of such childish shows."
Taking his shoes off again, Axel frowned and took his coat off. So this is why Roxas was so defensive and snappy today, he was being bullied.
"Roxas ... you watch Naruto, right?"
"Yeah."
"Is that really a show suited for children?"
"Well ... not really. I mean it's anime, but it's pretty bloody."
"So, it's safe to say that it's probably for pre-teens and up?"
"Mm, I guess so, yeah."
"And the other shows you watch, suited for children?"
"Well, some are because the blood and gore aren't shown or they aren't very detailed."
"So, it's obvious this person hasn't watched the anime you've watched, or at least watched long enough to actually see what kind of show it is."
"Well, no. He said that he would never watch it because he was mature."
Putting his arm around Roxas and leading him back, Axel sat on the couch with his friend and pulled him against his side.
"A mature person wouldn't make fun of someone for the things that bring them happiness, Rox."
Healing the slight nod, Axel sighed and gave his friend a small squeeze.
"You're not a loser, Roxas, trust me. If wearing a Gizmo kiga .. kige ..."
"Kigurumi."
"If wearing a Gizmo kigurumi makes you comfortable, wear it. If watching anime makes you laugh, watch it. If manga makes you smile, read it. And if someone is calling you a loser for being happy, ignore it. The only opinion you should consider when asking the question "Am I a loser?" is your own and maybe your smart best friend who knows that the person he's looking at right now isn't a loser and the only time he'll ever be a loser is if he listens to those people."
Blinking and not knowing where that speech came from, Axel hugging his friend closer and looked at Netflix, noticing that Roxas was in the middle of a Naruto episode.
"Let's watch Naruto."
"You don't know what's going on in it though."
Shrugging, Axel smiled at his friend.
"You can explain it to me?"
"Or we can start from episode one?"
"How many episodes are there?"
"A lot ... over 200."
"Shit."
Taking the remote from Axel's hand and going to episode one, Roxas smiled at his best friend and wrapped his arms around his neck, smiling.
"Thank you, Ax."
"For what?"
"Saying all of that ... it helped a lot."
Nodding and kissing Roxas on the forehead, Axel winked and looked at the TV as the show started.
"I still feel sort of like a loser though, but I'll try to remember what you said."
"Eh, since I'm watching Naruto now, I guess I'm a loser too. Loser buddies for life?"
Smiling and leaning against his best friend, Roxas nodded and felt the weight on his chest slowly lift, repeating what Axel had said over and over in his mind until the show started.