[Regifortis]

"O-Oh, yeah, that'd be great!" Steve felt himself relax a little. It didn't register to him until Alderman stood up and walked over to the counter that he was making the guy tense. Christ, getting leery over some fucking mayo, Steve was not having a good first day. Then it occurred to him that leering like that could work against him for the 'test' this week. Shit...shit, shit, he had to remember to play it cool! But MAN did this craving grab him and throttle him like nothing else. At least Alderman didn't give him shit for it...maybe this guy really wasn't that bad after all. Maybe.

He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth. God, get it together, man! It's just a fucking sandwich! Steve tried to play it cool by having some more of the soup. But that by itself wouldn't work, would it...? No, he had to make up for before. He had to change the subject, get this domineering fuck's mind off that awkwardness. Or at least try.

"So how long have you owned this place?"

[michime]

"I've had the building about twenty five years now," Will answered as he picked up two slices of bread and slathered mayo on both pieces. "Seen a lot of changes since I first bought it."

He watched Steve out the corner of his eye as he piled the meat then added two slices of cheddar cheese. The man was so twitchy that he started to wonder if he rented a room to a druggie. Or maybe Steve wasn't really a cop and worked the streets in a different way. He glanced over as the 'detective' and saw the man eating some soup. There was definitely something weird going on here. At least he could snoop when the man was out. Will would just be careful.

[Regifortis]

"Ah, I see." Dammit, he thought that would lead to a rambling conversation about the good ol' days or some shit. So much for that. Now he had to keep the air calm and free of tension, or Alderman would just label him as a weirdo and chuck him out. He resisted the urge to rest his hands on his mostly-full stomach, or to just stand up and get the mayo himself. No, he stayed calm and just ate some soup as he waited. He hoped.

Finally, the sandwich came over to him. God, he could smell it...! "Oh, it's perfect, thank you!" He bit into it and immediately felt better. Something about the egg-like flavor just made the world a better place. Dear God in heaven...why? Why was he fucking pregnant? Again?! What was the lesson in all this? Or was the lesson that there was no lesson, that life is pure chaos and nothing good is ever meaningful...?!

He just realized the kinds of faces he must have been making as he thought all this and enjoyed the mayo. "I'm sorry, I must look demented to you right now! I think I'm just tired. I should be fine by tomorrow. I really do appreciate you having me here...and for the kitchen supplies, even treating me to dinner! Is there something I can to do repay you?" Steve felt sick to his stomach, offering anything to someone who had him crying and begging just earlier today. Or maybe that was just the pickles. He really hoped it was the first one.

[michime]

Will watched the 'detective' he wasn't too sure if this guy was really a detective or not the way he was acting right now gobble down a third sandwich. He was sure the man rolled his eyes in pleasure when the food touched his tongue. Okay this dude had secrets, no doubt about it now.

Will nodded then agreed. "Yeah, you look like you got something to hide to be honest. I hope you're more put together tomorrow." He sighed as he picked up the plates. "I can't think of anything right now but I do like having company. If you're not busy, I enjoy a movie after my meals."

[Regifortis]

Fuck. Alright, this dude was pretty sharp. He might have some weird fucking ideas about Steve, like his presumptuous neighbors, but he couldn't put too much past him. Steve just nodded, feeling more normal after getting a 'fix', and...adding yet another item to his 'Steve has to be the apartment bitch for a week' list.

"I'll be getting to know the others, too, and I'll be working." If he could get all the paperwork done, that is. "But I'll spend time with you if I can." He really doubted their 'movie viewings' or however that really went would be as calm as this, but part of him really hoped that he could enjoy some more of Alderman's food. Or he could just stockpile some mayo and sandwich fixings in his own room and just power through this time in his life, like he did the first time around.

It really was scary that his mind was getting 'used' to this. Not that he accepted it at all, but it no longer shocked him that he was a pregnant man. He finally set back from the table and wiped his mouth with a paper towel. "That was really good, thanks again. I'll, uh...if there's nothing else, then I'll be going." He didn't get out of the chair, trying to make it clear that he wasn't just bailing like he honestly wanted to do.

[michime]

"I hope you can fit me into your busy schedule," Will said looking very disappointed at the dismissal. He missed having company, having someone around to talk to, and Steve basically just said he didn't have time for an old man like him. "I'm sure you have better ways to spend your time than watching movies and having dinner with an old man." He sighed as he cleaned the dishes.

