"Yes! I did it!" Roxas groaned and rolled over, before reluctantly opening his eyes. Axel's habit of waking up long before him was a bit of a nuisance sometimes, but he was getting used to it.
They had been on the island for three days and there was no sign of rescue, although they were trying to keep the fire on the beach active at all times. So far there had only been one night of rain, and it had just been a light drizzle. Their shelter was doing a pretty good job of protecting them from the elements.
"Did what?" Roxas mumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. Then he crossed them as Axel shoved a coconut in his face. "Huh?"
"I drained out the water inside." Axel said cheerfully. "And put water from the well in it. We can use them as water jugs." Roxas brightened, waking up a bit more at that. Water had proven to be a bit of a problem. With no way to carry it they had been almost chained to the well, which was fine but didn't let them explore the rest of the island. For all they knew there was a village on the other side and they just hadn't seen it. Well, it wasn't at all likely really, but there could be. And they wouldn't know what else the island had to offer until they were able to carry some water along with them.
"That's great! How did you manage to get the water out without shattering the nut?" That was what they had had problems with, although they'd manage to break a few nuts a bit more neatly, enough to make bowls from a few coconut halves. Axel made a face.
"My knife and a rock to force it in right into the eyelets. It was a gamble, but I figured it was worth it." Roxas winced. They'd considered using Axel's pocket knife for this before, but Axel had been afraid they might break it. That would be a disaster. The pocket knife had proven to be a valuable asset, right below the lighter. If it broke, they would have to try to make tools out of rocks. Neither one of them was looking forward to that. Axel got to work on a second coconut, and soon they had another canteen. And best of all, the pocket knife was still intact.
"Maybe we can run down those goats now, too." Axel commented as they headed to the beach, brand in hand. They still needed to start the beach fire, whatever else they did today. Luckily, nothing else had washed up on the beach. Roxas walked behind Axel, the better to watch him. Although the nasty, peeling sunburn on his shoulders wasn't very sexy. Roxas scratched his own nose, wincing and peeling off a bit of skin. He was just as burned as Axel, but hopefully it would pass.
After building up the fire, they started exploring the rest of the island. It seemed to be a fair size, although it quickly became clear that it wasn't exactly large. They found the place the goats had been congregating easily enough.
"A spring. That makes sense." Axel tilted his head, looking at the little pond a few goats were drinking from. "I bet every animal on the island drinks from here. Lucky for them this place doesn't have much in the way of predators."
"Besides us." Roxas added, looking at the goats. They were mostly surviving on fruit and fish, with some vegetables Axel had managed to identify, like taro. But some red meat would definitely be a welcome addition to their diet, and glancing at Axel, Roxas knew he felt the same way. Axel was looking at the goats thoughtfully, and his gaze dropped to the pocket knife and the spear he used for fishing.
"Maybe the spear…" He hesitated a moment, then passed the pocket knife to Roxas. "If you get a chance, cut its throat." Roxas hesitated then nodded as Axel began stalking the goats as Roxas stayed back, watching. The redhead moved very silently but Roxas was still amazed when he managed to get in striking distance and cast his spear.
The wound wasn't at all fatal though, and the goats scattered. But Axel leapt out, yelling loudly, and the wounded one went directly towards Roxas. The blonde grabbed the goat as it tried to break around him, and yelped as a sharp hook kicked him. But he managed to stab it in the throat. Blood sprayed and the goat jerked away and kept running, but didn't very far before it collapsed, hooves kicking. Roxas gasped and blinked as he realized he was splattered in blood. He could taste it, too, and spat, trying to get the iron taste out of his mouth.
"Roxas." Axel sounded strangely calm, and Roxas looked over at him, surprised to see him staring fixedly over his shoulder. "Climb a tree. Right now."
