[Fic] Axel/Roxas - Everybody's Free to Feel Good
Title: Everybody's Free to Feel Good [Ao3]
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Pairing/Characters: Axel/Roxas
Rating: PG-13
Total length: 1362 words
Warnings: Alternate Universe, homophobic slurs, anger management camp
Summary: He's got six days left in this camp. Six days of yoga and bible class and other surly little fuckers running around beating up on little kids and putting spit balls in his hair. But now- now he's got the school reject to keep him company.
Author's Note: This stemmed from my speculating that Axel dyes his hair because his roots are extremely dark in game. It kind of spouted other crap from there. This was also written a good two or three years ago, but I'm just getting around to posting it now. Also for AkuRoku Day.
Fire is a good look on Axel. It gleams off the edges of dark brown spikes, dyes the very tips of them red as sin. Roxas eyes him from across the campsite and wonders why the hell the senior is here. Here, of all places.
He only knows the guy from school- half glimpses of one spiky head among a sea of black, brown, and blond immaculate ones, a glimpse of a smoldering cigarette and the heel of a shiny black boot peeking out from around a corner, a gleam of green eyes and a laughing smile in the cafeteria.
Bad enough that his parents had forced him to come here, but to have another classmate witness it? It's unbearable. Maybe he'll be able to make it back to his cabin before Axel notices him. But even as he's making his way through the small crowd gathered around the sticks and marshmallows, Axel's eyes find his. And just like that, the annoyed, melancholy look melts from his face, a bright grin pulling at thin lips. Fuck, with a smile like that, it's not like Roxas can ignore him. When Axel raises one pale hand, beckoning, any hopes of Roxas escaping this matter unscathed vanish. He sighs and begins to push back through the other campers, ignoring their disgruntled shouts.
He flops down on the ground before the fire, chances a glance through his lashes at Axel. Fuck, the stupid fucker's still grinning.
"So, what did they get you for?" The brunette drags the first word out, long and slow- the kind of word used in awkward silences. Roxas rolls his eyes.
"What else? 'Behavioral issues.'" Axel snickers, hides his smile behind fingers tipped with chipping black paint.
"No really, everyone says that. What are you really here for?"
Roxas considers several things he could say to that. He doesn't think that 'Well, my mom caught me masturbating to gay porn' has the right ring to it. And hell, it'll probably freak Axel out. 'There are fourteen fist-shaped holes in my wall, all of differing depths' sounds even worse. He doesn't even want to start on the shouting matches at the dinner table or how his twin brother has started staying over at his friend's house more and more often, just to get away from the fighting.
"...I may have set my stepdad's car on fire," is what he finally settles on, because while it's probably the worst thing he's done to date, it kind of makes him sound like more of a badass and less of a short teenager with an anger problem. Plus, the way Axel throws his head back and laughs is worth it.
He waits for Axel's laughter to die down a bit before asking, "How 'bout you?"
The trickles of laughter finally die out, though the amused smile still stays firmly in place. He turns to look straight at Roxas, and despite the little smirk curling at his lips, pulling at the edges of those two little diamond tattoos right across his cheekbones, his eyes are intense. So intense that Roxas feels something curl in his gut, the same interest he'd felt every time he'd seen Axel's face in the hallways at school.
"Well, I guess the official reason is the same as you. Bad behavior and what not." Axel runs a hand through his hair, ruffles dark spikes until they're even more unruly than usual. His grin is a touch sheepish when he speaks back up.
"The unofficial... well, my dad walked in on me and my friend. And say what you want about experimental shit, but nothing is scarier than your dad walking in when you've got another guy's dick in your mouth." He shivers a bit, as if just the memory of his dad's anger freaks him out. The silence stretches a bit, but honestly, Roxas doesn't know what the hell to say. They live in some run down little town in the middle of Oklahoma, and Axel's just telling him he's gay? Hell, he's surprised enough that there's even another gay kid in this piece of shit hole in the wall.
He must have waited too long to say something, because Axel clears his throat a bit nervously and when he starts talking again, there's this worried little note in his voice. Almost a stutter, but not quite.
"Heh. I know it says on the brochure that this isn't a place for fags- that that's not the kind of correctional facility this is, but my dad had this weird notion that if he sent me to a gay camp I'd come back gayer than ever." He chuckles again, and glances away- back into the flames. His voice is quiet. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, kid."
Axel's staring again, past the campfire and out into the woods. At the pale slivers of moonlight that reflect off the bark of the trees, at the little stump of Yew that the smaller kids in the camp play around. Duck Duck Goose and shit like that. Roxas shakes his head.
