Axel hadn't intended to follow Saïx's newest recruit to work, but he had been almost done with his Starbucks when he saw him passing by, so he said to himself: Why not? Before he knew it he was ducking into Hot Topic only a few minutes behind.
Now Lex looks kind of like he wants to backhand the petite blonde twenty something standing in front of him so hard he flies into Clearance. So Axel figures he made the right call.
The new guy had looked a little overwhelmed when Axel had left him to the sharks at a staff meeting the other day, and maybe it's his short stature and painstakingly messy hair, but Axel feels an unusually protective urge sweep through him on sight.
"Take the phone and step aside," Lex all but growls at the wide-eyed blonde dude blocking his path out from behind the register and more significantly, out of Hot Topic.
It's not exactly a fair fight, Axel muses, slowly and expertly navigating the narrow aisles between movie, tv show, and anime displays, eyes on the real drama unfolding.
Lex has a few inches on Axel's six feet and spends his free time bodybuilding, like, for fun. He absolutely dwarfs the angel faced blonde, drowning in a black tunic length shirt for a band Axel doesn't hate, his twig legs wrapped in shredded, skinny white jeggings. It was like a mountain squaring off against an adorable woodland creature.
"I want to, but you can't expect me to stay here by myself," the blonde objects, tenor more or less level, hands splaying open in emphasis, left wrist in a black and white checkered cuff. "It's literally my first day."
"Look," Lex takes a breath to calm himself and sets a hand on his hip, "I've already stayed a half hour past my shift and there's nobody here." His other hand gestures to the aisles, but neither look, well aware that much like the rest of the mall, Hot Topic has been dead for the better part of the Tuesday morning.
The blonde's brows furrow. "What if somebody comes in?"
Lex rolls his eyes, gesturing vaguely. "Just tell them the register's broken. It's what Demyx always does."
"Please." What's his name grows increasingly distressed, realizing Lex is about to jump ship whether he wants him to or not. "I don't want to get fired on my first day."
Lex's signature solemn frown flickers in amusement. "There's no one here to fire you." He shoulders a little roughly past the blonde blocking his way but looks back as a thin croak escapes the guy's throat. "I'm sorry, Roxas. I need to go."
Roxas, Axel makes a mental note. That was it.
"So long, Lexaeus," calls Axel, leaning up against the band tees, not five feet from the register.
Lex groans, and Roxas glances between the two.
"I take it back," Lex says, turning to Roxas. "He can get us fired with a snap of his fingers."
Axel smiles broadly and it feels unpleasant, so he can't imagine how it looks. "Vexen deserved it."
Lex stands and awaits his orders. Despite what he did, Vexen had been his friend, but Axel wasn't someone to get into it with. Not with Saïx at his beck and call. Lex has places to be but he doesn't want to risk his job. People his size and build with a resting expression that radiates "I could kill you swiftly" likely have a fair bit of trouble on the job market. Axel takes all this in within moments.
"Go," Axel's expression softens and he flutters his fingers toward the cave-like store entrance that has always reminded him of a gateway to hell, "I've got it covered."
"Are…" Lex starts forward right away, but then stops, checks himself. Axel's not known for being straightforward about things, "are you sure?"
"Yep," Axel claps his hands together, nodding toward their new coworker, "get outta here before you bruise Rox's pretty face."
Roxas' fingers fly to his cheek and he seems surprised by his own reaction, flushing slightly pink.
Lex's voice takes on a hard edge and he turns on his heel. "I don't do that shit anymore."
Axel blinks, reaching out to grasp his shoulder. "I know, buddy." Lex freezes, and Axel drops his hand. "It's okay. Go. I'll tell Saïx you went above and beyond the call of duty."
Lex nods, which feels pretty intimate, coming from Lex. "...Thanks."
Axel watches Lex clock out and stalk out before turning his attention to the small blonde, hovering beside him, shuffling in his oversized combat boots. "So, Roxas," he waits a second for a response, but Roxas doesn't seem eager to give one, "day one, huh?"
Roxas nods wearily, and Axel supposes that's fair.
Talk about a stressful first shift. Especially with Saïx running the show. Eeesh. Merciful he is not.
