"that's insane, man." Mark stood up, waved an arm, sat back down again. "Are you serious?"
"yes, my dear Mark." Lucas, still wearing his NYU sweatshirt. It was cold enough. "Totally serious."
"But that's like, that's insane, man." Mark stared at Lucas, shook his head, and leaned back against the Empire sign. "um. what were we talking about again?"
Lucas closed his eyes briefly. It's not like he didn't enjoy coming home, it was just. "Rob Halford didn't come out for years."
"oh. right." Mark frowned. "Why not?"
"Because, Mark," and Lucas stubbed his cigarette out on the roof, flicked the butt over the side. Someone would be pretty pissed off to get ash in their car - someone shouldn't drive a convertable in November.
Mark nodded to himself. "oh."
"yes."
"So, like." Mark frowned again, looking one hundred percent the confused teenager he still was despite being nearly twenty four. "this guy you met."
Lucas suppressed a sigh. "Yes."
"Is he cool?" Lucas looked at him, eyebrow raised, and Mark amended, "no, I mean, is he Rancid or Op Ivy cool, man?"
Lucas paused a minute, feeling the beginning of a blush form; he stopped it by chewing on his lip. "Operation Ivy. But cleaner."
Mark giggled; "that's cool."
"Indeed."
"So," and Mark giggled again, "are you two gonna like. move in together?"
Lucas didn't know why Mark decided to take his break on the roof; perhaps the lights were all shiny and bright. He did know that Mark, in his unswerving simplicity, wasn't really offending him, and lately, Lucas would take what he could get. "We're in the grad student housing, Mark. Technically we are living together."
"Wow." Mark blinked. "That's heavy." He put a hand on Lucas's shoulder, squeezed, and leaned in. "That's good. good."
Lucas knew that Mark wouldn't know grad student housing if it ran over his foot. "Yes," he said.