theattic | MY ROOMMATE, SATAN

You would think that someone who grew up so close to Diet Canada would be used to the cold.

Roman huddled miserably in his mountanous coat near the only bus stop in town that happened to be right outside a small flower shop. This was his first day in town and while he didn't have an excellent profile for the place, he did know how to start out. Honestly, he didn't have to work too hard to look pitiful. Roman was a small guy, always had been. With the big navy coat bundled around him and the scarf covering his goatee, he could easily pass for a child shivering in the first snow of winter.

He had chosen this spot for two reasons--one, he didn't want to walk around and miss the bus. He hadn't learned its schedule yet. And for another, who went to flower shops?

SAPS!

Really. Who the hell went to buy flowers except those with bleeding hearts. With his ass parked outside the glass door and his little cardboard NEED MONEY FOR FOOD GOD BLESS sign clutched in his mittened hands, what could go wrong? A few hours of this, he'd have bus fair. Then he'd get heat and a free tour of the town the rest of the day.

Zack himself wasn't really the kind of guy to work at a flower shop, he didn't look the part either, his sleeveless turtleneck and baggy pants kind of looked funny under the apron, but it was something he had been drawn to since he had come here. There was something relaxing, if damning, staring at the flower arrangements all day behind the counter. He watered, he sorted, he fluffed, and he smiled when someone came in. It was mundane and god, was it awful.

Just about done staring at an arrangement of yellow flowers that looked strangely like the kind his ex used to cultivate, trying to fight the frown on his face, he spotted something outside the front window. A person just outside, and from indoors, he couldn't tell what the hell he was doing. Who ever they were just didn't seem to know when to leave, and he watched a few buses come by, so he could assume they didn't want to take the bus. All he could see was the person's scarf and the back of their coat. It put him on edge, and by doing so, just made him more miserable.

A few hours passed, the person still there, and he finally couldn't take it any more. Either this was the worst spy in the history of the turks, or someone needed help, and he wasn't going to build himself up into a wreck waiting to find out. "Excuse me, but I-" He starts, having opened the door, and blinks at the sign. He couldn't see it from inside.

Now he just felt stupid. "Oh. Uh, I'll be right back."

Part of him didn't want to come back outside since he felt like a huge moron. Of course the person he'd been judging and worrying about the whole afternoon was freezing outside and he had just been about to ask them to leave. Way to go Fair. Still, he digs in his miserable wallet inside, grabs some what cash he has, and comes to the door again with half his lunch. He was a big boy and needed lots, but he could go without all of the trimmings for a day. A sandwich and a bag of chips wasn't glamorous anyways. "Here, sorry I don't have much else."

Roman jumped, having nearly dozed off. He turned and brushed his long hair aside to get a look at whoever had spoken to him but...he had gone.

He yawned, rolling his shoulders under his winter armor, and considered nestling back down and seeing if he could catch the comet tail of that dream he'd almost had before the bell over the door chimed again.

Zack's voice was the same as the voice who'd woken him up and Roman turned and untucked one mitten from his opposite sleeve to hold his hand out and receive...a sandwich?

Roman stared at it for a moment as though he didn't know what it was. He couldn't pay for the bus with this, but once the smell of good bread hit his nose, his guts loudly reminded him just how far he'd walked and how tired he was.

"God bless you."

That was what he'd learned worked best. No chit chat, no sob story, just a thanks.

"I don't need any of that, just thanks, man." He wasn't sure after all his mess with Genesis' Goddess that he wanted any help from any higher power anyways. He tried to hide the discomfort on his face and smiled instead, offering the five dollar bill.

"You stay warm kid, holler if you need some more help and I'll see what I can do." Which felt good to say. He had made sure Cloud was safe, and he could admit that it was lonely without him, but still running and knowing that Cloud would be healthier back where he left him? That was worth it.

