Sneakily Movin' Out (Ben)

[Josef Muller]

It was hard to move out quietly. This was a thought that should have occurred to him earlier. The man stood, surveying the boxes he’d loaded into the tiny U-Haul truck parked in the driveway, and thanked his lucky stars that he wasn’t much of one for things. Most of it was just clothes, shoes, equipment for the clinic that he’d yet to find a place for, and little trinkets he’d gotten from Ben’s friend Danny. Oh, and the paperwork. That had a box all to itself, much to his exasperation. He’d only been there for a few months and he was leaving with at least three times what he’d started out with. How the hell had that happened? He shook his head, then hopped down to pull down the door to the truck and went back into the house to see if there was anything left.

No one was home. That had been done on purpose. Josef had known that this would only be temporary, and was aware of the fact that Ben and Yulia seemed to be busy with a lot of things. Ben seemed to be dating someone, and Yulia seemed to have…other issues (he’d never asked, as he wasn’t sure how much the woman would be willing to tell him). He didn’t want to bother them. And, to be honest, he didn’t want a fuss. He was horrible with good byes. He either got hopelessly sappy or uncomfortably formal. So he’d started packing quietly, taking some time off from the clinic to get it done, and had hired a truck on the day that he was pretty sure that neither of them would be home. He was a strong man, and there wasn’t that much of it, but it had still taken longer than he’d hoped. He glanced at his watch, swore quietly to himself, and went up the stairs to make sure everything was settled there as he’d planned it. Hopefully he’d be finished by the time Ben made it back…

[Benjamin Rhodes]

On the rare occasions that he didn't have plans for lunch outside, Ben usually went home to get some food. He didn't pack food to bring to his office because he didn't want the place to smell like food. It was inconvenient but very necessary. He didn't want his patients to smell his turkey sandwich when they came in for a session.

Cobalt had to renege on his offer for lunch because he was due for some time with Riley and Josh. Ben didn't want to intrude on his time with his best mates. And he did not want to appear clingy to the older men so he went home to fix himself a sandwich.

When he saw the U-Haul truck in front of his house, he frowned slightly and parked behind it. Was there a new neighbour he wasn't aware of? But why would they park their moving truck in front of his house?

He walked up the pavement up to his house to find it empty. Okay, so that part wasn't the weird part. Josef usually spent his time more at his clinic and would come back when Ben was just about to go to bed. Yulia had Hammel. But he did realise the house suddenly felt...empty. Like things had been removed. He didn't know why or how he felt it but a full sweep of his place told him something was amiss.

Ben took the stairs two at a time and was surprised to see Josef's door was open. The man usually shut it when he left. The psychologist curiously walked closer to find the room clean of personal possessions. "Um...Josef...going somewhere?" Ben frowned slightly when he caught sight of the man in question.

[Josef Muller]

This probably hadn’t been the best time for Ben to come in. His normally composed roommate was having issues. He had forgotten to move the furniture back to its proper position, and as he wanted Ben to have as easy of a time with this as possible, he’d decided to try and move it back. A mistake. After moving a bunch of boxes, his muscles had protested, and he’d dropped an end table right on his foot. So when Ben arrived, he was swearing, loudly, in German.

”Das tat weh! Dumme Stück Holz Scheiße!“

No, he didn’t speak a lot of German, but he had learned the more interesting words from his father. He was holding his foot and balancing on the other one, examining his rather bruised toes, when he heard Ben arrive. He yelped and spun around, nearly falling backwards and just barely managing to catch himself.

“Jesus Christus, you startled me, Ben.” He inhaled and shook his head, pressing a hand to his heart, shaking his head and doing his best to relax. And then the question sank in, and he began to look more embarrassed than startled. “Ah. Well. I’m, uh….” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Ben. I thought I’d be out by the time you got back, but I found an apartment, and I figured I’d get out of your hair. Uhm.” He frowned and limped over to the bed, fetching a book that he’d put there, then hopped back over to Ben and offered it to him. “This is for you. It’s my grandmother’s book of German recipes. Sort of a…thank you for housing me.” 

((You don't want a translation.xD Really.))

