Fuck, fuck, fuck.
The digital clock next to the bed read 2:55 am, and like clockwork the next door neighbor started preparing for their three am shower.
2:56: they were probably browsing through the music on their phone, which was pointless because they always played the same thing. Taylor fucking Swift.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with Taylor Swift, but there's a time and place for her music, and three am in the shower isn't it.
~ I stay up too late!~
No shit. The coolness of the pillow did nothing to ease its owners lament, as whatever soothing essence it may have held was strangled out of it in sheer frustration.
Comparable to the incessant and maddening drums of Jumanji, the sick beat of Shake It Off was beginning to drive Kilik mad.
3:00 am: adding to his hysteria, the shower was turned on and would stay on for the next 45 agonizing minutes while cycling through all of Taylor Swift's hits. At least that's how long it would normally stay on, but not tonight. Not if Kilik had anything to say about it, anyway.
Gratitude washed over him that the twins weren't here this week (off at a camp for weapon training). Between finals for his baking class, helping another professor with their undergrad knife proficiency class, and training at work as the new sous chef for pastries, Kilik knew that he wouldn't be able to devote the time he needed to take care of them anyway.
Throwing off the covers and slipping on the sweats he had shucked off bed, Kilik began formulating exactly how he was going to verbally punish his neighbor for their need to shower at three fucking am.
Like, who the hell does that?!
With a vice grip on the door handle of his apartment, Kilik violently pocketed his own keys and charged (taking care to be quiet because he actually gave a damn about his neighbors), towards room 808 before he lost his nerve and the last few precious hours of sleep before starting his own arduous day.
Kilik knocked on the door, 3 succinct raps right underneath the number on the door (which was either new or cleaned daily by its temporary owner).
Hearing nothing that suggested the serial three am showerer had heard Kilik's attempt to get their attention, he knocked again, louder.
Still nothing.
3:15 am: Kilik was staring at his ceiling, embarrassed after being shunned by 809 for banging on someone's door so late. Now he had to report to her later this week to sit down and talk about what he had done wrong.
For all of the gods above and below, he hadn't been verbally smacked like that since he was a child.
Grabbing the ear plugs off the nightstand next to his bed, Kilik put them in, resigned to having another tireless night trying to drown out the noise coming from next door.
—
"Hey Kilik, your shift was done like over an hour ago. What are you still doing here dude?"
Blake leaned over Kilik's shoulder to see what he was working on.
"Oh man, who'd you piss off that you're making your famous eclairs?"
Looking up from where he was icing the orange cream eclairs he was going to take over to Miss Mabel this afternoon as an apology for waking her up, and to possibly cut down on the conversation, Kilik readied himself for the possible onslaught of Blake's laughter.
"I may have woken up a sweet old lady while trying to get the attention of my asshole neighbor who likes to shower at three in the morning."
"Oh yeah. Have you seen their face yet? From what you've told me, I bet it's some hot chick who works at like a strip club or something. Probably has huuuuuuugee—"
"Please stop, like right now. I don't need you to fill my head with some gross image of my unknown neighbor."
"Hmph. Whatever man." Blake shrugged, putting his hands back into his pockets from where he was gesturing in front of his chest. "If she's hot give her my number."
"Yeah, sure. Like you would know what to do. How's asking Tsubaki out going?"
"Shut up man, I have a plan…it's just taking a while."
"Hmph. Yeah sure. Hand me one of the boxes behind you so I can pack these up."
"Here, mind if I snag one?"
Placing each eclair onto a sheet of tissue paper, Kilik closed the box and wrapped it with a bow. He added that to the rest of his things as he shouldered his bag and headed towards the exit.
"There are extras on the counter behind you." Kilik called over his shoulder, and left with a wave.
—
"Now, why on earth were you banging on that poor young man's door at such an ungodly hour?"
Welp, at least now Kilik wouldn't go through the awkwardness of trying to give a stripper Blake's number.
"Sorry Miss Mable. It's just that with everything piling up from work and school, I was trying to get some sleep, and I couldn't deal with the three am shower that night. I guess I just snapped."
Sheepishly rubbing the back of his head Kilik looked up and noted that Miss Mabel did not seem amused.
"Well then, hopefully you two will sort out this nonsense. I'm too damn old to have to tell you grown ass children how to behave."
"Huh?"
"He should be on his way over, since today is his day off."
The phone started to ring, signaling the end of Miss Mable's and Kilik's conversation.
"I'll answer that, and you'll answer the door when he knocks and sit your behinds down on that couch and hash out your issue."
The old lady shuffled her way towards the phone, picking up it up as she headed towards a room in the back. "This better be Alan calling or so help me the next time he drops off those bratty ass grandkids of mine, I'm leaving their asses at the park." She continued to mumble about ungrateful children and their unholy offspring as she closed the door.
Kilik made his way towards the kitchen to rinse of the dishes they had used while eating before placing them in the dishwasher and starting it . Miss Mabel had appreciated the eclairs, but she had stated with a firm hand she did not accept bribes.
Watching the water flow down into the sink, Kilik sank back into this thoughts. Thinking about it, he was still angry about losing sleep from that night. That day had been even harder as he had tried to keep his eyes open; he had nearly sliced into a finger as he was showing a rather inept student how to properly julienne a carrot. On top of that, he had nearly burned a whole batch of croissants at work. It was one of the worst days that Kilik had had in a while.
As he heard knocking coming from the living room, Kilik turned off the sink and made his way towards the front door.
Not even looking through the peephole first he opened the door and was surprised to see the lithe young man standing before him.
"Um…" The smaller man leaned back to make sure he had the right apartment. "Is Mabel home?"
Nodding, Kilik motioned for him to come in. The raven haired boy bounced in and immediately sat down on the couch, crossing his legs and leaning back.
