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sweet talk 101

o3 : this ain't a scene, it's a goddamn arms race - fall out boy

Books went flying, papers shooting out across the hall and a body sprawled on the floor. Head's turned. Some people whispered, others snickered, a few gasped.

There was a cough. Dark cobalt eyes traveled up to meet familiar Converses, familiar ripped jeans, familiar sweatshirt, a familiar smirk, familiar peridot green eyes and familiar crimson hair.

"My, my, my. Clumsy, now aren't we?"

Roxas growled, pushing himself up on his elbows. Sora rushed over, pulling Roxas up by the arm.

"Jeez, Axel, what the hell is your friggin' problem?!"

"You two are," Axel replied, smirk growing at Roxas's visible anger. "You should really watch where you're going, Roxas. Clumsy and blind." Axel was pushing the blonde's buttons and waiting for a reaction. And boy did he get a reaction.

Roxas tore away from Sora and launched at Axel, pinning the older boy to the wall. Axel slipped away, pulled Roxas's arms back, who in turn tripped Axel. The struggle went on like that for a while until Axel had Roxas pushed up against the lockers, pulling the boy's arms behind his back. The blonde struggled, growling in his throat, but couldn't move.

"Heh, you've got fight in you," Axel said, chuckling in Roxas's ear. "Maybe not so much like Sora."

The Axel released his hold on the blonde and was gone before Roxas had even turned around. He stood there, rubbing his arms, not knowing where to look since everyone was staring at him. There was even a new dent in one of the rust-red lockers, staring at him too, forever reminding him of what happened.

"Well? Go on!" Sora yelled, waving his hands at the group. "Don't you have better things to do?"

There was a collective murmur and the crowd slowly dispersed.

"Hey, Rox? You okay?" Sora asked as he helped his brother pick up his stuff. Roxas didn't respond, only kept his eyes down.

When Roxas's things were back in his bag, the blonde snatched it from Sora and shoved past him.

Sora pouted slightly and shuffled off to his next class. Art.

"Why the long face, So?" Riku asked as the brunette dropped his bag on the floor and slumped into the chair next to him.

"Mmmh.. Roxas is pissed at me. Cuz I stood up for him," Sora said, rolling his eyes a bit. He crossed his arms on the table and buried his face in them.

"Why? He get into a fight already?"

"Yeah.. Axel."

Sora heard Riku let out a snort. "God, that guy's such a stupid fuck..."

"I mean, I know Roxas might think that I'm, like, babysitting him, but he's in a new school! I mean, you'd think he'd want some help.." Sora pouted at the black table. It didn't give a response.

"Listen, So," Riku said, nudging his friend in the shoulder. "I know you're worried but Roxas is like, what, sixteen? I think he can take care of himself."

Sora muttered a reluctant agreement and doodled on the desktop with his pencil. A shiny metallic heart now adorned the top.

x.x.x

It went on like this for most of the week. Axel would do anything possible to get on the kid's nerves. Why? Because he never really fought back. Unless you count that first time where Axel tripped him in the hallway. Well... actually...

There were a few times in Chem. where Axel switched Roxas's beaker with another formula. It blew up. Until, of course, Roxas found out and then Axel was the one having his face being practically blown off.

Axel's little war raged on violently and loudly.

Roxas was a silent fighter with a quick temper.

In gym class, Axel laughed when Roxas missed a serve. Roxas set the ball and spiked it at Axel's face. He never missed that.

"..el.. AXEL!"

Axel jumped, nearly falling off of lunch table bench. "Jesus Christ! What!"

Larxene rolled her eyes, resting her chin back in her hand. "Alright, what's the deal with you? You've been spazzing out more than usual. I don't think I've ever seen you devote so much attention to a kid just to make his life miserable."

"Ah, but that's the point. I want his life to be completely miserable."

"..Why?"

Axel shrugged. "It's fun."

Larxene sighed and shook her head, not seeing the point in all of this.

