Noisy Neighbors
Setting: Pavement Cracks Universe
James rolled over, pulled his pillow over his head, and let out a tiny scream. He had to be up at six for the drive into Central to make his flight into Metropolis for possibly the most exciting, prestigious architectural design gig of his career, and he couldn't sleep because his neighbors were still screwing like hyperactive adolescent bunnies.
He wanted to go over and say something, but Piper and other-James (sometimes he mentally referred to him as brain-damaged-James, or James-the-idiot when he was feeling bitter) were pretty much the only people in the building he liked. During the day time he got along well with them...well, with Piper anyway. And marching over there while he was sleepy and cranky (and they were clearly in the middle of something) would guruantee an end to any feelings of neighborliness.
Finally the squeaky mattress, headboard banging and various vocal exclamations (damn but dumb-blond-James was loud...and had some eerily childish bedroom talk) subsided. James let out a relieved sigh, rolled over, and prepared to drift off.
Then the Tetris music started.
"They moved the TV back into the bedroom," He informed his empty room. It was sad that he could track the location of the TV in the other apartment. He made a mental note to never ever let thin walls between bedrooms slide in future apartment building designs.
An involuntary sob escaped him. "I need to sleep! I'm gonna blow the best job of my career because I'm going to be a zombie!"
Then the Tetris music abruptly stopped. James sat up in bed, listening closely. There was some squeaking from the floorboards as his two neighbors walked around the room, then silence. A few minutes later other-James' car pulled out of the parking lot.
"I'm just saying, he designed the place and decided to move in. If he cheaped out on the walls, that was his own fault."
"James, if you had super hearing and heard the little whine he made when we turned the TV on-"
"I know, I know."
"And it is almost four in the morning."
"We have a late schedule because of our working ours."
"We're super villains. We set our own hours."
"Uh huh. And I'm pretty sure we're the only super villains alive who'd pack up their shit and drive across town to play video games just because their neighbor's a light sleeper."
