He could feel the vodka finally start to affect his mind and settle into his system. He looked rather beautiful as he relaxed and let Brazil explore his hand. The smile never left and his cheeks were a faint pink hue thanks to the alcohol and the fact that there was a cute guy standing right in front of him. He shoved those thoughts away. People never liked him personally. They just liked his performances and nothing more. He wasn't good with people or emotions, so why was there a point in trying? "She's beautiful…" He murmured quietly. He had always liked snakes. Axel hummed and tilts his head. "Axel." He murmured quietly. "My name is Axel." The name was well known in some parts. He was an artist and a musician. But at the moment, he didn't feel like either. He just wanted to drink until his heart stopped aching and his mind went blank.
Kenji observed the male in front of him closely, occasionally glancing down and looking at Brazil to see what she was doing. He smiled at the comment about Brazil being beautiful. "She sure is. I feel like she knows she is too," he joked with a bit of laughter. When he was told the males name, he nodded his head. The name sounded a bit familiar to him, but he could not think of where he knew it from. "Well, it's good to meet you, Axel. You new in the area or something? We mostly get regulars here, and I don't think I've ever seen you before," he asked in a curious manner.
He smiled down at the snake, watching her carefully as he let the alcohol pulse through his system again. He nods a little bit at the others words. "She should." He smiled a little bit at the sight of her exploring his fingers. They were slender and calloused, hands of an artist and musician. Axel shook his head, "No… I've lived here for a while… but I haven't been to pubs or bars in ages…" He shrugged a little bit. He couldn't really remember the last time he had gone drinking. He knew that he drunk at home occasionally, but home was far and he didn't feel like grabbing a taxi. He glances back at the male and tilts his head, cuing that he was listening. He was always listening really, but of course, he was more intent on hearing the other. He wasn't one that talked a lot, but it was nice that someone was talking to him willfully.
"Ah, well, good to see you around here, then," Kenji hummed. He tilted his head as someone whistled, noticing that it was his cousin and a couple of his friends. "I'll be right back, yeah? I'm guessing Brazil will have to hang with you for a minute." He laughed as he said that last bit. A couple of the friends that were there disliked snakes, so he didn't bring Brazil over when they were around. He headed over to the group, pouring them drinks. His cousin handed him a little bag, and he looked down at it with a grin on his lips before stuffing it into his back pocket. He left the group and headed back over to Axel. He reached out, letting Brazil slither back onto his hand. "Sorry about that. Those are some friends and my cousin, had to pick something up from them. Hope Brazil didn't give you much trouble." The thing he had to pick up was a small plastic bag with a few grams of weed. He was a bit of a stoner, and was planning on smoking when he got off from work shortly.
He nods and smiles a little, glancing over at the group of people that had grabbed Kenji's attention. He nods a little bit, letting Brazil chill in his hand as he sipped at his vodka. He needed to focus on getting wasted and forgetting for now. He kept his attention on the snake in his hand. The smile never really left his face but he let it fall once again, feeling a little more content now, and certainly feeling the buzz. He let Brazil down and back onto the counter before glancing at Kenji and shaking his head. "No worries. You're working. She was no trouble at all." He waved his hand and hummed. It was honestly a miracle to him that Kenji was still chatting with him. He finished his drink and set the glass down. He really should be limiting himself as not to get a hang over, and vodka was some powerful stuff…
Kenji didn't really feel like speaking with anyone else in the bar at the moment. He could talk to his cousin and his friends, but he did not really feel like he wanted to at the moment. They were exhausting sometimes, and he felt like having a chill time. The newcomer at the bar could be a chill time. "You need a refill?" he asked when Axel finished his vodka. He leaned forward against the counter, glancing around to make sure none of the other people in the pub needed anything. He gently brushed his fingers over Brazil's head, feeling her scaly skin under his finger tips.