[Regifortis]

...REALLY, NOW?! This fuck was guilt-tripping Steve, what a load of--UGH, no, he couldn't just dwell on something like that. He would literally punch something. He had to make a good answer and just forget it ever happened.

Wait. He said 'have dinner'. This suddenly became much more agreeable. He didn't realize it, but Steve had his hands on his stomach as he spoke.

"...I see what you're doing, and I don't appreciate it." Steve needed to push back a little bit, just enough to make it seem like he wasn't brown-nosing. Even though he totally was. Because he had no choice. "But you've made your point well enough, and I guess I was a little dismissive. You have been kind to me. I will watch movies and have dinner with you. I promise." He just hoped that any further possibility of 'pickles' was few and far between, and hoped the old man had good taste in films. He wasn't much of a movie-goer, but he could certainly sit there and just watch something.

Alright, brownie points time. "Would you like me to stay any longer and watch something tonight, in particular? Or would you rather be alone?"

[michime]

"You can't blame an old man for trying," Will smiled as he put the last dish in the drainer to dry.  He wiped his hands with a dry towel before he moved out of the kitchen and into the living area.  He still had a few reservations about the young man but he was willing to give Steve his week before making his decision.  "Thank you for agreeing.  I'm making this cheesy chicken dish tomorrow so bring your appetite." 

He nodded.  "I was going to watch a couple of the Die Hard movies tonight.  They're my favorite.  It would be nice to have some company."

[Regifortis]

Steve perked up at the mention of Die Hard. It was one of the few movies he watched just because he wanted to and not from being dragged to a theater. Changed his damned life. Alderman loved movies like that, huh? Why did this situation start out so shitty and now turn around to being not that bad at all? Did Alderman...feel bad for putting his new tenant through the ringer or something?

Whatever, he'd take it.

"That sounds great, let's do it!" He finally finished eating and stood up to take his dishes to the sink and wash them off.

[michime]

Will watched his new tenant stand up then moved to the sink to clean off his dishes. "I watch this every few weeks," he admitted with a grin. "Sometimes you just need to see Bruce Willis killing a couple of creepy terrorists on Christmas. What do you think of the newer movies?"

[Regifortis]

"Oh, uh..." Shit, was Steve gonna get judged for what he was going to say? Well, Alderman seemed to value honesty. Time to take a risk, like it or not. "I haven't actually seen them. Die Hard was one of the few movies I've ever watched; I'm either too busy or just too caught up in TV."

"I loved Die Hard, though!" Steve started feeling exceptionally awkward. It wasn't clear what kind of tone he needed to set anymore. He noticed his hands gravitating to his stomach and pulled them away. "If the new ones are anything like that, then I'm sure they're great." They probably sucked. From what he knew of the film industry, which admittedly wasn't much, sequels more often than not failed to live up to the originals.

[michime]

"I have all of them," Will admitted with a wide grin. "McClane killed a helicopter with a car. Loved that scene even though the plot was a bit weak. Plus you get to meet his daughter. She's a little firecracker."

He laughed as he settled down on the couch. "We could watch that one after this if you're not too tired."

[Regifortis]

"Sure, I'm good to watch McClane destroy a helicopter! Let me just, ah..."

Steve felt very out-of-place as he sat down next to Alderman. What kind of arrangement was this 'trial week' turning out to be? One moment it was the pressure to please and succeed, the other it was just relaxing with an at least somewhat reasonable stranger. He had to wonder just what Murray and John had in mind for when he started 'proving himself' to them. The only thing he could guess is that it probably would suck up a lot of his time...great.

Well, for now, he just had to watch some Die Hard and try to look interested if he ever lost interest. He could do that.

[michime]

Will started the movie then sat back and got comfortable on the couch. He wrapped his favorite blanket, soft and warm, around himself as the movie played.

"Never work on a project if you don't know who you're working for," Will pointed to the hacker character. "Oh we must keep you alive even though you're a dumbass that tried to destroy the world."

[Regifortis]

Alright, so Alderman liked to riff on movies a bit. That, uh...that posed a problem. Steve couldn't be sure which jokes would work and which ones would either leave him unimpressed or even offend him. So...he'd just play it safe and laugh at anything he thought was funny. Yeah. That would be just fine. He held onto his stomach and just prayed that the revenge of the pickles was just a paranoia.

And that was how it went. The movie was great; Alderman cracked some good ones that got a chuckle out of him; Steve didn't need to throw up, although he got some heartburn; Steve and Alderman got up and said their good nights; and, finally, Steve could just lie on his bed and start thinking about that punching bag with his name on it. What an awful and really weird day. He went to sleep and tried to forget all about it.

