The Danger Zone

Sam, not for the first time, had to recheck the map. It wasn’t a phone or GPS, but an actual, physical map. Melody had tried to set him up with all the directions he needed on his phone, but he had accidentally closed it and from there lost all the information he had about the apartment. He only had the apartment number and a very vague idea of where it was. He could’ve swallowed his pride and just called up Melody and asked for her help again, but she was also on the job. He wouldn’t dare bother her while she was busy with work; he knew she would pick up, regardless of what kind of villain she was fighting, but the fear of distracting her and getting her hurt kept him from reaching out.

So, when he did arrive to the small apartment building, it was about an hour later than he meant to. He had told his potential roommate…Dan? He was pretty sure the guy’s name was Dan. Dan or Denis. Was it Denis? Something with a D, he knew that at least. He also got the impression that the man, Dan or Denis…maybe Dylan? That they were a bit…loud. At least from the way the typed out the message in all caps when they were first introduced.

For some reason that seemed familiar, but he honestly couldn’t place why.

As he moved up the stairs, he gave the place a quick appraisal. It was small, inconspicuous. The neighborhood wasn’t great, but it was nice enough! He was sure now that he would be starting off from here that any sort of crime that happened here would be warded away within a month or so. Not that he was worried about that anyways; his profession had trained him nicely to deal with petty thefts and muggings.

Despite his training and dealing with tense situations, there was something oddly nerve wracking about this. He made his way through hallway and up a set of stairs leading to a wooden door. Taking in a deep breath, he knocked twice and entered. He wasn’t sure what his new roommate had done to the place in the hour it took him to get here, but Sam quickly gave it a once over, trying to spot anything that might need some work.

Then, with a small clear of his throat, he called out into the apartment. “Uh, hello?” He waited for a moment, “I’m Sam, the new tenant? I am looking for…” He trailed for a moment, trying to remember the guy’s name. He would just have to take a shot at it, “Dan…?” He asked, more of a question than a statement, but he was hoping his new roommate wouldn’t pick up on that.

He stood in the entryway waiting, all of his possession on his back or in hand. He didn’t have a lot. A backpack with most of his clothes, the metal case with his extra dense bat, and a suitcase that held pretty much everything else he had.

DANGER DAN! Or, just Dan since he was not on the job has had a good week. His latest DANGEROUS DEED! of hacking into every food delivery service like DoorDash and UberEats was a rousing success! He had made it so that all orders would be sent to one random guy called Joe. New Yorkers will fear for their lives now that they can't rely on their ways to get food.

That's not the only good news either. He had finally managed to find someone willing to split the rent for his apartment. He couldn't blame people for being hesitant to live here since it's more or less always in the splash zone for collateral damage whenever super fights happen...But still, it's only $450 a month he was asking for. The only cheaper prices you'd find are like the sewers or drug dens.

Regardless of the fears, he had managed to find some dude named Sam...Or well, he assumed Sam was a dude. Shit, Sam could be short for Samantha. Oh well. Sam seemed like a decent guy/gal from the back-and-forth texts. He didn't really bother asking Sam much about themselves since well, as long as they got money and didn't steal food then Dan didn't really mind.

He had spent the morning cleaning up his pigsty of an apartment and getting it decent looking. He didn't want to start off on a bad foot with Sam because of a pile of energy drinks or whatever. The place ended up looking fairly good outside of the beer-stained couch and a cracked window from the time his ex threw a rock at him.

Dan was in the middle of sending out a help-wanted ad on Minions4Hire.com for a new DANGEROUS DEED! when he heard someone in his apartment.

"One sec!" Dan called out as he finished his ad.

Coming out into the main apartment he saw who he hoped was Sam and not another looter. He'd already had 3 of them break in this month and he just didn't have the time.

"Hey, Sam right?" He pointed.

"Sorry for the wait, didn't hear you come in there. Name's Daniel but you can just call me Dan." He held his hand out and continued talking.

"Hope it wasn't too much of a hassle getting here with all the abandoned buildings and missing street signs."

For a moment before Dan arrived Sam’s eyes lingered on the broken window and beer stained couch. Potential images of Dan started to flood his mind. He pictured a large, burly man with a temper. Potentially a large gutted fellow with a very specific line of opinions on certain branches of the Government and less than favorable opinions on some groups of people. He hoped that those images were wrong and that instead it would be someone either unlucky, down on their luck, or…he supposed he could just deal with a slob as well.

A sudden relief did wash over him as the man himself walked in. He looked…normal enough, though there was something…

Sam couldn’t place what that something was. He felt like he had heard the voice before? Or maybe it was the build or the way he carried himself. Familiar? Familiar felt like the right word, but that just wasn’t possible. He had never met Dan before. He couldn’t have. Sam wasn’t the brightest but he at least could remember a face. He was sure he would’ve remembered this man.

