A/N: This is, sadly, not the end. Could have been. If I was someone else I might have been. But it is not.
Warnings: cliche, cigarettes, really, just par for the course so far.
He manages another week. A week of avoiding Riku completely, of dodging every time he sees even a glimpse of silver, of hiding every time he heard a voice even remotely similar. He hardly even went home except to sleep, in fear Sora would have him over. He was starved for social contact, to be sure, but he couldn't risk it. He didn't even stay to see Riku's reaction to the kiss, he didn't even know what to expect.
But of course, that week that was blissfully free of confrontation had to come to an end. At the same place all of this started too, on the clock tower.
The moment Roxas hears footsteps he's pulling out and lighting a cigarette. He's not read for this, not ready at all and he doesn't want it to happen, he just wants everyone to forget everything that had happened relating to this. He would go back in time and endure the potential heartbreak of staying close, of not pulled away from the group if it meant this confrontation would never happen.
"So." The word comes right as Roxas is taking his first drag, the voice he had been avoiding. He's still carefully not looking back at Riku. The word just hangs in the air for a minute until Riku is sure Roxas isn't going to speak first and continues. "Been a while."
Roxas sighs out the smoke in his lungs at that. So now they're both playing ignorant. If only for a moment. "Yeah. It has."
"You want to tell me why we're not talking about this?" Riku moves forward finally, sitting on the parapet facing out over the newly dark sky. Roxas resisted the urge to scoot further away.
"Do you want to tell me why you're obsessed with talking about everything all of a sudden?" Roxas counters kicking his feet simply to feel his heels bounce off the bricks and wondering if Riku would follow him if he up and left right now.
"I'm trying to figure out what's up with you. You don't talk to me, fine, you barely talk to Sora and Kairi and then when we do talk we fight and then, out of the blue, you kiss me and run off. Excuse me if I'm trying to figure out what signals to listen to."
Riku had a point, but that was the problem- he always had a point. He deserved to know, of course he did and Roxas knew he had painted himself into a corner; there was no lie he could tell that would get him out of this one. But then how much truth did he have to spill? And really, what was the worst that could happen? Was he scared of a no, or of a yes? Or was he just scared of there being a choice? Scared that the moment Riku decided Roxas was going to be stuck visiting what ifs and maybes. He didn't want that. But he also didn't want to try only for it to fail and regret it.
"I kissed you so you wouldn't follow me inside." And that was the truth. Roxas had been counting on the surprise keeping Riku still and it had worked. It wasn't the whole truth, but it a was a fraction of it. A small sliver in hopes of placating Riku. Of course, even if it worked it wouldn't last.
"And there was nothing else to it?" Riku was finally facing him now, Roxas felt the weight of his gaze and he struggles not to frown at the pressure, taking another drag of his cigarette as a way to stall for a moment, just a moment, it wouldn't work for long.
"No." And he realizes that word could go either way to Riku's question so he lets it hold for a moment. Lets it sit and watch Riku's lips pull into a slight frown in his peripheral vision. The moment Riku opens his mouth to question him, Roxas continues. "There is more to it. I just-" and his thought ends with a heavy sigh. Was he going for the whole truth? Was he only going to tell part of it? "What- what all has Sora told you?"
"All he says is it has to be me. That I'm the only one that can pull you back in." His tone was frustrated, like he was getting fed up with the games the twins were playing and Roxas figures, if- when he tell Riku the truth he likely owes Sora an apology. Sora doesn't break promises, but he doesn't lie either. He had been walking a thin line these last few weeks and Roxas knew it.
"I- well- okay." He lets out an explosive sigh before taking another pull on his cigarette and shifting to look at Riku. "I- I saw your soulmate name, it was a while back now, I don't even remember why you had the bracelet off or why I was there what matters is I saw it. And I should have told you then but I didn't and now I've apparently been a major inconvenience on everyone. But that's not the point." He was trailing smoke as he gestured and now his gaze averts to watch it fade out into the darkness of the coming night. "The point is that the name on your wrist isn't mine while the name on my wrist is yours."
It was almost comical watching that information settle in Riku's brain. His eyebrows pulled together at first, like he wanted to be mad or confused and a frown was camped on his lips like it was ready to stay there until they were done talking. But as soon as Roxas lets the last sentence fall from his mouth Riku's face falls lax, eyebrows raising, jaw loosening just enough for his mouth to fall open just barely, the surprise at Roxas's admission clearly evident.
"So- wait." Hid head tips forward just slightly, hand raising to rub his forehead and Roxas waits for him to continue letting the information process and settle before speaking again. "You've been pulling away, running away and sulking this entire time because your name isn't on my wrist?"
"You say that like my actions make no sense." Roxas takes the final pull of his cigarette before stubbing it out and flicking the butt out into the sky for the wind to carry off.
"But did you think for a second to, I don't know, ask me?" And Riku made it sound simple like Roxas hadn't been waiting for years and years to find the person whose name matched the one on his wrist, like he wasn't allowed to be crushed, maybe a little devastated even to find out that his name didn't happen to appear on their wrist- spent all this time wondering if he name was on anyone's wrist.
"Gee, let me think, no. You've always spent enough time with Sora, it only made sense really." And Roxas is moving to get off the parapet, to stand and walk away when Riku's hand catches his wrist.
"That's only because that was generally where you were, dumbass."
And he's being pulled forward and he thinks that's a little risky because it's a long way down if they fell off but Riku's arms are going around him and- oh. Oh Riku was kissing him. Maybe the universe rewarded the truth after all.