"Alright. Let's see who's supposed to be on the schedule with you." Axel steps behind the register and pulls out a binder with shift information, simultaneously pulling out his cell and tapping a couple buttons.
His nose scrunches as he scans the lines. "Vanitas and… Demyx? Together?" He makes a face at Roxas, half sour, half amused, but Roxas doesn't seem to have a firm enough grasp on anyone's names to react properly. "No fucking wonder… Oh, hold on, it's Saïx." At his ear his phone stops ringing and an automated voice recites Saïx's number and beeps.
"Hey, babe," Axel's voice turns to a low purr, and he notes Roxas' narrowing eyes with amusement, "sexy voicemail message, as always. Hate to interrupt pilates, but I'm kinda in a tight spot here." Axel pauses and uses two fingers to lift Roxas' chin and thereby close his gaping mouth. Saïx has a sense of humor, but he doesn't let a lot of people talk to him the way Axel does.
"Stopped by Hot Topic to check on your new kid and lo and behold, nobody's here!" Axel glances down at the binder again. "It's a little hard to read, but it looks like Xal scheduled the Devil Child and Band Geek together, which was, you must admit, a shit decision. Lex stayed late, because he's the man, but I sent him off, 'cause it's dead as a doornail in here." He glances at his watch and winces. Hopefully it'll stay that way.
He sighs melodramatically, knowing it will amuse the man on the other end, "Anyways, I'm happy to show Pop Rox here the ropes until somebody can get their ass in here, and I'll make a few calls, but, uh, we'd love to see your smiling face soon. Ta ta now."
Roxas raises an eyebrow at Axel, who wonders if it's about the impromptu nickname or his blithe words to Saïx. He opts to pretend it's neither.
"Okay, so, I'll text some people, see who we can sucker into coming in. Either way, Sai should be here all hot and bothered in fifteen, and you're stuck with me until then. Guess we oughta get you started though, huh?" The blonde still looks a little dazed, so Axel smiles, welcoming. Better start with the basics, then. "You clocked in?"
Roxas looks almost bashful, shakes his head. "Uh-uh."
"Okay, to the clocktower!" Axel turns on his booted heel and begins to lead him to the storage room in the very back, rambling a bit, to ease the tension, "Well, it's not really a tower, but it does sound more exciting, right?"
Axel glances back to Roxas who scrunches his nose but grins, almost.
"Hey." Axel abruptly stops walking and Roxas near bumps into him. "You're like in zombie mode, here kid, what's up? You a Walker?"
"Uh, it's just," Roxas pockets his hands and Axel notes his nails, half scraped off black polish. He can't help but find it cute, if stereotypical. "Uh, I know we met before, but I don't really know… who you are?"
"Ah. Name's Axel." He smirks and pokes Roxas lightly in the temple. "Memorize it." Explanation granted, Axel turns and again begins to work his way back to the door marked 'STAFF' in the furthest corner of the shop.
"I take it this is not your shift," Roxas continues, uncertainty watering down his tone.
Axel laughs, hard, wondering if Roxas really doesn't know Axel isn't even an employee, really hasn't deduced his relationship with Saïx. "Definitely not, no. But you looked like you could use a friend."
Roxas gives him another almost smile, but his eyebrows betray him, dipping lower. "So you like, help Saïx run the store?"
Axel snorts as the Saïx in his head cringes. "More like I help Saïx run his life." He pauses to punch in the code to the back door, 0-7-0-8, and props it open with his foot. "But yeah, I'll be around. C'mon, you survive this shift and I'll get you cake or something."
Roxas smiles for the first time, swift and iridescent. "My white knight," he quips and Axel, shocked and amused by the sarcasm, represses an urge to tuck him under his arm and ruffle up his perfectly mussed hair.
"Hey, this is Hot Topic. No white knight nonsense. It's more like…" Axel fumbles for anything vaguely resembling it, leaning on his elbow in the doorway in faux contemplation, "dark... rescue."
Roxas giggles—straight up giggles and nudges Axel's arm, slipping under it and into the back. "That's not better."
"No," Axel nudges Roxas' back in return and grins, "it's absolutely not."