There's Something About Quiet Girls

Summary: There was nothing more attractive to him than seeing a shy girl reading her favorite book. Roxas just didn't realize it yet. Luckily for him, Hayner's there to give him a little push. One-shot.

Special thanks to InnerFlame98 for beta-reading this. She's awesome. :)

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I own nothing. *thumbs up* Good talk.

...

Her cerulean eyes were shy, almost unreal in color compared to his dull, blue irises.

They were a warning of her wallflower demeanor; a glimpse into her secluded lifestyle, and it was off-putting for him to witness, or so he thought. Her raven hair was short, and she often brushed one side in a comforting habit to defend herself from her ever-growing anxiety. Even the way she bit her lip in such a timid manner made him want to cringe.

Xion was just so… so—

"Annoying," Hayner muttered to himself.

Roxas blinked in surprise, glancing away from Xion to gaze at his distraught friend, who was sitting across from him on the other side of wooden library table. Hayner's brown eyes were staring down at the mathematics equation in his textbook and he was sure that the blond was trying to use his perfect vision to burn a hole in it. Try as he might, though, the equations still remained the same—still unsolved and as daunting as the first time he'd stared at them.

Roxas tilted his head, his blue eyes appearing curious. His dirty-blond spikes shifted just a smidge with the action, and after noticing the way Hayner's face became taut, he whispered, "You look constipated."

A random student with short brown hair and blue eyes walked by wearing a bright red jacket and denim jeans, all while murmuring, "Lookin' at this course load'll make anyone wanna shit," in a thick, southerner's accent.

Roxas barely had time to register the comment before Hayner burst into a fit of laughter. It earned him a scolding "Shh!" from the dark-haired librarian at the large, marble front desk located to their right. She was also scolding them with her beady green eyes, narrowing them into peevish slits.

Hayner quieted with one last chuckle, nodding. "He's right."

"Who was that?" Roxas asked. "I forgot his name." He found it perturbing that he couldn't recall the name of the class clown, but he could still remember the name of quiet girl who rarely spoke unless spoken to—the same girl who spent her days alone, sitting at the farthest end of the green carpeted library and beige shelves during study hall, like she was doing now.

"Beats me," Hayner said absently. He used his blue, mechanical pencil to tap lightly against the table while using his free hand to fiddle with the zipper on his light green vest. It was a shame he was unaware of the cheat-sheet Pence had acquired for him earlier and reminded him not to lose. It now resided in the pocket of his forest-green cargo pants. "You know I don't remember anything that goes on in class. I'm already lost as it is and apparently this isn't new material."

"I think Professor Vexen has it out for us," Roxas stated. "Our homework feels like it's doubling."

Hayner clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Maybe tripling."

Brown eyes darted towards blue ones, and both pairs narrowed playfully. "Bet Olette's already finished," they stated simultaneously. Both boys chortled, earning another "Shh!" from the peeved librarian at the desk. Roxas gave her an apologetic glance in response. It wasn't long before he found himself peering back over at Xion, and as he propped his left elbow on the table, he rested his cheek on his right set of knuckles.

"Where's Pence anyway?" Hayner asked. He took careful observation of the way Roxas' eyes transfixed on a certain spot to his left.

"Don't know," Roxas murmured carelessly. "He said he'd be here in a bit."

Smug lips quirked into an amused grin as Hayner watched his best friend. "Really?"

Roxas was nodding now, blue eyes engrossed by the quiet girl who took no notice of him, or the rest of reality. "Uh-huh. If anything, he's probably at the cafeteria with Olette and Axel..."

Hayner sat back in his seat, crossing his arms. "...Didn't know you were into the wallflower type."

Roxas gave an inattentive hum; he had completely zoned out of the conversation. From what he gathered about Xion, she seemed heavily focused on a large blue book she was reading, and she was even smiling a little.

The peaceful expression suited her more than her usually timid look.

"...Just go talk to her," Hayner urged.

Roxas blinked, finally peering over at his friend. "What?"

"Go. Talk. To. Her." He'd spoken every word slowly, yet clipped, as if Roxas couldn't comprehend the English language. "You've been staring at her for a while."

