Class went so slowly he questioned if time was even passing...
His eyes followed the second hand on the wall around and around...
Time seemed longer when he wasn't there to share the brunt of everyday with.
And this only being the first day of the rest of his life without Roxas, made the misery even more real.
Somewhere between this thought and the next he fell asleep.
He was awoken by someone prodding his shoulder.
"Uhm... Hey... Class is over..."
Axel raised his head and for one split second between dreams and waking, his eyes deceived him and before him stood the one who he thought to be Roxas.
Blinking to clear his vision he was left staring at the new student who was looking extremely awkward.
"I'm... Sorry about what I asked earlier... It's none of my business and I shouldn't pry..."
The redhead shook his head still in the process of waking and muttered.
"Sokay..."
He wiped his eyes and winced.
"Goddam it that hurts!"
Demyx stayed silent not sure what to say shifting his weight slowly from foot to foot staring at his shoes.
Axel stood up sweeping his belongings off the desk into his bag.
"What class do you have next anyway?"
The blonde shrugged slightly.
"Free period... We both do... That's why I didn't wake you up straight away... You looked like you needed to sleep..."
Axel raised an eyebrow.
"You were watching me sleep?"
Demyx shook his head.
"I went to get some water from the vending machine and decided to come back and check on you it was that or the teacher was locking you into this room... And he looked pretty serious about it too... So I came back to wake you up."
He smiled slightly to himself.
/So like him.../
Demyx looked self conscious.
"W-what's funny? What did I do?"
Axel shook his head.
"Nothing... You just remind me of someone..."
The blonde cocked his head slightly.
"Is that a good or a bad thing?"
"Good."
Demyx smiled to himself.
"Good... So you'll show me around?"
The redhead stopped dead in his tracks.
"I'm not sure about that..."
Demyx sighed.
"Oh... Okay..."
He started to walk away when something in Axel's head snapped at him.
/What the hell are you doing? Go after him!/
Axel stepped outside the classroom and despite the crowd already staring at him he shouted after Demyx.
"Hey Demyx!"
The blonde turned around and noted all the faces that seemed to stare at Axel and him...
Judging glances...
Guilty by association they read...
He was new and already marred...
Not that he cared.
Not unlike Axel he had often found himself judged and excluded by his peers.
So the heartbeat that followed seemed long as he silently weighed up his options...
Reject Axel and be 'normal' or go with Axel and have a friend...
A real one...
Maybe...
It was worth the shot right?
Demyx walked towards Axel smiling his footsteps seemed to in his own mind echo through the hallway as he walked towards the smirking redhead and then they were walking away...
Leaving everyone else curious about them.
Afraid perhaps...
In awe of their confidence maybe.
But certainly wondering why they ever rejected them in the first place.
"So where in this wonderful school would you like to be shown first?"
Demyx shrugged.
"The cafeteria I guess..."
Axel nodded.
"Good place to start cause I can show you the general directions of all the classrooms from there..."
Demyx nodded.
"Cool I'm starving... How about you?"
Axel shrugged.
"Not really no... But go right on ahead I'll get a coffee or something..."
They walked into the blue coloured cafeteria, Axel walked to the coffee machine and loaded some coins in from his pocket...
Espresso... With a lot of milk...
/That might keep me awake for a while.../
Axel waited as the machine whirred and made his drink his eyes followed Demyx across the cafeteria.
/He's so like him... It's odd... They even kind of act the same.../
Lost in thought near the machine his coffee was ready and so was Demyx who broke his focus.
"Um... Axel? Your coffee's ready."
Axel snapped back to reality and took his coffee from the machine.
Demyx was making a beeline for the nearest table and Axel was in pursuit when the blonde stopped suddenly and turned around peering up into Axel's face hard taking in his bruised eye and all and without a word sat down at the table and started eating.
Axel sat himself down slowly across the table wondering what he was thinking.
But his mouth stayed shut only opening to take a bite of the toast he'd gotten.
The redhead stared at the friendly face, the innocent gaze...
Too much...
"Why did you stare at me just there?"
Demyx raised his eyes up from the table meeting Axel's.
"Well I haven't gotten a good look at you with that hood up all day... And I wanted to see your face. Call me crazy but I like to see who I'm chatting to."
Axel couldn't help but smirk.
His chin rested against the palm of his hand and his eyes started to close.
Demyx shook his head.
"You clearly aren't up to this today, why don't you go home?"
An image of his father flashed up in his head and he winced slightly.
"I just... Well... I don't want to, I'd rather stay on top of school work."
Demyx nodded sneaking a peek at Axel's bruised eye again and without Demyx saying a single word Axel knew that he wanted to question him about it and feeling the tension of an awkward question rising he quickly changed the subject.
"So what subject have you next?"