Axel hummed quietly and paused. "How many more drinks would you recommend in order to get drunk enough?" He murmured quietly. "I need a distraction." He murmured quietly. It was kind of nice how the other talked to him. Like he was normal. It was certainly different, but nice. He liked it. He glances up at the man in front of him before glancing down at the snake on the counter. She was certainly pretty… and so was her owner. He quickly shoved those thoughts from his head. "Or at least… I don't know. I haven't had a drink in a while…" He mutters quietly.
Kenji chuckled at the questions. “Well, for someone your size, I would say maybe.. two more?” he suggested with a tilt of his head. “You got a ride home at all, though?” He usually checked with people who came into the pub to see how they were getting home. If they were driving themselves, he would cut them off right away, give them water and something to snack on, and make them wait until they were obviously sobered up. If they were walking home or taking public transportation, he would keep a close eye on how they were acting. If they had a ride, he would sit back and let them go all out. With the way that Axel was wanting to get himself blacked out, he would make sure to get an answer before giving him anything else to drink that night.
He nods a little bit and hums, rubbing at his head. "Yeah… sounds good…" he murmured quietly. He paused at the question, it didn't even cross his mind that he needed to get home. It didn't even cross his mind… and it's not like he had someone to call. He could try his manager, but she would absolutely loose it if she found out he was drinking and he didn't want to deal with her high ass voice. "No… I don't." He murmured quietly. He was honest at least. He felt dread sink in his gut. Just another thing to add to the list. His home wasn't far, but it was far enough that walking would be a chore. Especially when drunk. He figured he could take some sort of other public transportation, but he didn't trust himself enough to make the right decision. Plus he had never taken public transportation, so he didn't know the first thing about it. He had always been driven by his manager. "God if my manager finds out she's gonna kill me." He hissed, resting his head on the counter. That ache wasn't gone, instead it felt more intense and it hurt. He didn't like letting his feelings out, he really didn't. He just wanted to get drunk and let the world go for once.
Kenji listened to Axel, watching him place his head down on the counter. The male was obviously stressed and not having the best night. He picked up Axel’s empty glass, filling it up a tad bit with more of the cherry vodka. “Here’s the deal,” he hummed. “Since you don’t seem to have any sort of way home and you seem like a decent guy, I’ll give you a ride home after my shift, yeah? I get off in like.. 45 minutes. And I’m cutting you off after this one.” He set the glass down in front of Axel, leaning down against the counter a bit. His brow had raised at the comment about his manager being mad. He assumed he was talking about a normal boss at a place of work. “Why would your boss be mad? Not like they have any way of knowing,” he said with a shrug.
Axel glances at the other, pausing for a moment when he saw more of the alcohol being poured before nodding slowly. "I… suppose… but- You barely even know me…" He murmured quietly. He glances at the alcohol but doesn't take it. "I don't want to impose on you." He sits up slowly and stretched a little. He chuckles and glances at the other. "Ah… my manager Avery is a woman of very strict taste… not to mention I don't really do a community job. She's more of my babysitter and schedule setter." He shrugged, the alcohol was helping him open up a bit more, and he was feeling a bit more lightheaded. "She doesn't like smoking, or drinking. Which is a pain, but she's a good manager, so I can't complain." He brushed a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. He wanted to forget, but he didn't have alcohol at home and he needed some sort of distraction or he was going to go mental.
When the point that they had just only met and barely knew each other came up, Kenji shrugged his shoulders. "This pub is a small community. Besides, you seem like a good person. What, you going to mug me or something?" he asked in a joking manner. He listened to Axel explain his manager with a frown on his lips. He wondered what Axel did for work and decided on asking him. "No smoking or alcohol? Well, you're breaking some of those rules it looks like. But what do you even do as a job if that's the influence she has over your life? Seems pretty weird to me." His managers had a say over his life, considering they were his grandparents and he was under their custody and care, but that was a special circumstance that most people were not in.
