Househunters

[flared]

Who:) and Roxas (coolerthansora)
When: Some time later in the afternoon
Where: Axel and Roxas' apartment
Style: Prose, but I'll follow whatever's cool with you, bro
Status: Closed

After taking a day for himself to just... sort out his thoughts related to quite a few things, Axel heads back home late one evening and immediately crashes in his bedroom, barely moving until he finally stirs later on in the afternoon the following day. It's clear he was exhausted especially after all those nights not following a proper sleeping schedule, but now he feels... a little better rested, all things considered.

Deciding that he'd rather not wear his coat today, Axel opts for a simple tank top and a pair of jeans then walks out into the living room where he spots all three of the baby chocobos sitting on the couch together. Well... he supposes they're not really babies anymore since they're more or less the size of watermelons now. They can't burrow in his hair and they can't all fit in the bathtub with Roxas in there with them and when they try to play around on the floor they usually end up bumping into things and knocking them over on accident.

... Hm. Maybe it's about time he discussed something with Roxas.

Thinking it, he walks over to the couch to pat each chocobo on the head before he makes his way over to Roxas' room. He hasn't seen Roxas in a little over a day now, so he really should show his face.

"Yo, Roxas. You in there?"

Comments

[flared]

Demyx and Faris? Huh, he supposes it would be nice to do a little bit of searching around there to start. Shoving his hands into his pockets, Axel glances off in that general direction.

"Hmm... I guess they do kinda like the park, don't they?" he asks as he looks off in the opposite direction again. "Maybe we can start there and slowly make our way over."

[coolerthansora]

"That works," Roxas agrees, turning for the park and motioning the chocobos along. "C'mon, guys." They know which direction this is, so it doesn't really require encouragement. They're going to the park!

After a little while, Roxas finally has to say something. "So- it seems like it helped, getting away for a bit."

[flared]

The chocobos waddle along behind Roxas but at one point it looks like Isa wants to take the lead, moving up ahead of him since he knows where he's going and totally wants to show this off. Axel grins as he watches but then Roxas brings that up and he awkwardly looks away.

"Yeah... It was nice." He needed that time to sort out his feelings, he supposes. Feelings. Hm. "Sorry if I worried you at all."

[coolerthansora]

Roxas slows his step just a bit for Isa to get ahead, smiling at the little chocobo's attempt at a confident strut.

"I wasn't worried 'cause of that. There's been a lot going on lately, and- I want you to be able to sort it out."

[flared]

Axel knows that a little break for a day had been good for him, but at the same time the fact that he had to take a break at all bothers him. Is he really that weak? But he doesn't say anything about that and just nods, turning his head to face forward again.

"So, did you do anything while I was gone?"

[coolerthansora]

"Sora came over to play video games," Roxas says. He hesitates, because he knows Axel isn't going to like it, but then adds, "Vanitas, too."

[flared]

Aw, man, he missed out on video games? Those are always fun... when he's not getting super competitive and pushing at people to try and get them to mess up. But even that can be fun sometimes.

There's a pause, however, at the mention of Vanitas and Axel glances over at Roxas with a clear look of disapproval. "Did he invite himself?"

[coolerthansora]

Axel wouldn't need to get that competitive with the wonder twins. Video games are not their forte.

"He always invites himself." Roxas thinks on that for a second. "D'you think if we actually invited him, he wouldn't want to come? You know, just to be- contrary."

[flared]

Axel kicks a bit at the ground. He doesn't particularly like the idea of Vanitas being that close to Sora and Roxas considering what he's capable of... but if Roxas is still in one piece and unharmed now, then surely things turned out all right. Right?

"Mm, probably," he says with a shrug. "But if he doesn't want to, then I'd be fine with that, you know."

[coolerthansora]

"He's not that bad these days," Roxas says, trying to put Axel a little more at ease about it. "Sora just really doesn't get along with him 'cause he's always acting like a jerk."

[flared]

Folding his hand behind his head, Axel turns his attention towards the sky. Come to think of it, he hasn't interacted with Vanitas in a long while... but that still doesn't mean he couldn't be up to some kind of mischief. Man. Someone really should keep a leash on certain people in this place.

"I can imagine," he says with a sigh. "They're also practically mirror images of each other. It must be weird having to talk to someone like that and have them be so different, you know?" Like if he were to find his Other one of these days. Axel can only imagine how strange that would be.

