Like Old Times

[Roxas]

The room was smaller than Roxas expected--probably because he was still used to the sweeping architecture of the Castle That Never Was--but definitely bigger than his room back in Twilight Town. Compared to then, he didn't even have that much stuff to put in it--his clothing was mostly limited to a few outfits from Twilight Town, some uniforms, and a black cloak with silver trappings that had been shoved to the bottom of his suitcase in transit.

It didn't look like Axel had gotten in here yet, but there were a few bags by the door that might've been his, so Roxas folded his arms on the windowsill and took a moment to savor the silence. The calm before the storm. He was definitely looking forward to whiling away the hours in this room with his best friend, dashing haphazardly to class like a normal kid, and catching the bus out to the city for ice cream.

But...

He fumbled in his pocket briefly and came up with a blue bauble, square at the base, that glimmered when he held it up to the sunlight.

This place feels like there.

Twilight Town. Temporary. A lie to hide his eyes from the truth, and inevitably gone when reality caught up to him. For that matter, it had been the same in the Organization...spending time with Axel and Xion when he knew it was all going to end one day.

His gaze lost to the depths of the blue past, Roxas slowly came to the realization that he was afraid of losing this, too.

[axeldangerflynn]

At least you know him. He relayed as he shuffled down the hall, holding onto the strap of the bag hooked over his shoulder, the still stiff uniform annoying his arms at the lack of movement it ensued. At least you won't have to meet someone new, try to get along with them. Still something in his gut riled and he frowned to himself. How would sharing a room with Roxas end up? He knew the past was the past, but still...some people had trouble getting over it.

He looked back at the map the guidance conselor had given him, making sure he was in the right place. He looked up at his dorm room door, sighing inwardly. He could always go back and stall for a few minutes and get some air, get this nervousness out of his system.

Yep, the fearless Axel Danger Flynn was nervous.

He relayed his options mentally as he glared at the dark wooden door. He leaned his head forward in frustration, massaging his temple. Since he was here, he might as well just do it. He bit his lip, using his free hand to turn the knob and push the door open.

He looked at the small room, two beds on either side, the window open and the blonde gazing out of it. He shut the door, setting down his backpack next the other bags that he'd had shipped. He frowned, trying to piece together his thoughts coherently.

Making a grin expand over his face, he gathered up his wits, "Yo."

[Roxas]

The intrusion jolted Roxas out of his thoughts and the bauble he was rolling precariously between finger and thumb leapt out of his hand like a fleeing insect and bounced under the bed. "Oh--Axel! Hey!" he said brightly, turning. That didn't happen. Just ignore it. But he had a feeling Axel had noticed, so in a quick flash of motion he bent and seized the blue orb up again. "Looks like you found the room okay. Whadd'you think?" He started to toss it up and catch it casually, but somehow he was still shaken and it nearly slipped out of his fingers again. He slipped it back into his pocket and gestured to the TV equipped with DVD player and door into the bathroom. "They sure gives us a ton of stuff, even if the food's not great. I mean we can probably even cook stuff here," he added, moving to examine the mini-kitchen. "There's not a stove...but, well." The blond shot Axel a suggestive, mischievous look.

[axeldangerflynn]

Placing a hand on the nape of his neck, he laughed nervously, "Sorry for scaring you."

Looking around, a smirk plastered itself almost magically on his sharp face, "Woah, shit!" He poked the DVD player curiously, "This TV is really tight!" He looked back, pulling off his stiff brownish coat, laying it on the bed that still was untouched, obviously his. "How much do we have to pay for this damn apartment, Jesus. This is not a dorm." He stressed te syllables of the last sentence, grinning at Roxas' fire hint.

"Woah, don't decide that too soon. If I try to cook your toast for you and you complain that it's burnt, I don't even wanna hear it." he laughed, tapping his temple, "Remember that."

[Roxas]

Roxas snickered. "Yeah, I got it memorized." He turned back to the kitchenette, running a finger over the counter top that really wanted to be marble. He hadn't really thought about the cost, he'd just wanted to follow Axel, and with munny as plentiful as it was it hadn't been hard to rack up the initial fees and down payments.

