27.

"Epilepsy."

"Come on, it's not that bad."

"Epilepsy." Roxas repeated as the neon lights flashed all around them. The walls, doorways and floors were a night black and green, blue, pink and yellow highlights. The two had been inside the Crystal Maze for less than ten minutes and already, Roxas wanted to leave. Despite a maze being his brilliant idea, the overall darkness of the room made him feel claustrophobic and fluorescent lights just rubbed him the wrong way. "How is anyone supposed to find their way around here?"

"You're just mad cuz you walked into a stalagmite." Axel laughed.

"Well who wouldn't be?" He complained. "Anyone could have crashed into it!"

"Yeah, especially… I dunno, people who are taller than you." Axel smirked, looking up and down Roxas' height. Roxas' eyes reflected the fury of God-awful lights.

When they finally made it out, Roxas threw his arms and head back and basked in the outdoors. "I CAN BREATHE!"

"Oh no! Not that song again!" Axel grabbed his outstretched hand and pulled him down the sidewalk in search for other things to do. Roxas would have protested greatly and be all… you know, Roxas but… Axel was holding his hand. Roxas just smiled and let himself be dragged off.

Roxas shook his head. "No."

"Don't be such a chicken." Axel enthusiastically led them into the Nightmares Fear Factory while Roxas was just indifferent.

They got tickets and handed it to the guard. "Just follow the red lights, go as fast or slow as you want," he lazily pointed to the entrance. "And if it's too much for you just scream 'Nightmare' and someone will take you out. However your name will immediately go on our chicken list. Please no cameras. And enjoy!" Wow. He really hated his job.

They walked in.

They came out.

"Axel? Do you need a …cough drop?" Axel just shook his head and followed the blond out, silently, keeping his eyes trained in front of him. Roxas smiled and rubbed the redhead's arm comfortingly. –gigglesnort- I learned a lot about what makes you piss your pants, Axel. "Come on; let's get you something to drink."


Roxas sipped on his taro, eyeing the older boy across the booth from him with trepidation and slight amusement. "Better?"

The redhead put down the cup of coffee and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "I'm cool. We will never speak of this again." Roxas couldn't help but smile as Axel took calming breaths. Who knew a little haunted walk-through would get to him? "So," he cleared his throat in an attempt to escape the embarrassing attention. "You having fun?"

"Loads." Roxas smirked around his giant straw.

So much for the change of subject. "Well," at the expense of my dignity, "that's good." He took a good look at Roxas. This kid was so perfect. Can anyone be so beautiful and so …chill to be around? It's like everything you want in a friend …but that you get to kiss. Roxas noticed the faint smile on his face, so he looked to the first thing to divert his thoughts. "What's that you're drinking?"

"Taro. Bubble tea. Wanna try?" The boy held out the tall cup towards him. He sipped the purple liquid. It was sweet and creamy, like a milkshake. A bubble made its way into him mouth. "What's that black stuff?" he asked, chewing it and looking at the bottom of the cup.

"Tapioca."

"Which is?"

"Fish eye balls." Axel choked and reached for the napkins. "I'm joking! I'm joking!" Roxas laughed. "It's just… jelly." He shrugged and Axel narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong? Don't like fish?"

"I like fish fine. Especially when lying in pieces on rice and seaweed. It's the gelatinous ocular muscles I'd like to stay clear of."

Lying in pieces on rice? "Sushi? You like sushi?"

"Who doesn't like sushi?" he laughed. "Other than the people who've never tried sushi."

"What's your favourite?"

Axel scratched the back of his head in thought. "Hmm, I'd have to say… smoked salmon with mango." He nodded. "It's meaty and juicy." Axel just had to wink for good measure. "I dunno. I'm not too picky. What about you?"

"Oh, off the top of my head," Roxas looked at the dilapidated spackle ceiling of the café. "Caterpillar, spider, Philadelphia, California and (non-spicy) dynamite rolls," he listed. "Oh! And deep-fried yam rolls. Those are sooo good~!"

Axel raised his eyebrows. "You know your sushi."

"What can I say? I like to eat." Roxas grinned cheekily. The way to a man's heart was 95% of the time, through his stomach. So offering his preference on a shared kind of dish was a sure fire way to strike a good note.

"That's good to know. What do you say we get out of here, maybe walk around and then I can pick your brain on any Western cuisine you'd like to eat tonight?"

Roxas sipped the last bits of tapioca. "Let's do it." A walk. That might be… nice.


"I've never been on a Ferris Wheel before!" Roxas said happily, climbing into the basket. Axel laughed. Their walk had turned into a stroll along a mini amusement park. And the way Roxas was staring up at the lighted ride in awe, Axel just had to drag him into the line.

The operator was ushering people into their carts so they were still midway into the air. Roxas looked out the bubblegum-pink window into the pastel-stained sky. Axel watched as the pink, orange and magenta hues played with the blue lights in the boy's eyes. He found his insides fluttering when Roxas smiled into the distance.

The redhead would've basked in the temporary moment when Roxas couldn't see him gawking, if it weren't for the three pairs of scathing looks from the adjacent compartment. He pretended not to have noticed and kept looking out the window, all the while feeling the stares fixed on him. Axel had a choice; he could either act cool, keep things platonic between him and the blond until the ride was over and be all cas'; or he could flip the onlookers the bird, not give a shit and ravish the hell out of the boy as obscenely as he wanted.