Roxas shrugged. "I don't think so... Besides, I'm not even sure I like her." I can't tell whether her personality annoys me or… Do I like quiet girls?

A challenging blond brow rose from across the table. "Really? I haven't seen you look at a girl this much since Namine."

"And you see how well that turned out," Roxas retorted. They were over before they even started but he tried to make the relationship work, nevertheless. It dragged on for approximately one semester before Namine ended it.

Hayner agreed with a 'hm' sound. "So what's the deal with you an Xion?"

"No deal."

Hayner scoffed. "Big deal." He jerked his head in Xion's direction to avoid pointing. "Enough to make you think about her even while you're trying to talk to me."

"Everyone thinks," Roxas countered.

"True…" Hayner gave his best friend one more meaningful look before he sighed. "…You know there's nothing wrong with quiet girls, right?"

As the class clown walked by again—this time carrying a stolen silver hammer obtained from God only knew where—he whispered, "Quiet girls are pretty freaky when you get to know 'em."

If ever there was a time to face palm, Roxas expected this moment to be it—and it was fully justified. "I don't wanna bang her if that's what you mean!" he whisper-yelled, sounding horrified.

That earned him another "Shh!" from the librarian.

With an apologetic, nervous smile, he mouthed, 'Sorry,' to the woman and bowed his head. "I… I think I might be interested in her."

Hayner inclined his head to the right, feeling genuinely confused. "The librarian?"

Alarmed, blue eyes darted towards brown ones. "What?! No!"

"Shh!" If looks could kill…

Roxas groaned, rolling his eyes as he muttered a quick apology to the woman. "I meant Xion," he murmured.

Hayner regarded this with a brief nod. "She's cute—but she kind of reminds me of Namine—so does Kairi now that I think about it."

"But she's her own person," Roxas countered. "They all are…" He wasn't sure why he'd spoken this, but he had, and it was all the proof Hayner needed to be perfectly sure that Roxas had a crush on the quiet girl. Whether he'd take a risk and pursue her was his own prerogative, but Hayner had a feeling that Roxas wouldn't just continue to watch Xion from afar.

He'd at least talk to her, if given a little encouragement. "If you don't go over there, I will." Or if given an ultimatum…

Roxas couldn't help but glare. "You wouldn't."

Try me, Roxas. Hayner challenged him with a simple grin. "I would." He glanced down at the black watch on his left wrist. "I'll count down from ten and if you're not up by then…" A toothy grin spread across his face as he watched Roxas rise and press his palms against the desk. "That's my best friend," he teased, giving him a thumbs up.

"Shut up," Roxas said grudgingly, although he found a smile of his own forming, and as he walked off, his other best friend, Axel, had just entered the library.

The redhead was wearing something similar in clothing to what Roxas had been wearing, black jeans, with a matching shirt and sneakers. His spiky hair was longer than Roxas' blond strands and his eyes were a bright green. There were teardrop tattoos under each of them, and he had a smirk to match his devious walk as he strutted towards the table in which Hayner was seated. Slick hands grabbed a chair and turned it around so that the redhead could sit in it backwards. And once Axel propped his forearms on the rim of the backrest, he rested his chin on them and asked, "What's happening over there?" He was referring to Roxas and Xion, who were now chatting quietly at Xion's table.

Hayner merely chuckled—lightly, of course once his eyes met with the librarian's. "That's called Roxas making a move."

Axel's brows rose in disbelief. "Seriously?" When Hayner nodded, he said, "D'aw, our little Roxie's growing up."

Hayner agreed with a light hum, tapping his pencil against the tabletop once more. "Do you get this?" Green eyes gave the textbook a quick scan before Axel snatched the pencil from Hayner and scribbled a few letters on the top of Hayner's open notebook.

Once he'd finished, the redhead admired his work with a bow of his head. "There. That's all you need to pass a homework grade from Vexen. Works every time—at least, it does with me."

Hayner carefully read over the writing, noticing they were a series of letters. "IDNUT…?" He peered over at his friend inquisitively. "What's that mean?"