He pushed that feeling aside and gave Dan a small wave. Or at least the best wave he could manage with the stuff had been carrying. “Yo! Samuel, though same deal. Sam is fine, everyone calls me Sam.” He didn’t really consider it before now, but he supposed not everyone called him Sam. He shook his head, “Nah, not at all. I’ve been to this part of the city before and honestly I don’t have a lot so it wasn’t too hard to pack it all up. So uh…” He kind of made a shrugging motion, not really sure where to carry on from here.

Giving another glance around the room he cleared his throat, “Speaking of, any chance you have a place where I could put my stuff? There’s another room, right?” He asked, hoping that he read the ad right and would have to end up sleeping on the couch or sharing a bedroom with a person he only just met. Though, to be fair, it wasn’t so much the sharing of the room that bothered him, it was that most of Sam’s stuff was related to his hero work and he didn’t really want to have to explain what the costume or bat was about. He could maybe pass it off as cosplay if it came down to it.

Regardless, Sam would follow Dan to wherever he took in regards to where he’d be staying, his eyes continuing the peer around as he moved forward through the house.

“Speaking of, any chance you have a place where I could put my stuff? There’s another room, right?” The new roomie said.

"Yeah, yeah, you read the ad, right? Might have messed up in sending it though...Anyways, yeah, you got a room here. Come on."

Dan walked down the hall pointing out a utility closest here and a guest bathroom there. If Sam was paying any attention he'd notice that there really weren't any decorations or photos anywhere. It would have seemed like no one had lived in the apartment outside of the stained couch.

"Yours is this one" Dan tapped his finger on the left door at the end of the hall.

"No bathroom inside it tho, gotta use the one we passed. Oh, and if you need more space for your stuff let me know. There is another bedroom but I turned it into a recording room so don't put stuff in it."

Dan looked around awkwardly.

"Well, I'll let you get to it man, nice meeting you." With that, Dan wandered off back to his room.

Sam followed the man down the hall and to his room. He didn’t seem disappointed. If anything, he seemed a bit dumbfounded, almost looking impressed despite how standard or perhaps even below standard this room looked. This had been more space than he had since his own room with his parents. Even then, it was a small room. This must’ve been…maybe twice as big? Well, maybe not quite twice, but it was certainly an improvement from anywhere he had stayed. With the exception of Mel’s home, though he would push that thought back for now.

He promptly set his stuff down on the bed and then gave the room another once over. He could used to this. It needed some cleaning which he was more than used to doing, but at least it felt like a place that he could get comfortable in. He wouldn’t invite his friends over, too far, too…he couldn’t think of a word and instead just made a face. Thankfully, his back was to Dan so that he wouldn’t be able to see said face.

He turned and smiled at Dan, giving him a nod, “Oh! No worries at all, and I don’t need any more space, don’t have much! Thanks so much.” He was about to say more, but Dan had already begun to wander off. He blinked and tilted his head. That was…a way to end a conversation. For a few moments, he just looked around the room, trying to decide what to do.

After a few moments, he walked out and into the living room, waving at Dan. “Uh, hi.” He said, not knowing what more to say.

“Uh, hi.”

Dan turned away from the TV as his new roommate greeted him.

"Hey man. Done unpacking already? Damn. Guess you didn't have much."

Dan looked back to the TV as it showed the latest news of the various ongoing of the super world and all the drama in it. Some guy dressed as a dino was giving a press release on how his new serum could cure cancer but all it did was make people into dinos at the moment.

Dan looked back to Sam who was still standing there.

"Well don't be shy man, might as well hang out for a bit if we are going to be living here."

He gestured for Sam to take a seat if he wanted to.

"You got anything you want to watch? I got Netflix."

Dan was hoping he wasn't coming off as some sort of creep to his new roomie. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with living with someone who was combative. He wasn't sure if he'd be friends with Sam but the best he was hoping for was that they could just get by without drama. He already had to deal with all the bullshit of superheroes and he wasn't looking forward to more of it at home.

Regardless, he would make an effort to at least make Sam feel comfortable, or at least as comfortable as living in a practically condemned area could be.

Sam let out a small, sheepish laugh as he rubbed his arm, "Yeah, honestly...I really don't have much at all. I think Melody calls me a minimalist, though honestly I usually just don't have a lot of money to buy stuff. I mean...I get enough money for rent and stuff, but uh...most of what I have goes to my family, so I don't have...enough for...me...stuff. Sorry, I'm rambling and unloading a lot, ha! Sorry for that. But no, not a lot, which means you don't need to worry about me making a mess" Not the strongest start, but he was at least able to move past it quickly enough. "Anyways!"

Nice save!

He moved into the living room, giving it another quick once over before taking a seat in a small recliner. He blinked at Dan and shook his head, "I actually don't think I've ever watched a show before? Not one that I paid attention to. I used to watch a bunch of old horror movies, a few old superhero movies, but uh...otherwise I don't really know any shows. So, whatever you were watching." He looked to the TV considering for a few moments, "I was actually thinking of ordering some takeout with ubereats or grubhub or something. It'll be my treat, whatever you're craving, my man!" He said, offering a smile over to Dan and slowly feeling more comfortable in this enviroment. "What do you say?"