[coolerthansora]

It was a joke, but Roxas did suggest the leash idea to Kimblee.

"I think it still bugs Sora a lot, but... I dunno, I guess I've kind of gotten used to it." Roxas scratches his head and adds, "At least they don't look as much alike as me and Ven."

[flared]

Axel shrugs as he turns a corner and spots a row of houses just up ahead. Excited, the chocobo chicks run along, leaving quite a bit of space between themselves and their pseudo-parents.

"Yeah. At least Ven isn't even around for mixups to happen, right? --Ah, hey! Slow down, kiddos!" Axel picks up the pace now since the chicks have run pretty far ahead.

[coolerthansora]

"Yeah, that would've been awkward." Ven wasn't around long, but even in that short time it'd been weird having to correct people when they got the name wrong.

Roxas gives a start as the chocobos take off and Axel after them. "Ah, jeez!" He runs after so he doesn't get left behind. He didn't think the chicks would get this excited over houses, but... well, they're young, they get excited about a lot of things.

[flared]

Axel chases after the chicks before at one point Sunset runs in front of Popcorn and ends up tripping, causing the two of them to go tumbling to the ground. MOTHERLY INSTINCTS AHOY.

As soon as he reaches them, Axel crouches down to untangle them and check that they're not hurt. Isa, meanwhile skids to a stop just ahead so he can waddle back over and see what all the ruckus is about. "Geez, you guys need to take it easy or you're gonna get yourselves in some real trouble."

[coolerthansora]

Roxas catches them up and leans down, hands on his knees, to check the two birds. They look like they're doing just fine, their feathers just a little ruffled.

"You guys gotta learn how not to be such klutzes. You're gonna have a lot of room to run around and not bump into each other."

[flared]

Axel settles the chicks back upright so they can waddle over to Isa and keep moving forward, albeit more carefully and slowly than before, then as he stands up Axel snickers to himself.

"They take after you in that aspect."

[coolerthansora]

"What?" Roxas straightens. "I'm not a klutz."

Sure, sometimes if he's startled he might knock into things or fall over, but most of the time he has really good balance! ...doesn't he?

[flared]

"Yeah, yeah, sure," says Axel just as narrowly misses bumping into a lamp post on the side of the street. Uh. He meant to do that. Straightening up, Axel pretends as if nothing happened at all then follows after the chocobos once again. Hmm... there sure are bigger houses here.

"Think we should just work out way down the row and see which one we like best?"

[coolerthansora]

Roxas wasn't looking directly at him, so he misses exactly what it was Axel almost did, but that didn't look like nothing, mister. He peers suspiciously at his friend, but doesn't say anything about it.

"Yeah, sure. They already seem to like the neighborhood." They may have to slow the chocobos down so they can actually have a good look around.

[flared]

Nodding, he glances over to his immediate left at the first unoccupied house then with a nudge of his head he starts to head toward the front door.

"C'mon, you guys! Quit fooling around and get over here," he calls out to the chicks who promptly waddle over, following obediently at Axel and Roxas' heels. They really are their kids, aren't they. Anyway, once he's at the door Axel goes ahead and pushes it open, later holding it so Roxas and the chocobos can step in first. "Ladies first."

[coolerthansora]

Roxas stays put on the front step, fixing his friend with a Look. "I hope you're talking to Popcorn."

Already heading inside with the other two chicks, Popcorn gives a chirp on hearing her name. Well, the one they think is a lady went first, so Roxas guesses he can follow now.

[flared]

Oh, that's right, huh. They've kind of been sticking to the idea of Popcorn being a girl. It's hard to tell with birds, chocobos in particular since they're just so... puffy and squirmy. But either way, it doesn't matter.

"Maybe, maybe not." As soon as they're all inside Axel places his hands on his hips and starts glancing around. Hm. There's quite a bit of open space in here, certainly more than their apartment, that's for damn sure. "Wow. We don't even have a lot of stuff to fill up all this space, now that I think about it."

[coolerthansora]

The chocobos spread out into the open space, exploring it in their own way--pecking at the carpet and flapping up to look out the windows.

"I thought we were gonna fill it with pillows," Roxas says, following the birds into what he thinks is meant to be the living room. There is a lot of space.

[flared]

Axel laughs as he walks through the living room, following the chocobos as they curiously wander about. "We can reserve one room for pillows. Where are we gonna find all the pillows to fill up almost an entire house, anyway?"