*~* CHAPTER 3 *~*
It wasn't until evening of the following day when Roxas could take the time to properly recover from his outing at the bar. One of the peculiar things about living in an apartment, he had noticed, was that even when alone you could still frequently hear the sounds of other people as they walked, laughed, and watched TV. Being alone in his apartment, therefore, never did much to ease the burden of his social anxiety.
Thankfully, only two years prior he had discovered a secret place, a spot in the building that was his and his alone. He couldn't remember how he had found the place to begin with - it could have been during one of his routine building checks, or perhaps was the result of a complaint or concern from a guest or resident. His balcony, as he called it, rested directly over the large clock that could be seen from everywhere in town, and he took refuge there whenever he felt himself getting overwhelmed. Even though he knew that people could see him, or at least see a Roxas-shaped speck above them, he felt comfortable knowing that they could not possibly recognize him from that distance.
There was a certain kind of peace that came from being on the balcony, and Roxas sighed contentedly as he looked out at the sunset slowly stretching over the town. Twilight Town was such a beautiful place, with its wealth of cobblestone streets and old buildings lined up against the walls of the town, and as the sun struck them it illuminated all the hidden alleyways that he had yet to explore during his free time. He never thought he would be living in a place like this - he had grown up with nature all around him; the feeling of wind rushing at him, the sound of leaves gently falling onto the grass, and the smell of approaching rain. But he had come to discover that those experiences still happened in a city-like atmosphere, or at least ones similar enough to remind him of home, and especially so when he was able to isolate himself from all the noise associated with living in a populated area.
But the unexpected sound of soft footsteps coming up the stairs snapped Roxas out of his thoughts, and operating on pure panic, he swung his legs back over to solid ground and stood facing the wall with crossed arms and a slight frown, fighting the instinct to flee around the other side of the building. Surely, he was simply imagining it. No one else could have possibly found his secret path upstairs.
Yet the footsteps continued to come, slowing down before stopping completely. He waited and reminded himself to breathe as he heard a slight shuffling sound, but when it became clear his intruder had no intention of speaking, he coughed loudly to get their attention. "If you're hoping to get a good view of the city, you should go elsewhere," he said in his most authoritative voice. "This area of the building is being inspected right now." He tilted his head and pretended to examine the wall in front of him, but when his unwanted companion had not moved, he continued: "The front desk should have recommendations and directions to other places with a view, if you ask."
"Inspecting the building, huh?" A mildly familiar voice asked finally, sounding amused. "I know my vision isn't that great, but I could have sworn I saw someone sitting on the ledge only half an hour ago. Doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do, if it's dangerous up here."
Roxas whirled around, eyes wide at the sight of red hair that unmistakingly belonged to the overconfident and practically nonexistent resident of Room 1308. He was leaning against the wall near the corner of the tower, looking quite proud of himself. "Axel, isn't it?" He tried to sound bored and uninterested, but had a feeling he failed. "How did you even find your way up here?"
"Oh, it wasn't all that easy." Axel smiled broadly at him and walked over to stand beside him, turning to rest his back against the wall instead. "I've been trying for several days now. I saw someone up here last week, you see. The elevator only takes you so far, I discovered - and the main stairwell doesn't bring you here, either. I missed the proper set of stairs the first time I found it, too. You're like a ghost. However you manage to not leave footprints in the dust, I'll never understand."
"The stairs aren't dusty," Roxas informed him. "They're just old, and the lighting is bad."
"I suppose." Axel tilted his head, staring at Roxas with a peculiar expression. "I'm not surprised to see it's you," he commented. "Shall we try introductions again? I'm Axel, and you are..?"
"None of your business," Roxas snapped, irritated, following suit and leaning against the wall he had previously been pretending to inspect.
"'None of your business'?" Axel quoted mockingly. "That's a strange name. Have you tried a nickname? Maybe 'N.O.Y.B.'? No, that doesn't sound right," he pondered. "Noyb...noy...no...nobody?" He waved his hand with a flourish. "You seem to want to be nobody."
Roxas glared at him. "You're kind of a jerk," he told him coldly.
"Oh, now, that hurts!" Axel put his hand over his heart, feigning distress. "I'm not a jerk, you know," he said rather loftily. "I'm really quite charming. It's not my fault you can't see that."
"Whatever," Roxas said. "What do you want anyway, a prize for finding me?" He was grumpy in part because his secret spot was no longer...well, secret. But having Axel be the one that had found it felt like even more of an insult, somehow.
