Axel / Lea x Reader One Shots (Requests Open)

Rainy Days and Bookstores

To you, bookstores were a safe haven. If you ever felt down about life or even just a bit more adventurous, you always found yourself skimming through the shelves for new stories to get lost in. It was always a place where you felt free to be yourself, where no one could judge you for sitting in the small reading nook for hours on end reading to your heart's content. At the end of each trip, you always ended up buying a few books to add to your ever-expanding collection at home; pretty soon you knew you had to stop investing in books and buy a second bookshelf.

It was a cold and rainy fall afternoon when you decided to pop into your favorite bookstore in Twilight Town. For the first time in a week, you actually had a day off of work and decided to spend it doing all of your favorite things around town. You had wished the weather would be nicer, but a day is a day off, and you were happy to take it. Walking into the bookstore, the bell above the door rang a familiar tune as it dinged above your head, quickly ringing a second time as you shut the door behind you to prevent the cold air from getting in. The bookstore was small and cramped with multiple bookshelves that left narrow passageways throughout the store, but it led to a larger back area with a few couches and chairs, and of course your favorite reading nook. The nook was in the back corner of the store with a large stained glass window of the town's clock tower that usually glowed on sunny days. Today, however, the colors were slightly muted thanks to the gloominess of the sky.

The store's owner gave you a nod as you smiled and gave a small wave before continuing on your merry way of searching for something new to read. You decided today to go down the fiction aisle, which was a change from the mystery novels you were currently divulging into. Running your fingers along the spines of the books, you came across one of your all-time favorite novels: The Great Gatsby. You remembered it being a required text in your junior year of high school and everyone dreaded reading something so outdated. But you? You couldn't be more excited. Every day you'd volunteer to read aloud, getting lost in the story so quickly that you never noticed all the other kids barely paying attention. It wouldn't have mattered anyway; F. Scott Fitzgerald was in your top three favorite writers, and nothing would have distracted you from his famous stories.

Although you were pretty sure you had a copy at home, you couldn't help but pick up the book and take it with you to your usual spot on the nook along with a few other text you've picked up. Instantly diving into the story, you found yourself getting lost once again amongst the classic story of the doomed relationship of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan and the observations that Nick Carraway described in his first-person narrative.

'But I didn't call to him, for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone — he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward — and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for—'

"When I looked once more for Gatsby he had vanished, and I was alone in the unquiet darkness."

A man stretched out on a couch not too far from you was looking in your direction, smirking as he finished the exact line you were just reading. How could he have possibly known??

"You were reading out loud. Actually, it was more like whispering pretty loudly," he chuckled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrupt you," you bowed your head completely embarrassed.

"Nah, you didn't. I just sat down to get out of the storm, haven't decided what to look at yet." He pointed at the book you were now clenching in your hand. "Gatsby. Great book."

"You've read F. Scott Fitzgerald?"

"You sound surprised."

"No, no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that—"

"Relax, I'm just messing with you. And yes, I've read Fitzgerald. Almost all of his works. That one there is my favorite."

"Mine too! The symbolism and depth of the entire story, how people's lives are intertwined so easily and yet it's never fully known to them. It just makes you think about how every thing in life has a result, a consequence."

The man stood up from the couch and started walking over towards you. He was taller than he looked, probably because he was slouching on the couch, and had spiky red hair that went almost in every direction like a fireball. His eyes were a piercing green hue that looked simultaneously looked soft and sincere. He hovered above you for a second before you quickly moved your legs to clear some space for him to sit down.

"The green light is one of my favorite allegories in literature. Being so close to something so dear to your heart but ever so far away. How he was hoping to bring his past and present together to form a suitable future with Daisy. I mean, everyone has a green light in their lives, right? It comes in different forms, but there's always something that you'll always desire and hope to have in your future." You continued pouring your theories over to the man as he silently listened to you. He didn't say much, but you could tell in his eyes that he actually was listening, and not just showing off to make it seem like he was slightly interested.

Somewhere in between talking about the Valley of Ashes and Tom Buchanan's mistress Myrtle Wilson, you caught yourself talking way too much and stopped. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"No, no, you're fine. I like hearing your theories. It's been a while since I read this, so it makes me wanna read it again."

Blushing you closed the book and held it out to him. He raised an eyebrow at you in confusion. "I thought you were going to buy this?"

"I have a copy at home. I just couldn't resist re-reading it today."

The man gladly accepted the book and started carefully flipping through the pages before looking back up at you. "Maybe... after I finish reading this, we can compare notes?"

"Depends, are you asking me out?"

The man laughed. "Yes, I'm asking you out. Although I'm pretty sure I never got your name."

"And I'm pretty sure I never got yours," you smirked.

"Fair enough. Name's Axel, got it memorized?"

"It's nice to meet you, Axel. I'm [Y/N]."

"[Y/N], huh? Pretty name for a pretty girl." You instantly felt your cheeks burn as he gave you a wink. "Think I can get that number of yours?"

"Oh, right." You took a pen and a piece of paper from your notebook that you stashed in your small backpack and wrote your name and number down before handing it to Axel.

"Alright then, take a guess at how long it'll take me to finish." Axel stood up from his spot on the nook and started walking backwards to the cash register.

"I'd say... three days."

"You'd bet on it?"

"Sure. If I win, uhm... you'll have to buy me some sea-salt ice cream."

"'Kay, and if I win, I get a kiss on the first date."

"Wait, what??"

"Catch ya later, [Y/N]."

"But you never wagered how long you'd take!"

By then Axel had already purchased the book and was exiting the door, giving you a devilish smirk once again that made your heart skip a beat. A few hours later, while you were finishing up your day at the bookstore, you felt your phone vibrate in your pocket. An unknown number showed up on your screen. The text was of a picture of a notebook, lined with notes and observations from The Great Gatsby. Axel, that sly fox.

A: Finished, sweetheart. Looks like you owe me a kiss :*