In his twentieth winter, the season that left him frigid and lonely, he'd come to expect as much. Standing in amongst hundreds of people rushing to and fro, couples and businessmen wove together to form a raging stream of human traffic. There were not many places where he felt quite as lonesome as Times Square, where you could be surrounded by so many people and not have a connection with any of them. For the last twenty winters that was how Roxas had been, without any bonds, not with family, friends, or with any lovers if there were any to speak of. It was almost laughable when he thought about it; he had always thought had a few good friends growing up and a family that supported him through good and bad, but one day he seemed to have woken up alone. Over time the people he considered friends in the past grew to distant acquaintances, his family unrelated to the life he was living. His heart beat to a different tune, so much so it separated him from everyone.
Roxas had never known pain. He had never lost someone he loved, or lived tragically. He a comfortable life in a big city full of opportunity. In most of the aspects of his life Roxas had nothing to complain about. It was almost laughable really, how mundane his longing made him. The nights he'd spent dreaming hazy faces, places, proved to only contort how he felt about the world when he woke up. He wasn't always sure he wanted to. At least he wasn't alone when he was asleep.
Snow drifted down the crowded streets of New York, finding its place within the city. The sky was dark and clouded overhead, too early for Christmas lights, too late for branches bearing the lasts of autumn's leaves. November held its solemn persona finely, snow collected on the dark asphalt but never left undisturbed long enough to be noticeable. Roxas watched the flakes fall, collect and then be scattered by the bustling crowds. In an hour it would fall heavier and stick in clusters, but as it was the snow might as well have been another lost tourist, or foreigner, to be blown about in the wind, an unnoticed cog among a thousand other.
Sometimes he wondered why he came down here. Maybe he wanted to brush shoulders, be close to people. Maybe he wanted to be like the snow, and find some place to stick. Roxas never really knew, he thought about it sometimes, but he was just undeniably drawn to Times Square. Whatever it was, something about the place drew him back time and time again to wait in whatever weather it happened to be, simply waiting. Maybe it made waiting easier.
Kicking about in his boots, Roxas looked to his watch for the time. Eleven-fifteen, and he knew that meant he ought to get moving. Taking a final glance at the stream people he picked up his feet and started for the Subway.
"Hey!"
Roxas paused for a second then glanced over his shoulder, weird he thought he had heard something.
"Hey! Wait you!"
He was almost sure of it.
"Hey blondie slow down will you!"
Roxas whipped around angrily, "Who the hell do you think you are? Just how obnoxious are you?"
A grin spread on the other man's mouth, almost Cheshire like really. "Well obviously not obnoxious enough if it took me this long to flag you down blondie." He use his hands to accentuate Roxas' being blond and how awfully long it took to flag him down. "Really now, I was afraid you'd just walk off."
"What? Look, I don't even know you. If you're going to ask me to help save the rainforest or the homeless, I'm sorry I don't have the change today." Roxas scoffed and tried to move past the other man, but with every step he took to the side, the other would mirror him. "What now? Going to shake me upside down to see if I'm lying? Check my pockets?"
"Woah, woah. I don't know what you have against rainforests or homeless people man, I just wanted to talk." The man flashed Roxas a smile and softened his green eyes. "I don't want any money, I promise."
"Then talk."
The man scratched awkwardly at the nape of his neck, and blushed in embarrassment. "Okay, here me out okay? I know this sounds kind of crazy, and hell I feel like I have one foot into the Looney bin just saying this but…"
"Well that's always a great way to start a conversation, are you sure you wouldn't prefer to ask for money?" Roxas said sarcastically.
"Hey! I'm serious here, listen to me for five second will you?" The green eyed man pouted. "Anyways, I know this sounds really crazy and all but uh…Well I think I know you?"
Roxas squirmed, "Is that supposed to be some kind of pick-up line? If so I'm out of here." Roxas turned towards the crowd, but was stopped by the other man.
"Wait! I'm not as creepy as I sound okay? Well…I hope. Anyway, I'm, well I'm sure I know you. There's no other way around this blondie. I swear I've never seen you before, I'm not from New York, I'm just visiting…So I probably shouldn't, or couldn't know you, but I do."
"…"
"Trust me."
"So say I do believe some of what you're saying, mind you I've more than half the wit to call you a stalker and run right now, but say I do sort of believe you. Why did you want to talk to me?" Roxas fidgeted awkwardly, looking for the first chance to run away.
The man let go of Roxas, "I didn't want to miss you this time." His fingers laced with the blond's, and his feet closed the space between them. "I promised you, didn't I Roxas?"
Non-beta'd.
AN+Disclaimer: Disney+Square Enix owned. This took me so long, but now I'm really happy with it. Hey, hey this isn't supposed to be really AU! Only slightly! Yeaah, me. Give me prompts!