Flat hunting with Ledger is...painful.

In all honesty, I wasn't entirely sure what I was expecting. But it definitely wasn't this.

"Are you sure you last saw him in here?" The estate agent, Shaun, asks as his handsome, rather generic expression says everything I never thought I'd see reflected back at me.

How could I be so stupid as to lose my friend in a flat viewing?

Well, he clearly doesn't know Ledger, I think to myself.

"Yes, I'm sure." I say patiently, peering in the various rooms.

"He's not in here." Shaun says, standing awkwardly in his stiffly pressed suit.

His shoes are new and shiny and he keeps shifting uncomfortably in them. I ponder just how long he's been in this job, and how much longer he's likely to continue after today.

I exhale heavily, wandering back into the living room as I try and focus on the issue at hand. The wind is whistling against the windows, and I can hear the birds outside fluttering about excitedly.

"This flat hosts some excellent views." Shaun says conversationally, the sales pitch still going strong and I shoot him a withering glance.

"I'm not really concerned with the view." I say, gesturing to the windows.

A gentle cooing sound interrupts us and I frown. As I turn to the window I nearly scream.

Ledger is perched, precariously, on the outside window ledge, cooing like a bird. I stare at him in abject horror, wondering how, and why, he is somehow sealed behind a pane of glass, three floors up.

An absurd thought enters my mind that perhaps this is the flat's way of asserting it's opinion of Ledger. It wants him out.

The thought doesn't linger long, and I spring forwards as he wobbles.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I shout, peeling the window open and forcibly tugging him inside.

Ledger falls into a heap on the floor, groaning quietly.

Shaun is frozen in place, his eyes wide with panic. Then he shifts, bolting towards the door as he mumbles something about a phone. I silently wonder if he's intending on calling for an ambulance, or the police. Neither option is particularly comforting.

"How noisy was it?" Ledger asks.

"What?" I snap, looking down at him. He's still crumpled on the ground.

"How noisy was it? My bird sounds? I won't be able to work if I can hear pigeons cooing all day. I noticed it when we came in." He says, as though this explanation perfectly justifies his actions.

I cradle my head in my hands, having had just about enough of him for the day.

"It doesn't really matter. I was out there for a while, turns out the windows don't open from the outside. I hadn't thought of that. Anyway, while I was waiting, a small pigeon society accepted me as one of their own. I went out to put them on trial, and instead, became one of them." He says profoundly, standing up and dusting himself off.

I decide it's not worth a reply.

Instead, I make my way out of the flat, deciding I don't really want to have to face Shaun when he gets back.

"Hey! Grey! Where are you going?" Ledger calls, chasing after me.

"We have another viewing in an hour." I say, glancing at my calendar.

"Why? We don't need it. That one's perfect!" Ledger argues.

I stop on the stairs to look at him briefly.

"It didn't have a toilet! You nearly fell to your death!" I say incredulously.

"I joined a pigeon cult." He adds.

I shake my head, moving faster down the stairs. Ledger follows with irritating persistence. Times like this, I find it incredibly difficult to remember why I'm so infatuated with him.

His hand lands on my shoulder gently and I pause.

"Grey, I'm sorry." He says, his hand tugging me round to face him.

His chocolate brown eyes melt in sincerity and I relent unwillingly.

"I really appreciate your help with this. I wouldn't know where to start if you weren't here and I..." He hesitates, biting his lip as he shows his vulnerability for a single moment.

"I wouldn't want to do this without you." He says, finally.

My chest fills with warmth all of a sudden, my lips tugging up in a helpless smile.

Ah, I remember now. This feeling.

I shake it off quickly.

"I wouldn't want you to do it without me either." I say and he rolls his eyes.

"But seriously, what was so wrong with that one?" He quizzes and I sigh.

"Toilet, Ledger." I remind.

To my displeasure, the day continues the same way it started, with Ledger in an infuriatingly obnoxious mood, and me trying to navigate it with as much charm and patience as I can muster

In total, I manage to avoid total disaster 3 separate times, including extinguishing a small fire.

Ledger had thought, for some bizarre reason, that the hob wouldn't be connected to the gas. As a result, he lit a poorly placed tea towel on fire.

"I thought it would be like IKEA." He had reasoned, with a relaxed shrug of his shoulders.

I had also managed to put my back out trying to manoeuvre Ledger when he had, towards the end of the day, decided to lie down for no apparent reason and would not move or respond to any given stimuli.

Despite it all, though, as I walk through my door that night, I walk in with a smile on my lips.

The memory of the expressions of the estate agents faces would entertain me for weeks to come, and having an occupation, regardless of how challenging it is turning out to be, is refreshing. I'm needed again, and the satisfaction I take from it is reward in itself.

I'm enjoying the break from constant, body breaking rehearsals and daily doses of caffeine abuse.

My stomach pangs at the thought of my regular baristas in Starbucks. I wonder if they miss me coming in every day, if they're wondering where I am. I realise that I miss Rex's friendly waves. I miss the soft glow of the building that seems to perfectly compliment cold mornings and the scent of coffee. I even miss Blue's glare.

I smile to myself, shaking my head as I slip my keys into the bowl on my sideboard.

Tomorrow will prove just as challenging as today, I have no doubt. But I survived, just as I'll survive tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.

I sink onto my bed, exhaling slowly as I stare at the ceiling.

I will survive it.

I just hope I come out stronger.

-

A/N
Sorry it's late!! I'm on my holibobs (idk why I said that, I don't like that word)
It's raining for a whole week back home and I'm missing it. Low key devastated because I'm in love with the rain