One Step at a Time
A Mr. Robot fanfic by Chrissy G.
Summary: When a new tenant moves into the building, Elliot must face issues from his past while trying to keep Mr. Robot from interfering in his personal life. POV indicated at the beginning of each chapter.
Chapter One
Cherie
The beginning of my third week in New York. It had been fairly uneventful up until that point. Place to live? Check. A fourth floor walk-up next to a quaint Chinese restaurant that makes awesome pork dumplings. Job? Check. Not exactly a career, but a step in the right direction. Writing freelance articles for an up-and-coming, weekly magazine would pay my bills for now. But if only someone somewhere would publish my novel.
My morning started out relatively normal. When I got up, I proofread the article I had finished the night before. I never considered myself to be very girly, but maybe that's why the magazine editor liked me. With the article attached to an e-mail and sent on its way, I went to take a shower. The water pressure sucked, but at least it was hot. Once I was dressed, I put on a little makeup and pulled my hair back. My cupboards and refrigerator had been looking a bit scarce, so I made the decision to make a trip to the grocery store. Perhaps this is where it went wrong.
Maybe there should have been some regret coming home with six bags full of groceries. After all, there were some things in these bags that I didn't necessarily need. I'd always been warned not to go grocery shopping hungry, but thankfully I knew how to make my money stretch. I felt the strain as I carried everything up the stairs. When I reached my door, I slid the bags up my arm as I dug my key out of my messenger bag. Just then, the bottom of one of the bags gave out. I flinched hard as a bottle of juice landed on the floor with a thud. Thankfully it didn't break. The thud however was followed by a small, metallic clinking sound. I realized then that my key was no longer in my hand.
"Oh, shit," I mumbled to myself.
I put my bags down and knelt on the floor. I could see my key at the bottom of the air vent. I didn't have my spare key on me. I didn't have anything with which I could retrieve my key from the air vent.
"Fuck!"
OK, don't panic. I can handle this. Just breathe. I sat down on the floor and took my phone out of my bag. I called the landlord, but there was no answer. Not that I expected there to be. I left a message and then started searching for locksmiths. As I scrolled through the search results, the door of the apartment next to mine opened.
I looked up from my phone. This was the first time my neighbor and I acknowledged each other. We had passed by each other a bunch of times, sure. But now, we were truly seeing each other for the first time.
His dark hair was short on the sides and longer on the top. He was dressed in all black. His blue eyes regarded me curiously.
"Everything OK?" he asked.
I gave him a sarcastic look. Obviously, I wasn't OK if I was sitting on the floor in front my apartment surrounded my grocery bags.
"I'm locked out," I replied.
"Where's your key?"
I point to the air vent. "Down there."
He regarded the air vent for a moment. Then he looked at the lock on my door before looking back at me. What was he thinking?
"I can help you," he said.
"Doubt it," I replied.
He shrugged. "Suit yourself." He turned and started towards the stairs.
What was I doing? He offered to help. Did I really want to sit there on the floor while my cold foods defrosted and spoiled?
"How exactly do you plan on helping?"
I probably sounded more skeptical than I intended. Still, he stopped and turned back.
"I can get you inside," he said.
I stood. "Fine then. Give it a shot."
He pulled a small tool from his pants pocket and knelt down in front of my door. He slid the tool into the lock. A few wiggles and twists, the locked clicked. He turned the knob and the door swung open.
"Glad you're using these skills for good," I said as I gathered up my bags.
He shrugged again. "Something like that." Then he grabbed the bag closest to him and handed it to me.
I should introduce myself. And find out who he is. "I'm Cherie by the way."
"Elliot," he said with a nod.
There was a pause as I thought about my next move. With introductions out of the way, I felt the need to do more than just say "thank you". Elliot really saved my day. It felt a little awkward, but I had to ask.
"Do you…wanna come in?" I asked.
"Oh," Elliot said. His eyes shifted to my apartment and then back to me. "No. Thank you."
Rejected. "Oh. OK."
"Actually, I was…on my way out."
Right. "Right." Of course. "Of course. Well, thanks for your help. I'll see you around."
Elliot nods. As he turns to leave, he pulls up the hood of his sweatshirt. Then he heads down the stairs.