He snickered quietly at that and hummed, a small smile on his lips. "Nah… not to worry." He hummed and took another tiny sip of the vodka. "I'm practically harmless." He chuckles softly before tilting his head a little bit as he listened to the other ask questions about his job and his manager. He hummed, "She's been ruling over my life since I turned 17. Until I was 18 she was my legal guardian." He shrugged and took another sip of the vodka, swallowing before continuing. "I'm an artist and musician. She basically takes care of art shows and getting me into interviews, meet and greets, stuff like that. I had a performance tonight… but she had to leave early. Something was going down with her fiance. Normally she drives me home. But… I needed a drink so I wandered here." He settles his head on his hand for a moment, a tiny sigh leaving his lips.
Kenji chuckled as Axel assured him that he was no harm. He had assumed as much, but still thought it was a safe thing to clarify considering they were practically strangers. He listened to Axel describe his job, and his brows raised. An artist and musician? That must have been by Axel looked familiar to him- he most likely had seen something about him floating around online. “Wow, that’s pretty cool. What things do you play?” he asked. He enjoyed playing instruments, himself, so he was curious to know. “Stressful night, then?” He assumed it had to be if Axel had been willing to break his managers rules just because he wanted a drink.
Axel was smaller and skinnier than the man in front of him, it really would be hard for him to beat Kenji in a one on one so it wasn't like Kenji had much to fear. But he was right, they were practically strangers if anything. Life… was hectic to say the least. He rarely got to interact with people like this. He just wanted… for once, to be seen as a normal human being. He hummed and tilts his head. "Most of the time it's violin. That's what I play professionally at least." He shrugged. "I'm trained in a few other instruments though." He shrugged and scoffed quietly at the others words. "to say tonight was stressful is an understatement… I just want to forget it and continue with my life." He looked sad for a minute. "To forget would be nice." He finished off his vodka and pushed the glass away. He didn't want to think about it now. His gut just felt heavier and he felt lonelier than ever.
Kenji grinned at the mention of Axel playing violin. "For real? I grew up playing violin. I still have mine, even thought I don't get to play it that much. More into guitar at the moment," he hummed in a chatty sort of way. As Axel finished off his drink, he grabbed the glass and took a step to the side. He was still by Axel, but was now stood by a sink behind the bar so he was able to wash the glass. He was true to his word on that being Axel's last drink. "Well, vodka will do the trick then," he assured Axel.
Through the rest of the night, Kenji had gotten a bit more busy with people coming and going. So he could chat with other people, collect payment and tips, and serve drinks in a timely manner, he had left Brazil with Axel. That was partly to get her out of the way, but to also have someone to give her some attention- and Axel seemed to like her. After about 25 minutes of that, the bar was closed up and he grabbed his coat, heading over to Axel. "You ready to leave?" he asked, taking Brazil.
Axel listened intently as the other spoke, tilting his head a bit curiously. He watched as the glass he used was washed and dried off. He didn't like that it was his last drink of the evening, but he wanted to go home without his manager knowing he was drinking. He had the day off tomorrow. So he wouldn't have to worry about her nagging him. He ran a hand through his hair. But he didn't complain, he didn't even speak. He wanted more than anything to drink, just… anything to fill the damned hole in his gut. He tried his hardest to ignore the feeling.
Axel never dared bother Kenji, only speaking when spoken to but otherwise keeping quiet. He was glad that he could at least distract himself with Brazil. She was cute and he liked how sweet she was. He hadn't moved from his spot the entire night, and he glances up when the other took Brazil back. He nods slowly, "Yeah… I'm ready to go." He murmured quietly. He didn't want to go. But he might as well. He shouldered his jacket around himself and waited patiently for the man in front of him to lead the way.
Kenji moved Brazil so she should rest around his neck, and he put his coat on. He led Axel out of the bar, shutting off the lights and locking it up behind them. The cold nipped are his exposed skin, face flushed softly because of it. He was not parked far, though, and arrived at his car pretty quickly. He unlocked it and got into the drivers side, starting it up. He switched on the warm air so they would not be completely freezing. “You good enough to give me directions or do you want to give me the address and I can put it in the GPS?” he asked Axel, not completely knowing how intoxicated the male was.
