This was it. It was actually happening.

Tap…tap…tap…

His palms were damp he was so nervous. Ugh—he hastily wiped them on his pants to dry them

Tap…tap…tap…

Why was he so nervous? There was no reason to be. It wasn't like he'd agreed to go on a date with him or anything. Just talk a little, that was all. Simple. Easy. No big deal.

Tap…tap…tap…

Over and over and over, he tapped the eraser of his pencil on the surface of his desk. He couldn't help it. He was just so nervous—he couldn't sit still. If he wasn't tapping the pencil, he was jiggling his foot or drumming his fingers or chewing his lip or bouncing his knee. And there was still four minutes to go before class even started.

Tap…tap…tap…

A familiar shade of red caught his eye and Roxas' attention snapped towards the door. Just as he'd thought, Axel was walking into the classroom at that very moment. He felt his throat tighten and hunched his shoulders slightly.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptap!

Without meaning to, he began tapping the pencil at a much faster pace. Green eyes met his, a look of curiosity then amusement lighting the emerald depths as the senior recognized how nervous Roxas knew he looked. Every step the redhead took brought him closer to where Roxas was sitting, and the blond was sorely tempted to make a run for it. This was a bad idea. Why had he agreed to talk to the older boy?

"Hey." Axel was grinning lazily, one hand in his pocket, the other holding onto the strap of his bag so it wouldn't slide off his shoulder. Most of his weight was on his right leg, making that hip stick out slightly, and Roxas' eyes traveled the whole length of the senior's body before he finally looked him in the eye again—he'd known Axel was tall, but he hadn't realized how absolutely lanky the older student was.

"Hi…" Damn it! He sounded like a junior high kid whose voice hadn't deepened with puberty yet! Pretending he had something stuck in his throat, Roxas made a guttural sound to clear the nonexistent blockage. "Hm…Hey, Axel."

The look on Axel's face clearly said he saw right through Roxas' pretense, but to his credit, he didn't mention it.

"Can I sit with you?" he asked politely.

Blue eyes slid over to look at the seat beside Roxas, which had been empty all year. What could it hurt?

"Sure, I guess."

Axel paused for a second as if the sophomore's answer surprised him before he claimed the vacant seat. They sat in silence for a few moments, then Axel reached into his bag, withdrew something, and slid it over to Roxas' half of the table.

"Here."

The blond recognized it as his copy of Pride and Prejudice and stored it carefully in his own bag. "Thanks." At least the book didn't appear to have been damaged at all while in Axel's possession, so that helped him feel a little bit more optimistic about talking to the senior.

"So, uh," Axel tried to think of something to say to impress or interest Roxas as he glanced at the blond nervously, "how do you like the school?"

Great. Way to be original, Axel. He's gonna think you're as boring as Vexen if you don't get it together. You've been waiting for this chance all year so don't fuck it up!

"It's all right," Roxas replied quietly, fiddling with his pencil once more. "For the most part."

"What don't you like about it?"

The blond's head lowered slightly as his memories of his first detention with Larxene came to the front of his mind. "Some of the teachers seem…off…" He spoke even quieter this time, forcing Axel to lean a bit closer in order to hear him.

"You mean Miss Larxene."

Roxas nodded just barely, and Axel felt an almost overwhelming urge to comfort the younger boy in some way, by touching his shoulder or hugging him or even simply assuring him that it would be okay, that Miss Larxene wouldn't bother him forever. But he didn't because he knew that she would continue harassing the blond until Axel either gave in or Roxas did.

At least I graduate this spring. Then I'll be free of her forever, and she'll have no reason to target Roxas if I'm not around.

"What'd she do to you?"

This time the blond shook his head in a clear statement that he didn't want to talk about it.

"Hey," Axel whispered, leaning closer so that Roxas looked at him, "I get it, you know. Really. You don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed or anything. Whatever happened, if you need to talk, I'll listen."

A grateful look came into the sophomore's eyes and he smiled slightly. "Thanks, Axel." It was a small smile, but it was genuine, and it was the first time Axel could remember that the blond had actually smiled at him. He smiled back, happiness blooming in his chest. Roxas smiled at him!

The bell rang and Professor Vexen entered the classroom; both boys turned to the front of the room so they wouldn't be scolded for talking during class. Roxas thought that would be the end of their discussion until the end of class, but then an almost-blank sheet of paper was slid towards him and he couldn't help himself.

