The chains on Axel's heavy leather boots announced his arrival to homeroom as they did every other morning. Someone was different this time, though. When the red head passed Roxas, he looked down at the blonde and smirked. He then continued following behind Demyx and Zexion to their seats in the back row.

Further into class, as Roxas was drawing an elephant into his doodle filled notebook, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Before he could turn around a note was dropped in his lap. Roxas turned around to look at Axel, but the older boy's attention was locked on his calculus homework and he gave no notice to Roxas' attention.

He turned back around and quietly opened the note, sure to keep it under his desk so that Mr. Leonhart wouldn't notice and read the note to the class like he had on occasions in the precious weeks.

Meet me in the back courtyard during your break after 7th period. I'll pay you back that cigarette.

It wasn't signed but Roxas knew who it was from.

~*~*~

Roxas told his7th period teacher that he had to go to the nurse in order to get out of class early. He didn't know why he was so excited, he just was. He busted out the back door and looked around but no Axel. He sat there for 10 minutes until the bell rang. Still no Axel. He waited 10 minutes more. Still no Axel. As soon as he convinced himself that the note was a joke and that Axel and his friends were laughing about it as he sat there, the door opened. Axel stepped out and made his way over to Roxas without making eye contact. His hair was wet and, even though it was slicked back against his head, it's spikes were still quite distinct.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. Had swimming in Gym class. Needed to rinse out the chlorine. It makes my hair all frizzy."

Roxas simply nodded.

"As promised." Axel handed Roxas a cigarette, then slipped one into his own mouth. "None of that girly shit you smoke."

Roxas let the comment go and thanked Axel.

A few minutes of silence, broken only by the birds chirping in the trees before them.

"You know Roxas. I like you. I don't know why. But I like you. Someone about it is different from everyone else. You're one of the few people at this school that didn't try to become best friends with me. Why?"

"I don't know." Roxas shrugged. "I don't take that much notice to you guys really."

Lie.

"Well thanks. It's refreshing to know that someone here isn't obsessed with us."

Lie.

There was silence once again, only to be broken by Roxas.

"This things on your face," he mused, reffering to the two upside down triangles under each of Axel's acid green eyes. "What are they?"

Axel seemed to hesitate.

"Oh they're, uh, they're tattoos. I got them when I joined, uh, when I joined…. forget about it."

"The circus," Roxas finished for him.

Axel's gaze flashed up at Roxas. His eyes were smoldering. But they roon cooled and the red head relaxed.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I guess you could call it that. More like a manipulation if you ask me…. I don't want to talk about it though. Maybe I'll tell you someday if we ever do become friends. It's dangerous to be talking about. So drop it. And if you'd be so kind as not to mention where I'm from to anyone else."

"Yeah, Demyx already told me and Hayner about that."

Axel nodded. "Wouldn't put it past him. He's just looking out for us."

"Well… how old are you then?" Roxas asked, in an attempt to change the subject. "You must be over 18 if you have a tattoo."

"No, I'm 17. I did them myself."

For some reason Roxas didn't believe him… Axel was definitely hiding a lot.

Before any more conversation could take place, the door behind them opened and Mr. Leonhart stepped out. He looked over at the boys and his expression became very stern.

"No smoking on campus," he scolded. "Detention today after school for the both of you. My room. Directly after 8th period."

He then continued on his way to the teacher's parking lot to do whatever it was he had come outside to do.

~*~*~

Roxas sat down in detention in his usual seat in Mr. Leonhart's room. Sora came in soon after and sat next to Roxas.

"Hey, Roxaaaaas," Sora squealed, way too excited to be being punished "What you in for?"

"Smoking on campus…" Roxas wished the little bother would go away.

"I told you you'd get caught for that eventually. I'm here for gum."

Roxas didn't respond. Leave it up to Sora to get busted for the lamest things.

Out of the corner of his eye, Roxas saw Axel enter the room. He didn't look up though. He wanted to give Axel his privacy, he seemed to like that.

However, instead of sitting behind Roxas, Axel sat next to him. He didn't make any move to interact though. He simply sat down he bag and put his head down on the desk, facing away from Roxas.

Mr. Leonhart then entered and shut the door behind him.

"Two hours. You can work or you can sleep. No talking. No note passing. No eating or drinking. Most of you already know how this goes so I won't go on."

He then took a seat at his desk and started grading the tests he's administered his homeroom the day before.

Roxas spent the first thirty minutes finishing the elephant that he had begun doodling earlier that day. He felt a tap on his arm and looked up to see Axel passing him a note. He took it and looked up to the front of the room to notice that Mr. Leonhart wasn't there. He then looked back down at his desk and noticed that the folded piece of paper was gone.

"Didn't I say no note passing?" Came Mr. Leonhart's from behind Roxas.

He could here the paper being unfolded and dreaded what Mr. Leonhart might read.

Mr. Leonhart cleared his throat. "Meet me outside the room and get some coffee after this?" he read. "Please, Axel. Please refrain on asking Roxas on a date until after class.

The other students in the room chuckled and Roxas felt his face burn up. He sole a sideways glance at Axel. The red head's eyebrows were raised. He was waiting for a response.

Roxas nodded.

~*~*~

A/N: I went back and re-uploaded the previous 3 chapters. Apparently the dividers weren't showing up so I went back and replaced them with "~*~*~" Hope this clears up some confusion. And don't worry. Axel's not going to be some sort of circus clown. His, Demyx, and Zexion's stories are much more dramatic and complex than that. Not to mention I hate clowns so I wouldn't write about them…

Also, if you can't tell… No. I'm not very fond of Sora. So I make him out to be REALLLLLY annoying. ttfn