He'd gotten his wish and they were both here now, shadow-people with shadow-memories and shadow-lives. Thinking of it like that was like peeling back a pretty veil to find an ugly truth, like finding something to contradict the history books, like looking at the inside of the human body.

Something inexplicable happened.

Roxas felt like he was getting a headache, just like back in the old mansion, and suddenly he was seizing the counter in a death grip like he thought the world would fall away. There was an unrelentingly spooky sensation in his gut, the thought resounding through his head that everything I am is about to end right now.

"Axel..."

He wasn't sure why he said it. Maybe because that was the only thing he felt like he could reach out to in this moment where everything was upside down.

Then his thoughts took shape, and he addressed the one thing that still hung between them--the one thing that Roxas should not, under any circumstances, bring up--the one thing that could still ruin all of this.

"Axel...I'm...sorry I left you. Before."

[axeldangerflynn]

Watching Roxas, Axel's grin slowly faded, and he narrowed his eyes in thought. Why were things so tense between them? Axel wanted this to end, he wanted to fit together their thoughts, patch up this giant hole they had in their friendship. Axel didn't care about anything but now. The present was all that mattered. He wanted to start a new life, put everything scheming and lying and decieving behind him. That's not how he wanted to be anymore.

As Roxas seized up against the counter he stepped forward hesitantly, not knowing what to do until he heard the faint whisper of his name and he moved closer, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Axel...I'm...sorry I left you. Before."

His breath cracked and he smiled hopelessly, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, closing his eyes tightly, "Hey...I'm not holding you accounted for anything, remember? Stop worrying about it, okay? Best friends don't hold grudges. We are best friends, right?"

[Roxas]

Roxas stiffened slightly when he felt Axel's hand on his shoulder but didn't shrink away, and his best friend's words made a quiver go through that promised a sob. He didn't let it happen, though, setting a hand that shook slightly on Axel's wrist and squeezing. "Yeah. I just...I'm worried I hurt you." The blond hesitated. To a Nobody, that sounded as silly as if he were worried Axel might be a three-headed guard dog. "I mean--I don't know."

He turned away from the counter and slipped his arms around Axel's waist without hesitation, crushing the redhead to him like he was afraid Axel might disappear in the next second. "I missed you. That's all I know. And...I don't want to have to do that again." He started to say something else, but there was a lump in his throat, choking him--and he got stuck thinking in circles to figure out where it had come from.

[axeldangerflynn]

Feeling the tighteness on his wrist, the tighteness around his waist, he looped the remaining arm around Roxas' shoulder, resting his chin gently on the top of his head,

"Of course I was hurt. Who wouldn't be? But I'm just glad that you didn't completely toss me away, leave me forever. Just to come back, even if you were harsh or anything I still would have been happy. Especially to know..."

He smiled happily, "...that you missed me." That was something that made the feeling deep in his gut go away. He wasn't nervous anymore...to know how Roxas felt too.

"I just...felt like there was nothing worth it after you left. "

[Roxas]

The blond let out a bitter laugh, pulling away when it felt like it'd been long enough. He was showing a side of himself he didn't often show, and he knew Axel'd poke fun later. While that didn't bother him, he still didn't want to turn all weepy. "I...guess that makes sense. We wasted a lot of time with that bunch." A quick hand got rid of what felt like a tear, hopefully before Axel saw it, and he met his best friend's gaze with a grin.

Then he fell silent. For Axel to accept him this easily, let it all just fall by the wayside, he had to either be too laid back for his own good...or truly care for Roxas to the point that the rejection was insignificant. Despite what he knew about Nobodies, Roxas believed in the latter. "You're...a better friend than I really deserve, Axel. Thanks for that."

[axeldangerflynn]

Smiling again in that mischeivious way he did, Axel ruffled his hair, "Whatever, kid. You don't have to deserve me to be my friend, and the same goes for me."

He felt there was something he needed to say...but he couldn't exactly point out what it was.


(Now this is what I call EPIC FAAAAIILLL~)

[Roxas]

The blond ducked his head with a smile to hide its true intensity. Axel would say something like that. "...Yeah. You're right."

There was a pause, and Roxas caught it out of the corner of his eye when Axel's mouth moved like he was about to say something else. He looked up, but Axel didn't go on and the moment was over. Even if Roxas still felt warm and fuzzy inside.

