A/N: So I got like a million alerts on this and not one review. So I don't know if you guys are just alerting it to laugh at how bad it is or what. I don't want to be obnoxious but I've been writing this for months. It kind of sucks not to have any feedback at all. Just putting it out there.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the fragile heart in my chest that you guys are SMASHING with your never-ending indifference.

Roxas scanned the cafeteria until his eyes fell upon the redhead. He frowned at Axel's place between two guffawing brutes and walked by, disappointed, heading over to a corner table with only one occupant.

"Hey Zexion," he said, taking his seat. The slate-haired boy looked up from his book to give Roxas a smile. "What's that you're reading?"

Zexion dog-eared his page and set the book down beside his practically untouched tray of mysterious cafeteria food. "Romeo and Juliet. It's actually a really good read, once you get used to Shakespeare's language."

"I've never actually read that. I don't even know how it ends. Tell me about it when you finish?"

Zexion raised an eyebrow at that – how could anyone not know the ending? – but smiled and nodded. "Sure thing. Do you want to maybe hang out over the weekend?"

"No thanks," he supplied, focusing more on the questionable quality of his 'food'. "I'll probably be with Axel."

Zexion looked disappointed and returned to his book as Roxas gave up on his food and gazed off towards the other table, wishing he was sitting with Axel instead.

Over the next month, Axel grew closer to Namine. Their struggle and cheer practices coincided, so it was easy for them to chat on the way there and during breaks.

"Wait up!" Axel turned in time to see the petite blonde running up to him. "Are you heading to practice now?" She asked, brushing a few stray hairs behind her ear. He nodded and kept pace; if he was late, Coach would have his head. Namine linked an arm with his and rested her head on his shoulder as they went. She was an affectionate person, always touching people, so he thought nothing of it.

"Axel!" He and Namine both turned at the sound, and she released his arm as Roxas came over, pile of books balanced precariously in his arms. "Can you drive me to my aunt's today? It'll be horrible trying to bike all this home with me," he trailed off, looking up at him hopefully.

"Sorry, Rox, I've got practice until six. Me and Namine were just heading over. Unless you want to wait?"

"Oh, uh, no, don't even worry about it. I'll see you around." Axel shrugged and left with Namine. Roxas watched as she linked their arms again and glared at her retreating form before leaving the opposite way.

Axel hadn't had much time out of school to spend with Roxas, due to the amount of practices he had each week. They were lucky if they saw each other once a week out of classes. But with Namine it was different. Wherever he went, she was there. On the days that it rained, Axel would hold her umbrella as she ran over to Hayner's van. When practice let out late and the autumn air chilled her, he let her wear his leather jacket. They became very close over those few weeks together, and Axel began to see less and less of Roxas.

"Hey, Axel!"

Axel took the bottle of water from his lips to smile as Namine ran over to him in a short white dress that was unfitting for the chill in the air. "Is struggle over?"

"Yup," he began, shrugging off his jacket and handing it to her. She accepted it with a gratuitous smile. "Coach let us off early today."

"Great! Listen; can you do me a favor? Hayner's got someplace to be, so I really need a ride home tonight. Could you take me?"

If Axel was thinking of saying no, which he wasn't, he definitely would have been persuaded by her fluttering blonde lashes and glossy pink pout.

"Sure, come on."

He led her over to his convertible and opened her door for her. She giggled as she climbed in and he shut the door behind her, bowing in a dramatic and ridiculous pantomime of gentlemanliness. After getting the car started she told him where she lived, and Axel was surprised to realize that was also Roxas' street. He drove off in the appropriate direction and listened as Namine told him about her day.

"How did you and Hayner get together?"

Namine looked a bit shocked at the random question but laughed it off. "Well, we met when I was seven. He was friends with Riku, so he was always at my house. By the time we were 13, he had stopped coming over to hang out with Riku and started coming to spend time with me. He was my best friend. Sophomore year he asked me to be his girlfriend, and that's where we are now."

"You guys are cute together."

Namine raised her eyebrow. "You think so?" She smiled to herself.

"Yeah. Which one is yours?" he asked, referring to the houses lining the street.

"The third one, right there," she answered, pointing to a brick house just a bit smaller than Roxas'. Axel parked on the street rather than drive up the winding driveway and raised an expectant eyebrow at the girl when she took a while getting out of the car. She giggled a bit randomly and got out, walking around to him. "Come in, let me show you around."

Axel got out of the car smiling. She grabbed his hand and scurried up to her front door, pulling him behind her. She pulled a key out of her pocket and led him into the house. He stepped into an immaculate living room filled with all white furniture, white carpet, and white walls.

"Take off your shoes."