Roman instantly mistook the poor battered Zack for one of those atheists that absolutely lunged at the chance to debate and shrugged. That was one conversation he didn't want to get into.

He had the sandwich halfway in his mouth when the fiver appeared. He almost choked. How had he missed that!? THat was going to get him on the bus! Heat, transport, food! And a little left over if he found a soda machine.

With an enthusiastic nod, Roman took the bill as well, folded it up neatly and stuck it into the depths of his coat.

"Your place got a bathroom in it?"

While Zack wasn't too keen on any of the gods at the moment, his ex was as close as a person could get to one, so he can't say he had lost all faith. Still, he wasn't into debating much these days anyways.

He'll cover his mouth on a smile when Roman almost eats the five though, nodding to him. "I don't piss in the potted plants, so, yeah. we have one." He'll step away from the door, his foot leaving it open and nod towards the back. "On your left, kid."

It would not be the first time Roman had eaten paper on accident. It was a goat thing.

At the offer, he couldn't help but offer up an amused snort at the mental image. He finished off the sandwich, got up and brushed snow off his shoulders. Roman stood nearly a head and a half shorter than Zack. He thought about correcting him on the 'kid' thing but people felt more sorry for homeless kids and he was gonna milk this.

"Thanks, man."

Once inside, Roman took off his glasses which instantly fogged up. So this was the inside of a flower shop, huh? He'd never actually visited one that he could remember. He drank in the smells and let out a pleased sigh.

That out of the way, he darted into the bathroom, did his business, and took some time to wash up in the sink and shake the dirt from his clothes. He'd make note of this flower guy. Tell anybody else in the same situation as him where the place was. Maybe keep an ear tilted his way should any crook be so desperate for cash that he try and break in.

Roman stepped back out into the store, coat still in his hands. He was a shrimpy creature under all those layers.

"Not a bad place. Where do you get flowers in winter?"

Zack sometimes felt the need to use language like that to solidify the fact in his own brain that he was older now. Not that twenty-four was old, but...after all that lost time, he still felt nineteen at heart. He'll shut the front door after Roman though and shift back to the front desk, leaning against the counter and surveying the flowers again. He didn't comment on how long Roman took in the bathroom, he assumed he needed it, and with his enhanced hearing, it'd be obvious to him if he did anything questionable in there. Sometimes it was a blessing, other times it was a curse.

But, when Roman steps out again, he'll blink at the size of him, tiny man that he was, and it only makes him think more of Cloud. "Uh, they're imported," he says stupidly, shaking his head before continuing, "and then, there are some that are seasonal for winter only, though I've got to admit, they aren't as nice as the kinds you get in spring or summer." He'll sit at the counter a little awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. He had been in the army since thirteen, and even if he was talkative, the kind of small talk you'd get in customer service like this didn't always come naturally.

"You have a favorite?"

At first his only answer was an understanding hum. He pulled his coat back on and shook everything out into the right place, making sure his sleeves didn't get all bunched up around his elbows--THE WORST.

He turned in place, eyeing the flowers thoughtfully. It was warm in here and he was in no hurry to go back to slumping at the bus stop. Did he have a favorite flower? Hell, if he did, he forgot about it.

"Hhhhmmm....honeysuckle. They're delicious."

"There's also local greenhouses," He adds, knowing that a large majority of the store wasn't stocked by imports but that was the first thing that came to mind. Perhaps it was because he was being distracted by old memories. But in any case, he wasn't about to throw Roman out any time soon. He knew what it was like to be out there, and he was an enhanced human. Without that there were so many times he might have died.

"They're pretty good...I liked to pick wild flowers for my mom back home. There are some pretty interesting flowers growing in the jungle, but you don't get that out here. To close to civilization," He laughs, crossing his legs under the counter, rocking back and forth on the four legs of his stool. "My name's Zack by the way, you got a name kid?"

"Greenhouses..." Roman echoed. He bet THOSE were warm! He would have to stake out one of those. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Something Zack said snagged his ear though. "Jungle?"