"This is really great, y'know?" he said with sudden life, his spirit lifting as he realized just what they had before them without the threat of Axel's anger or pain. "I mean, now we don't have the whole Organization to worry about and we can just...be." He hesitated. It sounded like a sin to say that without truly existing, but he didn't take it back. "I mean, the sky's the limit here! If only Xi..." No. No. Mentioning Xion right now would just drag up even more old problems and remind Axel of another hurt. "...We're starting over. This is...this is gonna be our next life, Axel."

That sounded gay as hell.

He pushed off from the counter, hands wandering back to his pockets, to hide a blush. "And I'm not signed up for any more classes today. If you're not either, maybe we could go grab ice cream once we're settled in? Or, y'know, play some video games or something."

Dammit.

Roxas was trying too hard to act normal, and it showed.

[axeldangerflynn]

"Mmn," Axel responded quietly, leaning against the counter. What was it he wanted to say? He glared at his shoes until Roxas spoke up again, looking at him.

He listened as the other spoke, his breath hitching when it paused on Xion's name. He wanted so desperately to leave the past behind and just be normal for a change. But how could he if it kept popping back up again and again? Why was Roxas so bent out of shape about it? It's not like he needed pieces filled in...and they'd had their share of conversation and emotional moments over the whole ordeal.

He shook his head. Forget it. Forget. It. Let it go, man.

He watched as a blush crept over the boy's face. So he wasn't the only one who had gotten a little flustered over the earlier 'moment'.

"I dunno...I kind of want to get out of this place, yanno?" Damn fucking straight. Now matter how big the room was, he still felt the awkwardness seeping through it the farther Roxas walked away. The air felt tight somehow...stifling. "I'm treatin', remember?"

[Roxas]

Axel looked as awkward as he felt, but the Flurry seemed able to keep it out of his voice. So Roxas cast a grin back over his shoulder at his best friend. "True. Not to mention we're gonna be stuck in here a while, so we might as well take our time getting used to it." He squatted briefly, going through his things for ID and the cell phone he'd picked up from Twilight Town. Precious few people actually knew the number, Axel among them, and he didn't really expect to be called--but if Sora started having a life crisis his other wanted to be by his side.

"So...we heading out?" he asked, looking up to see if Axel needed to grab anything. Something occurred to him then--wasn't this kind of like a date...? "Should we as..." No. As close as he was to Sora, hearing Axel say those words...no. It was time to bond again, build back the old bridges, and Sora wasn't a part of that. "Er...never mind. Sorry," he added, shaking his head once in embarrassment.

[axeldangerflynn]

"Yeah...." He nodded in agreement, watching him as he trifled through various objects he'd brought. One of them being his cell phone...

"Aw, shit!" He said as he smacked his forehead. His cell had gotten taken up in second block when he'd tried to text Roxas. "Dammit, that scary black-haired lady took my phone and I need to to see about getting it back, but right now...I can wait I guess."

"Yeah, as far as I know," He said as he loosened his tie a small bit, "Do you know if we have to keep the uniforms on when we go off the grounds?" He stood in thought, swiveling his head back to look at him, "Should we as what?" He asked.

[Roxas]

Roxas looked up at Axel's outburst in alarm, figuring he'd dropped something or hurt himself for a second, but at the mention of the phone the blond held out his with a grin. "I've got mine if anybody really needs to get in touch with us. Anyone who needs to get in touch with you'll call me if they can't reach you anyway, right?" He slipped it back into his pocket.

"Do you know if we have to keep the uniforms on when we go off the grounds? Should we as what?"

The blond balked a little, quick to concentrate on the first question. "Uh, I doubt it--figured I'd change anyway. Lemme do that real quick and we'll go, okay?" he said a little faster than was strictly necessary, seizing up his black shirt and pants from Twilight Town. He ducked into the closet, closing the door on his finger with a sharp hiss. "FFFFffffnnngh..."

He fell silent.

Then his voice rose hesitantly. "There. Aren't any lights in here?" Bizarre! Shouldn't they've thought of that? But that meant he'd have to change back with Axel--who was probably wondering why he was being so abrupt and...

Dammit.