stuck in second gear

Robin smiled softly at the other, nodding his head. It was quite the move, something done last minute too, but he really didn’t have any other choice. “Yeah, it hasn’t really been the easiest thing, that’s for sure,” he remarked, clearing his throat before shrugging his shoulders. “I arrived really early this morning.. like 3am? I really just went to get my stuff that was waiting for me in storage, that arrived before I did, got here, did some cleaning, and slept,” he replied before motioning over towards the archway that led to the kitchen. “I cleaned the kitchen and got halfway through the bathroom before I figured it was time for a nap..”

Kurt’s brows quirked, an amused grin plastered on his face. “Oh, bad boy type, huh?” He suggested, a bit amused by the mere prospect of someone like that living just across the hall from the two of them. His eyes widened, his smirk now a full on smile. “He did?! Oh my god, that’s amazing! Did you get details on time? Did you meet the roommate?!”

“Whoa, yeah, I don’t blame you. For crashing, I mean. It sounds like a hell of a morning so far.” Wes approached the kitchen and eyed the countertops -- they were perfectly shined, as was the rest of the apartment. He internally applauded Robin’s efforts to make the place feel more like a home than a temporary living space -- Wes himself probably wouldn’t have thought to clean the thing until it looked noticeably unkempt.

“Well,” Wes continued, shifting his eyes a little bit, “I hope you aren’t too worn out because I invited our neighbors over for pizza and beer later. Only met one so far, but she’s pretty cute. Of course, if you’re really worn out, we can always save that for another day.”

Kurt’s enthusiasm never failed to entertain Marley. “No, but we exchanged numbers, so he said he’d text me later. And I didn’t meet his roommate, but I’m assuming he’s around the same age as us, so as long as he’s cool, I’m sure we’ll all get along okay. He told me they met on Craigslist...creepy.” She shuddered, taking another sip of her gingerbread tea. “Thank god you and I didn’t have to resort to that. It’s great that we’e always had each other.”

Robin relaxed, a bit glad that it was his new roommate rather than an intruder, he had heard too many horror stories about New York that they often times got in his head. “Yeah, I guess I didn’t notice that,” Robin replied as he stepped forward. He held out his hand for the other to shake. “I’m Robin. It’s nice to meet you.” Robin shook his head, “No. I’m from the South, actually.” 

Kurt’s brows quirked at the news, his lips curled to an amused and curious grin. “How cute is cute?” He asked excitement laced in his voice as well. Ever since they moved together into the apartment, the only neighbors they had were either ones they rather avoid or not truly memorable. The idea of an attractive one being next door, and the possibility of there being a cute friend as well was quite the good news.

“No shit,” Wes replied in surprise, his eyes widening. “That’s a hell of a move. And I thought coming from Brooklyn was hard,” he laughed and took a seat on the couch, observing the rest of the space. It was fairly empty, but Wes had plenty of his own crap to fill the space. The first task would be setting up his bed -- once that was done, he could focus on literally anything else.

“So how do you like New York so far? Definitely an adjustment, I’d imagine.”

Marley smiled behind the rim of her mug. She lowered it and held it in her hands as she addressed her roommate’s question. “Cute. Like...tattoos-and-perfectly-quaffed-hair cute. We spoke for a little while about him moving to the neighborhood and stuff. And get how ridiculous this is -- the guy actually invited both of us over for pizza later. I told him I had a roommate and he was like, ‘yeah, totally bring him with you!’ What do you think -- should I be flattered, or freaked out?”

He had arrived way before the other, his boes already inside, though he didn’t bring much since his move was due to emergency rather than careful planning. How else would one get out of an engagement? But that was a whole other story that Robin didn’t even like the think about. 

Seeing how the male had arrived before the sun even came up, a nap was definitely necessary. He had only woken up about thirty minutes before the door began to open. He had been sat down, drinking a bottle of water but he quickly stood. “Hello..?” His brows knitted when the other walked in, though he did have a good feeling it was his new roommate.

Kurt didn’t really have many days off. The poor kid worked two jobs, so he was usually jumping from one side of the city to another, or curled up late at night watching reruns. Thankfully, he was able to sleep in and relax for a whole day. It was bliss. He was actually of making tea when his friend walked into the apartment. “You came just in time, I’m almost done with gingerbread tea, and both Legally Blonde movies are about to start,” he greeted Marley with. “By the way, it took you longer to get home today, what was the hold up?”

“I’m Wes. Just moved here from Brooklyn. Are you from New York?”

“Sorry!” Marley exclaimed, tossing her purse on top of the kitchen table. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear through the door -- I was talking to our new neighbor, Wes. He just moved in across the hall with his roommate.” Her smile widened as she poured herself a cup of gingerbread tea, leaning against the counter and sipping it slowly.

“And because I know you’re going to ask, yes, he’s cute. Haven’t gotten a gage on what he’s into, though. You know how wonky my gaydar can be.”