The Taste of Seduction

"Mission accomplished," he quietly thought to himself as he struck a victorious pose albert quietly as he carefully dust himself up from the web of pipes back to his apartment, awaiting the presence of her no-good boyfriend.

With the stage set, Marcus knew that his success hinged on Cole's cooperation. He knew that Cole was alone in the house still playing video games, but he was not sure if he was expecting anyone.

A mental calculation that Cole's friends are not likely to be better than Cole, he relaxed a bit and waited for his prey to come to him as he remembered his exciting hunt the night before.

Knowing Cole's penchant for cutting corners and his reluctance to spend money on professional repairs, Marcus was confident that Cole would need help, and he might even request it himself, or he would go to offer his help. Either way, for him, he could get inside the apartment.

Cole, discovering water leaks all over the kitchen and bathroom, was at a loss of what he should be doing to stop this "calamity" as he termed it.

"Fuck, what kind of bad luck is this,"he complained as he pulled at his scrawy hair. "I can't believe this is happening, that slut must have popped something open or some bullshit like that," he groaned as he realized as he stood to see if it was something that he could fix without the help of a handyman.

Seeing that the water was not stopping but was spreading out gradually, he started to feel frustrated and decided to get help.

"Fuck, this would jack up the water bill," he realized with a frown on his face. Picking up the phone to call the water works, his eyes fell on his wallet as realized that Diana was not home and he would need to pay before the job got done.

"This is, is just a fucking calamity, why today of all days. I knew I should have gone out at the break of dawn as I planned. Shit," he screamed in his head. " But I still got a level to finish, I promised Jake that I would be on Level 50 by the time we met today," he muttered with increasing frustration at the dilemma he found himself in.

"That new neighbor guy seems like a nice fellow, he brought cookies the last time. Yeah, he looks like those good guys, I bet he has money or tools to do this kind of stuff," he grinned to himself as he went in self thought of using others to get his shit done.

"I gotta play this shit straight, yeah, the desperate cool and a bit messy that says I have been trying to get done myself," he craftily thought as he cleared some of the mess while making dirty patches on his body before heading to the corridor to get his plan done.

Cole walked out of his shared apartment and began to pace back and forth in the hallway for a minute, frustration etched across his face. He clearly looked the part of "wrestling with the persistent plumbing issue in the apartment, unsure how to fix it."

Conjuring a complicated face that says, at his wit's end, he walked up to Marcus's door to seek out the neighbor for help. He faintly remembered that the guy had introduced himself as Marcus.

Marcus smirked gently as he heard Cole's pacing and eventual knocking on his door

Upon seeing a response in the form of the open door, Cole quickly approached him, a mix of apprehension and hope in his eyes.

"Hey, Marcus," he called out, his voice tinged with desperation. "Remember me? We met the other day. I've got this plumbing problem, and I was wondering if you could lend a hand?"

Marcus turned to face Cole, his eyes scanning the distressed man. Recognizing the urgency in his voice, Marcus offered a reassuring smile. "Of course, Cole," he replied, extending a hand in greeting.

"I remember you. I'm always happy to help a neighbor in need." as he remembered the response typical humans give to each other from the movies he had spent time watching.

"What seems to be the problem?" he inquired.

Cole felt a deep flush of relief pass through as he heard Marcus' response. He shook Marcus's hand firmly and hurriedly, appreciating his willingness to assist.

"Thanks, Marcus," he complained with a bitter face as he continued, "There's been a persistent leak in the kitchen and bathroom, and I have no idea how to fix it. Water's everywhere, and I'm already losing my head here but I thought maybe I could ask for help you know, from..

a guy to another." he stammered as he tried to catch a breadth from a long explanation he carefully had prepared before coming to Marcus.

Marcus nodded, understanding the frustration in Cole's voice. "I'd be glad to take a look. Let's head over to your apartment and see what's going on."

After Marcus entered the apartment, his eyes darted around, taking in the entire layout. The cozy one-bedroom space was fully furnished. The living room exuded a sense of warmth with a comfortable sofa, a coffee table cluttered with magazines and empty beer bottles, and a TV displaying a paused game play. The air was heavy with a musky smell of water, alcohol, and a faint aroma of fast food.

Marcus shifted his gaze towards the kitchen, noticing Cole's questioning look as if implying,

"What's wrong with this place?" Sensing the unspoken inquiry, Marcus smiled and said, "I just want to get a better understanding of where the issues are before we proceed.

"Lead the way." Cole nodded, still apprehensive but appreciative of Marcus's willingness to help.

Deciding to talk about the issue at hand, Cole voiced his concerns, "Yeah, the leaks started this morning, and I've been trying to figure them out all day. Couldn't make any progress, so I gave up and thought I'd seek some help."