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben's eyes widened when he heard a slew of unmistakeably German words escape Josef's lips and he debated briefly on whether to laugh or to frown. He chose to keep quiet as the man stumbled over his words in an apology.

Josef's choice of words: "...get out of your hair." was taken with a little frown. Ben had started getting comfortable with the darker haired man and though he had known the meta's stay here was temporary, Ben, like Josef, hated to say goodbye.

He took the book Josef offered with a smile. His hand ran down the spine of the delicate looking book before looking back up to Josef. "I couldn't take this. It's yours. I doubt your grandmother would want you to give it away." He returned the book to Josef.

"I didn't think you'd leave so soon. I didn't make you feel uncomfortable, did I?" Ben started to worry. Had he not been a gracious enough landlord? Did he ever do anything that had caused Josef any discomfort? Was his food horrible? His mannerisms?

[Josef Muller]

It was probably better that Ben hadn’t decided to laugh or frown. Josef probably would have been mortified by either reaction. He really hadn’t intended to start off like that. Or, really, he hadn’t meant to be heard. Damn it. At least he didn’t seem…too upset.

He shook his head at Ben’s refusal and offered it back to him. “Please. She’d like it to be passed on, and I memorized all the recipes a long time ago. Besides, I know you like cooking. She’d be honored.” And he meant it. Besides, he didn’t have much else to give Ben in terms of presents. He’d left a box of chocolates on the bed, along with a thank you card for both of them, but he’d really planned for this to be discovered after he was gone. To save on the awkwardness. But as it was…damn. He’d just have to manage.

“No, no!” he said hastily. “You have been…I’ve appreciated, uh…” Why did he have to be so bad with words? He resisted the urge to swear again, ran his hand through his hair, then cleared his throat. “You’ve been wonderful, Ben. You and Yulia both. But I know my hours haven’t been great, and it has been five months. And you’ve been very…busy…” He was failing at this. Okay. Round two. “I found a great place,” he said desperately. “Do you want to see pictures?”

Good job, Josef. Good job. 

[Benjamin Rhodes]

"If you're sure," he took the book back and hugged it to his chest. He would keep it safe, he was sure of it. "They're all in English right?" Ben laughed lightly, wanting desperately to buffer the awkward moment.

Josef's words were a comfort at least but when his 'busyness' was highlighted, Ben bit his lower lip in embarrassment. Had he really been that 'busy' lately? Gosh, he just hoped he hadn't neglected his own tenants. This was clearly not a good thing and Ben wanted to apologise profusely until Josef changed the subject.

"Um..." Ben rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and nodded. "Okay. That would be great." He stepped closer into the room and sat on the edge of the bed, patting the bed for Josef to sit beside him. "How big is it?" the psychologist asked softly.

[Josef Muller]

Josef nodded and forced a bit of a laugh himself. He really hadn’t intended to upset Ben. But he’d known this was a temporary fix, right? He hadn’t meant to depress him. He just really didn’t want to be a bother.

“No, no. It’s got both the German and English in it,” he said. “My father wrote all the translations next to it. And some… uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Rude jokes. I’m sorry for those. He had a horrible sense of humor.” No wonder Josef tended to get embarrassed. Oh well. “But really. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He sank down onto the bed as well. “You’ve been wonderful, Ben, and for God’s sake, I’m older than you. You don’t have to worry about not paying enough attention to me or even taking care of me, although…” He shrugged and smiled, a little sheepishly. “You do that pretty well. And I hope we can stay in touch even though I won’t be here. But ah, pictures…” He fumbled in his pockets for the picture he’d taken, and found it and showed it to him. It was a moderately sized apartment, with a clean sort of look and plain, if slightly shabby, furniture. Josef hadn’t been spending enough time in a house except to sleep for him to worry about anything else. “Your kitchen is better, though.” This was a little rueful.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben would have dispelled any thought Josef had about him being a bother to Ben had he known what the man was thinking. Josef was one of the few people he rented his house out to who didn't show too many quirks. Even Yulia had her quirks and showed them plenty. Plus, Josef knew how to cook and clean up after himself. What more could Ben have asked for from a housemate?

