Aksel inhaled sharply, leaving behind a hint of a smile as he exhaled.
It was late, past midnight now, but he could no longer tolerate the loud noises and hunger pains coming from his stomach. If he had to walk, he had to walk. It was peaceful this time of night, anyways. He actually enjoyed it quite a bit.
He'd been lost somewhere in his thoughts for a few minutes, until he caught something unusual out of the corner of his eye. Sat on the edge of the bridge was.. someone. He wasn't sure who, but he could tell that it was a person.
Something about this didn't sit right with him.
"Hey, are you all right?" Aksel called out, hesitantly beginning to make his way towards the figure. As he approached them, the person very briefly glanced back at him.
"Uh.. What are you doing up here?" He asked, leaning against the edge. He could clearly see the person now. It was a guy, around his age, though they looked nothing alike.
The boy shrugged; it wasn't much, but it was progress.
"Right, okay.. What's your name, then? I'm Aksel."
Aksel watched the other with a fixed gaze. After a moment, their eyes met.
"My name is Alexis, but most people just call me Alex."
Aksel smiled. He took the hint that this stranger – Alex – was not too keen on sharing much with him, but something was clearly wrong. So, he winged it.
"Well, Alex.. I'm going to grab a bite to eat. I know it's late, but don't you come with? My treat."
There was a moment of silence that, in Aksel's mind, seemed to drag on forever.
"Okay."