Axel was the first to get to their room, the name on the door saying ‘Axel & Riley’ he smiled, he liked Riley, I mean how could you not like someone who gave you free cookies?
Axel began undoing his luggage. Hadn’t Riley left the kitchen just after him? He shrugged off the thought.
It took about ten minutes before Riley came in, carrying their luggage behind them. “Oh,” they laughed, “So we’re roommates now.”
“Hey Cookie kid Riley!” Axel said, excited, “Roomies!” He offered a fist bump.
Riley bumped fists with Axel, “I promise I don’t snore… or at least Teddy has told me I don’t snore. I guess he could’ve lied.”
“Does that mean I have two roomies, but one of them is an invisible monkey demon thing?” Axel pondered out loud, he really wanted to see and hear this Teddy thing, but how? “You still have cookies, right?”
Riley pulled some cookies out of a portal. “I always have cookies.”
Axel pilfered the boxes, taking some of his favorites out and piling them on his nightstand, “I have the best roomie!” he said, mouth now full of cookies.
Riley grinned ear to ear, “I’ll make some peanut-free brownies soon too.”
“Oh my god, I love you so much!” Axel came forward and kissed their cheek.
Riley let out a loud ‘eep’ but didn’t move away, when Axel let go Riley didn’t move an inch.
“Sorry, I’m touchy-feely!” Axel said with a laugh, “So d’you get lost?”
“Hmm?” Riley unfroze and tossed their bags down on the bed, opening up the biggest one and starting to put things away
“It just took you like ten minutes to find the room,” Axel shrugged.
“Oh, I just had to use the loo.”
“The loo? You Brits are funny.” Axel said, “biscuits, a lift, chips, crisps!” He spoke the words in a mock British accent.
“No more baked goods for you if you mock my accent.” Riley joked, putting the Tupperware of cookies back in the portal.
“I’m not mocking! I love the British! I had the biggest crush on David Tenant watching old Doctor Who reruns as a kid.”
Riley raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
They shook their head, cotton candy-colored curls bouncing like a light and fluffy cloud, “nothing, nothing you Americans are just silly.”
“Are we?” Axel pondered seriously. To him, Americans were ‘normal’, but he could see how some of the things they did were silly to outsiders.
“Very.”
“Noted!” Axel said stuffing more cookies in his mouth, speaking while chewing, “Aw man, now I need to figure out how to repay you for the cookies.”
“No need. Someone’s got to eat all the stuff I make, I certainly can’t eat it all.”
“But that doesn’t seem fair, you do all the work!” Axel said, it wasn’t right to take someone’s hard work and not give something in return; his family had drilled those ethics into him.
“Well, I’d bake even if people didn’t eat them cause baking is my hobby.”
“Alright, fair,” Axel said, sitting on his bed, “Have you ever had roomies?”
“Sometimes.”
“Sometimes?” Axel arched his brow, “I’m a single kid, but I have a cousin now I share a room with.”
“I bounced around foster homes, sometimes they had other kids in the house.”
“Oh, sorry, what happened to your parents, can I ask that?” Axel laid down.
Riley shrugged, “don’t really know.”
“Ah,” Axel got back up within seconds, so much energy running through him, it was late but he was still bouncing, and started undoing his braid.
“Your cousin moved in with you?”
“No…” he slowed down, “My parents died during the war,”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, they were heroes, they died doing the right thing,” Axel said. “They were in the first graduating class here, that’s why I’m here.”
“I’m sure you’ll make them proud.”
“Thanks,” Axel said, “What brought you here, and not in cookie academy or whatever it’s called so you can become king of all bakers?”
“Because I met Tohu-wa-Bohu and understood more about my powers and what I can do. It’d be nice to use these abilities to help people.” Riley answered, taking a cookie directly out of a portal and raising it above their shoulder, the cooking disappearing.
“So cool, so you are pumped to be a hero too?”
Riley sits on a bed, cross-legged, knees bouncing slightly, “Yeah, if that’s the best way to help people with my powers! Not sure I want all that fame and attention though.”
“I mean, it’s part of the gig, but not every hero is Captain Thunder,” Axel rolled his eyes thinking about him, One of the world’s most powerful heroes, but he was far more concerned with publicity and licensing deals than doing the right thing.
Most capes got some form of licensing deal, it was part of the ‘standard’ contract many had to work directly for local, state, or federal government, getting some royalties, but Captain Thunder took it to new extremes.
Riley giggled, “I suppose not.”
“I mean going on Oprah? Totally cringe.”
Riley shuddered, “Oh god, talk shows, I’d die of embarrassment the second I saw an audience.”
“I know, right!” Axel laughed.
“I heard a rumor he’s trying to get a movie made about him. I can’t imagine who that prick will pick to play him though.”
“Ugh,” Axel shook his head, “It’s just wrong y’know, using your fame so selfishly!”
“What would you do with the fame and the money?”
“Dunno,” Axel says with a shrug, eating more cookies, “I mean my parents took a modest paycheck from licensing deals, they were never big.” His parents had worked for the NYC hero brigade. It was a modest job, but the people loved them…
“If I had to be in the public eye I’d probably wanna like… advocate for foster kids and sponsor an animal shelter or something.” Riley paused for a second then continued in an overly serious voice, “I’d totally do one of those interviews where you get to play with puppies while they ask questions.”
“Oh, that sounds fun!” Axel got up from the bed where he was lying around and started pacing in a circle.
“Ahhh I am way too nervous and excited about tomorrow to sleep!” Riley exclaimed flopping down and starfishing out their limbs on the bed
“Mooood,” Axel said, “Want to go out for a run? Maybe a dip in the pool?”
“I don’t have a swimsuit but a run could be nice.” Riley sat back up.
“I mean we could skinny dip,” Axel teased, Riley turning their face away in surprise, “But I guess a good run will have to do.”
“Sure.” Riley smiled.
Riley and Axel took out some workout clothes and went to change. That done, they left the house and took off for a jog around the Ravenhold park, enjoying the fresh cool air of the oceanside.
While Axel had trained, Riley seemed to keep up mostly through the power of long legs, their breath was getting a bit ragged after a while so Axel decided to take a stop, there was one place he’d wanted to go and they were getting close…
At the heart of the Ravenhold park stood the Hall of Heroes, a memorial to the fallen, a large marble dome held up by columns and walls about fifty feet in height. At its center was a large bronze brazier, perpetually burning, but that wasn’t what Axel was after.
Seeing his pace slow down, Riley stopped and took a few long breaths.
Axel stepped forward, around the hall were six slabs of black granite, one on six of the eight walls that made the hall. One was labeled ‘Tzari-War’
He walked forward, his steps uncertain, so many names were engraved in golden letters upon the surface of polished stone.
Reading down, he found them… Ajax and Sunspot… He put a hand on the slab, feeling the cold stone against his finger and tears started pouring out, he tried to fight them back but he couldn’t…
Riley came up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Axel wiped his eyes, “I just saw and…” He can’t seem to find the words.
Riley gently traced circles upon Axel’s shoulder blade, “don’t apologize. And you don’t need to explain either.”
Axel took a moment to rebuild his facade, even after four years it still hurt, but he had to be strong, he had to make them proud, he had to be the best son they could’ve hoped for…
He turned to Riley, “Race you to the dorms?”
Riley smiled back with a slightly worried crack in their expression, “sure.”
So they ran, Axel, letting the adrenaline of the race let him forget the pain for a moment… He wouldn’t disappoint them.
Ravenhold Academy 