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AkuRoku - The Pajama Virgin - Chapter 1

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Chapter One: The Dragon Hunting Virgin

"Guess what I got?" A happy voice, obviously filled with excitement, asked. The random outburst had surprised me, for my nose was buried in my copy of Flowers for Algernon and I hadn't see the blue-tights-and-orange-shirt-wearing-Xion approach my school desk.

"Skyrim!" She squealed before I even had a chance to guess.

"I used to play Skyrim like you," Riku had turned around in his seat diagonal from mine, "but then I took an arrow to the knee."

"Shut up Riku, you're such a fag sometimes," Xion said, clasping the back of the chair in front of mine with her crackled black nails as she plopped herself down in it's seat.

"How'd you get Skyrim?" I asked, marking my book by folding the page, "You don't have that kind of money."

"Fuck you I don't have that kind of money!" Xion said, crossing her right leg over her left in the chair that didn't belong her.

"Hey, watch the language," Riku said in fake seriousness. He had these horribly ugly green headphones around his neck, and his long wispy bangs were like curtains over his eyes.

"Seriously, how did you get it?" I asked. The two of us had been planning on splitting our money in order to share custody of the new Elder Scrolls game, and I knew Xion was a compulsive spender with a low income rate.

"An early birthday gift."

Oh, right… I had completely forgotten. It would January 13th in less than a week. How in the world did I forget the birthdate, which I had been celebrating for more than ten years, of my best friend? Well, technically I didn't forget, I just hadn't thought of it yet.

"So whataya say Rox? Sleepover at your house this weekend so we can test this bad boy out?" Xion had leaned her head extremely close to mine, and I was able to see the small individual sparkles in her eye shadow. Her eyes were blue, shimmering, and starring right into mine.

"Uh," I stammered, the amount of time it was taking to look at her orange eye shadow taking longer than I'd ever expect, "sure. Sounds great. I've been looking forward to playing it."
"I still can't believe your parents let you guys sleepover," Riku had now turned his entire body so that he was facing the two of us.

"… Why wouldn't they?" I asked innocently. I was a complete moron sometimes.

"Dude, coed sleepovers? Doesn't usually fly well with the parents of teenagers. You two though… lucky as shit! I wish my mom let girls stay the night," Riku chuckled to himself, adjusting the obnoxious amount of bracelets on his right arm.

"Don't you mean boys?" Xion teased. "Besides," she added, "I'm convinced my parents think I'm a total lesbian."

"You're not a lesbian," I said.

"How do you know?" She had turned completely around to face me, sitting on her knees and leaning her entire upper body on my desk. "For all you know, I love pussy."

"That's hot," said Riku. He could be a real douche.

"You know," I started to say, leaning my face closer to hers, "you should probably get out of that chair. Class is going to start soon and someone sits there."

"Oh yeah… that freaky kid, Axel or something like that. Don't worry, he's always late… what's that guy's problem anyway?" Xion said, removing her body from the entitled area that was my desktop.   

"That's not very nice…" I tried to defend the stranger while ignoring her question, but I didn't know how to continue that statement without sounding like a total dork.

Xion just shrugged in response, "I think he cuts himself." And with that she stood up and walked to the back of the classroom where her seat waited for her.

Now, I know what you're probably thinking; Xion is a rude girl with a foul mouth. I'll be the first to admit that, but I'll also have you know she didn't used to be like the way she is. You see, her parents got divorced three years ago, because her dad had cheated on her mom. I think they felt kind of badly for her, because they started becoming more lenient in letting her do whatever she wanted. In time, her Disney shirts became vibrant and oddly cut tops and the berets in her hair turned into streaks of unusual color. 'Crud' became 'crap' which became 'shit', and the F-word colorfully began to weave its way through almost all her sentences.
It wasn't that I didn't like her this way; I'll always like Xion, no matter what. She was and would always be my longest and closest friend… I just had less respect for her. She had corrupted right before my eyes.

The bell rang at its usually time of 7:40, not a minute sooner or later, and, just as Xion had predicted, that boy Axel was late.

He'd always come to school with red scars lashed across his cheek, hands in his jeans pockets, and a pocket watch chained to the inside of his jacket. He'd sit in a shadow of isolation during lunch and passing periods, occasionally peeking under his black coat, assumedly to check to time.
Once I approached him, with honestly good intention. All I wanted was to offer a companion, a conversationalist… a friend.

However, once I set my effort in motion, he stood up and left, dropping a switchblade out of his pocket by accident. I still have it… the switchblade I mean. It wasn't that I stole it... I wanted to be able to return it to him. Although, when I picked it up, I noticed carvings on the wall he had been sitting in front of. Random letters and angry words decorated the faded bricks that supported the building. I was afraid that if I returned it to him, he'd use it for bad intentions.

Axel McCullough was in 11th grade, but looked like he should've been a freshman in college. He had obviously been held back; at least a year, but I could never guess his real age. His body and face looked that of a young man, but he had the mental capacity and attitude of a child.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not calling him stupid. In fact, he was one of the brightest kids in our class. Sitting behind him in our anatomy class, I'd occasionally peak over his shoulder to see what grades he got on his tests. They were usually all A's, except once when there was an F with a note saying, "The work is right, but the answers are wrong. See me after class."