"Actually," Axel said, his eyes narrowing. "I want to know why you've been stalking me for the past few weeks." His tone bordered on dangerous, and Roxas gulped nervously.
"I haven't been..." but he stopped, realizing that loitering outside someone's apartment for at least 4 hours a day wondering if they're home or not did indeed qualify as stalking.
"...haven't been standing outside my door?" Axel finished the sentence for him. "You whistle, you know. Loudly. And I can see you from the viewer."
Roxas felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "I..." he started, wondering how he was going to explain himself, and if he would survive a wrong answer. Axel was taller than him and probably stronger, and it wouldn't take that much effort to throw him off the building. But to his relief, the redhead started laughing.
"Oh, Roxas," he said, leaning towards him. "If you wanted to see me so badly, you should have just knocked on the door. I would have let you in, I promise." His eyes bored into Roxas's, a playful expression on his face that almost went unnoticed by the blond.
"How did you..?"
"Know your name?" Axel asked, seeming pleased at his reaction. "Well you see, it's quite simple really." He twirled his hand, bringing it to rest at about shoulder height, palm up. "After I refused your key, I decided a little trip to the front desk was in order. Explained that a nice young fellow had tracked me down upstairs and chatted with me for a while, but had ultimately forgotten to give me the key before leaving. Oh, what was his name again?" He snapped his fingers impatiently, before bringing his index finger to rest on the side of his head. "It's just on the tip of my tongue, now…"
"And they fell for that act," Roxas said through clenched teeth. "Unbelievable."
"No, not unbelievable," Axel corrected him. "I told you I was charming. I didn't do it for any...nefarious reasons, if that's what you're worried about. Cross my heart and hope to die." He made the sign of the cross over his heart, ending the act with a little flick of his fingers. "I just want to be friends. Is that too much to ask?" He leaned down, a wicked grin on his face. "The girl with the pigtails told me she thought you could use more friends."
Roxas groaned inwardly, his hands balling into fists. He was going to kill Olette! "Why?" He challenged Axel. "If you really knew me, you wouldn't want to be my friend."
"Just because. Besides," he said with a grin, "I like proving people wrong."
Roxas quickly came to learn that Axel's determination meant his already dwindling private time would be reduced once again. He had at first consented to occasionally share his space with the overly gregarious man, wincing as Axel's legs bounced against his when they sat next to each other on the edge of the balcony and sighing at the stream of conversation that he refused to participate in. His patience, however, was running out.
"Go away," he said one day when he came up to the balcony to find Axel resting there, staring contemplatively at the ground below.
"But Roxy," Axel objected, whirling around with an overly shocked expression. "Don't you like spending time with me?"
"No," Roxas said, crossing his arms. "And never call me that again. I mean it," he warned as laughter sputtered out of Axel.
"Let loose a little, will ya? And would it kill you to smile sometimes?"
"You're asking to get punched." There were, naturally, faster and far more effective ways to wipe the smirk off Axel's face, but somehow he didn't feel any of those would be a good idea.
Axel's grin only widened, but he stood up, stretching his arms out behind him. "I had other things to do today anyway," he informed Roxas. "But don't worry. I'll be back."
It was several days before Axel returned, but when he did, he had an unexpected peace offering with him. Roxas recognized it immediately as some sort of frozen treat, though he was having trouble matching the light blue shade with any popsicle flavor he was familiar with. "Sea salt ice cream," Axel proclaimed loudly, seeing the confusion on Roxas's face. "It's my favorite."
Warily, Roxas took it from him, peeling back the clear plastic wrapper and staring at it. He had heard of salted caramel before, and chocolate sea salt, but never plain sea salt. "Where did you get this?" he asked suspiciously.
"A little shop down the street called Pop's." Axel took a bite out of his own popsicle and waved it in front of Roxas, as if to show him how delicious it was. "They might be small, but they're still the best ice cream shop in town. Go on - try it!"
Roxas looked critically at the blue popsicle in front of him. He did not generally make a habit of trying foods in unusual colors, but if Axel was brave enough to eat it, so was he. He took a small bite from the corner, letting the sweet and salty taste run over his tongue. "It's good!" he exclaimed, looking surprised.
"But of course," Axel agreed. "Just my way of saying thanks."
"Thanks for what?"
"For sharing your secret spot with me." His fingers drummed a pattern on the wall, and he was giving Roxas a look that he would have almost described as shy, except that nothing he knew about Axel had ever indicated he even could feel that way.
