remember

the boy who forgot did something worth remembering.

<>

it's a typical first day of the holidays; the wind is frozen, the clouds are sullen, and the place looks like a ghost town because nobody wants to become a frosty the snowman incarnate.

this doesn't bother adam though.

he stays unmoving at the edge of the hospital rooftop; the weather doesn't daunt him in the least. he sits like a rock while the wind billows around him as he looks over the empty city below him.

though dressed quite warmly, he cannot deny the fact that the wind blows straight through to his bones and isn't doing anything to help with his pneumonia.

he hates the disease. it makes his lungs useless and body too thin. though he never was a big macho guy with an ostentatious bravado, he was at least lean before, back when he was healthy.

then he became a stick.

since last year, he's spent all his time in the hospital; he hadn't gone to school or anywhere outside since. he hadn't talked to anyone but his family and the nurses. he never had any friends before the hospital anyway; he was always that one silent guy in the corner of the room.

"hello," a voice reaches his ears which are mostly numb from the cold.

he snaps out of his lonely reverie with surprise.

it's another human.

he silently wonders why someone would want to talk to him as he turns around.

behind him is, lo and behold, another boy his age. he is tall and just as wiry with a sickly pale complexion and nothing to protect him except a cardigan which doesn't make any difference to the cold; he's shaking. despite all this, a smile is on his face and his bluish grey eyes are all but sparkling in the dull morning.

adam would be lying if he said that he didn't find him attractive.

"don't say that," adam finds himself saying, "hello is too boring."

he sounds childish, but he couldn't help it; it was in his mind and he's still amazed that he's actually talking to someone. he doesn't let that amazement reach his face though, and keeps a monotonic tone.

"why?" the stranger makes his way over to adam, that smile still on his face. this boy is the complete opposite of him, all expressive and happy.

"hello is too common," adam replies, not expecting this boy to understand when his own parents didn't, "so does every other normal greeting."

"oh," the stranger says with a nod, to his surprise, "how do you strike up a conversation then?"

"you don't. you just dive in; no ifs ands or buts."

the stranger's eyebrows go up in curiosity at this, intrigued by his statement and his smile grows bigger.

"alright then," he says, his voice filling with excitement, "i'm kyrie and i want to steal you away on my bike."

the two boys find their way to a bicycle parked right outside the building. neither of them bother to tell anyone where they're going and nobody notices; most of the staff are already home for the holidays anyway.

the bicycle is snow covered and hanging haphazardly by some brown reeds nearby. it's big, has a small basket at the front and a metal extension that looks like a barbecue grill at the back for another rider, which is probably adam.

he shakes his head, already imagining how uncomfortable it'd be riding on it through the bumpy roads of the town.

"not in the mood to get my buns fried," adam backs away as kyrie shakes the snow off, "so i'll pass."