Serj sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the time.  Grimacing at his lateness, he turned and looked down at his..."lover."  The abusive man was out cold and Serj considered smothering him with his pillow.  Not for the first time, either.  But he knew he'd never overpower Jack.  With a sigh, Serj stood from the bed, stretching his muscles which screamed in protest.  With a silent groan, he sent another glare at Jack, then moved to go shower.  A fifteen minute process of scrubbing his hair and body till his skin was pink and his hair free of oils.  Finally stepping from the cooling water of the dingy apartment shower, he grabbed his towel from the rack and began to dry off meticulously.  He didn't like his skin wet at all when he put on his clothes.  It made the cloth stick to his skin uncomfortably.<br/><br/>Finally wrapping the towel around his waist, he moved from the bathroom into the bedroom, relieved that Jack was still snoring away.  He quietly opened the dresser and drew out boxers, jeans, and a plain white tee.  Slipping the towel from his waist, he dressed quickly, then sought out a pair of socks.  He looked at the time as he pulled them on, standing on one foot and balancing carefully as he did so.  He was definitely going to be late, no matter what he did.  He sighed silently, then moved and grabbed wallet and keys before slipping on his shoes in the living room.  And with a grin to himself, he slammed the apartment door as hard as he could as he left, hoping it disrupted Jack's peaceful slumber.<br/><br/>It wasn't the first time he'd been late to work, but this particular morning, the train station seemed to be more packed than usual.  Enough so that the train he was required to get on was filling very quickly.  He frowned at this and moved to the last car.  An annoyance, but...at least he still had a ride.  At any rate, this car didn't seem occupied by many people, so he relaxed a bit as he sat down, looking around.  He didn't usually people watch, but...he hadn't had the time to pick up a paper this morning.  His curious eyes took in the man with the green tie, the aging crone, and the pregnant mother and young child.  All interesting subjects.  He looked up and out the window, for a few moments, as the train began moving.  ...America.  He sighed quietly.  His work visa would expire all too soon and he'd be stuck in bureaucratic limbo for a few months, once again.  He turned back to watch the aging crone curiously, wondering what she read.  He could speak English fairly well, with few exceptions, but reading it...that was far more difficult for him.  The alphabet was so different.  His eyes then moved to the child with the pop up book.  ...Maybe he should start with children's books...ones meant to teach the alphabet and words.  It seemed like such a stupid idea, though, that he smiled to himself.<br/><br/>He looked up as the train entered the tunnel, watching the glow of the lights as they passed them.  The tunnels always made him nervous.  Antsy.  He wondered if it was a form of...what was the word?  Claustrophobia?  Perhaps it was...he was uncertain.  His eyes moved to the young man with the green tie.  He had a better physique than Jack.  ...Serj quickly found himself looking away with a flush.  Abusive as Jack was, Serj wasn't one to deviate from a relationship.  Besides...in all likelyhood, the other male was straight.  His eyes went to the pregnant mother just as the train halted.  His eyes widened and he stood, gripping a pole in panic.  What was going on?  Why had they stopped?  The conductor came on and announced traffic on the rails or some such thing, but it did little to calm his nerves.  He stood there, jaw clenched and knuckles white on the pole as he waited for them to begin moving once more.