"Thanks for lending me your book. I really enjoyed it."

Seriously? Axel wanted to pass notes in class after what happened with Miss Larxene? But it was Vexen's class…and certainly no one would notice a piece of paper lying on their table. Right?

"I'm glad. It's one of my favorites."

"That doesn't surprise me at all. Who's your favorite character?"

"Hmm…the mom, I think. She's crazy and doesn't understand anything while trying to run everything, but I think that's why I love her. She just tries so hard and is so dramatic that it's endearing."

Axel couldn't help the grin that spread over his face as he read. "Really? I found her a little annoying at times, but maybe that's because she reminds me of my mom. Personally, I liked Elizabeth the most."

"How is Mrs. Bennett like your mom?"

"Eh…my mom's…well, let's just say that nothing is ever good enough for my parents," the senior hedged. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Roxas about his parents—he didn't care if people knew about them—but it was a pretty serious, downhearted topic for their first real conversation. Something a little more lighthearted would be better.

"I see."

The note paused in the middle of the table as the two boys looked towards Vexen attentively and copied down the information written on the chalk board. When they'd finished, Axel moved the sheet of paper closer to himself and spent the next several moments coming up with something else to say.

"Why'd you decide to come to Kingdom High? It's not really a traditional boarding school. The teachers all have weird backgrounds and the Headmaster's a recluse that everyone's terrified of."

"I don't know. Sora and I wanted to try going to a school because we'd just had tutors travelling around with our parents. We applied to a lot of different schools and ended up picking at random because we could go just about anywhere we wanted. This is where we ended up."

"I'm glad you decided to come here. So, am I allowed to try to get to know you?"

Roxas had to consider that one carefully. There were a lot of ways to respond to the senior's question, and while he partially wanted to say no, he couldn't think of a way to do it without sounding like a complete asshole. On the other hand, he didn't want to say yes in a way that made Axel think he was off the hook. The redhead was going to have to work for it if he wanted Roxas' trust and friendship.

"You can try, but no promises, and don't think this makes us friends."

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Axel's mouth when he read the sophomore's response. "I didn't expect it to. Did you ask your friends if I can sit with you at lunch?"

"They said you can." He hadn't asked. He had meant to, and he knew he should have, but he couldn't bring himself to admit to Sora and the others that he was actually talking to Axel of his own free will, especially after how much of a fuss he'd made over having to work with the senior in class. They'd have teased him about it, and he hadn't been able to force himself to tell them he was texting the redhead. Still, he couldn't let Axel know he hadn't told them, so he decided to send a mass text out after class—that way they at least wouldn't be surprised by the senior's presence. He was pretty sure no one would mind.

The note slid back towards him and he read Axel's one-word response.

"Cool."

All right. This was happening. He was freely going to interact with Axel outside of class. No big deal. He could definitely do this. Unless the senior did something to completely ruin his chances of ever being Roxas' friend, but the blond doubted even Axel could manage to do so by lunchtime.

When class finally ended and Axel and Roxas stood to leave the classroom, the senior turned to the younger boy and smiled slightly.

"You, uh, wanna walk to Calculus together?"

Roxas nodded, mostly because he couldn't come up with a reason to say no other than the fact that he didn't want to be seen hanging out with the older boy just yet. If he said that, though, he'd be just as big of a jerk as Seifer, and he definitely wasn't willing to do that. So he just nodded. It was the easiest response.

As he'd planned, he sent a text to Sora, Kairi, Namine and Riku the moment he stepped out of Vexen's classroom, informing them that Axel was joining them for lunch and that he expected them to be on their best behavior. The responses he got consisted of mild surprise and acceptance, though Namine's message said that Demyx would also be there. Roxas decided that lunch was going to be a pretty noisy affair.

XXX

Axel and Zexion walked the short distance to the mess hall together, both occupied with his own thoughts. It wasn't until they had walked through the doors that Axel spoke up.

"I'm sitting with Roxas today." The announcement made him look entirely pleased with himself and he couldn't help smiling at the thought that the blond was actually speaking to him.

The other senior glanced at him with a little bit of surprise and relief. "Congratulations."

"Where are you gonna sit?"