"Huh?" Roxas froze as he heard a squeal behind him. It sounded like nothing he'd ever heard before, and he turned his head to see a huge wild pig behind him. The blonde reeled a bit mentally at the size of it. It had to be at least twice his weight, maybe more, and it was hairy and nasty looking. And it didn't look at all happy. "Oh shit!" Roxas ran for a tree as the pig squealed again, a horrible grating sound, and charged. Axel grabbed him and boosted him up just before grabbing a tree branch and pulling himself up. The pig just barely missed him, hitting the tree with a resounding crash. Roxas yelped as he almost lost his grip on the tree, but managed to hang on as Axel helped him climb higher. Soon they were safely ensconced on a comfortable branch as the feral hog protested beneath them, snuffling and pawing at the base of the tree. "I – I didn't know pigs got that big." And the teeth it was baring at them looked plenty nasty. Axel nodded.
"That's a female. You can tell because she doesn't have any tusks. I bet her nest is near and all the sound disturbed her." Axel leaned back, his back against the tree trunk, and folded his arms over his belly. "Sit back and relax. We'll have to wait for her to leave, and I bet it's going to be a while before she gets bored."
"You got the best spot for sitting back." Roxas pointed out and Axel just grinned. Roxas watched him for a moment, captivated by his sparkling green eyes, the bright red hair and those fascinating tattoos. Everything about Axel was captivating. Even the sunburn on his nose. Roxas scooted closer until their knees were touching, and Axel tilted his head to one side. "Um, Axel?" The blonde wet his lips, resting a hand on Axel's thigh. The redhead stared at him, a bit shocked, but didn't pretend to misunderstand.
"Roxas, um. You're fourteen." Axel said cautiously, uncertain what to do about this. Roxas was cute as a button and if he was sixteen Axel wouldn't have hesitated for a moment. A three year age difference was nothing. But fourteen, especially when Roxas looked younger, felt like it was verging on pedophile territory and it was almost certainly illegal. Axel couldn't like that, no matter how willing the blonde seemed to be. "That's too young." There was a flash of bitterness in Roxas' eyes before the blonde leaned forward and Axel swallowed hard, putting a hand against his chest, not certain what he was doing.
"Some people didn't think so." Roxas whispered in Axel's ear before he brushed his lips over the redhead's skin, making him draw in a quick breath. "I'm not a virgin, Axel."
"Uh." Axel blinked then drew in a deep breath, shaking his head. "Kids playing around is one thing, Roxas, but I'm nineteen. It's really not right." Axel was pretty certain it would at least qualify as statutory rape. Roxas scowled, wanting desperately to tell Axel how wrong he was… but what if the redhead was disgusted by his past? That would be too much to bear.
"How old is old enough?" Roxas finally asked, almost growling, and Axel hesitated.
"Sixteen?" That might still be statutory rape, depending on where they were, but Axel wouldn't personally feel like a pedophile if Roxas was sixteen. Roxas sighed, looking down.
"Alright." It wasn't, though. If they were actually stranded on this island and no one came for them, Axel was going to wait two years? And if someone did come for them then Roxas would never see the redhead again. He felt a strange pang at the thought. Then he blinked, feeling strong arms folding around him.
"Hey, don't worry about it." Axel said softly, running a hand through blonde spikes. Roxas looked so dejected, his blue eyes so sad, that he just had to do something. "If we get picked up we can still keep in touch. Trade e-mail addresses, that sort of thing. Maybe you can come stay with me when you finish school." Or drop out, Axel added to himself but didn't say. Roxas was diverted at the thought.
"In Vancouver?" That was actually rather appealing. It would be a complete break from his family and everyone he knew. He'd miss a few of his friends but definitely not his family. "I don't know… are there igloos there?" Axel stared at him, aghast, then threw back his head and laughed. Roxas blinked, wondering what was so funny.
"In Vancouver? It hardly even snows in the winter! It rains." Roxas flushed. "What do they teach kids about Canada these days? Igloos!" Roxas scowled and gave him a light shove, careful not to actually dislodge Axel from the branch. The pig down below them snorted as if it was agreeing with Axel.
