i can see you - tsitp

thirteen.

NATE WAKES UP the next morning as the sun beams in through the windows. He groans, rolling over onto his stomach before stretching out. He can hear voices coming from around the house, and he quickly stands up.

He looks down, groaning as he sees the pajamas that Steven had leant him— actually, they had been Nate's at one point, matching pajamas that he and Steven had gotten oh-so long ago. The age of the pajamas is clear when Nate stretches out to pull his socks on. He heads into the bathroom to brush his teeth, where he sees Carlee doing the same.

"The hell is going on?" he asks Carlee, swatting the air near her head as she breaks out in laughter. "Stop. These are Steve-O's. He's wandering around the house wearing the same fucking thing, okay?"

"Yeah, nice look, Mr. Astronaut." she scoffs, yanking the bottom of his shirt down to cover his stomach. "Hey, there's Steven. Oh, he looks just as stupid as you."

"Ha, ha." laughs Steven dryly, rolling his eyes. "Julia is here by the way."

"Oh, shit." Carlee whispers, putting a hand on Steven's arm as she passes him to go downstairs. Nate turns to his best friend.

"I'm going to the store today to buy new pajamas." he says monotonously, yanking the sleeves up his arms. "Jesus."

"Looks like she's having an open house today." Steven informs Nate, shaking his head. "Or... that's what it sounds like, I guess."

"Is there anything we can do to get it shut down?" Nate wonders aloud just as Jeremiah comes up the stairs in his bathing suit.

"Hot out there today." he says, nodding back. "I'm going to get changed."

An idea pops into Nate's head. He grabs his wallet, rifling through it as Steven watches curiously. Pulling out a twenty, he hands it over to Steven.

"You know engineering." Nate states plainly. "Can you break the AC?"

"Break the AC?" repeats Steven incredulously. "Why the hell would I do that? It's a hundred degrees outside."

"Yeah, exactly, idiot. If it's too hot in here, Julia can't have an open house. Nobody's gonna want to come from the hot outdoors to the hot indoors." His phone starts buzzing— a call from his dad. He urgently shoves the twenty into Steven's hands, making the older boy groan and head downstairs to mess with it.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Nate. What's up? How are you guys? Did you buy groceries?" Deion's incessant questions make Nate shake his head.

"Woah, slow down, Dad. Yes, we got groceries. We're fine." He approaches Taylor, who has had her head peeking out of the bathroom with a wide smirk for the past few seconds. "Shut up," he mouths, making her grin even wider.

"What the fuck are you wearing?" she laughs, trying to cover her mouth to keep quiet but failing miserably.

"Steve gave them to me! I forgot mine! I'm buying more today! Shut up!"

"Why are you whisper-shouting at me?"

"My dad is-"

"Is that Taylor?" asks Deion curiously. "Please tell me that it's not just the two of you at the house together, Nathan."

"Dad, no, God, no. It... Yes, it's Taylor. I'm at Steve's house."

"Just checking, my bad."

"Yeah, Belly and Carlee brought her over here. She's going through a bad breakup. You know, it's real bad, Dad. I feel kinda bad. Between you and me, she's not looking too good. I don't even think she's showered since the breakup." Nate grins as Taylor flips him off.