This guy didn't look like he was from a jungle! He was wearing a turtleneck. Roman had been on the road and eavsdropped on enough bar conversations to be able to tell when someone had some stories they were saving up. And this guy? He was bored. You could almost taste it in the air.

Or maybe that was lavender.

Roman turned away from a display of yellow roses and approached the counter. He spotted business cards in a little tray and picked one up. Never knew when it could come in handy. "Roman. What about the jungle? Did you really live there?"

A sleeveless turtleneck at that, but never judge a man by his wardrobe Roman. It was just his left overs from the run. At least he had ditched the suspenders and bracer across his middle. The boots he couldn't get rid of though, they had practically conformed to his feet like a glove after the years of use. In any case, he'll shrug, nodding at his question. "I'm from the sticks, though after all the years out of them, it can be hard to tell. The accent's all but gone." Though he won't mention the specific accent, even though Midgar was a huge city. "But if you ever heard of Gongaga, it's not all there any more anyways. Reactor blew sometime in the last five years, took half the town with it."

His words aren't quite so enthusiastic when he mentions the fate of his home, though he isn't sure he could call it that any more. When you leave at thirteen and don't come back for ten years, well. He'd wished it had forgotten him and all the misfortune he probably brought with running. "The Jungle is still there though, and what ever is left of the reactor."

Roman will ABSOLUTELY judge a man by his wardrobe because he is a shitty 90s kid.

"Woah..." was all he could really say to that. Mittened hands resting on the counter's edge, he grew solumn and tried to imagine being around when one of those plants went up. He'd read about it. Roman then looked up at the flowerboy again and squinted behind his glasses as though he were searching him over for an extra ear or some other marker of RADIATION.

"That's rough, man."

At the close inspection Zack will avert his gaze. If it weren't so bright in the shop, his eyes might glow from the mako, and he would rather not be recognized by a homeless stranger as a SOLDIER. Mako-bright eyes were a signature of the program, but at least it wasn't so obvious under the shitty light. Too bad contacts wouldn't do a thing to stop the glow.

"It wasn't really home any more anyways, and my parents managed alright. That's all I could ask for." He smiles again, bouncing his knee in a sort of nervous habit he had picked up, wondering when he would shut his mouth, having talked too much already, "I mean, we all lived in huts, it's not like they'll take years to rebuild."

Roman felt a small spark in his chest when Zack looked away. It always made him feel BIG when he managed to make someone do that--though he couldn't hope to know the reason why this guy had done it.

He popped his elbows up onto the counter and dropped his bescarfed chin into them. Wow, this guy was like a fountain! Roman had a good mind to bet he was the first person to come in all day. Some days, you just needed an ear. Roman was homeless. Faceless. He'd disappear into the crowd ever to be seen again. What did Zack have to lose?

"You guys really should have c-cornered the market on those tiny houses they show on television!"

Zack was a horrible liar, his body language was easy to read, but he at least managed to come back around when Roman dropped his inspection. He swallows, finding himself again in the conversation, pulling back his own information and latching on to what Roman had said. He didn't need to share, but he was a social at heart and it was good to talk...made him think of his empty apartment and wonder if perhaps he should put an add out again for another person. Anyone. Even when Cloud had been comatose, he had still talked to him, every single day, without worry that the other man was too sick to say anything else.

This was much healthier though and he snorted at the idea of tiny houses, shrugging. "It's hard to imagine me fitting in one of those now, though most people out there aren't small either. But our huts, they didn't even really have doors. Crude as can be. Can't imagine the privacy problem...I left early enough that it wasn't a problem." He laughs, thinking about it, "Maybe that's why I'm an only child."

"You c-could be onto something!"

Roman shared a laugh--it felt good to laugh. As raring to go as he was to take advantage of people, he had to admit it felt...nice...to be nice. EUGH. If Suur were lurking around, Roman could be sure they were doing that horrible i-told-you-so smirk they always did. Angels. Rats with wings!

