AC
Title: AC
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: light ohmiya
Summary: Nino's air conditioner breaks in the middle of summer. It is as awful as one would expect.
As far as he could tell, there was no good reason this should be happening. The musician blinked at the remote control and pushed the little orange button again. Although the indicator light flashed like the unit was turning on, no sound emerged from the machine on the wall and no air began circulating. For no reason at all, his air conditioning was broken.
It wasn't exactly his air conditioner in the first place, either. The apartment he'd moved into, just moved into like six months ago, had come with one mounted on the wall, above the window, and the manager had explained on the first day Nino had moved in that, since it was owned by the apartment complex, if anything were to go wrong, simply to call her.
Unfortunately, it was ten in the evening and Nino knew full well that the apartment office closed at five and wouldn't open until the following morning at eight. There was an emergency number, of course, but the memory of the warning look the manager had given him when she had said that emergencies were emergencies and nothing else was enough to put calling her at home from his mind.
Although, if truth be told, Nino kind of considered this an emergency. It was the end of July, almost August, and trying to live without air conditioning was cruel. Inhuman, even. What little clothes he had on stuck to his body with the awkward, uncomfortable half-sweat that kind of reminded him of being in a really weak sauna. It never felt especially hot but every movement made whatever surface flesh had left release a gross squuuuuish which was never a good sound.
Nino's first solution had been to find one of the millions of fans he had lying around. Usually not one to take the things handed to him on the street, Nino's one exception were the uchiwas in the summer. Finding one for some kind of cell phone game in a pile of sheet music, he quickly began fanning himself. Relief washed over him with the swish of the air.
Fanning yourself takes effort, however, and after five minutes, the man's arm protested under the strain of the repetitious movement. There was only so much you could do to save yourself with a handheld fan.
Nino could hear rain outside and with a quick jump, headed for the window. A quick inspection proved that yes, it was colder outside than in and he opened his window to let the cooler air in. Although it seemed like a solution, the man knew that the morning sun would bring heat and this temporary help was really just a bandage. It wasn't even that much cooler.
The night wore on a little longer. Nino ran downstairs for some water from the vending machines (the tap never really tasted quite right to him) but found himself drinking it much faster than his wallet agreed with. Finding the atmosphere not conducive to songwriting (as nothing had been written besides the word "hot" scribbled in margins for the past few hours), the man decided to call it a night.
Trying to sleep in a sauna is near impossible. Nino knew this but was determined get some rest, knowing that he would have to get up early if he was to catch the manager and get her to fix the air conditioner before he had to go to a meeting with his real manager at ten. Two fans stationed at either side of his pillow (as sometimes his hands got bursts of energy when he couldn't stand it anymore) and a water bottle on his bedside table, Nino attempted sleep.
He only woke up once in the night, when a car outside decided to screech to a halt at four. Dazed and unthinking, he grabbed the water bottle to take a sip. Unfortunately, he forgot his current reclined position and spilled water all over his face, chest, pillow, and bed. After spluttering a bit (and returning the water bottle to an upright position), he found himself too hot to care and rolled around in the spilled water a bit, trying to soak in the last of its chill. He fell asleep again.
The alarm went off at 7:45. Nino peeled himself out of bed, sad to find magical air conditioner fairies didn't fix the machine overnight. He popped in and out of the shower, threw some clothes on, and ran downstairs to get to the office when it opened at eight. Unfortunately for the young musician, a note was posted on the office door.
"Notice to All Residents:
This office will be closed from Tuesday, July 28 until Monday, August 3 due to a family emergency. Thank you for your understanding."
Understanding? Fuck understanding. His fucking air conditioner was broken! Grumbling all the way, Nino decided to go to his meeting early. At least the cafe would be cool. And the look on his manager's face would be priceless.
Nino spent the entire day daydreaming about his machine being fixed when he got home. He would walk in the door and push that little orange button and the machine would beep to life, like it always had before. Nino was just starting in the music business; he didn't have the money to buy fancy things like actual houses. Most of the time he didn't care but now? Now he did.
Nino's manager had no idea how to fix air conditioners, despite how many times he asked her, and since Nino didn't know the brand or make of his, there was no way to find out. Tanaka just shrugged and said Nino would have to deal with it before moving on with information about his next gig. Nino muttered things he wished Tanaka would have to 'deal with' under his breath. If she heard, she made no mention.
He stayed out as long as he could that day, determined to spend as little time as possible in the desert he called his home. Soon it would be time for the last train, though, and Nino found himself reluctantly headed towards the apartment. As he turned his key in the lock, he heard sound from the room next door. 'I guess their AC works fine,' he grumbled to himself.
Much to his dismay, the unit had not fixed itself in his absence. In fact, the room had gotten hotter due to the sunlight streaming in all day. Thinking of nothing else he could do, Nino took a cool shower. It wasn't exactly a solution to the problem but at least he was cool for a little while. He was sure cold water had never felt this good.