"Whatever." Gratitude bordered too closely to mushy emotions for him to want to address it.
"I mean it," Axel insisted. "It's not like you wanted me here, after all. But," he said with a grin, "you let me stay."
"Telling you to go away and actually not having you come back was an option?" Roxas asked in shock. "Can I have a do-over?"
"Oh, Roxas." Axel chuckled at him, and he felt his face grow hot. "Life doesn't work that way."
It was possible, he mused to himself as he slowly savored his popsicle, that he had misjudged Axel. He could just see him at the edge of his peripheral vision, watching him with interest, and he forced his face into a neutral expression as the ice cream melted in his mouth. Yes, Axel was infuriating and did not understand the meaning of personal space, but he also was going out of his way to be friendly, and if Roxas's sharp tongue had not scared him away by now, it likely wasn't going to.
"I guess not," Roxas finally said gruffly. "How come I've never heard of Pop's?"
"Not my problem if you don't know all the nooks and crannies of Twilight Town," Axel told him with a grin, running his hand through his hair. "Some of the best places only advertise by word of mouth, you know. You have to talk to people."
Talking to people was not one of Roxas's strong suits, and he frowned slightly. Axel obviously did not have the same issues he did when it came to socializing. But if they were to become friends - if they were not already, Roxas reflected as he stared down at his half-eaten popsicle - then perhaps Axel could talk to people for him. Roxas, meanwhile, would need to also provide something of value to their friendship - manners, maybe? he thought as he watched Axel carelessly toss his finished popsicle stick behind him. He sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. That would be anything but easy.
Still, from that day on, instead of tuning Axel out he listened to him as he shared bits and pieces about himself and even contributed to the conversation sometimes. He learned that Axel's favorite color was red, that he didn't mind cooking but didn't consider himself to be very good at it, and that he had every phone number on his contacts list memorized - including Roxas's own number, which he had grudgingly given him if for no other reason than he hoped the man would use it to actually ask if he wanted company. In turn, Roxas eventually shared that his favorite color was green, that he had always wanted a dog but didn't trust himself to take good care of a pet, and that he enjoyed reading and writing. The times they spent together on the balcony became more frequent, and as they talked and laughed together, Roxas eventually came to forget that he had ever once wished he would go away.
It was one afternoon as they got closer to the end of summer that Axel seemed to suddenly decide it was time to move past 'getting to know you' types of questions and onto 'somewhat personal' questions. "Roxas?" Axel asked him, glancing sideways at the blond. "Why did you come to Twilight Town?"
Roxas shifted uncomfortably; an action that he instantly regretted while he was balancing so precariously off the edge of the balcony. "Why do you ask?" he countered.
"No reason." Axel sighed, frowning slightly. Then, after a pause, he asked: "Do you ever miss your home?"
"What makes you so sure I'm not from here originally?" he shot back angrily.
"Because," Axel smirked. "You didn't correct me when I assumed you weren't. Besides, you never talk about your family, or childhood friends, so they probably don't live here."
"Right." Roxas gritted his teeth. Axel was more intuitive than he wanted to give him credit for.
"So?" he prompted. "Do you miss it?"
"There's nothing to miss," Roxas told him simply. "What about you?"
"Every day." Axel looked out across the town, his eyes finally resting on the old mansion in the distance, surrounded by the expansive forest on the outskirts of town. "Have you ever been to Radiant Gardens?"
Mutely, Roxas shook his head. Even if he had the means, he had never considered himself much of a traveler. He took comfort in the familiarity of home, and the independence that came with knowing where things were in town. Traveling inevitably involved talking to strangers along with having to figure out where you were and where you were going next, all things he didn't particularly enjoy.
"It's a beautiful place," Axel told him. He sighed again, then turned as much as he was able to on the short wall of the balcony until he was nearly facing Roxas. "It was like living in perpetual springtime. There was always something in bloom. That's how it got its name, you know. Radiant Gardens. Because the whole area was just like a garden. And it certainly was radiant."
"So why move here, then?" Roxas challenged him. "Not much blooms in Twilight Town."
"No matter how beautiful a place is, sometimes you just need a change of scenery." Axel leaned back, stretching his arms out behind him. "Besides, my favorite band is local to here. The Melodious Nocturnes. Heard of them?" he asked as Roxas looked at him sharply.
"Like...like with Demyx?" he blurted out as he remembered the concert he had attended only a few short weeks ago, and simultaneously realized that it might have been appropriate to tell Demyx he enjoyed the show, considering he had been invited.