At the station the next day, he found that the paperwork from Aurora hadn't been transferred yet. Of all the...!! Did they really expect him to just fill out all new paperwork from scratch because they were too lazy to send it?! Maybe the lack of two-weeks notice rubbed them the wrong way...well, he didn't have a choice! But the way things were going, he had to apply to be a plainclothes detective (he didn't want to explain why he would be blowing up bigger than the precinct's available uniform sizes) and just wait until everything got processed. The time? Ten days.

Ten days...which meant he got even more time to be the apartment bitch. Just GREAT. Fogey McDenture and Admiral Beer Gut, and the...well, the landlord was okay, at least. Probably. He had no excuse for not entertaining them. So he went out shopping for their 'needs' and prepared to play the nice guy for a whole week. He got back home with the supplies. May God keep him...from tearing those leery fuckers a new one.

[michime]

Old man Murray loved sitting on the patio chair that Will placed under the wide shade branches of the oak tree when the weather was right. The weather was perfect for this weekend, not a cloud in the sky with a gentle breeze while the new tenant grilled steaks.

"Could you make mine medium well?" John asked as he walked over to the grill and looked down at the sizzling meat. "Looks really good." He slapped Steve's back in that 'good job man' way. "Glad you didn't put a bunch of vegetables on there. Ruin the taste of the meat."

[Regifortis]

"Medium well? Got it."

Steve was deeply thankful that he convinced a local fitness club to give him an old punching bag they didn't need anymore. Or he would slam his fist down onto the burning grill just to feel something other than hatred and humiliation. In any other context - if he actually got the goddamn apartment normally, without having to beg for it and without the most ridiculous strings attached, for example - this wouldn't be so bad. He didn't like having to cook, but whatever, it was better than giving birth in an interrogation room. But he had put up with old Murray's rambling and John's really...weird way of complimenting him sometimes, for seven days. Not to mention smelling cigarette smoke and watching a sport he discovered was really boring. He couldn't even escape to work. And now all three of them were watching him, judging him, for the last part of this 'test week'. Lord have mercy.

...Oh, who was he kidding? God abandoned him when Steve found out he was pregnant and in labor in the middle of questioning a suspect. He didn't even punch the bag as hard as he could, with how disheartened he got at how his favorite shirt and biggest pair of pants were getting snug.

"What about you, sir?", said Steve, pointing to the landlord. "You haven't told me how you like 'em yet."

[michime]

"Medium well," Will called out as he walked over to Murray and the two chatted.

John stood by the grill keeping the cook company as he talked about the latest baseball game. "I have tickets to the game. It's the big one. If they win this one, they get the pennant. You know what happens if they win the pennant? They're in the playoffs for the first time in twenty years." He was so happy that his team was so close. He had been a fan since he was a little boy and watched the games with his dad. "You want to come with me? I would ask Will or Murray but I don't think they really like baseball. They just listen to me talk."

[Regifortis]

Oh no...oh no, these cooks were getting sneaky with these guilt trips. Baseball bored him. He didn't know why...maybe it was because so much of it was standing around; the tension of waiting for the pitch just didn't appeal to him. But the test week wasn't over yet. He had to keep trudging through the muck of destitution and weaving around the landmines surrounding old men's approval for a little bit longer.

"Sure, I'll go." Steve flipped over the steaks. "A big game like that, I guess it'd be nice to watch it with a friend." WAIT. WAIT, NO, HE SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID THAT. SHIT. Oh, God, he just set himself to 'friend' status. John or Alderman might have assumed that they were friends, but now it was unavoidable!

...Maybe he could fake excitement because the game had a lot of weight behind it. Maybe. He'd sure as hell have to try now, as John's friend. SHIT.

[michime]

John's grin widen when he found out he would have someone to watch the game with instead of going to the stadium alone. "You are not going to regret it. Sure it's fun to watch on tv but when you're in the stands, it's a different feeling. Fans cheering and booing, yelling at the umpire. Beer, pretzels, sunny days? Man, it's going to be great. Maybe you'll catch a ball. You'll like that a lot."

John wondered off with that making his way over to Murray as Will came over to the grill. "So you're going to a game with John?" He asked with a wide grin. "That's good. He goes alone a lot of the time. I can tell it bothered him a lot more than he let on." Will patted Steve's shoulder. "Thanks."