a/n; Um, yeah. No idea where this came from. I just kind of chose the title as a random mishmash of words,
and it all sort of spewed out from there. I really hope it isn't too... weird. xD It's AU, if that makes you feel
any better. Heh. Sorry if the ending feels too unfinished. I didn't know where to go from there.

-x-

busSTOP electroPOP.

-x-

"You do know that it's raining, don't you?"

Traffic stilled as the question came, the blurs of red and white and orange screeching to a halt. The mouth that the words belonged to twisted into a grin of sorts – not a cold, mocking smirk that the recipient was so accustomed to, but rather a pleasant curve of the lips – and opened again to speak.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

Roxas blinked, his face impassive, and gave a curt nod. So yeah, he wasn't exactly the talkative type. Could you really blame him, living in a city like this one?

The light flashed green in sync with a distant clap of thunder, and the sudden sound of speeding cars drowned out the beginning in what the older boy was trying to say.

"…waiting for the bus?"

Roxas – who had been staring intently at the silver ring on his left thumb – finally graced the intruder with a glance and a word (however monosyllabic). "What?"

But his question went on unanswered as the boy raised his shockingly blue umbrella and sat down beside Roxas on the metal bench, holding the shield so that it covered the two of them. A small amount of heat transferred from the stranger to the petulant blonde, and Roxas suddenly felt quite uncomfortable by the fact that he was having trouble breathing properly.

"The name's Riku," the boy (who, up-close, did not look like a boy at all) smiled in introduction, seemingly unaware of the effect he was having on the rain-soaked young man next to him. "Judging by the color of your tie, I'm going to assume that we go to the same school, so I'm probably s'posed to know who you are, but forgive me since I don't."

Riku paused to give Roxas a look that was both contemplative and smug at the same time, as though attempting to place where exactly he had seen him before (smug, because he seemed to be the kind of guy who knew anyone worth knowing in the first place). Meanwhile, Roxas was wondering which option sounded better: going back to sitting in the cold, wet rain, or staying where he was and suffering a mild heart attack.

The stranger named Riku continued to watch Roxas with an unnerving sort of awareness, and Roxas could only sit and concentrate on not hyperventilating. Hayner and Pence always teased him about his overwhelming weakness for pretty guys, but this… this was just ridiculous. Sure, the Riku kid was good looking enough, but it's not like he grabbed him and started kissing him senseless (not that he would've minded very much).

When Roxas chanced a quick glimpse upward, a highly amused smirk was resting casually on the silver-haired boy's mouth, eyes (a strange shade of aquamarine) shining mischievously.

"I know you. Roxas. You're on the Struggle team, aren't you? I knew it!" he continued, not giving Roxas a chance to show his affirmative, "I have a friend who talks about you all the freakin' time. Naminé says that you two are Bio partners. Man, she's even got Kairi babbling about you like you're some sort of superhero. You know Kairi, right? 'Course you do," he answered for the blonde who was growing more annoyed by the second, "everyone knows Kai. But it's funny how I've never met you, since you're Sora's cousin. Sora's my best friend and I've met all of his family, 'cept you. Which is weird, because we go the same school and all. Sora says you never come to the family reunions for whatever reason. Something about you being on less-than-friendly terms with Cloud for some reason or another. Hey, I know, why don't you –"

"Will you shut up!"

The outburst was unexpected and caused various passerby to look over in alarm, faces wet and harried, holding lukewarm coffee and 'it's too early for this'.

Riku cocked an eyebrow, clearly surprised, but obeyed. No more words were exchanged, and the pair sat in silence, accompanied by only the drip, drip, drop of the ever-falling rain.

It wasn't long until wheels screeched to a stop in front of them, the sound of scattering asphalt shaking Roxas out of his Riku-induced reverie. Both young men stood, and as the younger of the two started to walk out from under the shade of the umbrella, a hand on his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

Roxas' eyes met with Riku's, and Roxas felt his face grow hot despite the distinct chill of the early spring air. Strands of silver hair flew gently in the breeze as a set of lips parted slightly as though about to speak, but they closed in a smile instead. And before he could even begin to think straight, Roxas felt the smooth plastic of the umbrella's handle being pushed into his hand.

"C'mon boys, we haven't got all day!" the nasally voice of the bus driver yelled, making Roxas jump and Riku's grin widen.

But when Roxas took the umbrella and lifted a foot onto the slippery step of the bus, Riku – still smiling – turned on his heel, and walked away.

Utterly perplexed by this strange and mysterious boy, Roxas stared after him, taking his time sliding the umbrella closed, until his back faded into the body of the disgruntled crowd. Shaking his head, the blonde bit his lip and took a seat near the back end of the bus, ready to fall into another one of his complex trains of thought, when something on the outside of the umbrella's plastic handle caught his eye.

It was a series of numbers.

Ten of them, to be exact.

And right underneath them, written in small, cramped, boyish writing, were the words, call me.

Roxas slumped against his seat. Mornings were about to get very interesting.