"Exactly like," Axel said smoothly, chuffing Roxas on the shoulder. "I knew you were a good guy. So - lifelong fan like me? Or recent introduction?"
"You know he lives here," Roxas continued, seemingly oblivious to the question.
"Well, duh, of course he lives here," Axel said slowly, as if explaining something to a child. "That's what local to here means."
"No, I mean, here," Roxas said, feeling a flash of irritation. "In Twilight Towers. In Room 1309, right across from you."
Roxas was torn between worry and amusement as Axel, normally so composed and graceful, lost his balance and landed on his back on the floor of the balcony. A rare flash of embarrassment crossed his features before he put his arms behind his head and crossed his legs, which were still partially dangling off the building, sighing deeply and staring up at the sky like he had meant to do that all along.
"You really had me going for a minute there." His eyes flickered in Roxas's direction. "Demyx, live across from me? As if."
"I'm not joking," Roxas said sharply. He was tired of always being laughed at when he was serious, and being taken seriously when he was trying to be funny. "He always leaves in a rush for band practice around four o'clock. Are you really telling me you haven't seen him before?" Axel's eyes flicked upwards, and he made a motion with one of his hands as if telling Roxas to stop making things up. "Funny," Roxas drawled, deciding this reaction would be worth watching. "It didn't take him that much time to notice you, people-watching on the stairs outside."
At this, Axel sat up abruptly, cursing as the stone edge of the balcony wall bit into his legs. "You're serious? Oh man," he said as he moved them up and away from the wall. "I would love to meet him. You have to introduce me!"
"Introduce yourself!" Roxas said, making a point of looking away. "Just go knock on his door and tell him you love his music. Hell, if you time it right he'll probably invite you to band practice."
With a groan, Axel picked himself up off the floor and leaned backwards with his hands on either side of his spine, taking the opportunity to look up at the giant clock that sat behind the balcony. "The right time," he informed Roxas with just a trace of superiority, "is now. Come on, Roxas. I'll never ask you for anything again. I promise."
Axel's promise was most certainly a lie, Roxas had decided, and yet somehow he found himself standing in front of Demyx's door, arguing with Axel about which one of them should knock. "He probably doesn't even remember me," Roxas muttered. "Or if he does, he'll think something's wrong with his apartment."
"At least you've spoken to him," Axel replied scathingly. 'Besides, you promised. Breaking a promise isn't nice."
"I never said I was nice," Roxas spit at him, but he raised his hand in front of the door regardless, knocking three times before falling back. "There. I knocked. He didn't answer. Happy?" But even as he asked, the door opened wide, and upon seeing him Demyx's face split into a genuine smile.
"Roxas! Boy, I haven't seen you in forever. I guess you must have got that thing settled with the guy across from me, huh? The redhead?" Axel coughed awkwardly, and Demyx looked over at him. "I guess so! Hi there!" Demyx waved, and seeing that Axel was stuck in some sort of starstruck awe, Roxas elbowed him in the ribs.
"Axel is your biggest fan," he informed Demyx, grinning over at Axel who had placed his hand on his side to protect it from further harm.
"No way!" Demyx exclaimed, his smile growing even wider. "Like, an actual, real fan?" He reached forward and took Axel's hand in his own, giving him an overly-energetic handshake.
"You bet," he boasted, recovering from his momentary silence. "I've been listening to The Melodious Nocturnes for ages. Since your first album!"
"Wow!" Demyx breathed, his eyes sparkling. "You really listened all the way back from our first album? I can't believe you've stuck with us so long! Wait, you're new in town, right? I didn't know our popularity stretched to other regions!"
"Oh, I go out of my way to find unique music," Axel said, cutting off Demyx's endless stream of conversation far better than Roxas ever could. "Your stuff just really strikes a chord with me. Get it?" he asked, throwing his hands up. "Chord?"
"You have got to come to band practice with me." Demyx was practically gushing. "The girls are going to flip!"
Roxas drew back, watching the two men speak animatedly to each other, and gave them a halfhearted wave before walking away. Neither would miss him, he was sure, and at the very least he might be able to convince Axel that he owed him a favor for the introduction. He just hoped that as an end result, he wouldn't end up having to share his balcony with yet another person.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I realize that trying to make a "nobody" reference in this chapter was really a stretch, and I should probably be ashamed of myself for it.
Stay tuned for Chapter 4, and thank you for reading / following / favoriting / reviewing!