I know I sound like an asshole for judging the guy, but in reality, I kind of felt sorry for him. He had 'depression' written all over him, and I really wanted to know why he was so sad.

On this particular day, he had showed up twenty minutes late. He was wearing a black AC/DC graphic-tee over a long-sleeve shirt that happened to be the same color as Riku's headphones. However, the green looked much more appealing on Axel. Sometimes the imperfections on his face were covered with a skin colored makeup, but today, they were as red and proud as ever.
I guess our teacher was used to him being late, because he never says anything to Axel when he arrives. I remember at the beginning of the school year, he'd always give Mr. Rochester a note of some sort. Now things got by with a nod or exchange of eye contact. I guess the teacher had a conference with his parents or something and he was permanently excused for tardiness.

He dropped his worn khaki-colored shoulder bag to the ground and slid into the desk in front of me. He had a sort of deliciously smoky scent to him. The kind you get when you're at your neighbor's Fourth of July barbeque. I couldn't tell if he smoked or just ate a lot of meat.
His hands were boney and pale as they fiddling with each other nervously.
I start running my nail along the scab on my left arm. You may find this sort of nasty, most do, but I have this weird compulsive skin picking disorder. I usually don't even I notice I'm doing it until I start feeling blood trickling down my skin. My doctor says it's related to stress.
Anyway, my body was covered with these really gross little marks and wounds. I didn't particularly mind them, but they weren't by any means attractive.

I was focusing on how red Axel's hair was when out of nowhere a felt something small at plastic smack me on the arm. It was a pen and had been projected by Riku, who mouthed 'hi' when I looked up at him in response to the surprising writing utensil attack.

I should probably explain Riku's personality and our relationship before I continue. You see, was the kind of guy was a total asshole, but you couldn't hate him for it because he wasn't an ass in a mean way. He was just… cocky.
Next to Xion, he had to be my second best friend, despite how much the two of us made fun of him. He didn't mind, though. He's a good sport that way… he laughs and brushes off every insult every thrown at him. I envied him for that… but that was the only quality of his I wished I possessed. The rest of him was obnoxious.

I turned my attention back to Axel. Not to sound like a raging homosexual or anything, but there was something that really attracted me to him. He had a sort of mysterious energy to him. He was a safe with something valuable inside, and I really wanted to know the combination.
I had unofficially known of Axel for the last few years, he always went to my school, but he was always just another face in the crowd. It was as if he blended in with the background.

Until, one day, we spoke. It was nearing the end of ninth grade, and, I'll be completely honest; I don't even remember which class we were in. Talk about a memorable conversion. We were paired up for a project, and we just got to talking. He told me about all the different diseases he had, and ended with 'I'm also a hypochondriac'. I told him about my dyslexia, and he asked if I had to bring a laptop to school. I told him yes and admitted to saving up for a Macintosh.
Ever since then, I always noticed him. His crimson hair with the dark roots started to stand out in the hallways. I noticed when he had gotten his septum pierced, and I began to keep track of his wardrobe.
You know what's funny? We had only conversed for about half an hour, but it was the best conversation of my life. It felt so… natural. I didn't have to worry about if what I was saying was 'cool', 'lame', 'wrong', or 'right'. I just spoke freely and answered honestly. It felt good to talk to someone like that. I used to be able to talk like that with Xion, but after her attitude changed, I felt like I was mindlessly aiming to impress her.

A voice interrupted my train of thought. "Hey can I borrow a pen?"
The question had been uttered through a soft, yet high-pitched sharp voice. I looked up to see Axel's lime-colored eyes staring at me.
"Uh," I stammered, feeling nervous, for I just had been thinking about him, "sure." And out of politeness and my own guilt, handed him the pen Riku had just thrown at me.

"Thanks," he grinned. Before turning around, his eye had caught attention to my book. I had forgotten to put it away after the bell rang, and it was sitting lazily on the corner of my desk.

"Flowers for Algernon?"He said softly to himself, only it was more of a statement than a question, "I'd imagine that'd be hard for you to read."

"Huh?" I asked in confusion, a part of me subconsciously getting angry, for I mistook his words for disbelief of my intelligence.

"You're dyslexic. I'd imagine that book would be very difficult for someone with dyslexia," he said, cocking an eyebrow as if to mock me for getting upset.

"Oh!" I said, remembering my disability was not only known of him, but hadn't exactly been a secret to the rest of the student body either. "Uh, it was at first, but I've actually read it a few times. It's one of my favorites."

He squinted his eyes, and for a few seconds stared at my exposed arms. Eventually he nodded. "It's a good book," he shrugged, and then turned around to begin taking his notes on the skeletal system.