He did as he was told and let himself be pulled through the room and up some stairs. She pulled him into another room, similar to the living room but equipped with a bed. The floor was covered with white carpet, the furniture was the same, and so were the walls- at least what you could see of them. The majority was covered with hundreds of photographs, blown up to 8x10s. Axel's jaw dropped as they walked to the farthest walls and stood in front of what looked to be the most recent pictures. Everyone looked about same age in the pictures that they were now; there was one of Hayner carrying Namine to the end of the dock and another of Namine, mid-fall. The next was her scowling in the water as Hayner, Seifer, and Olette laughed. Fuu was absent from most of them, so he figured she must have taken them. He looked around and realized that all of these pictures were of her and her friends, and they seemed to start from the beginning of high school. He turned to tell her how amazing it all looked and looked straight into her eyes. He was just inches from her face, and finally realized they were still holding hands. He leaned forward slowly and, when she didn't move, leaned in to kiss her softly. Her eyes fluttered closed, and his followed. Soon she raised her hands to his chest and pushed him back, eyes wide. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. When Axel realized what he had done he hurriedly backed away from her, stumbling over his own feet.

"I should go."

He turned and ran down the stairs two at a time, stepping into his shoes and running out to his car. He looked back, breathing heavy, and saw her standing at her door before he started the car and pulled off.

The next day was awkward, to say the least. Axel refused to make eye contact with Namine and avoided her all day. At practice, he refused to even glance at the cheerleaders. He was in the clear, in the final stretch, sitting in his car, putting the key into the ignition, when Namine planted herself in front of his car, arms crossed in front of her.

"Axel, can you give me a ride?

He groaned internally, knowing he couldn't possibly say no to her.

"Hop in."

They drove in complete silence. When they reached her house, she didn't get out. Axel could feel her gaze burning a hole in the side of his head but didn't want to look away from his hands gripping the steering wheel.

"Hey." He turned to find her leaning precariously close and she quickly pressed her mouth to his. He pulled back hurriedly.

"Whoa! Namine, stop! You have a boyfriend!"

She sat back in her seat and sighed. "I know! It's just... Do you like me?"

Axel nodded and looked anywhere but at her.

"Well, I really like you too. And when you kissed me yesterday... I didn't really know what to think. But I realized, as you were running out that I didn't want you to leave. I don't want you to leave. I think we should try this."

Axel looked at her. "We should try this," he deadpanned. She only nodded. "What about Hayner?"

She got out and pulled him out of the car. "Don't think about him," she led him up to the house. "It's just me and you."

"Roxas, we were in her room for hours. We just kept kissing, and my shirt was off, her shirt came off..."

Roxas looked at Axel, face completely devoid of any emotion. "I'm not seeing your dilemma."

Axel gaped exasperatedly. "She has a boyfriend! Hayner! My teammate!"

Roxas shrugged. "Then tell her to stop."

"I can't! I mean, I don't want to stop!"

"Then don't. Keep going with this."

Axel sat on the grass beside the blond and rolled his eyes. "Roxas, you really aren't much help." He huffed out, laying back and stretching his arms over his head.

"Sorry." He replied, not feeling apologetic in the least. "So what else happened? Did you guys... you know? "Roxas averted his eyes.

"What? No! No. We... We came close, though. I just - she's a virgin, Rox. I couldn't."

"And you're not?" Roxas asked curiously. "A virgin, I mean."

Axel frowned slightly. "No. Story time," he said, rolling his eyes at himself. "There was this girl, back in Hollow Bastion, Larxene. We went out for a few months my sophomore year. She was my first, and I thought I was hers. She dumped me the day after we did it, and I found out she was just playing some sick game, trying to get through everyone in the school. I was her 18th."

"... I'm really sorry about that."

Axel shrugged it off. "Life sucks. It's whatever. I just don't want Namine to regret it like I do."

Roxas smiled up at his friend. "You're really a great guy, you know."

Axel rolled his eyes. "I know. How annoying. "

Roxas walked through the cafeteria and sat next to Zexion, who was noticeably farther along in his book. The blond sat quietly and ate the questionable food without complaint.

"So," Zexion began, closing his book. "You heard about the dance coming up?"

Roxas nodded as he finished swallowing his food. "Yeah, it's right before Christmas break, right?"

"Yeah. Are you... Going? With anyone?"

Roxas shrugged. "No...I'll probably just go down to the pier and draw."

"Oh, alright. Do you want to ha-"

"Roxy!"

Zexion scowled as his invitation was cut off, but Roxas beamed as Axel jogged over to the table, holding a carton of chocolate milk in his hand.

"Hi!"

Axel squished himself between Roxas and Zexion, taking no notice of the glare the shy boy sent his way.

"So you heard about that dance?"

"Yeah. I'm probably going to stay home."

"Nope." Roxas furrowed his brows in interested confusion. "You're coming with me to the usual spot in the woods. I'm teaching you to struggle."

Roxas opened his mouth to protest. "But-!"

"No arguments. We're doing this." He brought the carton to his lips and chugged it down. " See ya there, Rox."

Ignore the fact that Roxas doesn't know how Romeo and Juliet ends. It makes him seem a little stupid, but bear with me.

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