They Called Themselves 'Work Husbands'

The Homoerotic Internal Musings Of A Man In His Twenties

If you had asked Gordon how he was feeling about his new job two hours ago, he would have told you he was excited. Not anymore, though. Now, he was just anxious. He felt sick to his stomach. Dr. Kleiner had assured him that he would fight right in, and that everything would be fine, but he highly doubted that. Gordon had never really fit in anywhere. He had trouble understanding how people worked, so naturally, people had trouble understanding him. Black Mesa. The best of the best. Some of the smartest people out there worked in this facility. And then there was him. He felt out of place. Gordon was already having second thoughts. Maybe he should have stayed in MA, and worked at that cafe down the street from MIT. Alas, it was too late. He was already on the tram, heading down. The tram was heading to Sector C. Anomalous Materials. He was supposed to meet up with Dr. Kleiner, who'd promised to help him get set up. They'd be working fairly close to each-other, so at least there was that to look forward to. That was when things went wrong. As if on cue, the tram stopped moving forwards, and the light illuminating the inside of it flickered off, leaving Gordon in a yellow-tinted dimness. Just his luck. Of course the tram would stop working on his first day. He hugged himself, looking around. He was completely ready to climb out and walk if he had to. Gordon wasn't about to be late on his first day. He can't fuck this up. This is too high-stakes. He was fully ready to take off one of his shoes and smash open a window.

That was when he showed up.

"Aw, shit— again? Shoot. I'm real sorry 'bout this, sir. Tram system's been goofin' up all over Sector C today. Somethin' about the motors or some techie bullshit." Called a voice from below. Gordon looked out the window, squinting. On a walkway, to the side of the rails below, was a very apologetic-looking security guard, holding a ladder. He spotted Gordon looking down at him, and waved a bit, still looking guilty. As if it were his fault. Which, Gordon didn't quite understand, because clearly, this wasn't this guy's fault. The guard thought for a moment, before calling out to him again.

"Okay— There, uh— there should be a fire alarm in there. If ya pull it, it should open the door for ya without settin' off the alarm, since the power's out. Then I can getcha down." The guard said, looking at Gordon. Gordon knew full well that that was definitely not how fire alarms should work, but he felt like that may be on par with how the rest of the place functions at this point. The man looked around. He spotted it near the front of the tram, quickly pulling it. The door slid open, just like he said it would. The guard placed the end of the ladder at the door, holding it steady from the other end. Gordon didn't plan on wasting anymore time. He quickly slid down the ladder. The guard clearly didn't expect this, as he hastily pulled his hands off of the ladder, taking a few steps back. Gordon firmly planted his feet on the walkway, standing up straight. The guard looked amused for a moment, clearly ready to crack a few jokes. This look was quickly replaced by a sheepish one, as he sighed, pulling the ladder back down from the tram.

"Sorry again, sir. They've been doin' this all mornin'. I— I'm not even sure why they let you take the trams..." The guard said, forcing an apologetic smile. This confused Gordon. At the same time, though, it didn't. He wouldn't be saying this if it hadn't happened before. And the way he said it made it seem like people had yelled at him for stuff like this. Most likely the other scientists. Gordon didn't trust that one bit. He stood up straight, looking at the man.

"Stop saying sorry. It's clearly not your fault. You don't even know what happened." He signed. Gordon quickly became sheepish, at the realization that he may not even know ASL. But, lo and behold, the guard watched his hands, and reacted in a way that made sense. He stared for a moment, almost surprised. The guard's shoulders relaxed, as he let out a sigh, followed by a small chuckle. He looked at Gordon, his smile more genuine than before. It felt as if an arrow had been shot through his heart. Gordon didn't quite understand why at first. The smile on his face was almost comforting. It made Gordon relax a bit as well.