"No, no, you didn-" He clears his throat. "You didn't make me uncomfortable. I mean- ya, uh, me too." Roxas laughs a little bit, because there's that nervous little twitch in his gut that someone's gonna overhear, and fuck, this is a behavioral correction camp- he doesn't even wanna think about what some of these kid's would do if they knew they were getting 'infected' by a pair of fags. He thinks that maybe he should probably clarify, but from the way Axel's eyes are widening, he gets it.
He chuckles. "Well, well, Roxy- aren't you just the little enigma."
A squeal of laughter sounds from behind them, and out of the corner of his eye he watches one of the older girls, Larxene? He thinks that's probably her name. -Watches her leap into the lake with some pink-haired kid. He really doesn't get how this damn place is supposed to be a correctional facility. They get lectures about religion, breathing exercises to calm themselves, even fucking yoga during the day time but in the night they're left free to roam the camp. They haven't quite found any alcohol yet, but Roxas thinks it's probably only a matter of time.
He's got six days left in this camp. Six days of yoga and bible class and other surly little fuckers running around beating up on little kids and putting spit balls in his hair. But now- now he's got the school reject to keep him company. The kid with the tattoos and the piercings and his hair all gelled up to make a statement, the guy who's got a smile who could charm the devil and hips that make something deep in Roxas' belly churn and turn over. The guy who Roxas has been crushing on for the last three months that he's been at this stupid town, who's apparently gay.
He doesn't know if he should be frustrated or grateful. Frustrated, because the chances that he'll get anywhere with Axel in this camp are next to none. Grateful, because now he's got someone, a very smokin' hot someone, to suffer the week away with him.
The beginnings of a grin are pulling at the corner of his lips and there's an answering one spreading across Axel's- this stupid stoner who thinks it's a good idea to tell some random blonde kid in an anger management camp that he's gay. There are so many things that he can say to him, so many things that he's wanted to say to Axel ever since the first time he'd seen him sitting against the school lockers, dark spikes crushed against the blue metal, bobbing his head a bit to whatever was blaring out of his ridiculously old walkman. When he'd seen Roxas looking he'd given him this little nod, a smile that lit up his eyes and made his cheeks dimple until the tattoos on his cheeks crinkled.
Roxas smiles and scoots a bit closer to him, brushes his shoulder against Axel's and gives those dark spikes of his a contemplative look.
"Ever thought of dying your hair red?"
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Pairing/Characters: Axel/Roxas
Rating: PG-13
Total length: 1362 words
Warnings: Alternate Universe, homophobic slurs, anger management camp
Summary: He's got six days left in this camp. Six days of yoga and bible class and other surly little fuckers running around beating up on little kids and putting spit balls in his hair. But now- now he's got the school reject to keep him company.
Author's Note: This stemmed from my speculating that Axel dyes his hair because his roots are extremely dark in game. It kind of spouted other crap from there. This was also written a good two or three years ago, but I'm just getting around to posting it now. Also for AkuRoku Day.
Fire is a good look on Axel. It gleams off the edges of dark brown spikes, dyes the very tips of them red as sin. Roxas eyes him from across the campsite and wonders why the hell the senior is here. Here, of all places.
He only knows the guy from school- half glimpses of one spiky head among a sea of black, brown, and blond immaculate ones, a glimpse of a smoldering cigarette and the heel of a shiny black boot peeking out from around a corner, a gleam of green eyes and a laughing smile in the cafeteria.
Bad enough that his parents had forced him to come here, but to have another classmate witness it? It's unbearable. Maybe he'll be able to make it back to his cabin before Axel notices him. But even as he's making his way through the small crowd gathered around the sticks and marshmallows, Axel's eyes find his. And just like that, the annoyed, melancholy look melts from his face, a bright grin pulling at thin lips. Fuck, with a smile like that, it's not like Roxas can ignore him. When Axel raises one pale hand, beckoning, any hopes of Roxas escaping this matter unscathed vanish. He sighs and begins to push back through the other campers, ignoring their disgruntled shouts.
He flops down on the ground before the fire, chances a glance through his lashes at Axel. Fuck, the stupid fucker's still grinning.
"So, what did they get you for?" The brunette drags the first word out, long and slow- the kind of word used in awkward silences. Roxas rolls his eyes.
"What else? 'Behavioral issues.'" Axel snickers, hides his smile behind fingers tipped with chipping black paint.
"No really, everyone says that. What are you really here for?"
