driftfleet | mingle a little Mor tonight

[Axel kind of stumbles, pinwheeling one arm to catch himself and then just giving Riku a strange look. His expression teeters between distrust and something like yearning, and for a moment the dance is forgotten. He hadn't forgotten that Riku was guilty of a lot of the same things he is, he just... isn't quite able to see himself in the same league as Riku. Riku was manipulated and led astray by people who knew exactly what strings to pull to get him to cooperate, but Riku was good, inescapably so. Anybody could see that.

[Axel had been manipulated, too, but how much of that had been because he'd let himself be manipulated? He'd accepted Xemnas' preaching about their lack of hearts and feelings, and now Riku was saying that they'd been regrowing hearts the whole time. He'd turned his back on Isa a long time ago, when Saïx had proven to be too different from his old friend to be worth fighting for. Axel's sins were his own to bear, and he wasn't sure throwing his lot in with the Keyblade Brigade was enough to atone for them.

[Does that mean it's not worth it to even try, though?]

Look, I'm not... [He looks down and away and then realizes the dance is over and he's still standing there holding Riku's hand, and he gives a vicious start and pulls his hand back, fidgeting.] All I'm saying is, I dunno if wanting to change is enough, okay? I'm through with Xemnas, but that doesn't make me a hero. Aren't you worried I'd betray you, too, if somebody made me a better offer?

Edited 2015-03-24 04:35 (UTC)

You didn't just want to change, you did change.

[ he says it with a frown, letting his hand fall back to his side and crossing his arms. and then; ]

I'm not worried you'll betray us.

[He stares at him a moment, like he's searching for something out of place, something misaligned, a mistake. Riku just says it so plainly, it's like he really believes it. ... He does believe it, so far as Axel can tell (hey, a good liar can always sniff out another one), and that's just flabbergasting. After everything he's done and all the crap he gave Sora, Riku actually does trust him not to betray him.

[Why does that give him a weird feeling in his chest, like his ribcage is too small? Ugh.

[The music queues up for another song, and Axel scratches the back of his head awkwardly.]

I won't, okay? [His voice is kind of small, but sincere.] Even if I learned it too late, Roxas taught me a lot, and... I wanna do right by him. I wanna see him again, and I want to have something good to tell him when I do. [He holds his hand out--no, not for a dance, silly, to shake.] So I'll help you. I'm still surprised you're so willing to accept that, but I'll take what I can get.

[ more dancing??? :D

riku's seriousness evaporates--and he smiles, really smiles. he thought he'd lost lea as a friend, as an ally. but... that wasn't true. if lea could be a friend, so could axel. he was still himself at heart (ha, ha).

he reaches out, grabbing his hand. ... and definitely dragging him back on the floor. ]

Good. I'm sure you'll see him again--when I dove into Sora's heart, I saw him. He's still himself.

[Wait what no that wasn't for more dancing omg. Axel stumbles as Riku pulls him back out into the crowd of dancers and makes an awkward squawking noise.]

Wait, Riku, I wasn't--

[He cuts himself off at what Riku says next, kind of stunned.]

You saw him? [Inside Sora's heart? He guesses that makes... well, as much sense as can be made of the situation.] So he's... he's actually all right, then? [Something in him had worried terribly that Roxas had been lost inside Sora. After Roxas had returned to Sora's heart, Sora hadn't shown any signs of recognizing Axel at all, and Axel had feared that there was nothing left of Roxas.] What'd he say? [~~Is he still angry?~~]

[ he doesn't recognize the squawk, but he does see his worry. ]

He's actually okay. [ he near-echoes, and nods as he lifts his hand for axel to turn. ]

I didn't really talk to him long. He just asked, 'What are you so afraid of?'. When I answered, he was gone. [ he shakes his head. ]

[He makes a sort of frustrated noise--really? We're seriously dancing again?--and then just makes the turn like he's supposed to. It's easier than arguing about it.

[That's not really the answer he wants. He wants Riku to tell him that Roxas was happy and had clearly forgiven everything. He wants him to tell him there is a definite way to save him. We can't always get what we want, though, and he knows this. This is better than nothing.]