"Oh my god, are those the eclairs from that restaurant down the street?!" He made a grab for the box that was left on the coffee table and sunk his teeth into the first one he grabbed and making the most sinful noise Kilik has ever heard.
Covering his mouth with a hand, he shouted towards the back of the apartment, "Mabel you spoil me!"
There was a low chuckle from the back room, and then a curse as the old woman explained that she wasn't laughing at whoever she was talking to on the phone.
Closing the door, Kilik walked back into the front room and sat at the opposite end of the couch to look at the man who seemed to thoroughly enjoy his baking. He locked that information away for later.
"So, who are you?" Golden eyes bored into Kilik waiting for an answer.
After getting past his stunning beauty, Kilik remembered that he was very angry with the person sitting in front of him.
"Actually, I'm the person who you keep waking up with your three am showers every night."
"Hmm. That's kind of a long name, think you can shorten it down for me?" Amusement played across his face. "Like for instance, mine is Kid. Kid Tombs, at your service."
"Kilik Rung. The man who baked the eclairs you are stuffing into your face and, as I said previously, the one who you keep waking up at such an ungodly hour with your bathing habits."
"YOU MADE THESE?!" Kid glanced back and forth between Kilik and the box.
"Yes, but back to—"
"I could just kiss you right now." Kid moved closer, making Kilik lean back on the side of the couch he was residing on.
"Do you have any idea how long I've been craving these? Ever since your place of employment started making them, I reserve a box every morning and have it delivered so I can eat them when I wake up. Though I'd prefer if the blue haired delivery boy would stop trying to make conversation." He stretched his back as he settled in closer to Kilik, the shirt he was wearing riding up and giving Kilik a better view of his toned stomach.
He got these delivered? Fuck. Blake was going to tease the hell out of him when he found out about this. Also, he ate a whole box? They came by the dozen, and it certainly didn't look like Kid ate a dozen pastries daily.
"Uh, thanks? But like I said, I would really like to discuss the whole showering thing?"
"Oh yeah. Sorry about those." For the first time in their whole encounter, Kid actually looked embarrassed.
"I'm a dj so I get in kinda late." Hearing Kilik's huff, Kid cocked an eyebrow at him. Kilik offered up his hands in surrender, letting Kid continue.
"Yeah, anyway. Dj. I get in late, and I would rather not have to go to bed with the sweat and glitter of others still attached to me, so I take a shower. It didn't cross my mind that I would be waking anybody up. I'm sorry."
Well shit, now Kilik just felt a bit like an asshole.
"Eh, that's understandable." Kilik let a small smile play across his face as his sat back and turned his body towards Kid. "You could make it up to me though."
"Hmm?"
"Don't you think you should take some responsibility for your actions?" Kilik leaned forward over Kid, grabbing the almost empty box of eclairs and placed them on his lap. He carefully picked one out of the box and started eating it, fully aware of how Kid's eyes stayed fixed on his every movement.
Offering the final one over to Kid, they sat in silence as they ate.
"Hmm."
Kilik looked out of the corner of his eye.
"What's up?"
"I was just thinking about how I should take responsibility for waking you up." Kid placed the rest of his eclair back into the box, and angled his body towards the man next to him.
"And what did you come up with?" As Kilik took the last bite of his own eclair (and making mental notes to dial it back on the icing), he was surprised when he was pushed back and felt strong thighs cross over his lap.
"Uh, wha—?"
Hands slid along his sides, and up over his shoulders and Kilik struggled to hold in a groan as his gripped the hips on top of his.
"I'm sure my earlier statement would be enough, right? It's not like kissing you would be a hardship on me." Kid had leaned in, so Kilk felt the ghost movements of his lips against the shell of his ear.
Was he actually serious? No way, he was just teasing Kilik. Probably thought he was too awkward to actually go through with kissing someone who was essentially a stranger.
His vision blurred a bit as Kid removed his glasses, golden irises finding his and arms crossing over and behind his shoulders.
"Well?" Kid had leaned in closer, their noses touching.
Nodding at Kid's question, Kilik had opened his mouth, but before he could even finish saying yes, Kid had closed their lips together.
It had been so long since Kilik had kissed anyone and he reveled in it, committing the feeling to memory because he was unsure of when he would get his next chance, though separating the feeling of the kiss from the person he was kissing was proving a bit difficult.
His hand slid up Kid's back, grabbing the back of his hair and forcing his head more to the side as he deepened the kiss, pushing his tongue against Kids lips asking to be let in. Normally he would apologize for being so rough, but judging by the pleased moan that Kid let out, he didn't think it was necessary.
Kilik's other hand tightened against the hip it had in its grasp, and its owner stiffened. Kid pulled back.
"What's wrong?"
"Besides the current problem growing in my pants, I would also like to leave Mable's place alive so you could help me with it."
"Huh?"
A throat cleared behind them.
"I see you two worked out your problems. A little too well for my taste." She sat down in the armchair adjacent to the couch and turned on the tv. "Well, at least one of you has enough sense to notice when people are in the room. Clearly its not enough to keep yourselves from abusing my couch."
Kiik winced, his head falling back as he felt Kid's shake from trying to keep in his laughter.
"Sorry Miss Mabel."
"Yes, sorry Mabel."
"Mmhmm. Now are you two going to untangle yourselves and watch Murder She Wrote with me or are you leaving?"
Kid spun around to sit next to Kilik, handing him back his glasses and interlacing their hands together once he was done.
"No way! The last episode we watched left off on a cliffhanger. We can continue this later at my place."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I'm sure I have plenty to make up for." Kid had gotten closer to Kilik again, and was immediately thwarted with a pillow.
"None of that, shows starting."