"With Demyx."

"You talked to him?!" Axel rounded on the other boy, making several students who were passing by on their way to lunch stop and stare. "Why didn't you tell me? It was my idea!"

To the spectator's awe, Zexion kept his entire person calm as he looked up into bright green eyes that were surprised, hurt and indignant. "Where did you think I was all weekend?"

"I didn't—you just—it was—!" the redhead sputtered, unable to form a coherent sentence that would save him from being embarrassed at not having thought of the possibility that Zexion was spending the weekend with the blond he'd been so infatuated with. He sighed, giving in. "Fine. Whatever. Tell your new boyfriend I said hi."

Even though Demyx was in fact his new boyfriend, Zexion nodded without making a sarcastic comment and split off from the redhead. The plan was to meet the junior near the kitchens where there wouldn't be many other students at this time of day. Then they would decide where they wanted to sit.

"Zexion!"

Apparently, Demyx had spotted him before he'd spotted Demyx. Just after hearing his name, the blue-haired senior caught sight of the younger student and couldn't help but smile. Demyx was waving, his books held in one arm, tie loosened slightly for the break between classes. As soon as he was within arm's reach, Zexion pulled the slightly shorter boy into a hug.

"Hey," he whispered half-seductively, smirking when he felt Demy's face grow warm against his skin.

"Hi," came the breathy response as Demyx' free arm wrapped around Zexion's waist in a half-hug. "I missed you."

"It's only been a couple hours since the last time you saw me," the older boy pointed out as they broke the hug; he immediately took the blond's hand into his own.

"I know."

They began walking towards the stairs.

"So, where are we eating?"

The look on Demyx's face turned slightly guilty. "I told some of my friends I'd be sitting with them and bringing someone along. Is that okay?"

Zexion squeezed the blond's hand reassuringly—he had actually been looking forward to meeting the younger student's friends. "It's perfect."

A smile spread over Demyx's face and he quickly placed a light kiss on Zexion's cheek. "Great. They usually sit over here." Using his grip on the older boy's hand, he led Zexion over to a nearly full table.

"Demyx!" Sora grinned and wiggled his eyebrows as the blond and blue-haired boy reached them. "Who's your friend?"

The junior blushed, glancing at Zexion with a shy smile. "This is Zexion. My boyfriend." He looked a little nervous about saying it, as if he thought there might be a negative reaction, but he needn't have worried. His announcement made everyone smile, and they introduced themselves one by one.

"You can sit by me, Dem," Namine offered, gesturing to two empty chairs to her left. Demyx nodded gratefully and set his books down as Zexion dropped his bag into the other chair. The two then left to get food, never letting go of each others' hand for a moment.

"They're adorable," Kairi sighed as she watched them walk away. Her gaze then shifted longingly over to where Sora was poking Riku in the cheek with his fork and telling him he wouldn't be any good to eat.

"Seriously, you're too skinny. All lean meat. You'd be chewy and tough."

"How do you know? You haven't tried me," the older sophomore responded, smacking Sora's hand away before the fork could make contact with his face once again.

"Is that an invitation?" said brunet teased, setting his fork down and leaning one elbow on the table; he licked his lip in a sensual fashion, eyes slowly, deliberately sliding down the silver-haired student's torso towards his lap.

Apparently not amused by the eyes that were undressing him, Riku turned and scooted his chair closer to the table, blocking Sora's view. "No. Now shut up and eat your meatloaf."

"But I don't even know what kind of meat they used to make this loaf!" Sora wailed in false despair as he looked at the meatloaf with a fearful expression as if it might come alive and try to kill him with his own spoon.

"Oh, my gosh…guys," Kairi said quietly before Riku could shove Sora's face into the inoffensive meatloaf, drawing the attention of the three other students at the table, "he wasn't joking."

"Who?" As one, Namine, Riku and Sora turned to watch Roxas lead a nervous-looking Axel towards their table. The blond appeared slightly uncomfortable as he claimed his usual seat by Sora and Axel took the last empty chair.

"Hey, guys," Roxas muttered, eyes lowered. "Axel, this is Kairi, Namine, Riku, and my twin Sora."

"Hi," the senior greeted them with a smile. "I'm Axel, though I guess you already knew that."

"It's nice to officially meet you, Axel," Kairi said, her tone cheerful but clearly a sign to the others that they had to be nice to the redhead.