Sounds like Roxas: always asking questions. [He gives Riku a curious look.] What was your answer?

[ the reply is so blatant that riku swears he should've seen it coming, but he hadn't. he nearly freezes when he hears him ask that and a couple bumps into him--he tenses, flinching away t first. suddenly, he seems more frazzled than he was before. ]

Ugh, typical.

[He notes the way Riku flinches sharply when he bumps into the other pair of dancers, and he's starting to think it's not just a reaction to him. It's interesting--he knows Riku's a very capable combatant and could probably take out this whole square without breaking a sweat, so what's with the quailing away when someone gets too close?

[He quirks his mouth to one side and pulls Riku back into step.]

What? You answered him, didn't you? I'm just curious, is all.

[ of all things, riku doesn't expect axel to pull him back in. startled, he blinks, and then lets his eyes draw away. ]

... losing what's important to me.

[Don't ever say he's not a good sport, Riku.

[He doesn't actually expect him to answer. He asked because he is curious, but if he knows anything about Riku it's that he tends to keep his cards close to his vest. So when he does respond, his voice quiet and his eyes turned away, Axel just frowns a little.

[He knows how that feels. Axel has lost the things that are important to him, on more than one occasion. He lost his heart, his home, his best friend three times--wait, three? His steps falter for a moment, and he shakes his head. Twice. He lost his best friend... twice. He knows how scary it can be to lose something that important, so it's an answer he can relate to.]

I didn't teach him that, you know. [He ventures a hint of a grin, waiting for Riku to turn.] Roxas learned how to be nosy all on his own.

[ riku turns dutifully, totally not realizing that they've switched their roles. he's too used to being too short and having to follow rather than lead. ]

Too late, I already blame you.

[Eyeroll.]

Yeah, yeah, take a number, slick.

[He has to grin a bit as Riku seems not to realize that he took over the lead. This dance is pretty easy, it's basically the same as last time, and when Riku bumped into the other people dancing, Axel just picked up where he'd left off. He doesn't even seem to notice, though, which is funny to him. He'll just keep it up until he realizes, or the song ends, whichever comes first.]

I won't tell anybody, okay? Sheesh, I'm not a snitch, I can keep a secret. I was just curious.

How come you can get on my bad side in a second?

[ riku frowns, finally just looking at axel in the eye, studying him. ]

No one else can do that. I don't talk to anyone else like this.

Whoa, hold the phone. [He shakes his head.] I was not aiming to get on your bad side; you've already kicked my ass a few times, remember? Getting Keybladed in the face is never on my to-do list; got it memorized?

[He takes a step to the left and turns, then waits for Riku to follow before he frowns a little.]

I-I dunno. Maybe I'm just charming. [He scrunches his nose.] I wasn't even using like my hardcore interrogation methods on you or anything.

[Like he has any.]

Huh--

No, no, that's not... [ riku sighs, and flickers his gaze down. ] That's not what I meant. I mean that you get me to talk back. I guess... bicker, kind of? It's not like I'm actually angry [ he sounds a little exasperated at that ] so don't worry. I don't attack allies, anyway.

... if you use any interrogation methods, use them on Xehanort. [ huff. ]

Ah. I think maybe the word you're looking for is 'engage'. [He holds up one hand and wags his finger at him.] I know you aren't a big talker--it doesn't take much observation to see that--but somehow, perhaps through my keen sense of wit, I manage to engage you anyway. [He grins a bit then.] I think you want to talk, honestly, but you don't wanna bother the people around you with what you have to say. So you wait for somebody to press before you say much.

[ keen sense of wit?

riku looked at him with an incredulous expression, and opened his mouth to retort--

but when he said that, his eyes widened. he felt his throat get drier, and shook his head slightly before he shoved him. ]

You're wrong. [ he was right. impossibly, irrevocably right. ]

[Axel knows he's hit the nail on the head when Riku gives him a shove, and he turns away sharply to avoid colliding with someone as he backpedals. He's always been observant, it's something he can't really help. He just notices things when he's talking to people: the way their eyes skirt to the side when they're being dishonest, the way their hands clench into fists when they're trying to hide their anger, the way their shoulders hunch when they're uncomfortable. He's learned to read people like books, and though he's only seen a handful of excerpts from Riku's pages, they're enough to get a good idea of the story they tell. He's pretty sure he's not wrong at all.