"Thanks again for the sandwich. What was in it?"

It wasn't like he'd tasted it at all.

"I don't think I want to follow that trail much longer though. It could get bad real quick." Like when he was conceived, there were still no doors. Were his parents into that? He wasn't going to ask that question, or at the very least, wasn't going to answer it.

He'll glance over at the break room where the rest of his lunch was, an identical sandwich and an apple, wondering if his SOLDIER metabolism could make it to the end of his shift if he gave the rest of it away. That was the problem with the big muscles and enhancements, it needed energy to run proper. "Just your regular old ham and cheese. Got a tomato on there and some lettuce for something green. I've..." He hesitates, swallows and then stands anyways. "I've got another one if you're still hungry?"

You never stop being a hero, no matter how small the task.

From the outside, Roman hadn't had any idea how big or small of an establishment the flower shop was. He easily imagined Zack slapping the sandwich together from the little fridge everyone shared. The hesitation makes it obvious.

That had been his sandwich.

And from the look on Zack's face, Roman could only marvel aloud, "You're not k-kiddin', are you?"

He shook his head. A creature of opportunity, he was. But a fool he wasn't. If he took too much, he might not get anything else in the future.

"Nah, man, I was just c-curious. Thought about makin' my own sometime. Maybe with a fiver for flavor."

Roman flashed Zack a charming, flat-toothed grin.

Edited 2016-07-04 03:37 (UTC)

"I wouldn't offer it just to take it away," He returns, almost looking offended at the suggestion. He had just been about to walk back and get it when Roman turns him down, hand on the doorframe into the small backroom. His hair, being a few inches taller, touched the top of the frame, and he turns, looking back at Roman.

"Well, if you're sure. I wouldn't mind. It's not like I'm going to blow away. You on the other hand, kid?" He smiles right back, "Don't tell me no if you're hungry. It doesn't cost a thing, promise."

Roman took his turn to hesitate. He weighed his options. Tomato.

"If you insist!" He wasn't going to deny food a second time. "I'll take any flowers you're planning to throw out t-too!"

That was only partially a joke.

Zack nodded, walking over to the small fridge and taking his sad little lunch box out, pulling the sandwich out and taking the apple for himself. He was a little hungry and perhaps if he nipped it in the bud, he wouldn't get so grouchy later. He's not sure there are any stock getting ready for a turn over though, and he'll hand the sandwich to Roman when he comes back in, settling behind the counter, "I don't think there is anything out today, but maybe this week. They don't last as long when it's cold like this."

He'll take a big bite of apple and look up as someone walks by the front window, perhaps a little more seriously than any clerk should, but it's just a regular passerby so he continues on with his apple, crossing his legs on the stool again. "Where are you from anyways? I assume not from around here?"

Like a well-seasoned magician, Roman made that sandwich disappear too before speaking up. "There it is. T-tomato. S'perfect."

He'd remember this. He really hoped Suur wasn't watching.

"C-couldn't say."

And wouldn't say.

"Farmers choice. Perks of working for a florist in a small town," He winks, feeling himself finally start to relax again. There were some habits that never died, no matter how life got you down and he couldn't help but want to push a little when Roman denied him any information.

He'll lean forward, raise a brow and hit him with those eyes of his that he had forgot he was supposed to be hiding. They were a favorite feature, and again, some habits died hard. "Couldn't? Not even for me? That's too bad..."

Roman found himself leaning back a little, surprised by Zack's sudden interest. Beneath his jacket, he felt his hackles raise. What was with this guy's eyes? They were attractive, sure, but there was something...that made him worry.

And what if he was going to turn him over to the police? Out of the goodness of his own sandwich-bestowing heart no doubt but he was not someone who wanted to deal with uniforms!

"I'm just passing through. Don't want any t-trouble."

Cold Shoulder

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