Demyx started searching his backpack for his timetable.
"It's either... Art or maths... But I'm not quite sure which class they're putting me in yet so I guess it can be either... Uh... Which one do you have next?"
Axel could still feel his eyes staring and the curiosity rise the more he looked.
"Art."
"Are you any good?"
Axel shrugged focusing on the table.
"I've been told I am but then I dunno... Good artists lives are full of trauma... Nothing good or happy inspires them apparently... I think I've had quite enough of that for one lifetime."
The redhead went silent and a strange silence filled the space between them.
It wasn't awkward as it usually is when people first meet, it wasn't full of 'what do I say? What do I say?' it was more of a mutual understanding...
Demyx swallowed his last piece of toast and sighed with satisfaction patting his stomach.
"So where to now?"
"Art class right?"
Demyx laughed and blushed a little.
"Sorry... I can be so blonde sometimes..."
Axel reached his hand out and ruffled his blonde hair without thinking.
Both boys stopped dead at the contact for a split second then picked up their things and started walking.
Sitting in art class Axel found himself absorbed in other matters than creating, well anything really...
/I'm just transferring my feelings... I barely know him... How can I possibly care for him...? I don't know how... Only that I do in some small way... Transferred or not... I genuinely care about him.../
His eyes went down to the page in his hands and there reconstructed in front of his very eyes was the gruesome car crash... As he believed it would have looked... With Roxas looking angelic, blue eyes open face spattered in blood staring out at him... Blaming him... Almost as much as he blamed himself...
The bell rang on the close of another class and the teacher was collecting their work when she picked up Axel's.
"That's not what I'm submitting for class I just need some time to..."
But the teacher already had it in her hands.
"Axel... This is amazing... The stare is so sad... The features are perfect... The structure and anatomy... It almost looks like he could jump off the page and come to life... He kind of reminds me of someone... Of... Oh..."
Her brown eyes caught Axel's stare for a moment his full of grief and hers wide like a rabbit in headlights...
It had 'I shouldn't have done that' written all over it.
But Axel wasn't one to hold grudges... In most cases.
"I'll have a new one for Thursday..."
The auburn haired teacher just nodded suddenly busied and distracted by arranging things on her desk.
They left the classroom and walked down the corridor a little when Demyx piped up.
"What was THAT all about?"
Axel shrugged.
"Art teachers... They're an odd bunch..."
Demyx stopped walking, musing this for a moment and then decided every art teacher he'd ever had was in fact a bit mental and nodded in agreement.
"I'll allow it."
"So where to now?"
"Uhm... English I think... English or music... Well I don't have my instrument with me so I guess it's English..."
Axel pulled his head up from staring at the floor.
"What instrument do you play?"
Demyx grinned.
"Don't laugh now."
The redhead didn't look like he was anywhere near laughter.
"Trust me I don't laugh at peoples creative pursuits."
Demyx studied the Axel's face for a moment and decided he was telling the truth.
"I play the sitar."
The redhead seemed to think for a moment before recognition sparked in his face.
"Ah it's an Indian instrument isn't it?"
Demyx nodded.
"I'm just glad you didn't say 'don't you mean GUITAR?' cause I get that a lot..."
Axel shook his head.
"Idiots..."
"Totally..."
Both boys walked into English class and sat down in two desks beside each other.
Demyx found his concentration faltering and paying attention to the teen next to him who seemed busy shading in parts of the drawing he had produced earlier.
The blonde could see what the art teacher was talking about.
The expression of the blue eyed blonde boy in the front seat was amazing.
He was clearly dead...
Axel had drawn it so that his eyes although deep blue were lifeless like his soul had escaped only moments before.
There was another person in the car with him, they were in the drivers seat a silver haired teen...
He was a bit taller than the blonde boy his upper body was right through the front windscreen of the car...
His face wasn't looking out from the picture as the blonde boy was.
The silver haired teen looked like he belonged in the picture...
The blonde boy however looked like he could blink if he wanted to, step right out of the picture and start a life of his own...
His face was full of pain, hurt, shame even?
He looked like someone who was probably in the wrong place at the wrong time...
Axel ran his fingers over this character in an almost affectionate manner which Demyx thought was quite strange...
Yet he couldn't pull his eyes away even when Axel looked straight at him he held his gaze for a split second before looking back down at his book.
When the bell rang for the end of English class Axel put the picture back into his bag just as Demyx bounded up beside him.
"The art teacher was right... That is a really amazing picture you're working on... The characters look so... Real... It's almost kinda frightening."
Axel swallowed a lump in his throat and stood up.
"Yeah... It's just a personal project... I feel like it's too much for school... If they see this they might think I have mental issues and send me somewhere or something... So I keep them to myself..."