[That doesn't mean he's going to be a jerk about it, though. Sure, Axel is a jerk, but he knows when to keep his more caustic tendencies in check. He really does want to try and get to know Riku--he likes him better as an ally than an enemy. Maybe they could even be friends one day. Stranger things have happened, right?

[They've both fallen out of step with the dance, now, and as the couple behind Riku makes a turn, Axel reaches out and grabs the front of Riku's vest, tugging him forward so the woman doesn't clock him in the head with her arm as she moves. She gasps as she realizes she almost hit him, and covers her mouth in embarrassment, making a rushed apology before turning back to her partner. Axel gives him a thin frown and makes a gesture to one side.]

We should really get out of the way if we're done dancing.

[ at the near-collision and being pulled forward, riku's face is beet red.

dear light, he seriously needs to keep his emotions in check. at least he doesn't have to worry about his darkness going haywire here... ]

Y-yeah, you're right. [ he mumbles; when there's an opening, he starts walking off the dance floor.

this is so embarrassing. ]

[Oh for crying out loud. Riku, you're so dramatic. He just looks kind of sad, though, and Axel doesn't like it. As Riku turns to leave, he scoffs and grabs him by the elbow, pulling him back and stepping to the left.]

Finish the dance, you lunkhead, I know you want to.

[He shakes his head then.]

Look, I know I'm bad at this, okay? I just... thought if we're gonna be allies, we should probably get to know a little about one another. I wasn't trying to piss you off.

[A pause, and then he straightens his shoulders and makes a gesture like he's writing on his palm with one fingertip.]

Today I learned that Riku likes dancing. [He glances at him and then looks away.] I'll commit it to memory.

[ he frowns when axel drags him back, almost looking like he's about to say 'what now?' he steps with axel to try and keep up the dance, exasperation and embarrassment turning to surprise. wasn't he the one whining because riku wanted to dance?

ugh... ]

You weren't... [ he starts, a little weakly, but then axel mimics writing on his hand and riku actually laughs.

what a nerd... after his laughter peters out and he comes back into the dance, he looks thoughtful. ]

I dance when I'm stressed, if there's music. Sora's asleep again, figures... so when I saw this...

[ his voice trails off, and his shoulders sag as he sighs. ]

He's too bright, you know? His Light. I know if he was awake, he'd pull me into this, and if he heard I ignored it, he'd just frown at me for ages. Even when he's asleep he's got this way of making you not wanna disappoint him.

Do you get that? [ he peers up at axel now. ] With Roxas.

Oh, so you can laugh after all. I was starting to wonder.

[The story makes him grin a little, but the question surprises him. He frowns a moment, sort of lost for words, then moves to the right as the dance continues.]

Roxas was... like paper, in a way. Every new thing he learned was like a crease that he wore every day, you could see every one of them, even after the paper was unfolded again. Sometimes...I worried he'd tear if there were too many creases. I didn't want to be the one to make that last fold.

[Unfortunately, it was not telling him that made him tear, and Axel knows it.

[It doesn't exactly answer the question, but it's about as close as he's willing to get.]

Of course I can laugh, you're just not funny.

[ riku bounces back quickly with a little smirk, but it fades.

in the end, he gives a frustrated groan. ]

I think I get it? I'm not good with metaphors.

Oh come on, I'm hilarious, you just need to learn about sarcasm.

[Axel sighs softly at Riku's confusion. He knows he does this: he draws obscure metaphor and sideways analogies when he's trying to avoid something, but somehow it feels like cheating this time. Avoiding the issue was what got him in trouble in the first place, and here he's doing it again.

[He turns to the right and brings his feet together as the dance ends and the music stops, and the group around them claps for the musicians. He presses his lips together and frowns a bit, then sort of wrings his hands.]

I think I'm the one who taught Roxas what disappointment is. [There's a finality to his voice, and he shakes his head then.] So yeah, even though he's not here anymore, I don't wanna be a disappointment again.

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