Elite: Ragnald

Birthdays and Break-ins

17 December, 2:00 am

I sigh, watching as wispy clouds formed from my releasing a breath. Hugging my knees closer, I wondered exactly how insane I was. After all, sitting on a rooftop at 2 in the morning, in the dead of winter, could be considered as certifiably insane.

It was my birthday. I knew that. It just... didn't feel like it. 

Resting my forehead against my knees, I closed my eyes, taking in the silence the darkness brought along. It was comforting when everything became too much. Too loud. And more often than I cared to admit, I'd end up slipping away when I was least likely to be missed to just escape from the reality. I liked to pretend that nothing was going wrong and that I could just escape into the endless heavens above me.

But, that was it. The stars were too far to reach and eventually, I'd have to go back and deal with shit like a responsible human being. For now, though, I'd pretend that it was all okay. That I had an eternity to spend in this peacefulness even if it was only till whenever Noah woke up. 

My peace was broken when I felt the air shift around me in an indication of someone joining me. My eyes snapped open and I turned my head to face Aiden before he'd even stopped floating slightly above the rooftop. 

"Hey neighbor," he whispered, his voice carrying into the night as he sat down, cross-legged, beside me. 

"How do you find me whenever I'm feeling vulnerable?" I asked quietly, lifting my head up in resignation of my solitude being gone.

Aiden shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's a gift."

I scoffed. "What, you do this often? Finding young girls on rooftops before the sun's up, when they're feeling like they're in a cliché Taylor Swift music video?" I teased, turning back to the silent neighborhood. 

"Don't you need the tragically handsome guy who sweeps you off your feet to actually completely achieve the theme we're going with? I'm just stepping in," he grinned easily, falling backwards and folding his arms beneath his head. 

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, we're going to fall in love and it's going to be awesome at first. But then, you're gonna break my heart due to irrational reasons and find Ms. Hollywood while I weep over what could have been. Later, I'll release a hit debut album dedicated to you and you're gonna realize you still love me, but I'll end up kicking your ass back to the curb when you come crawling back and go vacation in Rome or something," I stated. "It's classic. I know how this goes."

"You seem to have this all figured out pretty well," Aiden observed, not looking away from the inky sky. 

"I'm a pretty sorted out person," I nodded along.

Aiden laughed softly, careful not to make too much sound. "But, seriously," I began. "Why visit your neighbor's rooftop at this ungodly hour?"

He bit his lip, looking at me carefully. "I knew this was the day they died and figured that if I knew you at all, you'd want to remember them as privately as you could. What's more private than freaking 2 am?" He admitted, looking away. 

I raised an eyebrow. "Given that, aren't you kind of intruding then?" I asked, desperately ignoring the rush of warmth I felt at his admission. It felt nice to know he cared that much. 

"I thought I'd take your mind off of it. I don't think you're parents would want you mourning them on your birthday. Happy birthday, by the way," he said, grinning slightly at the end.

I smiled. "Thanks," I said softly, turning back to look at the street. 

"Oh, no. We aren't just going to sit here this whole time. I'm gonna distract you in style. As a superhero, I kind of have this reputation to uphold," he said, getting to his feet and brushing off imaginary dust.