"Everything's so pretty from up here." Indeed, their basket was at its peak, homophobic bastards at the descent. Axel leaned forward from his seat and kissed Roxas softly on the lips.

"Beautiful." Roxas was clearly enjoying himself; any sort of controversy would just ruin the moods. So no matter how much it bugged him to rub the assholes' noses in the reality of homosexuality, he'd let the jerks look all they want and keep things as innocent as he could. Until the ride was over.

Roxas was not naive. He knew what the older man was thinking: opportunity. And Axel had just kissed him, so no doubt what he wanted wasn't far off in the redhead's mind. Roxas looked as enticing as he possibly could. Eyes became dreamier; smile became softer; motions became more delicate; and he found himself tilting his head a little more when he looked at Axel. It was decided. Not like he wanted it now, but at that moment, Roxas made a promise to himself: he was gonna have the man he wanted tonight.

How is it that he just became even sexier? Axel questioned while smiling back at the boy. He's not making it very easy to stay non-physical. Even crossing his legs looks sexy from here. How is that possible?

Roxas sensed the flicker of something in Axel's eyes. Perfect. Roxas daintily leaned back against the wall of the compartment, dropping his shoulders and not breaking eye contact. With any luck, the redhead would join him on his side of the basket and make it swing ~

They were nearing the nine o'clock position, and Axel was itching for some contact. He shifted in his seat to see the guys in the next basket turning their heads every 5 seconds. What the hell is their problem? He tried to look as indifferent in front of both them and Roxas. It's like their waiting for me to do something.

The next basket descended, leaving them at the top. And I can't do anything now; Roxas will definitely pick up the pattern of me kissing him at the peak of the ride and get the wrong idea. Roxas smiled so sweetly, and Axel returned it. This is bullshit.


"Hey Roxas, wanna go in there?" Axel pointed to a small cubicle with a red, knee-length, velvet curtain.

"A photo booth?" Roxas raised an eyebrow as Axel led him off the wiry stairs. "Don't you think it's a little cliché?" He grinned.

"Of course." Axel dragged him across the pathway, past the people waiting in line, past the carnival suit-wearing old men selling hot dogs, and past the mothers' turning their children away from their clasped hands. "After you, milady." He pulled back the curtain, stooped down to eye-level, and held out his hand to usher Roxas in.

The boy laughed. "Why thank you, kind sir…?" And he stepped inside. When Axel followed, the two were faced with an interesting discovery: there was one stool. Knowing what that would imply, Axel smiled flirtatiously, and tapped the metal seat for Roxas like a gentleman.

Placing the appropriate amount of change in the slot, they took one normal picture with Roxas smiling naturally, and Axel leaning down to his shoulder and ..well, smirking at the camera. Then Roxas found a cool neon lighted frame which Roxas looked at Axel for. (Secretly because the older man's eyes seemed to reflect the green glow in the screen.) The redhead ended up looking at Roxas too, creating a semi-candid, not-so-stiff-looking shot. They found a background with flames, which elicited an all-out shit-eating smile of power from the older man. The camera flashed (even though that was terribly redundant) and Roxas face-palmed.

For the last picture, they decided on a nightly, city-like background, where a heart-shaped light could be seen in the corner and skyscrapers creating different levels in the background. Axel fixed a strand of his hair and prepared to bend his knees to accommodate the blond's shortness. Then out of the corner of his eye and through a sliver past the velvet curtain, he swore he could see a garbage can hurling its way towards the booth.

"Ready, Axel?" Dropping his knees, he cradled Roxas' head in his arms. A light engulfed them and Axel blocked the velvet covered metal with his upper arm. It felt back out to the street with a clatter.

"Rox, are you alright?" Blue eyes, filled with shock looked back up at him. Roxas could only nod, shakily.

Something snapped. Perhaps it was the big blue eyes that got to him, or perhaps the unpleasant shock that filled his left pinky and ring finger when the object hit his funny bone. It was incomprehensible, but in a blind rage, Axel threw open the scruffy carpet of a tapestry and looked for the culprits. Garbage cans don't just fly.

Lo and behold: there stood the three bastards from the ride. There was a short platinum blond, wearing a black and white striped shirt and grey pants, an orange-haired boy in a simple red shirt and baggy dark wash jeans, and a tall strawberry blond in the middle of the two, in rather tight white wash jeans… and a really nice leather jacket. They were near their age, the leader not looking more than seventeen. All of them stared at the redhead with disgust, as if he and Roxas were having sex in the booth. Axel scowled at the trash can on its side, leaking the disturbed waste into the air. "What the hell is this?"

"Fags like you belong in the garbage."


Wow. I didn't want 2000+ chapters so I split this in two as well.
AkuRoku day is in three hours for me so HAPPY AKUROKU DAY ~!
Here's the first part of their date :]
Haha, homophobes.

OMG It's so hot in Canada Dx

My beta went to sleep, so part of this chapter is in it's raw form xP
I'll accept your honest crit.
Review please :]

YHS
xDelfin