When Micah approached, Alex paused his coversation.
"I love you, too, Homeboy," he said, with a laugh. "So does Jesus. Hey, you want to share a room with me and Nat?" They'd be like the Three Muskateers. Obviously, Alex would be Aramis.
He glanced at Anna and Seth, who were running off somewhere. Strange. Anna seemed like such a stable person. What set her off? With a shrug, Alex turned back to Micah and ... Micah's new friend. Looked like a guy his age. Uh oh. What if they'd already agreed to be roomates?
After Micah left ..."I thought I'd be an obvious choice for a roommate for Nat, haha. I mean, we already know each other. Do they not have co-ed dorms at your school? Of course, depending on how many rooms an apartment has we could all bunk together...
I wonder if we should always have two people sleep in the same room, in case of ghosts? Should we leave our doors open and have some kind of ghost patrol? Those things are damn scary."
The doctor couldn't help but over hear Sarah's words.
"Co-ed? Are you daft or just wanting to play roulette? There's probably less than two weeks before everyone is plumb out of contraception options, let alone which pharmacy is going to fill the birth control pill now. Why don't we all just clean the floor and have a mass orgy to repopulate the planet? Or better yet, we could just pretend we have the epidural for every knocked up woman and a sterile facility for them to deliver... but that is just my opinion."
The doctor hummed a moment, his head tilting his gaze to the ceiling.
"Prophylactics in every sense of the word would be beneficial. Oh god, I guess I'll have to perform pregnancy screenings too? Sarah, do you like giving me more work?"
"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. What the fuck is wrong with you, doctor? Eat shit, you fucking bastard. Get the fuck out of our conversation if you can't treat people like human beings!"
“D-DOCTOR VICTOR!” Alex flushed a deep red. “There will be NO ... there isn’t ... we aren’t animals! And ... and ... and that’s disgusting! DISGUSTING. Apologize to the lady!”
The doctor blinked.
"I'm not sure whether your shock proves me wrong or right, Sarah. Regardless, I was treating people like human beings. However, if I offended your sensible morals, I apologize. It wasn't my intention. I didn't mean to call you daft. I just think there are lots of things that should be addressed... I always treat people like human beings."
"That was treating me like a human being? Alex, I don't need an apology from him, because I'm done respecting him. I'll die from the common cold before I say another word to him."
"I doubt that you could die from the common cold. It appears you're quite frigid from the inside out anyways. But, I speak out of malice and a strong distaste for those overly sensitive people. If I say it plain, I again apologize. I feel as if you are the type of woman who would drown in apologies and be too stubborn to come up for air."
"There's some kind of irritating buzzing noise going on nearby... sounds like insanity. Best to ignore it."
"I ...well...I," Alex said, still blushing furiously. The mental images that Dr. V's insane little rant had conjured were unbearably awkward. "I can't say I have any co-ed experience. But I don't want to be alone. Please, let me stay with you guys."
Nat had followed the others upstairs - given a bit of time for the adrenaline rush to lessen, he felt a bit better. It still felt a bit as if he was walking through a dream or, more aptly, a nightmare - he couldn't shake it, not after that frantic maze out infront of the building.
The blonde did pick up a little at the scent of food. He piled a plate high with a little bit of everything - distantly, he realized he might regret it later, too many different tastes could make him sick - but he was so hungry - he hadn't eaten much at all the day before, and hadn't managed to catch the take-out-leftovers-dinner, either. Nat gratefully accepted his meal and a mug of coffee, mumbling thankyous to both the cook and the girl, then he followed Sarah back to sit and eat. He had to force himself not to wolf it all down - it would likely only come back up again if he did.
Still, Nat had cleaned at least half the plate before Alex meandered over and sat beside him. Nat returned the smile, a touch awkward. "Oh, it's, um, it's okay. J-Just all of this..." He blinked owlishly as the wallet was thrust in his face, taking note of the picture. Similar? A little, but he didn't really look like that did he? Nat spooned up a mouthful of eggs and hashbrowns, chewing and nodding politely as Alex explained - his friend, his family, everything.
"My...? Um. Well, my aunt lives in Fremont. I-I hope she's okay... it's, um, it's kind of far, 'though. I-I live with... um, used to... live with a bunch of... friends I guess. I worry about them too." He frowned a little, trailing off.
He smiled at Sarah, opening his mouth as if to answer - but then Dr. Victor butted in, and Nat's teeth clicked together as his mouth snapped shut. He hadn't realized the crazy-shouting-man was so close, else he might have tried for a seat further away. There was no helping it now, however, and he blinked again at the man's sudden outburst.
"Wha-"
Nat's response was drowned out as the others began to argue over... what? Unwanted pregnancies? People having sex? It wasn't like arguing about it would stop it from happening, and really, there were probably better people to preach at. There were other women in the group, after all, and quite a number of new women in the apartment. Nat frowned down at his plate as the argument went on - Victor didn't know when to stop. He wasn't feeling very hungry any more.