"Thanks, Kairi."

Roxas grabbed onto Axel's sleeve and began dragging him away. "Come on. Let's just get our food."

Kairi sighed deeply. "Makes you feel a bit lonely, doesn't it."

"What?" Sora had completely forgotten about his meatloaf.

"Seeing all our friends starting relationships and being so happy."

Riku and Sora exchanged glances as Namine devoted her attention to her food in order to stay out what she knew Kairi was trying to do.

"Uh, Roxas isn't in a relationship," Sora reminded her.

"Not yet," Kairi replied, looking over to where the blond was standing in the food line with the redhead, "but Axel really, really likes him, so it won't be long."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked, following her gaze. "Roxas doesn't like him at all, and for good reason."

"He brought him to sit with us, didn't he?"

She had a point, and Sora studied his twin with renewed interest. "You really think they'll end up going out?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." The redheaded sophomore was noncommittal. "Demyx has Zexion, Roxas has Axel whether he's willing to admit it or not, Namine's got her secret crush, and you two flirt like there's no tomorrow. I'm starting to feel left out."

Sora completely missed the second half of what Kairi was saying as he stared at Namine. "Secret crush?"

The blonde's face was a dark red and she shot Kairi a glare for saying anything. "It's nothing."

"Who is it?" Riku asked, grinning. "It's gotta be someone special to make you blush so much."

"No one."

"Awwww, come on, Nami! Tell us!" Sora pleaded, making the biggest puppy eyes he could manage, but the blonde simply shook her head in refusal.

"She won't tell you," Kairi cut in. "I only found out by accident."

The brunet's attention shifted to the other girl. "You know who it is?"

"Yes, but I'm not telling, either."

Well, that did it. If Namine didn't want to tell and Kairi was offering her support to keep it a secret, then there was no way they were going to get it out of either girl. Disappointment made Sora huff and slump back in his chair, muttering that he never got to know any of the good secrets.

"Oh, be quiet," Riku commanded gently, ruffling the younger boy's hair. "You know you'll forget all about it by the time we finish eating."

Sora rolled his eyes but smiled and started to eat again—he missed Kairi's smirk and the way Riku glared at her so she wouldn't say anything about their flirting. Demyx and Zexion returned with full plates only a moment later and sat, eating quietly, knees touching under the table. Kairi made sure to catch Riku's eye and nod in the couple's direction, mouthing, "Get a move on," so that he glared again. Both teens pretended nothing had happened when Roxas and Axel arrived and took their seats.

"Hey, Zexion," Axel greeted his roommate as if he wasn't surprised to see the other senior there. Zexion didn't let himself roll his eyes and simply nodded his acknowledgement of the redhead.

Of course, he should have known Axel would be there if these were Demyx's friends. He knew Sora was Roxas' twin and for some reason hadn't realized that meant that he and Axel would be spending lunch together, as usual.

"So," Namine broke the unusual silence that had settled over their table, "how did you two meet?"

Demyx glanced at Zexion, clearly nervous about the question. He didn't want to say that the senior had saved him from being molested by their teacher. He'd spent too much energy hiding it, and Zexion immediately recognized how uncomfortable the blond was.

"I noticed him studying in the library. Couldn't keep my eyes off him." The senior smiled at Demyx affectionately, earning sounds of approval from both Kairi and Namine, and Demyx leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," he whispered, softly enough that the others wouldn't hear him, and Zexion pushed against the younger boy's knee with his own in reassurance. If Demyx didn't want people to know about what really happened, then he wasn't going to tell.

It couldn't be. Axel wasn't sitting with that stupid blond brat and all his friends. Definitely not. He wouldn't dare be so open about how attracted he was to the kid, not after the last two weeks of detentions.

I thought I made it perfectly clear what would happen if he didn't forget about the brat, Larxene thought darkly, her meal forgotten as she sat at the same large table as the other teachers. Her eyes were locked on the spiky blond hair and even spikier red hair as the two boys sat next to each other, eating and talking and laughing.

This was unacceptable. If she hadn't managed to get through Axel's thick skull yet, then she would just have to try another method, and the next time she had a chance to get rid of Roxas for good, she'd take it without hesitation.

She wasn't about to lose Axel to that kid.