He leaned back in the chair a bit, this could work. He could feel like he had a place here if things progressed like this!

Dan hid a wince at the suggestion of ordering out. He continued to stare at the TV for a few moments before replying.

"Yeah....I'd be down for that but don't think we can."

He flipped through channels before he landed on a news network interviewing a young woman. Her mascara was running as she retold her horrific story about how she ordered her daily meal from Ubereats but it never came. All she got 30 minutes later was some crude gif of a guy in a hazmat suit saying "LUL". She cried about the travesty of it all and loudly lamented how she was supposed to get food now. The girl was hysterical and didn't seem to understand the news reporter suggesting she went outside and got her own food.

Dan sat there in uncomfortable silence. He knew he was going to inconvenience people by doing this DANGEROUS DEED! but what the fuck? He was pretty sure he just destroyed her entire life. He muttered something about entitlement under his breath before remembering Sam was around.

The news report continued on with this truly tragic news and warned everyone to not order out any time soon as it looked like a supervillain was afoot.

"That was a bit dramatic? Anyways, all good. I got some food in the fridge we can work with. How do you feel about tacos? Could have some of those while I show you some stuff. There's this really cool prank war show where a guy who can become invisible and a speedster try to out-prank each other."

He really, really, really hoped Sam was down for tacos. He was fucking awful at cooking and was pretty sure the monstrosities he made would legally be considered poison and would have killed him long ago if it wasn't for his immunity. The best he could do without committing war crimes were tacos.

Sam's eyed the TV for a moment, the girl who came on sobbing over some food that hadn't been delivered and then...was DANGER DAN!...? The moving image...the jiffy? No, that was peanutbutter...the gift? That felt closer. The moving image had only flashed but either way he was sure that it had been one of his rivals. Was he responsible for this?

Now that was just plain evil.

Did he have any idea how many elderly people relied on food delivery services to get food? He leaned his shoulder against the doorframe that he stood in and watched for a few more minutes, a hand going to rub at his chin. He shook his head and his eyes made his way back to Dan. "Can you believe this? This...villain and what he did? This is just heinous."

He his head canted in thought, "I don't know if that's bit dramatic, we don't know what that girl is going through, the day-the week-the month she is having." He explained, "She could have severe anxiety or is immunity compromised or...you know, anything." His head rocked from side to side as if he was weighing it, "I mean, sure...some people are probably lazy, but a lot of people probably have legitimate reasons to rely on that kind of thing. Old people, depressed people, overworked interns at big companies. It's one thing to be 'evil' and go after big corpo and it's another to target something that people rely on and don't have a safe alternative to."

He blinked, as if he was just now realizing something. "Sorry, I'm rambling a bit. What was that you were saying about stuff in the fridge? And a show about meta people doing pranks? That sounds interesting."

"Can you believe this? This...villain and what he did? This is just heinous." said Dan's new roommate.

At first, he felt a sense of villainous pride in seeing someone gasp and be awed by his latest stunt. This pride faded as Sam continued pointing out the cruelty of the act. Of how it was targeting those who were vulnerable. The poor, the old, the mentally sick. Truthfully, he hadn't considered that some people did need food delivery to survive. Still, he thought if the situation were really that dire then they would have other options for help even if food delivery was not a choice. It wasn't his fault if someone didn't bother to stock up on at least enough food to get them through a couple of days. Still, the almost lecturing tone of Sam did put a dent into the success of his DANGEROUS DEED!.

"Sorry, I'm rambling a bit. What was that you were saying about stuff in the fridge? And a show about meta people doing pranks? That sounds interesting."

Dan flashed him a smirk, more than happy to move on to any other topic.

"No worries, tacos sound good with you? I don't really have much else I can make without shopping."

He scratched his chin as he wondered if he was being too awkward with Sam. He never had to live with someone else who wasn't family before so he wasn't quite sure what the proper roomie etiquette was. Was he supposed to already have made food? What about helping Sam move stuff in? He didn't have much he came with but still... The last thing he wanted to do was give off creepy vibes and scare Sam off. It was already hard enough finding someone to move into a dangerous neighborhood and he could use the help with rent and making sure the apartment wasn't robbed.

He grabbed the remote and flipped through channels before landing on one that showed a young man covered in ink desperately trying to wipe it from his face but every time he grabbed a white towel it was suddenly replaced by a towel with even more ink on it. Over the next several minutes the man just became more and more covered with ink as another young man with spiked hair seemed to teleport onscreen and taunted him.

"The guy covered in ink is Tom Foolery, the other guy is Fool Hardy... Dumb names but I think that's the point? Show's called Tom and Hardy's Fooling Around. They've just released their third season on Netflix if you wanna watch more of this stuff while I make some food."