"Just... just because you have sex on the-the brain, doesn't mean everyone else does," Nat mumbled after the doctor's last comment, casting a quick and rather scathing glance up at him before looking back down. Really, he should probably just keep his mouth shut...
Nat was quiet for a few moments until the doctor went away - listening, but not offering up any input. He offered a small chunk of sausage to one of the many dogs scurrying about the apartment, offering up a little smile for the animal as it licked grease off his fingers.
Finally, he glanced up at Alex and Sarah. "I'm okay with that. I'd, um, rather not... I mean... so long as it isn't near... him?" He nodded toward the doctor. "I, um, I'd be happy to have you two for roommates."
Alex half-smiled. “Thanks, Nat. Yeah, Doc's living la vida loca. Hey, doesn't he resemble a crazier Hannibal Lecter?” As the implications of that (initially flippant) comparison sunk in, Alex blinked worriedly. Maybe that's what Dr. V meant by "monster" earlier. Nah, don't be ridiculous. Alex couldn't stop trusting the group's only healer. And would Hannibal Lecter cuddle the community center puppies? Of course not. Hannibal Lecter might feed a dog pieces of some guy's face, but ...
Honestly, Alex hated most crime movies; they were too dark and sad. But his ex girl had a weird side. When they watched Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal together (at her house, because his parents absolutely did not approve), he'd looked away during the tense or gore-filled scenes, while she'd stared at the television raptly. At least Carly was well prepared for the End Times.
Nat smiled a little at the comparison, and even offered a chuckle. "M-Maybe? But Hannibal was a-a lot more charismatic." He didn't seem particularly concerned with the comparison - oh, the doctor might be *crazy* and verbally abusive, but he couldn't imagine the man as a cannibal. Of course, given the current events, he didn't care to dwell on the idea for more than the briefest of moments - thinking about *that* would only panic him again. He offered another awkward smile: "M-maybe he's like... House? He left his, um, his drugs back home..."
"Oh, um. A little older. I'm twenty-two..." But wait, was that even right? How many days had it been since this mess began? His birthday was on the 6th... Nat frowned. "Um, actually I... I might be twenty-three. What day is it, um, today?"
"Um, my roommates? Where do you, er, did you... go to school? We went to Seattle Central... But ah, I guess Aidan and Ari went out to parties a lot..." He seemed to think a for a few moments. "Aidan is, um, kind of short, really friendly, brown hair... um... He looks... kinda how I imagine a surfer would look? Ari's... um, Hispanic I think? Looks... a little like you, I guess? If you weren't so tall, and um, skinnier..."
"Can you tell me more about your roomates?" Alex asked Nat. "Maybe I know 'em. You can't be much older than I am, right? Nineteen?"
"It's the fifth, I think. Hard to know without my cell phone. Whoa, wait, today's your birthday? Hey! We gotta find some cake." Alex exhaled with sympathy. Poor Nat. Not much of a happy birthday, huh? "I was studying at Seattle U. Second year there, so, ah, guess I don’t know any of your friends from Central. But if this Ari looks like me, he must be one handsome son of a gun." Alex grinned and pointed to himself. "Am I right, or am I right?"
Okay, so pride and vanity were sins. But Alex was damn grateful for his face, considering how frightening his dad looked. Well, the Good Lord worked in mysterious ways. Really, Alex more closely resembled his Uncle Brick, Dad's half-brother. The guy was a textbook black sheep; he made a killing in backroom poker games and lived in a van. Obviously, Alex's parents rarely mentioned his uncle. They didn't even pray for him. Well, as Emil always said, que sera, sera.
"I don’t want to be rude," Alex said, looking between Nat and Sarah, "but are you two, ah, are you guys dating?"
"Oh. Um. No-no. It's the sixth," he barked a laugh, it was a somewhat depressing sound. "I, uh, I guess I wasn't planning on doing anything for it, anyway. So, um..."
Nat trailed off, letting Alex talk. He smiled a little at that 'handsome son of a gun' comment. "Um, yeah, I, uh, I think so, anyway. I-I mean, you know, he was-er, is. Always had people fawning over him, um..." Nat's face flushed a little, embarrased, and shook his head. "They um, all of them, probably have people to worry about, too... I, uh, well I'd like to think they can handle themselves, y-you know?"
Nat blinked at Alex's last question. Then blinked at Sarah, looking a touch uncertain. "Um. No? We, uh, we're friends, and we work... um, worked together?" While he had, occasionally, entertained the idea, he had never approached her about the prospect. It was too weird - she was his friend, and he didn't want to screw that up.
"Um, so I mean, it um. It shouldn't be that awkward, the three of us rooming together, right?"
Alex shook his head. "Nah. Not awkward. It's not like we'll be in the same bed ahaha! Emiliano said I sleep talk sometimes, but it's all boring stuff. Look, I know everything's gone to ... hell lately. But you need a piece of cake tomorrow, anyway. Oh! I'll ask the woman who made this breakfast."
Holy long convo, Batman! Kilnarak, does everything look all right chronologically? Is the convo clear? I didn’t want to chop up Nat’s long part without your guidance, because it was written so beautifully.