#swingthebat

A slight exhale escaped from the man currently standing before a mirror, his thick brows narrowed in thought as he adjusted the tie around his neck. It felt too tight...but then again, pieces of clothes always felt rough on that area of his body. Regardless of how often he tried to fix it, he still felt lost for air, unless he obviously untied it altogether, which would be stupid because he had a very specific dress code for work, a dress code that could never be broken unless you wanted to be jobless. He wasn't going to throw away seven years of actual effort just because he wasn't in the mood to wear a fucking tie today.

After much mental conversation with himself, he finally fixed his suit, then raked a hand through his shaggy locks.  Note to self: get a haircut. And shave. You look like a barbarian.

A few more minutes of staring himself down prepared him for another long day of working at the car dealership, presenting himself all prim and proper like a new favorable toy. Tearing away from the mirror, he grabbed the suitcase he always kept by the door, snagged his keys off of the metal rack, then stepped out into the hallway, spending some time afterwards to make sure that the front door was properly locked. In a neighborhood like this, this was a step needed if you wanted to keep your belongings in your own home. As he slipped the collection of keys into his suit pocket, he began to walk down the stain-spotted carpet which lead to the elevator that broke down (on average) three times a week. Knowing his luck, he'd have to take the stairs again; as pathetic as this may sound, he was completely used to this sort of routine. In fact, it was basically the norm. He had no close relatives, no wife or husband despite the fact that he was in his thirties, and certainly no children. He was a free man, yet he was attached to his job.

There's nothing wrong with being committed to a job...at least I have some sort of ambition.

Once he reached that crummer elevator, he pursed his lips together in a slight frown and pressed the button harshly. He could hear the distinct noise of the elevator rising to his floor, but it was (of course) taking a significant amount of time. In order to distract himself in one form or another, the dark haired man shifted his gaze around aimlessly, eventually landing his attention on a specific door just about twenty five feet away from him. He knew the resident who lived there...younger guy, but he didn't know his age. It never occurred to him that he should ask. What he did know that the person was a bit...reserved. No, that was taking it lightly. Socially reserved was more appropriate. Still, he tried to make small talk. It was the only appropriate thing to do, since the poor guy clearly wasn't getting much attention from anyone else...

Lifting his free hand up, he glanced down to his watch. 8:48 in the morning. He could be awake by now...besides, it never hurt to say hi. As long as he made the conversation quick, of course.