Axel furrowed his brows. "Really...? You've never heard of the greatest homework answer for all this new math you've been doing...?" He had air quoted the term 'new math'. "Ever...?"

The blond shrugged. "Enlighten me, superior," he encouraged.

Axel's index finger lifted, waving it in the blonde's direction. "I'll only say this once, so listen up."

To humor him, Hayner said, "I'm all ears, Axel."

The redhead gave a long, pensive stare, touching his chin as he slowly said, "...I do not understand this."

Hayner tilted his head, feeling creases form above his eyebrows as he knitted them. "What do you mean? What don't you under…?" Realization hit him, and he blinked, chuckling. "Oh…" He gave Axel an incredulous look. "Does he really accept that answer?"

"Every time," Axel explained. "And you even get brownie points when you throw in 'Superior' to address him—same way that Mr. Xemnas likes it."

"You think his hair is really silver?" Hayner asked since they were on the topic of their indifferent teacher. He secretly believed the man was plotting to steal their hearts simply because of his petulant yellow eyes, as judgmental as that seemed.

As the class clown paced by for the third time—this time carrying some prohibited snack items, ranging from soda to chips, that greatly matched the ones in the machines near the bathroom in the hall—he said, "Bet that shit's dyed."

Hayner rubbed his temples. "What is his name?" This shouldn't even be a question…

Axel chuckled. "I don't know, but I wish I did." He felt rude for even thinking of asking, not that he couldn't be offensive, but they'd been in the same class the entire semester…

"I wish I did, too," Roxas said as he seated himself back at their table. He was grinning from ear to ear, and a blissful sigh escaped his lips as he leaned forward and rested his cheek on his right hand.

Hayner blinked. "Wish what exactly?"

"That I talked to Xion sooner," Roxas admitted. "She's pretty cool. You know she reads A Game of Thrones?"

Axel smirked. "Xion huh?" He whistled, earning a sharp groan from the librarian, who stood and marched towards them. "Didn't know you were into quiet girls…"

Roxas glanced over at Xion's table, offering her a smile when she noticed him staring. "Yeah," he whispered, feeling his cheeks burning. "Me, either…"

"You three get out of my library!" someone shouted. It was the librarian. Roxas fought the urge to shush her like she'd done to them as he gathered his things into his black backpack, and Axel took note that the woman looked exceptionally attractive in her brown vest and white blouse with a printed blue skirt... and those thick-framed, black glasses she slipped on, which usually hung by a silver chain, were giving him the dirtiest of thoughts. Puberty be damned.

Hayner, however, had just reached into his pocket, remembering what Pence had given him. Score! He was gathering his items with a grin, and Roxas couldn't help but feel baffled...

Why is he so excited about this? Everyone knew if they were kicked out of any room by a higher power for causing a disturbance, they'd end up in Principal Sephiroth's office, and that man always choose the worst methods as a suitable punishment, most that were considered cruel, unusual and never to be mentioned... if they managed to survive the visit, that is. With that in mind, Roxas couldn't help but frown and contemplate taking a trip to the bathroom before heading to the office. Sephiroth had that 'I think I might piss my pants' effect on people, and once Axel gulped down the saliva that had collected in his throat, his expression began to match Roxas...

But... despite this, Roxas at least knew his day wasn't completely spoiled. There was one person who had caused a small smile to break free on his lips as he left the library... and across the room, hiding behind her A Game of Thrones book, a quiet girl was sharing the same expression. Her eyes were twinkling with mirth as she watched the disruptive scene and her gaze slowly drifted down to the pages she'd read over and over...

Season six is airing now... was all she began pondering over. She couldn't wait to watch the new episode airing later that night.

...

A/N: This is attempted light humor and randomness; not sure how I did. I needed something different to write due to the shit-tastrophe that is life (but that certainly doesn't mean I've stopped writing what I love most: angst). I felt like making this a complete story after seeing the end result but I honestly don't have the patience to formulate a plot for what started out as a undirected bit of conversation...

If you have the time, you're welcome to leave a review. I don't mind feedback, and many thanks for reading!