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“Nathan, I think it’s time we start brainstorming…” Axiom sat down in front of Nathan, a sparkly gold mask pulled haphazardly over his face. He had thrown it on in a rush–he had wanted to show Nathan the gear ideas that he had seen on the internet, but you know… his identity, and such. It was a little crooked, but it did its job, and that’s what mattered.
“Ooookay…. About what, exactly?” The younger cocked an eyebrow as Axiom set his phone on the coffee table, the screen lit up. A photo of a black and white outline of a man was pulled up, a pair of sparkly pink pants with gold accents drawn onto the outline. “What is this?”
“We need to start experimenting with new gear, yeah?” Axiom gestured to the phone, the faintest hint of a smile leaking into his voice. “I personally really like this one!”
Nathan stared at the photo. The idea was cute, sure, but… Pink? Really? Out of all the colors? Why not another red gear? Or black? Gold?
“And, and… I already have pink gear. I wouldn’t even need to get a gear made!” He sounded so excited, it made Nathan feel bad for not liking the color. Why pink? Had Axiom come to him with literally any other color, he’d be agreeing with him. He’d be actively calling up his gear maker.
“Ax… This is cute and all but… amigo, I’m not really a pink kind of guy.” Nathan rubbed the back of his head, staring down at the phone. The gear really was cute. And he would love to change it up, but as far as colors went, pink was very, very low on the pole of what he actually liked. “It would probably like, wash me out. Or whatever. You know?”
“It’s hot pink. Hot pink doesn’t wash you out.” Axiom replied, in his signature matter-of-fact tone that would’ve pissed Nathan off if it were anyone else. But since it was his partner, he simply sighed and let out a half-hearted chuckle.
“Okay, well, I think I would rather be Batman than… Pink Disco Ball-man. Let’s leave the pink gears to Pretty Deadly.” He reached over and clicked the button on the side of Axiom’s phone, watching as the screen blinked black. He and Axiom’s reflections stared back at him, and he saw Axiom’s shoulders slump, ever so slightly. “What was that for?”
“What was what for?” Axiom slipped his phone into his pocket, not looking at his partner. Admittedly, he had his heart set on the pink gear. He had been itching for an excuse to pull out his Barbie gear again, and he was really hoping he could have matched with Nathan when he did. It disappointed him a little bit that Nathan didn’t even give the gear a chance, but what could he do?
“No, no, no. Don’t give me that.” Nathan bent over at the sound of a bark, scratching behind Axiom’s dog’s ears. “Who’s a good boy? Go fetch!” He whispered, tossing a rope toy and watching Gandalf go scampering after it.
“Again, give you what?” Axiom kept his eyes trained on Gandalf, watching him flip over himself playing with the toy. An adorable sight, but even it couldn’t really pull Axiom out of his disappointment.
“This! You’re upset–” Nathan grabbed Axiom’s shoulders, startling the masked man a bit. “You did the whole… you let your shoulders go down, and now you won’t look at me! You’re upset!”
Axiom sighed. Nathan was nothing if not observant, at least.
“Okay, I’m a little upset. I thought you would look…” He didn’t want to say good, but, well, he would look good. “I thought it would suit you. We really need to change up our gear, and I just thought the pink would be cute.”
“It is cute! It’s just not my style, amigo!” Nathan ran a rough hand through his hair, an unserious smile settling onto his face. “Is it that serious that I wear pink gear with you?”
Axiom thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Honestly? Yes! I want you to wear it with me! It’s… important to me!”
“Oh my god. Fine. I’ll… I’ll wear the gear.” Nathan rolled his eyes, but watching Axiom’s demeanor change–him sitting up straighter, his shoulders rising–made it worth it. “Only because it’ll make you happy.”
“Aww. I knew you loved me.” Axiom didn’t miss the way Nathan flushed. “With the pink, and your blond hair, you’re basically like Ken. It’s perfect!”
Axiom stood, patting his partner on the shoulder before heading towards the door to his bedroom. His fingers were tapping on the glass of his phone screen ninety miles an hour, sending out a text to their gear maker. Nathan had to suppress a smile–he hated pink. He didn’t think he looked good in it and it was his least favorite color. Not to mention he absolutely despised sparkles, and he knew there would be a boatload of them on the gear, if the reference photo was any indication.
But it made Axiom happy. That was what mattered. And hell, maybe Nathan really would look good. At the end of the day, if he didn’t like it, he never had to wear it again.
Anything to make Axiom happy.
“Hey, amigo?” Axiom popped his head around the corner, cocked at an angle.
“Yes, Nathan?”
“I just realized. If I’m Ken,” Nathan trailed off, his smile brightening. “Does that make you my Barbie?”
For once, Axiom was glad he was wearing a mask.