"I suck in school, remember? Tell me about Vancouver." Axel was glad to oblige, grinning.
"Vancouver is great. It can get really hot and humid in the summer… I went to visit mom one time and thought I would die… but it's mild and rainy in the winter. It's a really big city, you can find almost anything there and it's got a great China town. There's also Stanley Park, I loved visiting that. Oh, the best thing is that if you don't have a car, the public transit system is really good. I've lived in a lot of places that were a ton worse." Axel was really quite fond of the skytrains. "And yeah, there are no igloos and penguins. Although we could always go up into the Yukon for vacation. I hear there's some pretty nice nature tours and stuff." Roxas sighed, not really sharing Axel's enthusiasm for nature… but if Axel was there, it might be a lot more interesting.
"Not in the winter." Roxas said firmly. Summer hiking might be fun but he hated the cold and didn't want to slog through snow.
"No, not in the winter, I wouldn't want to do that either. Winter in the Yukon can be brutal, we should stick to Vancouver for that." Axel said cheerfully, glancing down. "Hey, it looks like the pig has wandered off." Roxas looked down, glancing around cautioiusly, but there was no sign of the sow. "Let's go collect that goat and see what we can do with it." Axel had some hopes that he might be able to use the hide to make ropes. With something close to real rope, he might be able to make an actual spear and with that he'd be in a better position to defend himself from a wild boar. Maybe even kill one, which would be nice. He was sure they were good eating.
The two of them carried the goat back to the beach. The fire was still going, and they built it up a bit more before Axel started working on skinning the goat. Roxas helped with a sharp stone he'd managed to find, but it wasn't nearly as good as the pocket knife. Soon though, Roxas was holding a few steaks skewered on sticks over the flames as Axel tried to make clean off the skin. Roxas glanced up as Axel began to sing to himself. He had a very nice voice, really, and it was a song he'd never heard before.
Got a brand new suit,
Got a brand new tie,
Got a brand new twinkle in m'eye,
Do you know the reason why?
Got a brand new girl and I won't dispute,
She's the reason why I got a brand new tie and a brand new suit.
When I'm with her,
Gotta look my best.
Put on my tan shoes,
Grey spats, double breasted vest.
Gonna wear my stickpin, it's a Tecla Pearl,
With a brand new tie and a brand new suit,
And a brand new girl.
Then Axel whistled the tune a bit, and Roxas couldn't help but grin. It was a very upbeat little song.
"Where's that song from, Axel?" He asked conversationally as he watched fat drip into the fire
"Louise Armstrong." Axel answered immediately. Roxas frowned. That name was vaguely familiar.
"Who was he?" Axel paused in his work, looking a little pained.
"One of the most famous jazz singers ever. Not just jazz, really… surely you've heard of him?" If not, Axel wasn't sure what to think. Roxas blushed.
"Oh! Yes, I have. Like Frank Sinatra." Someone everyone knew about, even if they'd never actually heard his work. Axel nodded with a smile.
"Right. I'm not really into music, but I mostly listen to older stuff. Dad liked it, especially Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong." Axel looked slightly sad for a moment as he kept working on the goat, then shrugged. "Although I listen to other stuff when I go out to parties, of course." He didn't much care for it though. Roxas nodded.
"I like Voltaire. You should hear his songs, they're really neat. Some of them are hilarious." Roxas wasn't sure if Axel would like them, but it might be interesting to see.
"If you want to sing one of them, I'll listen." Axel said good-naturedly, and Roxas shook his head. He knew his voice wasn't very good at all, for singing anyway. "I think those steaks are about done."
"Huh?" Roxas looked at the steaks and realized they were perilously close to burning. "Oh!" He quickly yanked them out of the fire and Axel paused his work to come over and eat his. The steaks were tough and very gamy, but to the two of them they were delicious. "We should be careful how many goats we hunt." Roxas remarked as he ate and Axel shook his head.
