Spindle Wood (COMPLETED)

Chapter 43

"Hey, kid! Watch your step!" Pat glanced up and lept back as a slate fell to the floor and cracked.

Pat crouched down and picked up the shingle, careful not to cut himself. "Uncle Remus, what're you doing?" He asked, looking up.

Remus was practically hanging off the chimney, a pile of slate balanced precariously on one of the flues. He pointed at the roof a little lamely.

"Birds were picking moss of the slate. Thing broke and needs reshingling." He explained. "Maybe just stay out of the house for a while. Might bring it down crashing on everyone's head."

"Why don't you get someone else to do it?" Pat asked. "You know, someone who won't bring the roof down on us all?"

Remus shrugged. "It's fun." He said. Pat giggled and sat down cross-legged. "Ah-ah, not there." Remus shooed him further back with his free hand. "I don't want to drop another slate on you and crack your head like an egg."

"That's vivid, thanks." Pat said. He jumped up and took a couple steps clear of the roof.

"Sor-" Remus paused. "Hey, when'd you learn sarcasm?!"

Pat laughed and sat down again. "Here good?" He called up.

"What?!" Remus yelled back, grinning. Pat shook his head and felt himself grin too.

Seeing as he wasn't going to be able to go into the house for a while, Pat made himself more comfortable on the grass. He leaned back on his hands and tilted his face up towards the sky.

It was definitely going to be a hot summer. End of June already and the sun was beaming down like its sole purpose in life was to warm everything to near burning.

Which, Pat supposed, it was.

Pat liked the feel of the sun on his face. He liked the tickle of grass under his hands, too. It calmed him. Should've been enough to slow the racing thoughts in his head.

But whenever Pat tried to let himself get lost in the Now, he felt the ghost of Logan's hand in his, Logan's arm around his waist. Whenever he closed his eyes against the sunlight, he saw Logan's dark eyes, the way a little knot seemed to appear in his face when he concentrated. He shook his head like a dog trying to rid itself of fleas. But all he could think about was Logan catching him as he fell. Logan's arm around his shoulders, the other tightening around his waist.

Pat let out an annoyed noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan and slumped back in the grass. His head hit the ground with enough force to bounce his glasses and the world bounced with them.

"You okay, kid?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Pat called up. "Just confused..."

There was a loud thud, followed by several small crashes and a swear. Pat raised himself up onto his elbows. Remus was standing by the house, surrounded by a few broken pieces of slate.

"Need help?" He asked. Remus shook his head.

"Nah, it'll hold. Doubt we'll have much rain, anyway." Remus cast a glance up at the sky before jogging over to Pat. "Now, what's up with you?"

Pat shrugged and slid back down to lie on the ground. He pushed his glasses up his nose and rested his head on his hands. "Dunno." He admitted. "Just confused, like I said."

"Yeah but confused about what?" Remus asked, sitting down beside Pat. He always sat with one leg crossed under the other, Pat noticed, whether in a chair or on the ground.

"Just stuff..." Pat said vaguely, shrugging and closing his eyes.

"Stuff like...? What?"

"Nothing!" Pat opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Remus. "I promise."

Remus sniffed over-dramatically. "Never thought the day would come where I was deceived by my own nephew!"

Pat grinned and shoved Remus playfully. "I'm not deceiving you." He said. "I just really don't have anything to talk about! I'm just confused, that's all. It's normal to be confused."

 Remus sighed dramatically. "Fine. Keep your secrets." He pushed himself up off the ground with a bounce. "I'll probably try reshingling the roof from the ground so if you want, you can go inside."

Pat shook his head. "Nah." He smiled contentedly, tilting his head back to the sun. "I'm fine here."

Pat heard Remus scoff fondly and leave with a soft 'suit yourself'. It was odd. During the whole conversation, Pat hadn't forgotten about Logan once.

Wow. Would you look at that. I'm alive. Also guess which line I'm going to call back to in a titular scene.
Bye,
Blaize