11/26/19 Normal high school drama x100

"Have you suffered any recent head trauma?"

Axel blinked at that. Across from him, his crush, Roxas, looked dead serious. There was no sign, no crinkle around the eyes or upturn at the corners of his lips, nothing to suggest a joke.

"No…?" He grinned uncertainly, hoping this was just some weird reference or something. It wasn't very good or funny, in his opinion. To be honest, Axel's heart was racing with nervousness, terrified that he might get rejected.

He had only transferred to this school a few weeks ago, but his blonde Math 400 classmate had immediately attracted his notice, with his adorable spiky blonde hair and stunning, pensive blue eyes. Despite his new friends' grumblings that Roxas was a dork and a stuck-up snob, Axel couldn't get the boy out of his head.

After a while, he just stopped talking to them about it.

But the longings persisted. If he couldn't date Roxas, he at least wanted to befriend the kid. Roxas was just so cute and smart, with an answer for every question that came up in class. But at lunch, he always sat alone, or with one or two others, if he didn't just disappear into the library.

And when the blonde thought no one was looking, there'd be this weird, sad look in his eyes. Or maybe just far off? Axel never could place it, but it struck him as odd, and his nature all but compelled him to find out what it was and help, if possible.

Roxas's expression didn't lighten.

"Is this a bet?"

"Huh?" It took only a moment for the redhead to realize the implication there. Eyes wide, he shook his head quickly. "No! No one put me up to this! I swear!"

"Then why?" The blonde looked down at his table, eyes blankly scanning over the textbook and notes he had been trying to pack away moments before. His backpack sat in his chair, stuffed to the brim with books and a few games he carried around. Axel thought he caught sight of a Switch console in there at one point.

"How can I believe that? What would make a guy like you even notice someone like me?"

It wasn't said all that harshly, but it still stung a bit. Why was he so gruff and defensive?

"Roxas," Axel got down on his knees, thankful that it was way after school and no one but the busy librarian was around to potentially witness this. "I don't know what impression I gave off before. I'm not trying to be some too-cool-for-school jock asshat or something. I know the guys have some rough edges. I just wanted to make some friends when I moved here, and they seemed…okay."

He mostly meant it, too. Larxene, Xemnas, and the others were the only people that really made him feel welcome, who approached him on his first day and actually seemed interested. They weren't the most mature to some of the other kids, and they did like to gossip, sure, but they didn't seem that bad. He'd met kids at his last school who were way worse.

"Oh?" Roxas turned back to face him, and there was some genuine anger in his eyes, albeit slightly muted. It still startled the redhead, seeing what he could only describe as hatred, from someone who was so young, and who normally seemed decently kind.

"Would you still be their friend if I told you what they did to Kairi? Or Xion? What they tried to do Zexion?" Seeming to catch himself then, Roxas pulled back inward and sighed.

"Those guys find it funny trying to make our lives a living hell, so excuse me for being skeptical about someone who condones their behavior asking me out on a date."

"Rox-"

"Save it!" he snarled, shoving the last of his things into his backpack harshly. The zipper strained audibly, in the effort of closing it.

"I don't know why I bothered listening. I'm so fucking stupid!"

"Kid, hang on a-"

"I'm not a kid!" He spun around and jabbed a finger into Axel's chest. "I'm not some toy for you and your buddies to mess around with, and neither are my friends! Get it through your thick skull and leave us alone!"

"I wasn't trying to say that!" the redhead bit back, getting more frustrated than he meant to. "I like you! That's all I wanted to tell you!"

"Congratulations," came the sarcastic retort. "Have a cookie."

"Seriously?!" What had he seen in this boy again? He clearly was every bit the snob that Axel's friends made him out to be. No wonder he had so few friends; the kid was a fucking cactus. Bitterly, Axel wondered if his friends were just as bad as he was.

They had to be, right? To endure someone like him?

"Yes, seriously." The blonde swung his bag over his shoulder. "We're done here."

Axel gripped his own hair with one hand and tugged. Anything to alleviate his growing headache.

"Have you considered that those guys are jerks to you for a reason?"

The next thing he felt was a sharp slap against his cheek.

Staggering back a step, Axel starred down with wide eyes. That had really hurt. It wasn't some limp-wristed slap or little girl punch. With some claws involved, it might have seriously gouged his skin.

Opposite him, Roxas was glaring daggers, panting slightly with the exertion. Sure enough, his hand was slightly red, and he clenched to stop it from shaking so visibly.

"Was there a reason they bullied my sister?" he snapped back, this time more softly. Angry, but ultimately helpless.

"What are you-?"

"Was there a reason they kept at it until she slit her wrists and tried to fucking die?"

Axel jerked back at that, completely confused. Roxas had a sister? Why had he never heard of her? She had tried to commit suicide?!

And…his friends had pushed her to it?

While these thoughts were pouring into his brain like magma, Roxas was studying his face intently. Finally, something seemed to click.

"They didn't mention her at all, did they?"

His voice sounded so broken, so incredulous and hurt, that it broke Axel as well. Without thinking, the redhead reached out and wrapped the younger boy in a giant bear hug, choosing to ignore it when he muttered and tried to squirm away.

"What happened to her?" Axel said finally, once the blonde had stopped fighting and just leaned into the embrace.

"…It was two years ago. She was institutionalized for two weeks, maybe three. After, my parents transferred her to another school. I almost went with her, but…"

He trailed off, scuffing his shoe on the library carpet and sighing again.

"Is…" Axel bit his lips once, then wet them. "Is she okay now?"

Roxas stilled like a corpse, looking up at him like he never expected such a question from anyone, let alone Axel.

God…what kind of minefield had he walked into here?

"Yeah…Nami's much happier now." At her mention, the boy smiled slightly, and it instantly sent Axel's stomach catapulting into butterfly central.

For a few moments, they stood together, but looking anywhere they could but each other's eyes.

"Sorry I hit you." Axel blinked finally, looking down to see his companion's guilty face. He smiled slightly.

"Nah, I understand. Sorry for not believing you about my friends…I didn't think they were capable of something like that."

Roxas bit his cheek.

"Namine was already fragile…Long story," he said quickly, seeing the question in Axel's eyes. "But those douchebags certainly didn't help. Sorry. I guess…I just assumed anyone that they liked would be just as bad as them."

Another pause passed between them, though this time, it was a lot less awkward. The blonde still had not moved completely out of his arms, and Axel, for one, was not complaining.

"So…if I were to, say, extricate myself from their group…would you consider me then? Even just as a friend?"

Roxas looked stunned at that.

"You'd really do that? Ditch them just because I asked you to?"

"I mean, you make a compelling case, kid." He laughed out loud when he received a pout for using that nickname. He roughly tussled blonde hair, making Roxas slap his hand away.

"I don't abandon friends lightly, if that's what you're trying to ask. I like to think I'm choosey about them to begin with, but I guess that didn't really happen here." He scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish.

"I mean…it's not really your fault. You haven't been here long, and being by yourself can get pretty old fast…"

"Nice to see you're so generous to me now," Axel laughed again, making Roxas blush slightly. "But yes. At the risk of demonstrating my poor judgment of character, I'd like to switch sides here. Maybe I can be your double agent!"

"What are you, Snape?"

The redhead pulled his best Alan Rickman face and solemnly said, "Always."

For the first time today, and maybe since Axel had ever seen him, Roxas genuinely laughed.