AN: Axel and Roxas's first meeting.

A hand landed on Roxas's shoulder and, without warning, shoved him out of his chair and onto the ground. A moment later, his plate followed, his dinner splattering all over his uniform. He glared up at the culprit, a tall blond surrounded by a group of hangers-on.

"You're new here, aren't you?" The voice didn't so much ask as demand. Roxas nodded, scrambling to his feet and attempting to remove his lunch from his previously white shirt. "I guess nobody told you these are our seats."

Roxas racked his brains, but nothing had been mentioned. "Nobody said anything about seating at lunch, no."

"I'm telling you now, these are ours, so you just go and find yourself somewhere else to sit. Before you do, be a good new kid and fetch me my lunch."

"Fetch your own damn lunch." Roxas snorted. Did the guy really expect him to do that, he wondered.

"You're never gonna fit in much with an attitude like that, is he, Hayner?" A shorter blond shook his head, and the other wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "See, Hayner knows who's boss around here, and if I say jump, he asks how high."

"Get over yourself, Seifer." A lanky redhead came into view, and Roxas was relieved to find somebody who didn't want to order him around. "Hi, I'm Axel."

"Roxas."

"If you want to eat lunch with people who are more civilised than these, you're welcome to join us."

"Thanks, but… that was my lunch." He pointed to the mess on the floor and his new uniform.

"Don't worry, we've always got tons of food."

Roxas decided the redhead, Axel was a much safer bet than Seifer's little gang, and let him lead the way to a small group sitting on the grass outside.

"Demyx, Zexion, Naminé, Riku, Sora and Kairi." They waved as they were introduced, and Roxas immediately felt more comfortable. "Guys, this is Roxas. He was being harassed by Seifer – I couldn't leave him there."

"Axel, we all know you've got a thing for cute blonds." One of the girls, he thought it was Kairi, commented. Roxas could feel that he was turning bright red with embarrassment.

"Don't tease him on his first day, people. Give him some time to get used to the insanity in this place, at least." He really needed to get better at remembering names. This guy had blue hair and only one visible eye. Roxas nodded his thanks, then gratefully accepted their offer of food.

By the time lunch had ended, Roxas was pretty sure he'd got everybody's name sorted, and didn't feel quite so much like an outsider in Twilight High. At least one of them was in every class he took, which was a relief. Now, if only he had something clean to wear.

"I assume you don't want to walk around with your lunch plastered to the front of your shirt for the rest of the day." The blue-haired guy again – Zexion.

"I'd rather not, no."

"I've got a spare shirt you can borrow – it should fit you."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem."

"If Seifer tries to harass you again, you tell me, ok?" Axel had reappeared after Roxas had got changed, and slung an arm across Roxas's shoulders.

"I'll do that."

Roxas was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable around the redhead, but not because he didn't like him. Kairi's comment about Axel having a "thing" for blonds may have been said as a joke, but it was probably true. Did that mean Axel was interested in him? Roxas was beginning to hope that was indeed the case.

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