Roxas considers several things he could say to that. He doesn't think that 'Well, my mom caught me masturbating to gay porn' has the right ring to it. And hell, it'll probably freak Axel out. 'There are fourteen fist-shaped holes in my wall, all of differing depths' sounds even worse. He doesn't even want to start on the shouting matches at the dinner table or how his twin brother has started staying over at his friend's house more and more often, just to get away from the fighting.
"...I may have set my stepdad's car on fire," is what he finally settles on, because while it's probably the worst thing he's done to date, it kind of makes him sound like more of a badass and less of a short teenager with an anger problem. Plus, the way Axel throws his head back and laughs is worth it.
He waits for Axel's laughter to die down a bit before asking, "How 'bout you?"
The trickles of laughter finally die out, though the amused smile still stays firmly in place. He turns to look straight at Roxas, and despite the little smirk curling at his lips, pulling at the edges of those two little diamond tattoos right across his cheekbones, his eyes are intense. So intense that Roxas feels something curl in his gut, the same interest he'd felt every time he'd seen Axel's face in the hallways at school.
"Well, I guess the official reason is the same as you. Bad behavior and what not." Axel runs a hand through his hair, ruffles dark spikes until they're even more unruly than usual. His grin is a touch sheepish when he speaks back up.
"The unofficial... well, my dad walked in on me and my friend. And say what you want about experimental shit, but nothing is scarier than your dad walking in when you've got another guy's dick in your mouth." He shivers a bit, as if just the memory of his dad's anger freaks him out. The silence stretches a bit, but honestly, Roxas doesn't know what the hell to say. They live in some run down little town in the middle of Oklahoma, and Axel's just telling him he's gay? Hell, he's surprised enough that there's even another gay kid in this piece of shit hole in the wall.
He must have waited too long to say something, because Axel clears his throat a bit nervously and when he starts talking again, there's this worried little note in his voice. Almost a stutter, but not quite.
"Heh. I know it says on the brochure that this isn't a place for fags- that that's not the kind of correctional facility this is, but my dad had this weird notion that if he sent me to a gay camp I'd come back gayer than ever." He chuckles again, and glances away- back into the flames. His voice is quiet. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, kid."
Axel's staring again, past the campfire and out into the woods. At the pale slivers of moonlight that reflect off the bark of the trees, at the little stump of Yew that the smaller kids in the camp play around. Duck Duck Goose and shit like that. Roxas shakes his head.
"No, no, you didn-" He clears his throat. "You didn't make me uncomfortable. I mean- ya, uh, me too." Roxas laughs a little bit, because there's that nervous little twitch in his gut that someone's gonna overhear, and fuck, this is a behavioral correction camp- he doesn't even wanna think about what some of these kid's would do if they knew they were getting 'infected' by a pair of fags. He thinks that maybe he should probably clarify, but from the way Axel's eyes are widening, he gets it.
He chuckles. "Well, well, Roxy- aren't you just the little enigma."
A squeal of laughter sounds from behind them, and out of the corner of his eye he watches one of the older girls, Larxene? He thinks that's probably her name. -Watches her leap into the lake with some pink-haired kid. He really doesn't get how this damn place is supposed to be a correctional facility. They get lectures about religion, breathing exercises to calm themselves, even fucking yoga during the day time but in the night they're left free to roam the camp. They haven't quite found any alcohol yet, but Roxas thinks it's probably only a matter of time.
He's got six days left in this camp. Six days of yoga and bible class and other surly little fuckers running around beating up on little kids and putting spit balls in his hair. But now- now he's got the school reject to keep him company. The kid with the tattoos and the piercings and his hair all gelled up to make a statement, the guy who's got a smile who could charm the devil and hips that make something deep in Roxas' belly churn and turn over. The guy who Roxas has been crushing on for the last three months that he's been at this stupid town, who's apparently gay.
He doesn't know if he should be frustrated or grateful. Frustrated, because the chances that he'll get anywhere with Axel in this camp are next to none. Grateful, because now he's got someone, a very smokin' hot someone, to suffer the week away with him.
The beginnings of a grin are pulling at the corner of his lips and there's an answering one spreading across Axel's- this stupid stoner who thinks it's a good idea to tell some random blonde kid in an anger management camp that he's gay. There are so many things that he can say to him, so many things that he's wanted to say to Axel ever since the first time he'd seen him sitting against the school lockers, dark spikes crushed against the blue metal, bobbing his head a bit to whatever was blaring out of his ridiculously old walkman. When he'd seen Roxas looking he'd given him this little nod, a smile that lit up his eyes and made his cheeks dimple until the tattoos on his cheeks crinkled.
Roxas smiles and scoots a bit closer to him, brushes his shoulder against Axel's and gives those dark spikes of his a contemplative look.
"Ever thought of dying your hair red?"