Demyx nodded satisfied with this answer.
"So what are you gonna do for lunch?"
Axel shrugged.
"Maybe head home grab something to eat come back... The French teachers out sick so we have 2 hours for lunch instead of the usual..."
The blonde nodded.
"Oh... Alright... Guess I'll see you back here later then?"
The redhead considered this for a moment.
"Well... You can come back with me if you want..."
Demyx scratched the back of his head.
"Well... If you wouldn't mind?"
"No no come with me."
He tried to make his voice sound as carefree as he could, but secretly he feared his father being home early from work.
They walked slowly towards Axel's house Demyx noticing the road names as he passed them.
"So how long have you been living around here?"
The redhead looked at him.
"All my life... I was born here... But the minute I turn eighteen I'm getting the hell out."
Demyx looked up at Axel.
"What's so wrong with around here?"
Axel sighed.
"There's nothing wrong with here... It just holds nothing good for me any more... And I've just had enough..."
The blonde nodded.
"So what is it that you wanna get away from so badly?"
Axel stopped and stared at Demyx for a moment then continued down the road towards his house.
"Don't expect much from this... The house is a dump..."
Demyx didn't know quite how to respond so he stayed behind Axel and followed him as he pushed his key into the lock.
Axel turned and held the door open for Demyx to walk in first, he could tell his dad wasn't there the car was gone and the TV was off...
Plus he was pretty sure they had no beer left in the fridge...
Which would mean he definitely wasn't there.
Axel took Demyx's hoody and hung it over the end of the stairs, he then removed his own and threw it over Demyx's one, forgetting all about his black eye.
Which Demyx's eyes automatically were attracted to, it stood out in stark contrast to the rest of his pale skin.
Axel went to grab his hoody again when Demyx stopped him.
"No no don't do that..."
The redhead looked down.
"Just thought it might turn you off your food is all..."
Demyx laughed.
"No way. It's just a bruise like..."
Axel moved about the kitchen silently grabbing this and that and toppling things into a saucepan.
"Is there anything you are allergic to or don't eat?"
The blonde shook his head.
"Not that I know of anyways..."
"Good..."
Axel continued to topple things into the pot.
"So... How did you get the black eye anyway?"
The redhead stopped what he was doing and laid his hands on the counter top.
"I'm just concerned like... It looks pretty bad... Like someone punched you or something..."
Axel nodded.
"Someone did punch me... Do you like peppers?"
Demyx shook his head.
"No peppers please... Who was it? Someone in school? How are they getting away with it? Preppy bastards..."
Axel got the feeling Demyx was smarter than he looked and that he would figure it out sooner or later.
/Let him figure it out for himself... I really don't wanna think about it right now.../
He put the saucepan to the heat and kept his back turned to Demyx stirring the soup occasionally.
After a short while Demyx was feeling awkward.
"Uhm where's the bathroom?"
"First door at the top of the stairs..."
"Thanks."
Demyx made his way out to the hallway and started slowly up the stairs noticing pictures of his family as he went up...
The further he went up the sadder they seemed to look.
Until he came to one of Axel and his father and his mother and what looked like her new family.
/No wonder he's so sad.../
Demyx was almost at the bathroom when he caught a glimpse of light from a crack in one of the doors.
He couldn't help himself from creeping over to the door and opening it a tiny bit.
/Axel's room.../
He looked around the room and what he saw was a slight shock to his system.
Photos of Axel and the teen from the drawing...
The blonde one with the blue eyes...
It had to be him...
Lying on his bed was a newspaper clipping, Demyx picked it up and read over it.
Tragic teens car crash
It screamed in black and white and there underneath the picture was the two teenagers...
Roxas and Riku.
/Roxas.../
"Hey Demyx soups ready..."
Axel called from the kitchen downstairs.
The blonde made sure he hadn't disturbed anything and left the room exactly as he had found it and crept back to the bathroom, he flushed the toilet and wet his hands.
Axel was now at the foot of the stairs smirking up at him.
"Jesus what were you doing in there eh?"
Demyx shrugged.
"Nature called."
Axel laughed a little and made his way back to the kitchen.
Demyx knew more than he should know...
But the more he thought about it...
The more he desired to help.
"Well it's veggie soup, nothing special... But it'll fill you up and keep you going for the rest of the day with any luck..."
Demyx nodded.
"Thanks a lot..."
His head was spinning.
/Poor poor Axel... No wonder he's so sad... His friend only died the other day.../
As he caught the redheads eyes over the table as they ate, the pain was all too evident now, it was all there showing nowhere on his face...
All hidden inside...
Behind the windows of the soul...
His eyes showed all his anguish, pain and torment.
But he wasn't supposed to know...
So until he trusted him enough to tell him, he had to let Axel suffer in silence.