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When X had asked him to go over to his house for a movie night, he didn’t expect much.
Sure, Axl had seen plenty of movies in the past, mostly action, but he was still pretty nervous about the movie X was going to pick out, considering that their tastes were so different. Although, to his surprise, X chose a movie that everyone seemingly enjoyed. Zero was obviously there; he had brought a couple of E-Tanks to share. The azure hero had set up the perfect movie fort. It was a fairly medium-sized fort made with the couch cushions along with a few blankets and pillows for comfort. It was nice; X took pride in it, and Axl couldn’t blame him because it looked amazing.
The gunslinger brought a few snacks to share; even if reploids didn’t have to eat, snacks were good.
Back to the fort and actual movie watching, X was wrapped around in a light blue blanket, remote in hand. Zero was leaning on a couch cushion while hugging a fluffy white pillow, neutral, but comfy expression on his face. Axl decided to gather a few pillows to lean on and sit criss cross on the floor.
“So…we’re watching a kids movie?” Axl asks, interest piqued but at the same time, he’s hesitant.
Seriously? A kids movie? Will that even be enjoyable? Or will it be all sunshine and rainbows like most kids movies are. Axl trusted X’s judgment but dang this movie did not look promising at all. The azure hero looks over at the gunslinger and nods.
“Just because it’s a kids movie, doesn’t mean it’s not good”, X says with a smirk.
Zero decides to chime in with a few hums due to drinking his E-Tank and nods.
“Totally. We watched this one with Dr. Cain a few years back. X cried, heh”, the azure hero shushes his best friend and blushes slightly.
“It was a sad movie. The characters and their emotions really got to me”, X explains.
Axl chuckles slightly, knowing full well that X was one to get emotional with movies. The gunslinger himself wasn’t one to get emotional with movies. Heck, he wasn’t one to get emotional at all. Sure, he’d get excited and happy, but you’d never see him visibly sad, touched, or any of that. Just…happy, excited, you know, the aspects that made Axl himself. He’d light up the room with his charm and way of being every time he’d walk in. He didn’t have time to be sad. X and Zero were already so serious and put together; Axl needed to be the one to balance out their personalities.
“We gonna stare at the paused screen this whole time or are we actually gonna watch the movie?” Zero asks, snapping Axl out of his thoughts as he exchanges glances with the crimson hero and then looks at the azure one.
X rolls his eyes and nods, finally pressing play on the movie.
The first few minutes are okay. Cool visuals, good voice acting, good writing.
Maybe X’s taste in movies wasn’t so bad after all.
The movie was going great until a certain part. One of the side characters had snapped at the main character and ended up telling them their past. It was an emotional scene. Just the backstory alone was devastating. Axl paid attention to every detail of the scene, but the thing that hit him hardest was the backstory. The side character was a vigilante who fended for themselves practically their whole life. Sure, very cliché if you think about it, but the character had hid all of this from the beginning. The character was about to fight their mother who had turned evil and was being controlled by a magic spell.
Axl’s eyes widen at the character’s breakthrough. He knew how that felt. He knew what that character went through because he himself had gone through something similar. The gunslinger was on the street for months until Red Alert took him in. Until Red took him in. Even if things didn’t end with a super happy ending that’s all sunshine and rainbows, Axl kind of missed them. He missed his old family, he missed when they weren’t hostile, he missed them so much. These emotions were being represented by that character. That one side character who was written so well. That one character who was just like him.
He stared at the screen, processing what was going on. The gunslinger felt someone’s gaze on him as he gasped softly. Maybe he felt their gaze, but he didn’t feel the hot tear that rolled down his cheek. He didn’t feel when arms were wrapped around him. He didn’t feel it when he started sobbing softly. He didn’t feel it, he didn’t know, he didn’t care.
X was whispering into his ear, telling him that it was alright, telling him that they’re there for him, telling him that they can stay like this for as long as they want. Axl nodded and continued to cry. Zero held him and rubbed circles on his back, not saying anything, but his actions spoke louder than words.
After a little while, Axl calmed down. X pulled away from the hug, concerned.
“Are you…?” Axl stops him before he can say ‘okay’ because he clearly wasn’t. It was a rhetorical question, really.
“Can we watch something else?” Axl asks, voice hoarse but understandable. X and Zero exchange a glance and nod.
The three of them end up watching a blockbuster action, while having their arms wrapped around each other like three peas in a pod. Axl relaxes in the embrace and watches the movie, content that he has such good friends brothers.