(Untitled)

[morelikeasponge]

[OOM: Back home, Peter talks with his mother, his niece, and his brother. Spoilers for 1.19, ".07%."]It's been an hour or so since Peter first returned to the bar; now he's found his way outside, and onto the Milliways roof. It's a quiet night -- quiet and peaceful

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[invisanthrope]

Nobody walks up to the edge of the building and looks up.

Nobody says, "You look constipated. And that's not an invitation to tell me about it."

[morelikeasponge]

Peter makes a face at nobody, and raises his head.

"Hi, Claude."

He can't actually see the ground very well from up here, in the fading light. But he can't think of anybody else who'd think that was a great way to greet him.

[invisanthrope]

"What're you doing up there, anyhow?" He cranes his neck. "There are better places to sit, you know."

[morelikeasponge]

He shrugs, or tries to. Curled as he is around his knee, it's a little difficult. "I like it up here. Why not?"

[invisanthrope]

"Because you look like a cliché," is Claude's answer.

[morelikeasponge]

Peter directs an incredulous stare at the Claude-shaped blob below.

"That's rich, coming from you," he says, but he doesn't sound annoyed. Not yet, anyway.

[invisanthrope]

Outrageous!

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demands.

His arms are not folded. Yet.

[morelikeasponge]

"You're --" Peter shuts his mouth, and opens it again. He tries waving a hand at Claude. "Your only friends are pigeons."

[invisanthrope]

"At least I have them," is his rejoinder. "How do you know that for certain, anyhow? For all you know, I could be palling around with your brother, sitting in his office, giving him daily reports."

[morelikeasponge]

"Yeah," says Peter. "Right. If he'd known where I was, he'd have been there."

Plus he really can't picture Nathan palling around with a hobo. A crazy bearded hobo.

[invisanthrope]

"That's what you think."

Claude's hands are shoved in his pockets.

He is cheerful.

Peter persists in making himself an easy target.

"Remember maxim number one? People suck. Your illustrious brother included."

[morelikeasponge]

"That's what I know," Peter says shortly. "Look, you're not gonna convince me not to trust my own family, so you might as well stop trying."

Well. If it didn't work for Hiro . . .

[invisanthrope]

"That was just an example." He lifts a hand and rubs at the back of his neck. "Look, either you're coming down or I'm coming up. Which is it?"

[morelikeasponge]

"Come on up," he says, on impulse. "The view's nice."

Claude likes roofs. Claude lives on a roof. And this one has going for it a lake, and a forest, and (when it's darker) a hell of a lot more stars than the city.

[invisanthrope]

Claude looks from the building to the roof.

"Ladder?" Pointedly.

[morelikeasponge]

Peter points.

He looks just a little pleased to have the answer.