Roof | Afternoon | Saturday | July 16

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

It felt like a long time since Nathan had made it up to the roof. He'd taken to smoking in his room, smoking on the way to class or even smoking outside the bar but the roof had been ignored until today. It was a nice enough day, not too rainy like it had been bloody Japan and not hot enough to give him a fucking sunburn so it was the perfect day to pollute the air.

Nathan had lit his cigarette before the door to the roof had been shut behind him and was nearly halfway through it when he hopped up to sit on the roof's ledge so he could look out across the small, strange island. For a second, he thought about jumping just to give people a right scare on a quiet afternoon but the thought of all that pain put him off.

Maybe he'd jump tomorrow. Hell, maybe he'd even land on his feet. That'd be fucking swell.

[Roof's an open place. Yay distractions.]

Comments

[puppywithatutu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, so the roof wasn't normally her deal - too emo and depressing, but she was bored and blah blah blah, there she was.

"Ooh, are we contemplating a jump?" Caroline asked, hopping up on the ledge beside him to see how ugly the drop was. "Or waiting on a helping hand?"

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

Nathan gave her a look for that last one. Jumping was much cooler than asking for help. Messier, yes, but cooler. And being cool was all the rage or something.

"Why?" he retorted. "You here to jump with me or gonna offer me a helping hand?"

[puppywithatutu.livejournal.com]

"Well, I already know I can make that jump," she told him. "My version of help is more a quick shove...you know, just to see how that power of yours works. If you live, I could always do my nasty healing trick, though, no worries. Just like, the potential for painful broken limbs. Hmm."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

Nathan laughed, almost sounding surprised at how blunt that was. He knew he shouldn't have been that surprised though. He was just wondering if she'd actually do it.

"All right," he said, tossing his cigarette off the roof and hoping it didn't end up causing some forest fire down there. "Push me. You will be responsible for any and all trauma you might cause when I got splat and then wake up."

[puppywithatutu.livejournal.com]

She looked at him suspiciously, not believing that he'd actually go for it. "Do we have to have another funeral?" Caroline asked, glancing between him and the ground, so many stories below them.

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

Now, why would you go through all the trouble of fucking burying me if you know I'm just gonna pop up and get pissed off?" Nathan scoffed, shaking his head. "Being buried alive? Surprisingly boring!"

[puppywithatutu.livejournal.com]

"Hey! I don't know how long it's gonna last!" Caroline pointed out. "And I wasn't planning on like, tossing dirt on top of you, just so you're aware. Digging a hole would imply a lot of effort, but should I be like, dragging you back to the room or just like, going for a latte while I wait?"

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"You can't just weep over my body and cry to the heavens about why the good die so young?"

Yeah, he didn't really think that idea would fly.

[puppywithatutu.livejournal.com]

"Um," Caroline pretended to consider his suggestion for a moment. "I don't think that's likely. How about I make sure you're in a position where you won't hurt when you wake up and avoid letting any passing animals mistake you for the toilet?"

[andthemoralis.livejournal.com]

Stan, thankfully, wasn't going to tell him to butt out.

But he was going to give Nathan a sideways look for sitting on the edge of the building. "Hey."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

Nathan glanced back at Stan and smirked. "Hey, it's the goat fucker! Or the pig fucker? Or...I can't even fucking remember. It's been awhile since I've seen you and my memory ain't what it used to be. What bring you to the roof?"

[andthemoralis.livejournal.com]

"It'll come to you," Stan assured him, peering over the edge of the roof before looking away. Oh, memories of tossing pig carcasses off the roof to fake a classmate's death in order to infiltrate a slumber party.

"Being old does that, I hear."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, being old's awesome," Nathan said, going with that. "I can have sex with girls and not have them accused of being pedophiles when we're done! Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get there, kid."

[andthemoralis.livejournal.com]

"...but they can always claim to be alcoholics." That excuse worked for everything, Nathan. Everything.

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Why does it sound like you've been with someone that's used that excuse before?" Nathan had to wonder.

[andthemoralis.livejournal.com]

"Everyone uses that as an excuse when they do stupid shit," Stan replied. "Mel Gibson, Miss Man, My dad..."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Wait, wait, fucking wait." Nathan held up a hand. "Miss Man? What the fuck is a Miss Man? Circus freak?"

[dabblinginbitch.livejournal.com]

"Don't fall," Ramona called as she stepped out onto the roof, cigarette between her lips.

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"Why not?" he asked, kicking his legs lazily. "It'd only hurt for a minute before I popped back up good as new. I'd probably have to ditch the pants and shirt because they'd be wrecked though."

[dabblinginbitch.livejournal.com]

"Sure, but you'd lose clothes, and it'd hurt like a bitch," Ramona pointed out. "Even if it was only for a second."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"I'm tough," he said and flexed a bicep just to prove how tough he was. Or how utterly not tough he was. "I could take a little pain. I probably would only cry for like...five minutes."

[dabblinginbitch.livejournal.com]

"And if you did it on purpose," she continued, "I wouldn't comfort you at all. At alllll. I'd laugh."

She'd actually probably be sick. And comfort him anyway.

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"When did you get so heartless?" Nathan wondered, frowning at her. "You wouldn't even give my broken body a cuddle?"

[dabblinginbitch.livejournal.com]

"Not if you did it just to be a jackass and show off," she said, shaking her head. "People like that don't deserve my cuddles and healing touch."

[tripledmyself.livejournal.com]

"What are you talking about, healing touch?" Nathan asked, laughing. "When did you acquire that particular superpower?"