Axel, on the other hand, was having the most fun he'd had in a long while. Roxas was like a challenge. Something new. The kid just wouldn't break, no matter what Axel tried. He'd become obsessed in trying. He wanted to break him. See him shatter into satisfying little pieces. Hah. Just like throwing stones at a glass moon.

x.x.x

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

The students chorused the same word over and over as blood red met with ash blonde.

"Alright kid, let's see how well you can fight."

Roxas growled in his throat. Why did Axel have to be such a fucking douche bag? Why couldn't he just lay off for one fucking day? Roxas couldn't really say that he hated the red-head. Oh, no, of course not. Roxas despised him. With a passion. With the white hot intensity of a thousand and one suns.

Well. That was deep.

Before Roxas could even take a swing at him, Axel grabbed the boy in a headlock, pushing him against the brick wall of the school.

Stained blood red. Such a pretty color. Like your hair.

Oh god, how Roxas would've loved to have just turned around and beat the shit out of Axel. But he was pinned to the wall.

Pinned like a fucking butterfly.

Oh so delicate, but not so easy to catch. Not like it matters. Once you're caught, your wings are ripped off your body and you're stomped into the dirt. Bye-bye butterfly.

Roxas growled in frustration, squirming against Axel's hold. The red-head only tightened his grip around his prey's neck.

"Axel, let him go!" came a shrill voice.

The chants of the crowding students died down. The moment Axel saw his sister try to push herself through the crowd, his hold on Roxas loosened slightly. Roxas took that chance and shoved Axel back, rubbing his abused neck. It also didn't help that about half the school was staring at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kairi screeched, bringing her face close to Axel's. The red-head could actually smell the strawberry shampoo she used that morning.

"Standing here," Axel replied smartly.

Kairi huffed and smacked Axel right across the face. The crowd "ooh"d and even Roxas seemed a bit surprised. Axel was the only one unfazed. He only stuck his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans and casually walked away. Just like that. Everyone else slowly walked off, muttered to each other.

"Hey, you alright?" Kairi asked, placing her hand on Roxas's shoulder. "Do you need to see the nurse or anything?"

Roxas shook his head curtly. He jerked away from Kairi and picked up his bag, which had been laying on the ground. And with that, he walked off.

x.x.x

Later that evening, Sora told his mom about what had happened to Roxas at school (he'd heard from Kairi). Roxas, who had been sitting on the couch and watching tv, flicked his eyes to the two and narrowed them.

"Roxas," Satsuki said finally, "Maybe.. this isn't such a good idea. I think you should go back to your old school."

Roxas's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Look, it's either that, or you keeping getting into more fights at school with that boy." Satsuki placed her hands on her hips, giving Roxas a stern look.

Roxas only shook his head and turned his attention back to the tv. And that was the end of that conversation.

"Fine," his mother huffed, throwing up her hands. "Come home with a broken arm for all I care." She would rather be stuck in a room with a snake than try to argue with her son.

Sora frowned and sat by Roxas after Satsuki went back into the kitchen.

"Look, I know you don't like your old school, but if you keep fighting with Axel like this, you could end up getting hurt-"

Or end up breaking his nose. Roxas flicked past another channel.

"Or you could end up getting in trouble, like getting suspended, or expelled-"

Like those teachers give a shit about who's fighting who. Roxas stopped on MTV.

"And all of this can make you fall behind in your school work-"

Like you actually care about school work.

"And Kairi's getting really worried too-"

Kairi's fucking scary.

"Roxas! Are you listening to me."

Roxas gave Sora a sidelong glance and nodded.

"Oh? Then what was the last thing I said?"

Roxas gave his brother the finger and headed upstairs to his room, leaving a slightly stunned Sora on the couch. Tomorrow was Friday and then Roxas was free of Axel for two and a half days. Unless Fate decided to be one son-of-a-bitch.

x.x.x