Axel was stressed. He had returned to his classroom and was sitting at his desk, slouching in his chair and wondering if he had enough time for a smoke. On one hand, he really wanted to take the edge off before his next class. The redhead had never been caught smoking on campus in the four years he'd been a teacher. On the other hand, his luck that week seemed to have been pretty rotten so far.

Sighing, Axel decided against it. Roxas was either at the nurse or had been sent home. Either way, Axel would just be bored on his own. He wondered for a moment if Roxas really hadn't been feeling well. Maybe the boy really was sick and Axel had just assumed it was because Roxas had been on something.

The man groaned. He knew he probably shouldn't think of the boy like that, but then how was he supposed to think of him? He always avoided reading too deep into their relationship to keep from complicating things, but… Roxas had said something interesting to him the other day.

Why would the kid want to be with someone who reminded him of his teacher? Was there something he wasn't telling Axel? And why had he freaked out when Axel tried to ask what he had meant?

Axel clicked his tongue and stood. He decided that he did need a smoke; the need to ease his mind becoming stronger than his wariness of being caught. The redhead pulled a new pack of cigarettes from his bag and laughed. He had bought it over a week ago, but hadn't needed to open it because he had kept taking Roxas's. Pulling the plastic wrapper off, he considered buying the kid a new pack, but then again Roxas shouldn't have been smoking anyway.

Pulling a cigarette from the carton and putting it between his lips, Axel made his way to the door that led to his usual smoking spot. He drew his lighter from his back pocket and flicked the thumbwheel. Holding the filter in his mouth with his middle and index finger and sucking in, Axel lit the end then pushed open the door leading out of his classroom.

The cigarette fell from his lips and to the ground with a gasp. Sitting with his arms crossed over his knees and his head down on his forearms, was Roxas.

The boy turned his head to look up at his teacher at the sound of the door opening. He stared up at the man with clear, cerulean eyes behind golden eyelashes and Axel's breath caught in his throat. He swore –despite his shitty attitude- the kid was adorable sometimes.

"I was beginning to think that you were gonna leave me out here," Roxas mumbled and took Axel's cigarette from the floor. He stretched his legs out put the fag between his teeth.

"Jesus Christ, Roxas. You scared the shit out of me," Axel wondered if maybe Roxas was always adorable and he had just convinced himself not to notice.

Roxas took a small drag then pulled the cigarette from his mouth with his middle and ring finger, "I'm here every day and you're still surprised?"

"I thought they'd sent you home," Axel sat next to his student. He was acutely aware of the distance and wondered if he was sitting to close.

"They did," Roxas took another quick dag before returning the cigarette to the redhead, "but the period wasn't over and I figured you'd be stressing out."

Axel took his cigarette back his trembling fingers, careful not to brush them against the blonde's, "Aww were you worried about me? That's so sweet." He tried to sound his usual cocky self, but his voice betrayed his. Roxas raised a brow at the quiver in his voice and Axel cleared his throat hurriedly, "What the hell did you back there anyway?

Roxas made a face as if the answer was ridiculously obvious, "Well, I'm pretty sure I threw up."

"Yeah. No shit, but how? Did you take something?"

"Shut the fucking hell up, Axel. Not everything is about drugs with me, you know?"

Axel mentally kicked himself. Maybe he just didn't know how to be nice to the kid, "Okay, okay, you're right. I'm sorry."

"Damn right you are," Roxas snatched the man's cigarette before he even took a single drag.

Axel glared for a second, "So are you going to tell me how you did that?"

"No way!" the teen put the fag in his mouth and drew the smoke into his lungs.

"C'mon, Roxas. I wanna know!"

"You're gonna think this is gross," Roxas said, making a sickened face.

"No I won't."

Roxas sighed, "It's a trick I came up with once in middle school when I wanted to get out of running the mile. You see I had this lollipop in my pocket, this time it was just a rolled up paper." He looked up at his teacher to see if he was following yet. Axel just looked confused and Roxas groaned, "See you hold it in one hand and used the other hand to hide it. Then sho-"

"Okay!" Axel made a fake gagging gesture, "Okay I get it. That's disgusting. No wonder you're never willing to blow." He laughed at his own joke and Roxas rolled his eyes at him.

"I have a highly sensitive gag reflex. I need it in case I need to get something out," Roxas said, almost proudly.

Axel took his cig back. "So then it is about drugs," he murmured while holding the cigarette between his teeth.

"Fuck you," the blonde stuck his middle finger to the man. "At least I got Naminé to lie for your ungrateful ass. You're lucky she read my text before she got interrogated."

Axel took a drag then exhaled the smoke through his nose. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and clicked his tongue, "All right. You're right. I'm sorry and thank you. Happy now?"

"I'm never happy…"

The redhead watched his student from the corner of his eye. He wanted so badly to ask again about the conversation he had had with the teen a few days previous, but at the same time he knew Roxas would only get mad at him.

"Axel… I-"

PiiPiiPiidoooooooooooo!PiiPiiPiidoooooooooooo!

Roxas drew his phone from his pocket. He looked at the ID and frowned and Axel tried to steal a glance, but Roxas answered before he got the chance, "What? … What do you want? … Yes I am. … No," the blonde bit his lip. He glanced at Axel who gave him a very questioning look, "I'm at school right now. I'll call you back in five minutes." Without waiting for a response, the blonde withdrew his phone from his ear and shoved it in his pocket.

"Who was that?" Axel asked, hoping he didn't sound too interested.

"No one important." He grabbed his bag, stood quickly, and turned to leave campus, "See you later, Axel."

"Wait."

The teen stooped and half-turned his body.

"Before that call… what were you going to say?"

Roxas sighed and walked back to where his teacher was sitting. He crouched in front of the man and grabbed the cigarette from his hand. He placed it between his lips and took a long drag before exhaling the smoke into the man's face. Axel scrunched his nose as Roxas ground the butt on the concrete. Roxas cradled the back of the man's head, tangling his fingers in red hair. He licked Axel's lower lip before sliding his tongue in his teacher's mouth and taking in the bitter flavor.

Axel smiled softly, reveling in the feeling of the boy's tongue. He kissed back lazily, letting Roxas take the lead. Axel watched him through half-lidded eyes, admiring his thick, soft lashes.

Unraveling his hand from Axel's hair, Roxas held the man's face in both hands. He pulled Axel closer to him to kiss him deeper. He ran the tip of his tongue along the roof of his teacher's mouth from back to front and smiled when Axel sighed softly into the kiss. He slid his tongue under Axel's upper lip before breaking away. He opened his eyes to find the man already staring at him.

The two stared at one another in silence for just a moment before Roxas looked away. He picked up Axel's forgotten pack of cigarettes and muttered a quick, "Sorry. It's nothing." Standing and shoving the carton into his backpack, Roxas turned again. This time Axel didn't stop him when he walked away and jumped the fence to leave.

-
sorry for the break between chapters, my laptop died on me ))):