Axel had sobered up a little bit since the vodka. Definitely not enough to forget… god… he rubbed at his face and followed quietly after the male in front of him. He liked the cold air, it felt nice. It was terrible for violins though… it could cause the wood to crack. He sighed deeply and followed after the other quietly. "I can give you the address." He didn't feel like talking too much. He feared the vodka made him loose tongued, and he didn't want to deal with dumping all his pain on the poor soul who had offered him a hand. "Is there anything I can do to thank you?" He asks quietly, buckling into the care and fiddling with his fingers.
“Got it,” Kenji hummed. Once Axel gave him the address, he put the address into his phone to get the directions. He pulled out of the parking lot, beginning to drive to Axel’s home. It was not a far drive- only around fifteen minutes from the bar. He threw a brief glance over to Axel when the male spoke up again and he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. You really don’t need to worry about repaying me or anything. I don’t mind just doing nice favors.”
He smiled a little at the other and nods, his eyes shutting as they drove home, it was nice to know at least that his home wasn't too far. He sighed softly, his eyes becoming guilty. "I want to… somehow. You're really nice." God… the hole in his gut was just growing more and more at this point. He lost it at a performance, rarely had a kind human hand been offered to him, he just wanted to drink and forget, maybe wander to a close hotel and sleep it off there. But, the man now driving him home was kind to offer him a ride… He felt guilty. He wanted to pay the other back somehow. "Did I pay for the drinks?" He wondered woozily. He couldn't remember. He wasn't sure.
Kenji reached over to turn on the radio, turning on some alternative station. He kept the volume on a soft level as he drove down the dark streets, the only light coming from the occasional pair of oncoming headlights and streetlamps. "If I was only doing nice things just to expect to get something out of it, I wouldn't be that nice," he pointed out with a bit of laughter. The laughter stopped at the mention of paying for the drinks, and he thought back to the time at the bar. "No, I don't think so. But don't worry about it. The boss won't notice." 'The boss', aka. his grandfather, would most likely let him off easy because of the gesture to drive Axel home.
Axel was feeling more and more guilt settle into his stomach, even as the music played. He tried his hardest to relax, tried his hardest to breathe. He curled into himself as he watched the road pass by. He hadn't paid, he had gotten drunk, he had gladly taken a ride from someone… and god that feeling from tonight's performance felt like it was sucking him in. "I have money at home… I can pay you back." He murmured quietly, shutting his eyes tightly and ready to cry. Tonight was just… it wasn't his night in the slightest. He rubbed at his eyes, making sure to keep to himself. "I've already asked so much of you." He murmured quietly. He noticed his pretty looking home pop into view. It was a quaint home. With the main floor and the basement. The basement was his studio, where he kept his art. The music room, his room, and the guest room. There were some nights when his manager would stay the night, and she would often crash in the guest room.
Kenji glanced over at Axel. He was an empath, he could tell how others felt decently easily. "It's ok. No need to get stressed about it," he hummed, continuing to drive. He noticed the house as the GPS said he was nearing his destination. It was a nice looking place- much nicer than his small, one story home that he would be heading back to soon. He pulled into the driveway, putting the car in park. "Do you need help getting inside or anything like that?" he asked with an arched brow. He had no idea how intoxicated Axel was, and he did not want the male to get hurt or anything while walking up to the front door.
But he did, he felt stressed. He wasn't used to people being kind. He wasn't used to people offering something and expecting nothing in return. His manager wasn't like that, the people he met weren't like that. He was scared if he was completely honest. He didn't want to assume the worst, but he felt like he should somehow. It was late. late enough… and he was in a practically empty neighborhood since his manager wanted a home where he could practice in peace. He shook his head, not wanting to ask more of the male. He couldn't, really. He wasn't used to people being kind. He craved it, but… it was so rare to experience it. He hummed and slowly got out of the car. The world felt dizzy, shaky even. "Thank you." He murmured quietly, there was a faint amount of pain to be read in those soft eyes. He shut the car door quietly. He'd go back tomorrow, apologize and pay for the drinks.
