If it weren't for that damn GE requirement I woulda never signed up for this boring class, Axel thought for the 10th time since he sat down for his last lecture of the day. It didn't help that the teacher was an anal-retentive asshole that liked to pick on students that just couldn't help but fall asleep as he droned on and on about something-or-the-other that Axel just couldn't for the life of him remember. He'd known from day one that this would be the class that would try his patience and focus when Professor Vexen passed around syllabi nearly as thick as binders and downright demanded that the first 5 chapters of their 10 pound textbook be read by the next class. It took the majority of the two days off to complete the task, much longer than all his other assignments combined. And of course, in an email the day before the next lecture, the ever-so-timely prof added that any and all questions for each chapter be completed as well. Needless to say, Axel absolutely hated this class with the burning passion of at least three suns. Maybe four.
The only thing that Axel would ever consider even remotely good about the class was the cute blonde that sat next to him. The poor guy arrived to class late the second day after missing the first class, resulting in an earful of aggressively condescending drivel from their professor that seemed to scare him half to death, and left him scrambling to find an empty seat to pass out into in the full lecture room. The only extra seat in the room just so happened to be right next to Axel, who more-than-happily waved him over, in hopes that the sooner the guy got seated, the sooner the prof-from-hell would stop yammering on and maybe Axel could go back to pretending he cared.
It was only after the flustered guy got seated that Axel really took note of his appearance. From how heavily he was breathing, it was easy to tell he had run from quite the distance to try to get to class on time, and he was still a bit winded. Whatever bright blonde hair that wasn't stuck to his forehead with sweat was swept this way and that by his run, which oddly seemed to suit him. When he finally caught his breath and had his materials out and in order, he turned to Axel in thanks, and that's when Axel said a silent prayer to anyone above for creating such an angel. So struck by the guy's face, Axel almost didn't catch the 'thank you', but he zoned back just in time to catch his name. Roxas. After introducing himself as well, Axel turned back to the professor, sure that his new friend could bring something pleasant to this sure-to-be torturous semester.
As it turned out, Roxas did find a way to bring a little humor to the class, if at his own expense. Not twenty minutes after he got settled and introductions were exchanged did Axel turn to find the guy fighting sleep, eyes sliding closed and head lolling limply only to snap back up to alertness a few seconds later. It was rather entertaining to watch, much more engaging than whatever it was Professor Vexen was lecturing about, anyway. It took about 10 minutes for Roxas to fully succumb to sleep, according to Axel's calculations, and if it weren't for the prof's apparent need to pick on students that aren't investing their entire souls into paying attention, he may have let the guy catch up on what seemed like some much needed sleep. But how horrible of a person would he have to be to just sit back and watch the poor guy get terrorized again?
As discreetly and gently as he could without getting caught, Axel nudged Roxas's arms where he was cushioning his face, internally rejoicing when he blinked up sleepily at him.
"Sorry to wake you when you look so cute and peaceful, but the prof can be a complete asshole sometimes, and I gotta lookout for my new friend, right?" Axel whispered, winking as Roxas blushed and wiped his face with his sleeve to further wake himself.
"Thanks for the second time today then," Roxas replied, looking more awake and actually starting to take some notes.
"Anytime."
"Anytime" turned out to literally be all the time. Every class period, Roxas never failed to fall asleep in class at some point, which entertained Axel to no end. It became a sort of game to see how long Roxas could keep himself awake, with Axel keeping tabs in the margins of his notebook. Nearly four weeks into the class and the longest Roxas had ever stayed awake was for one hour. Now, Axel never let him stay asleep for too long, he didn't want the guy to get in trouble, so he'd wait about 10 minutes before he'd nudge Roxas awake. Unfortunately for Axel though, a freshly-awakened Roxas never seemed to be up for much talking outside of a quick smile and a 'thanks', as he always scrambled to continue his note-taking, despite missing information from his nap.
This carried on throughout the semester, leading up to the last few weeks before finals, when Axel noted that Roxas seemed to be a bit more tired than usual, which he assumed to be due to all the catching up the poor guy had to do because of his sleeping habit. Both concerned and thankful that the term was nearly over, Axel decided he'd help his friend catch a break by printing out a copy of the notes he'd taken for class, and giving them to the distraught Roxas two weeks before the final exam. Needless to say, this resulted in the cutest laugh and smile the world had ever seen, which left Axel noticeably red in the face for the remainder of the class.
By the time the last few weeks of class rolled around, Roxas' little habit had gotten better, as he spent less time fighting sleep than he did taking notes, according to Axel's boredom tallies. A general calm had settled over the blonde, and he often glanced at Axel with that grateful smile (Axel tallied those, too) that carried him through the last few lectures. With Roxas' improved sleeping, they had a bit more time for general pleasantries than before, which solidified Axel's conviction that there was absolutely no better sound than Roxas' muffled chuckles that he swore to himself he absolutely had to hear fully someday or he was sure he'd die.
When the final exam -and also last day of class- finally came along, Roxas found himself being handed a steaming coffee from a local coffee shop right before the start of the class.
"Can't have ya falling asleep after you've come so far," Axel joked, winking as he handed over the beverage. "Hope you like Caramel Macchiatos. Got double-shot just in case."
"W-wow, thanks!" Roxas stammered, smiling that smile. "Any coffee is always much welcomed, and a double-shot is actually just what I needed." Gratefully, he drank the beverage offered and both students went back to dreading Prof. Vexen's hellish final. In fact, Roxas was so absorbed in drinking his coffee and making sure he remembered important materials that he failed to see the note with Axel's phone number written on the cardboard of his drink until after the test was over.
Smiling to himself as he walked out of the classroom for the final time, Roxas punched in the number before tossing the empty cup in the nearby trash before leaning against the building waiting for his call to be picked up.
"Axel. Who's calling?" Came Axel's slightly surprised, and somewhat tinny voice after a few rings.
"I think it's about time I repay my savior with an actual conversation," Roxas said with a small purr, adjusting his bag as he smiled fondly at Axel's hum of recognition. "How about you and me get a quick bite at the coffee shop? I think there are a couple of things we need to…discuss."
"Oh really?" Axel replied. "I think I can make time for that." Roxas could practically hear the cocky smirk he knew to be on Axel's face. "How about I meet you there in about 15 minutes?" Roxas let out a silent breath, thankful that he hadn't misread Axel's flirting throughout the semester.
"I can't wait"
A/N: Hey guys! It's been awhile since I've done any fic-writing, so I hope you enjoyed this little prompt-fill!
I had a lot of fun with this prompt, because I can really relate to Roxas, hehe. I had a boring Psych class in which I could not for the life of me stay awake for an entire class period, and I had a friend that would entertain himself by watching me fall asleep and seeing how long it took me to go to sleep, lol
I'm going to work on writing more now, so hopefully you can look forward to seeing more of me in the future!