Francis trudged in the soft snow, alone. After apologizing to the manager and convincing him that it wasn't Yang's fault, Francis had barely managed to pay the bill.

He had no desire to return to his apartment, where Antonio and Gilbert would be awaiting him. They would no doubt berate him for being such a fool, for being so careless, for spending so much money.

Christmas decorations already adorned the lamp posts, casting colorful lights. It would be Christmas in a couple of weeks, and his fellow ERU students were excited at the prospect of break. They had all been chatting excitedly about seeing their families, but Francis knew that he could not afford the plane ticket back to France.

Before he met Arthur, Francis had been planning to spend Christmas break messing around with his best friends and bothering Yao. Now, he had no idea what to do.

All his friends would be upset with him if they heard what had happened today, and Arthur was so clearly unhappy. After getting to know the Brit, Francis had seen that he was more than a pretty face. He was kind, intelligent, and hurt.

"What do I do?" Francis whispered to the swirling snow.

It gave no reply other than silence.

People were walking the streets together, shopping and laughing. Couples held each other tightly, and children clung onto their parents' sleeves.

"What do I do?" Francis whispered, "What do I do?"

An startled yelp and a sudden impact shocked Francis out of his deep thought.

He fell backwards into the snow, landing not-so-gracefully on his butt.

"Idiot!" A familiar voice shouted.

Blinking, Francis looked up, only to see an angry Hyung Soo glaring at him. On the ground next to him was Andre, minus one pair of glasses.

"You knocked Cheng over! Stupid clumsy pig-"

"It's fine," Cheng said softly.

The young Chinese boy relocated his glasses and put them back on. Hyung Soo looked like he wanted to further press the matter, but Andre/Cheng scrambled up and placed a placating hand on his older brother's arm.

"Please," Andre said, "It's the holiday season."

Hyung Soo scowled and stomped off.

Andre smiled at Francis, reaching out a hand to help him up. Francis accepted it gratefully, pulling himself back up. He dusted the powdery snow from his old suit.

"Are you okay, Mister Francis?" Andre asked.

"I'm fine," Francis said, trying to keep his emotions from showing.

Andre, being very perceptive, frowned.

"I'll go find ge-ge," He announced.

"Wait-" Francis yelped.

But the boy had already darted off.

Francis groaned. He sat on a nearby bench and held his head in his hands. Francis did not want to face Yao, especially after what had happened with Arthur.

"Yao was right."

"I was," An almost feminine voice said.

Francis looked up in alarm. Ya was standing in front of him, his tiny figure drowning in a patched-up old coat. His thick hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and his amber eyes were a mixture of many emotions. Snowflakes swirled around him, falling into his dark hair.

The Chinese man sat down beside Francis, sighing.

"I was speaking out loud?" Francis asked, confused.

"Yes," Yao said flatly, "You were."

"Arthur-"

"It didn't go well, did it?"

Francis shook his head, unable to form words. His throat felt clogged up with worry and regret. His eyes stung, tears threatening to form.

Yao sighed softly, "Francis, I know you are used to people being open about their sexuality. Gilbert has an "I am a bisexual" t-shirt, and Antonio constantly makes out with his Italian boyfriend in public. But some people… they're afraid. Afraid of what their parents might think. Afraid of what their friends might think. Afraid of what society might think."

"But…" Francis said weakly, "If their friends and parents don't accept them, couldn't they just cut off their ties? And society… it's getting better, isn't it?"

Yao smiled sadly, "Ah, if the world was that simple. If the people who hurt you were easy to push away. Sometimes the people that hurt you the most are the ones closest to your heart, Francis. And it is so, so hard to push them away."

Francis whimpered, tears starting to come out of his tired eyes.

"People are conditioned to think things. By the society that they live in, the religion they practice, their own family. And Arthur's father… he is very unaccepting. Arthur is scared, Francis. I know him. He wants to please his father, but… with his sexuality…"

"He's really kind," Francis sobbed, Yao's warm hands rubbing soothing circles on his back, "It may not seem like it at first, but I think he really is. And he's so intelligent and well-spoken, I just can't bear the idea of-"

Francis's voice broke. He leaned against Yao and bawled freely. It was all so sudden. Over the course of less than a week, his closest friends were upset with him, he had spent a month's worth of hard-earned rent money, and he had met a beautiful, kind human being.

And that beautiful, kind human being was closeted and broken.

He barely noticed a tall figure walking up, violet eyes worried.

Francis felt like he was underwater as Yao spoke to the violet-eyed man.

He finally managed to control his sobs, as the tall man's gloved hand reached down and helped him up.

"Yao-yao," The tall man whispered, "Will the nice man be okay?"

Yao's eyes were sad as he watched Francis. The next words he spoke were for Francis just as much as they were for the tall man.

"The world is turbulent and full of grief. There are things we cannot predict, and tears will fall. Even in the darkest hour, there is hope. And with hope, healing is possible."

11/25/2016

And… no RoChu fluff.

Okay, maybe there kinda is. But only if you really, really, squint.

I need to stop making these promises.