The Roommate (w/ PunkPrince)

[Clirkus]

"So, this is it."

It was an old building, one of the oldest in the county region, and not originally designed for apartment living but if you were a hipster or an artist you might just find the bare brick walls charming, so long as you overlooked the warped floorboards that creaked just about everywhere you stepped, only partially hidden beneath a thrift store rug. The furniture seemed nice if a bit sparse, with only one large couch in the living room and a couple of oversized pillows around the coffee table. A few storage shelves were tucked away against the far wall, and half the place was illuminated by randomly strung Christmas lights.

"A few overhead bulbs are out. Landlord doesn't think he has to deal with them, and I don't have a ladder so…" The young man giving the tour gave a defeated wave of his hand accompanied by a fed-up eye roll. "Kitchen's this way," he directed his new prospector to the other side of the common space, where an old gas stove/oven, stainless steel sink, and wooden counters crowded around a refrigerator that seemed slightly out of place against the brick. An antique wooden table, covered in scratches and water ring stains, stood in stark contrast to the metal folding chairs sitting haphazardly around it.

"I'm up there," he gestured toward the metal staircase leading up to a loft, "And here's your room." Bracing a shoulder against the old door, he gave it a solid shove, and wood scraped painfully on wood as it skidded stubbornly open. The inside was nearly bare, just a single-sized mattress on a dusty metal frame and a bureau of drawers. There wasn't even a closet. "Extra sheets, blankets and stuff are in that bin," he indicated the plastic storage box beside the bed. "You can do what you want with the room, just no holes in the wall, alright?"

Stepping back into the living room, he gave a noncommittal shrug, glancing briefly at the effeminate man's face and then over at the wall. "I'm Eli, by the way. Your rent's $350, first Friday every month. There's some leftover pizza and beer in the fridge if you're hungry, but don't touch the other stuff. After today you buy your own groceries."

After that he just seemed to be done talking, though he stood there for a few minutes watching his new housemate, sort of like how an ornery cat watches the neighbor's dog. Eli's most defining characteristic was probably the long brown hair that fell past his shoulders, but it was almost eclipsed by the hideous oversized sweater that hung loosely off his thin frame. It was hard to tell if he was annoyed, or if he just had an angry resting face. Then again he hadn't exactly been hospitable; hadn't even asked the new guy's name.

 

[PunkPrince]

Jupiter shuffled into the apartment behind the man who was to be their roommate. They didnt know anything about this guy, but figured that just about anywhere was better than staying with their aunt and uncle. As far as the two of them were concerned, Jupiter–or Kevin, as they were often called–was no longer a part of their family. Ever since it finally hit that Jupiter was different, all the kindness they had ever really known had been halted. Jupiter had tolerated this for some time, saving up the tips they had made at their drag shows just to get out of that place and away from family.

A few friends Jupiter had made had offered to let them stay with them, but Jupiter had wanted to find their own place. This was close enough. Jupiter didn't think they would survive long in total solitude anyway. They just didn't want to intrude on their friends. Most of them still lived at home anyway, or had their own lives. Jupiter had often spent nights with them, but a permanent stay was different. Not something Jupiter wanted to be doing.

They tightened their grip on their bags as the man in front of them spoke. Mostly just out of nervousness. It'd be hell if the two of them didn't get along. Jupiter nodded as Eli gave them a tour of the house and set down the rules. "I won't touch your stuff," they promised. "And I won't put any holes in the wall either. I'm just glad to be somewhere aside from with my aunt and uncle." They shuffled into the bedroom and set their bags down off to the side. They would unpack later.

Jupiter was hesitant to really say much, but upon Eli's introduction, decided it was probably good to tell him their name. "My name is Jupiter," they said after a moment, silently praying that the guy wouldn't ask their real name. No one used it, and Jupiter had never liked it. Too boy. It instantly gave away the contents of their pants, and hearing or saying it always left Jupiter uncomfortable.

"Nice to meet you."

 

[Clirkus]

"Family drama, I get it." Eli shrugged, barely acknowledging the introduction. In fact, he seemed done talking altogether, and moved onto the kitchen. With methodical precision he plucked a tall glass and bullet blender from the sagging cupboards. It was almost as if he'd forgotten about Jupiter, or just ignoring him--or her, he actually wasn't sure anymore. It was unclear whether or not his rudeness was intentional, or if he'd just moved onto another task that consumed his focus.

Opening the refrigerator revealed a number of neatly stacked tupperware containers, each with a label and date. The promised pizza box looked out of place among the monochrome plastic. Eli cracked the lid and set it on the countertop, removing the contents carefully and placing them each in the bullet in turn. The first few things weren't out of the ordinary: a cup of yogurt, pre-cut fruit, but then there was a measuring cup too that could only be filled with some kind of protein powder, and then a smaller cup of milk as well, all having been pre-measured and prepared, ready to use. By the time he finished the container was empty. Eli immediately washed, dried, and put it away in a drawer filled with similar containers. The blender too was washed right away, dried, and put away.

Eli suddenly seemed to think of something because he turned back round to Jupiter. "So like, if you got a girlfriend…boyfriend, or just a regular friend you wanna hang with. It's cool, just, don't be loud. And let me know ahead of time if someone else is gonna be around." He took a sip of the shake, trying to think if there was any other basic information he should lay on the table. Nothing came to mind. He gave another noncommittal shrug.

It was going to be weird, living with another person again. He didn't like it, but he couldn't pay the rent by himself. There was always the option of moving, getting a studio apartment somewhere nearer the downtown area. The only problem with that was 1. Moving, that was inconvenient and stressful, and 2. Downtown there were too many people, this side of the city was quieter, relatively, even if the apartment was little more than an ugly old building with a few new amenities. He'd just have to get used to it.