Latish in the evening, on the roof of Flamingo Cabin

[soldtoarmenians]

He hadn't exactly snuck out (and up, and dear God did Xander hope nobody had been around to take secret squirrel footage of him scrambling up here with a laptop in a bag over his shoulder and almost falling on his ass) to avoid anybody in particular. Just... everybody in general, really. Because maybe it would be easier to think clearly up here -- or at least maybe the wireless signal would be stronger.

So of course he's sitting crosslegged on the roof, not looking at his computer screen and continuing to try not to think.

[For Bridge, though arguably anybody around or in Flamingo could at least be aware Xander's up here.]

Comments

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Hey," Bridge's head pops up at the edge of the roof. It's soon followed by the rest of him as he finishes scrambling up on to the top of the cabin. He then scoots over to sit next to Xander.

[soldtoarmenians]

"Hey." Xander flips the laptop screen down almost guiltily, even though he wasn't actually looking at it.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge frowns a little at that. "You okay?" he asks quietly.

[soldtoarmenians]

"Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge just narrows his eyes and *looks* at Xander. He does not actually say "bitch, please" out loud, though he's thinking it.

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander rolls his eyes, then sighs and flips the laptop screen open, showing the course catalog page to Bridge.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Oh," Bridge says quietly. "Right. That."

[soldtoarmenians]

"Dawn was asking me if I got any further on picking classes, and... well, not really."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Why not?" Bridge asks, though he's pretty sure he *does* know why.

[soldtoarmenians]

"Don't feel like it?" Xander shrugs. Which totally explains why he's, you know, up there with it open in front of him.

Why yes, yes he is being an ass. Possibly to his credit, he's aware of it.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge sighs, and shifts a little closer. "It makes it more real. That you have to leave."

[soldtoarmenians]

"...Yeah." Xander sets the laptop down and stares blankly at it.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I've been trying *not* to think about it," Bridge admits.

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander nods. "Same here. Which... is hard, with somebody we know and love constantly spamming me with stuff whose whole function in the universe is to remind me."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Bridge says. "And, I mean, I *am* glad that you're doing the college thing. But, the leaving part... that sucks."

[soldtoarmenians]

"I don't want to," Xander admits, which isn't much of an admission, really.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I don't want you to either." And Bridge might be reaching for Xander's hand, here. "I wish there was some way that you could stay here."

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander's hand might be conveniently available, as it happens. "I could get turned into a statue like Alanna," he suggests, because trying to be funny hurts less than answering seriously. In theory. "Or...duct tape my shoes to my knees and pretend to be a new freshman?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge cracks a little smile at that. A tiny one. "Well, the first one's no fun at all- people'll just draw on you with lipstick and stuff. And administration would probably see right through your clever disguise."

[soldtoarmenians]

[--->]

[soldtoarmenians]

"You think? Yeah, probably. Principal Washburn's pretty smart." Xander gives the computer screen a flick with his finger, sending a ripple through the material and probably waking Willow up from a dead sleep a universe away crying out DON'T DO THAT YOU'LL BLACK OUT THE PIXELS.

"I did think about it," he admits, and this is a little more of an admission. "Like, trying to figure out something to do here that's not statue-related. But... what, help Giles in his store? I'm sure he'd let me, but he doesn't need it. See if the school wants a janitor? I'm not actually qualified to do... much, besides that 'helping Buffy' thing."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"And that's why you should go," Bridge says. "So you can *get* qualified to do... stuff."

[soldtoarmenians]

"Yeah. I know." And it's one thing saying it to Dawn, and a whole different thing here. "I'm not even... it's weird, but I'm not even hung up about going. The college part. I mean, whoa, freak, but not in a Willowy 'terrified I'll screw it up and it'll go on my permanent record if I walk into the wrong classroom on the first day' way. Either I can do it or I can't, but I guess I'm willing to give it a try."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I know you'll do great," Bridge says confidently. "Though that's not know, in, like, a psychic way. It's know in a I know you're smart and capable and can handle it kinda way. I... have no idea if that's actually helpful at all."

[soldtoarmenians]

Xander smiles slightly. "Yeah. It is." He drops his head, though. "It's not the going. Just the leaving, y'know?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I do," Bridge nods. "But it has to happen. We can't- we can't keep pretending that it isn't going to."

[soldtoarmenians]

"But it was working so well..." Yes, that's his sarcasm voice, though he's only snarking at himself.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," says Bridge, who doesn't *always* miss the sarcasm.

[soldtoarmenians]

"So what do we do?" Xander asks, like he thinks there's any answers to be had.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Make the most of the time we've got left?" Bridge suggests, with a tentative smile.

[soldtoarmenians]

"...yeah." Xander brushes a thumb across the inside of Bridge's glove, and nods. And grins, slightly. "Reckon we can think of a few ways to manage that."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I've got a few things in mind, myself."

[soldtoarmenians]

"We're not having sex on the roof of the cabin."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge mock-pouts, and then laughs. "That... was not actually one of them. Just so you know."

[soldtoarmenians]

"Yeah, that was more of a note-to-self kind of thing."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Wanna go back down *in* to the cabin, where there is, if I remember correctly, a bed?"

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

Veronica, who's alcove is right next to an open window, catches the last bit of their conversation.

She climbs off her bed and leans out said window.

"You're not having sex in here, either!" she calls.

[soldtoarmenians]

...Well, at least she can't see their faces.

"What's the verdict on fully-clothed snuggling?" Xander calls back down.

[marsheadtilt.livejournal.com]

"As long as it's quiet snuggling, I don't think there's an issue," Veronica decides.


[fixed because I can read]

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"That's doable!" Bridge says. And decides not to point out that he *knows* that for a fact since he did spend a night or two in Flamingo last time they were in cabins. And not all of those had been while he was a ferret.