I bit my lip and continued working at that scab on my arm. I don't know what it was, but there was just something about Axel McCullough. I was almost longing to know him. I felt jealous of anyone I saw him talk to, wishing it were me, and even thought about him when I was bored. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I had a crush on the guy…. but that was absurd. I didn't crush on anybody… especially not other guys.
It wasn't that I was against being gay or anything, I just didn't consider myself to be, that's all. I wasn't shunning out the idea, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel a little awkward and uncomfortable. I usually deem myself as asexual, because the thought of sex never really appealed to me.

I was probably the only teenage boy on the face of this earth who didn't masturbate. To be honest… I still don't exactly know how. I didn't think about sex during lectures, have wet dreams, or fantasy about playboy models.
In fact, sex seemed gross to me. I don't know why… I just never saw the appeal to in people being completely exposed while rubbing their sweaty bodies together. I guess I'm just too awkward to have sex. I'm afraid of the faces I'd make.

It's times like this when I was thankful as hell no one could read your mind. Xion would have called me a fag and punched me in the arm. Riku would've laughed and sneered one of his typical 'douche bag asshole-y comments'. God knows what Axel would've done. Probably throw up or grimace in disgust, then never speak to me again. That was the last thing I wanted.

You probably don't really care much about what we did in that class that day… hell if I even remember. Something about the human body… it was anatomy after all.
You see, Mr. Rochester was a good teacher… he wasn't extraordinary, but he certainly wasn't bad. He'd crack a joke once in a while and didn't give us too much homework, but he was firm and strict at the same time. Not too much of an interesting person, but definitely tolerable.

I was glad to have him, unlike Xion. She'd always complain about his tactics, hated every word that composed of our homework, and usually blamed him for anything and everything that went wrong. She thought he hated her. I think she didn't study.

But I digress. Once class had ended that morning I, and the rest of my peers, sluggishly made our way to the next step of our personally unique, structured, everyday routine.
Xion and Riku didn't wait up for me, they never did. I didn't blame them though; they always bought bagels from the cafeteria at this time and had to run across campus before the line got too long. I'd usually meet up after I grabbing my books and they had received their piping hot rings of dough.

In fact, was just about to start my journey to my locker, when someone clasped their hands around my right arm, stopping me dead on my tracks.

"Did you do this?" Axel said, lifting my forearm to inspect my scars.

"Uh, yeah…" I stammered automatically, too surprised to even process a thought. "I, uh, have this thing-"

"Dermatillomania," he said, interrupting me, still looking in deep interest at my arm.

"Dermo-what-ia?"

"That thing? That's what it's called. Dermatillomania. It's a disorder," he said in all seriousness, finally making eye contact with me as he let go of my wrist.

The word disorder always sounds nasty, no matter what context it's in.
"How do you know about it?"

"I know about almost every type of disorder. It's… basically what I do in my spare time," he was scratching his neck in embarrassment, "I, um… I want to be a doctor for those kinds of people."

"What kind of people?" I said, finally able to wrap my mind around the fact that Axel and I were actually having a conversation in the middle of the hallway outside the science room.

"Ya'know… people with health problems linked to mental issues, mostly," he said, swaying his arms back in forth. I think he had some sort of involuntary movement problem, because every damn time I looked at him he never stopped moving.

"That's… really interesting…" I said reassuringly, mostly because it was true, but also because I didn't want to insult him and I didn't really have anything else to say. Why am I so goddamn awkward?

"So, like… is it from stress, or…?" he faltered, then quickly added, "You know, not that its any of my business or anything… I-I was just wondering."

"Oh, no, it's fine," I smiled, unknowingly picking at my hand, "Uh… I don't really know. My doctor says stress, but… yeah… I don't really know."

"Ah," he nodded with a smirk. It was sort of funny… the hallway was as crowded and noisy as ever, but I hadn't even taken that into consideration. In my mind, I could only hear what Axel was saying; everything else was like an inaudible muffle.

"So, uh… I guess I'll see you 'round, Roxas," he grinned uttering my name for the first time. His marked hands were still twitching like crazy. "Oh and uh," he dug a hand into his bag and retrieved something small and thin, "thanks for the pen."

He tossed me the writing instrument and walked away in the opposite direction. All I could do was just stand there, like a stationary island in a rambling sea of people. Could I really like Axel McCullough?

I shook that thought away, as if trying to ignore it would cease its existence. I needed to think of something else…. anything else. Xion… Riku… locker… bagels… Skyrim.
I had to meet up with them or they'd give me hell later. I readjusted my backpack strap on my shoulder and began to walk to the cafeteria.
I've developed a bad habit of submitting things at 1 in the morning.

Well here's chapter one... I guess that's kind of self explanatory. I hope you guys like it and still have interest in this story. The prologue received a lot of positive feedback, so, thank you very much for that.

Sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors. I honestly reread my stuff about 3 times before submitting it, and once it's up, I see, like, 500 errors.

As always, favorites, views, and comments are much appreciated. I really hope you guys enjoy my writing as much as I enjoy actually writing it. It's always a pleasure :heart:
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roorooluvskakashi's avatar
Haha, Xion has the same birthday as me~