The Roof [Tuesday, Afternoon]

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Last week... last couple of weeks, actually had been made up of a few ups and downs (along with a couple of interesting interludes). Effy supposed it was all supposed to balance out so she could call it 'okay', but somehow she couldn't. Not really.

Or, not truthfully, anyway. But when was Effy ever completely honest about that sort of thing. At least she had the weekend, and Tony's visit, to look forward to. There was that.

That, and it was still nice enough, even getting into autumn, to just throw a leather jacket over her shoulders and come out to enjoy her free afternoon relaxing and reading. Nothing wrong with a bit of philosophy on your day off. Wasn't even smoking yet, even if she had the materials for it with her. She could get to that later.

[[She's completely disturbable, open roof and all.]]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," he laughed. "Set them on fire? I'm not planning on sending you or anyone any flowers. I can be sweet--"

Don't laugh.

"--in other ways."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Oh, come on, he was going to get a little bit of a snicker, and curled her fingers around that keychain. "I see." He was sweet with keychains. Well, that and a stamp collection.

"Don't worry," she said, smirking and slipping it into her jacket pocket. "Keep it all safe for you."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure you will," he said, lowering his voice just because it was two of them and he was standing close. "I t--"

He caught himself on that word harshly, looking briefly surprised that he'd been about to say something like that after vowing that he didn't trust anyone. He was pretty sure he'd caught himself before anything too incriminating could come out.

"I think you should show me how you can be sweet," he said, covering that as smoothly as he could. "Dunno if I've seen it."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Nothing too incriminating, no. Just enough for a little curiosity on Effy's part, even if she decided not to push it.

"What, keeping your... unique presents doesn't count?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Reactionary sweetness," he decided with a grin. "You're reacting to my actions. Let's see if you can do non-reactionary."

Alex didn't know what he was talking about. This conversation, while strange, was a lot easier to have than anytime they decided to argue with each other. He preferred these for the most part.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Don't keep tacky keychains ready to hand out for that sort of thing." Because Alex totally did that. All the time. She could tell.

Best Effy could do was a book, cigarettes and her lighter.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, he just had scads of goofy keychains ready to be given out the moment he decided he wanted to show off his soft side. It happened frequently only it didn't.

"So, what do you have?" he asked, sliding down the wall of the roof until he was sitting, back against the cool surface. "Come on, show me what you can do."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"You're really fucking demanding," she remarked. "You know that?"

Look, she didn't really do sweet all that well, of course she was dodging it.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Because I haven't been like this before. Don't act like it's a surprise but Jesus Christ, Effy, this isn't something I'm desperate to see. Don't do anything if that's big a deal. I'm not going to die of sadness."

He shook his head briefly again before leaning it back against the wall and closing his eyes, enjoying the fresh, cool air.

"It's okay," he added, softer.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy paused to look at Alex a moment longer, before finally sitting down next to him, stretching out her legs and sliding the nearest hand over one of his. Might not have been a keychain, but it was a gesture of... something.

"Wasn't actually complaining." Just making a comment. It really wasn't a surprise at all. Wouldn't be him if he wasn't like that, would it?

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"I didn't think you were complaining," he assured her, turning that hand over in hers and tangling his fingers with hers almost instinctively. He would've done it anyway, just in a slower manner. "Just reluctant. That's fine."

He was just proud of himself for not starting a stupid argument there for no other reason than he wanted to push her into it. He could grow sometimes too.

"I am demanding though," he said and smiled. "And bossy. It's part of my charm. And I'd rather be demanding than a fucking pushover."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Somehow, demanding and bossy as he was, she was still here.

"Being pathetic is no fun at all," she said after a moment. Which is why she tried to avoid it at every point. "Can't say hanging around you isn't... interesting." That word could encompass a lot, it really could.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Interesting," he repeated, opening his eyes and turning his head to look at her. "That a good or bad thing to you?"

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Generally?" she said, looking at their hands a second longer before she glanced across at him. "I like interesting." When one or other of them wasn't picking fights.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Better than being boring," he agreed with a slight nod, keeping his gaze on hers. He could take interesting. As far as adjectives went, it ranked pretty high for him. "There are reasons you see me about as much as Griff does. I like interesting too."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"My bad," she said, a slight irrepressible smile curling her lips. "Taking away his roommate bonding time."

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Oh, he gets plenty of that, don't worry," he said and shook his head. "That fight I mentioned to you the other day? He was with me. My shoulder's fine, by the way. Chairs hurt a lot more than you'd think they would."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Well, Effy'd always thought that chairs would hurt, but maybe that was just her.

"What did you do to get someone swinging a chair at you anyway?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Looked at the wrong person," he said, shaking his head at the memory. It was truthful if not completely detailed. He had looked at the wrong person. "And then it kind of escalated from there. Griff and I managed to get out of there before we got arrested. I took a chair to the shoulder and Griff got his face knocked around. All in all, we did okay."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Come off a lot better when you get thrown out of places with me," she said, smirking a little. Well... that one time.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You're not wrong," he agreed with a laugh. "You're welcome to kiss it and make it better, if you want."

Like he'd miss out on the chance to say that. Come on.

"Might help."

Or just be fun.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"I thought it was fine," she teased, running her thumb along the side of his hand.

Which wasn't really an objection to that, just her round about way of getting to these things. Couldn't help herself.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"It is fine," he said, picking up on that lack of objection and running with it. "That doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt. I got hit with a chair. I've still got some bruises and soreness. Kinda hurts."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Hm." Effy could sort of believe that, depending on how hard this guy beat people with chairs, and her eyes wandered down his neck to his shoulders.

"That cover your sudden craving for sweet?" she wondered.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Sure," he said, nodding slightly. "I don't have a list where I'm checking things off that might be sweet but I'd say that falls under the category. So, yeah."