"Oh," he laughed lightly at the remark about rude jokes. Ben wasn't a prude, he appreciated the occasional inappropriate humor. "No worries, I'm sure I can handle them." He grinned and turned when Josef finally sat down. "I'm..." Ben paused when Josef continued to speak. The child psychologist blushed when the other man stated what he felt. Well that was making him feel good, no?

"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way. You better come over for Sunday dinners. I don't care if you have to run your clinic or whatever. Sunday dinners are a must."

Ben leaned into Josef as he was showed the apartment. He had no comment about it so he kept quiet until Josef commented on the kitchen. The non-meta laughed and shrugged. "I bet." He chuckled. "You're welcome to come over if you want to use anything here."

He was prolonging the inevitable and he knew it. So he ripped off the bandaid and stood up. "Do you need help with the rest of your stuff?" He asked, looking around the almost bare room, wondering if anyone else was looking for boarding.

[Josef Muller]

And Josef, in turn, would have laughed at the idea of not having quirks. He had them all right, he would’ve said. He was just quiet about it. After all, he didn’t want to scare anyone away.

“Well, I’m glad somebody can,” Josef said wryly. “My mother never could handle it well.” And he smiled at the man when he blushed. It was kind of a shame that he was already…

Ha. If he was having that kind of thought then it really was a good thing he was moving out. But it was also a sign that he was getting over William, and that cheered him a little.

“Of course I wouldn’t miss Sunday dinners,” he told him. “With your cooking? I’d be a fool to. Let me know what I can bring over. Even with the kitchen…” he trailed off, then shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll probably be cooking it here.”

For a moment, he had really been just enjoying himself, forgetting that he was, in fact, leaving. But when Ben stood up, he rose to his feet as well. “No. It’s all in the truck. But if you don’t mind, or if you want it moved, I’d appreciate your help with the bookcase.” He nodded to it. “And then I’ll be out of your hair.” He paused, then added, “Thank you. Again. It’s been wonderful.”

[Benjamin Rhodes]

"I grew up with six boys in the house. Even my mom got used to rude jokes. But she's a real classy lady despite it all. We can all definitely learn something from her." He grinned, oblivious to Josef's thoughts of him.

For someone smart enough to get a BA in psychology, Ben sure didn't know a thing about people's feelings when it was directed at him. Though in his defense, Josef never really showed any outward signs that he had ever been interested. Both of them were too busy to have noticed, Ben supposed.

Ben grinned widely at the compliment. "Don't be silly. You'd be my guest so no need to bring anything. Just yourself!" He said, his grin open and honest. And so completely oblivious. He laughed at Josef's remark and nodded. "You can most definitely use the kitchen here. But not on Sundays. It's my kitchen on Sundays."

Looking at where the bookcase was, Ben shrugged and turned to face Josef. "It's alright. Just leave it there." With Josef's goodbye, Ben gave a little smile, still a little sad to see a friend go. He tried telling himself that they were going to bump into each other in town anyway.

"I'll walk you out." Ben patted Josef's shoulder and followed the other man's lead down the stairs and to his truck. "So...don't be a stranger!" The child psychologist grinned before pulling the other man into a quick hug. "And if you need any help, just call me." He stepped back, letting the hand still gripping the recipe book lie limp by his side. With the other hand, he waved at Josef.

[OOC: *sniffles* Wrap]

[Josef Muller]

Of course Josef hadn’t said anything, or showed any signs. For one thing, he considered it far too early for him to actually look for a real sort of relationship. And for another…well, Ben had been seeing someone for almost the entire time he’d lived in the house. What was he supposed to do? Push his way into it? Nah. Better to keep it quiet and not to worry the other man. He was kind enough where Josef didn’t want to cause him any trouble. Besides, there was nothing more uncomfortable than your tenant having an unrequited crush on you.

“I forgot about that part,” he admitted with a shrug and a smile. “She sounds like a wonderful woman, and I’m glad you won’t be offended by my father’s off sense of humor.”

Very glad. He nodded, then smiled at Ben at his comment. “Gotcha. No kitchen-borrowing on Sundays. I think I can listen to that.”

He headed down to the truck and turned to Ben, then started at the hug before returning it. He pulled back and smiled at the other man, eyes scanning his face.

“Never,” he said lightly. “Thanks, Ben. You take care.” And he got into the truck and drove away.

((Wrap!))