"They'll get harder to catch, and it's probably good for us to eliminate as many as we can. Goats are a pest on islands like this, they can kill off the forest if there's too many. Same for pigs." Axel swallowed a large bite of his steak, then shrugged. "They eat all the new shoots until there's nothing left but older trees. Dad and I participated in a hunt once to get all the goats off an island." That was how he knew a bit about how much goats and pigs could destroy islands like this.
"Oh, I see." They both ate in silence for a while before Roxas asked. "Axel, did you want to start teaching me karate tonight?" He was really eager to begin learning that. It wouldn't help against wandering, vicious pigs but it would be good if he ever got back to civilization. Roxas reflected for a moment on the irony. He was more concerned about getting hurt when he went home than he was here. Here, he was sure that Axel would do his best to protect him. The redhead took a deep drink of water before answering.
"Sure thing Roxas." Axel smiled at him and the blonde found himself dazzled by it. It was hard to believe that anyone could be so happy, so cheerful when he was stranded on a deserted island with nothing but a pocket knife and a lighter, but that was Axel. Roxas suddenly wondered if the redhead would have been nearly as cheerful alone. Probably not, Axel seemed like the kind of person who needed other people. That made him feel a bit better. He might not be as useful in the wilderness as Axel, but without him the redhead would probably be in a complete funk about now. And besides, he'd been the one to take out the goat. Roxas smiled at the thought. He'd never killed anything before and that bothered him a little, but he was mostly pleased that he'd been able to help.
Later that night, they began the karate lessons. It ended up in a lot of laughter and if there had been anyone to hear, they might have been a bit confused by Axel's attempts at mimicking the Karate Kid's mentor. Then they both went to sleep… for a time. Roxas woke up in the middle of the night and slowly sat up, blinking. Axel wasn't beside him anymore. The shelter was tight enough that they slept close together, and Axel wasn't in the shelter at all. But it was too early even for the redhead to wake up, and Roxas bit his lip, getting up and looking around.
It wasn't hard to find the redhead though. He was sitting against a tree, illuminated by the fire, his head in his hands. Roxas felt a trickle of fear. Axel was always so upbeat, what could be wrong?
"Axel?" Roxas kneeled beside the redhead and Axel started, lifting his head. There were tears on his cheeks and Roxas felt his stomach clench. "Axel, are you alright?"
"Y – Yeah, sorry." Axel quickly rubbed his cheeks, sniffing for a moment before managing a smile. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"You didn't… Axel, what's wrong?" Roxas gently touched the redhead's shoulder, trying to avoid the worst of the sunburn. Axel winced, looking down.
"It's… this is going to sound stupid." Roxas made an encouraging sound and Axel sighed. "I had a dream about my cat. Shroedinger. I was taking him to Vancouver with me, he was in the cargo hold." Axel's breath was coming faster and Roxas hugged him as his voice wavered. "I dreamed about him drowning. I couldn't save him, I could hardly save you…" Roxas nodded, cuddling Axel a bit. Saving him had been crazy but trying to save a cat from the cargo hold, well, that would have been utterly impossible. "It's stupid that it bothers me. Who knows how many people died, and I'm crying about my cat." Axel felt almost selfish, that he was regretting the loss of a pet when so many people had lost their lives. But he couldn't change how he felt.
"You loved your cat." Roxas pointed out. "You should mourn him. Don't worry about it, Axel." Axel hesitated, then sniffed and buried his head against Roxas' shoulder, letting the blonde comfort him. For a while they just sat together, holding each other, then Axel pulled away, rubbing his eyes.
"Thanks Roxas." He grinned tiredly then. "We should get back to sleep." It was still several hours before dawn. Roxas nodded and took Axel's hand, giving him a quick squeeze, and the redhead squeezed him back.
They would make it together.