An hour out of the shower, however, Nino's body had retreated to it's now-normal semi-moist state. It was more than a person could bear. He dropped his pencil upon a stack of paper and frowned. There was no way to concentrate.
Faint strains of music floated from the room next door. His neighbor probably had their window open, too. Nino considered for a bit. He had never met any of his neighbors but he was kind of at his breaking point. Maybe they knew how to fix the air conditioner?
Quickly dressing himself again (boxers did not a good first impression make), Nino headed out the door and knocked on 406. He swallowed when he heard the music turn down, in preparation to open the door, and tried on his best 'i'm innocent please help me' smile.
The door opened and a young man blinked out at him. He was probably the same age as Nino, if not a little older, and was tan to the point of being burnt. He was wearing pajama pants and a ratty t-shirt with long sleeves, proof that only Nino's unit was broken. Nino could feel the cool air coming from the room and almost shivered with delight, stopping himself because, well, that was weird. Even though it was almost midnight, the other man didn't look at him as if he were annoyed, merely curious. This gave Nino the courage to press forward.
"Um, hi," Nino began. "I know we've never met before but I'm Ninomiya. I live in #405."
"So you're the one that's always playing guitar," the man mused.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you could hear me," Nino apologized sheepishly.
"Don't be. I enjoy it." The man smiled, almost sleepily. "I'm Ohno, by the way," he added as an afterthought.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late, Ohno, but I was just curious: do you know how to fix these air conditioners?" Ohno blinked at the sudden question but took it in stride.
"Is yours broken?"
"...Yes." If Nino thought the question were a bit obvious, he didn't let on, somehow amused by how clearly the thoughts passed through Ohno's head, reflecting on his face. How had he lived six months next to this man and never met him?
"Oh," Ohno responded glumly. "Well, I'm sorry but I have no idea how to do anything with these units. I just push the button to turn it on and off." Ohno really did look sorry and that bit back any sarcastic remarks that were burning at the back of Nino's throat.
"Oh, well thanks anyway, I guess," Nino sighed and began walking the long trek of four steps to his doorway.
"Wait," Ohno called and Nino turned, curious.
"It must suck to have the AC broken."
"Yes. It does." Nino turned again, hand on the doorknob.
"Well, my unit is still working. If you'd like, you can come over here."
Nino stopped, not entirely sure he heard that right. A man who he had just met at midnight after living next to him for months was offering to let him stay with him simply because his AC was broken?
"You're actually offering to let me stay with you?" Nino asked, slightly incredulously.
"Yeah," Ohno replied, as if not seeing the big deal.
"What if I were a rapist?" Nino prodded. Ohno didn't even take time to think before responding.
"The manager's nice. She wouldn't let a rapist live here."
"What if she didn't know?"
Ohno paused.
"But you seem so nice."
Nino blinked before laughing softly at the honest look on Ohno's face. While normally Nino would be annoyed by now, the promise of air was delaying his temper and there was something about how Ohno's eyes reflected back at him that Nino liked, even if he couldn't place it.
"I'll be over in two seconds. Let me grab my guitar." A pause. "You don't mind if I compose a bit?"
Ohno smiled.
"Write me a song about fish."
-
Welcome to the inaugural fic for my new community, senkawa! I thought it would be the final chapter of Walking Club but ... well, if you couldn't tell, my air conditioner has broken and has not fixed itself magically, no matter how hard I wish. All events in this story have happened in real life, with the exception of meeting a potential love interest next door as for me, that room is occupied by my friend Angela who did try her hand at fixing my unit but it was, alas, too much for us. If anyone has any ideas on how to stay cool in un-air conditioned rooms, tell me. In other news, the finale of Walking Club is coming soon so look forward to that (once I finish my finals) and thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it (and enjoy senkawa)!
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: light ohmiya
Summary: Nino's air conditioner breaks in the middle of summer. It is as awful as one would expect.
As far as he could tell, there was no good reason this should be happening. The musician blinked at the remote control and pushed the little orange button again. Although the indicator light flashed like the unit was turning on, no sound emerged from the machine on the wall and no air began circulating. For no reason at all, his air conditioning was broken.
It wasn't exactly his air conditioner in the first place, either. The apartment he'd moved into, just moved into like six months ago, had come with one mounted on the wall, above the window, and the manager had explained on the first day Nino had moved in that, since it was owned by the apartment complex, if anything were to go wrong, simply to call her.
Unfortunately, it was ten in the evening and Nino knew full well that the apartment office closed at five and wouldn't open until the following morning at eight. There was an emergency number, of course, but the memory of the warning look the manager had given him when she had said that emergencies were emergencies and nothing else was enough to put calling her at home from his mind.
Although, if truth be told, Nino kind of considered this an emergency. It was the end of July, almost August, and trying to live without air conditioning was cruel. Inhuman, even. What little clothes he had on stuck to his body with the awkward, uncomfortable half-sweat that kind of reminded him of being in a really weak sauna. It never felt especially hot but every movement made whatever surface flesh had left release a gross squuuuuish which was never a good sound.
Nino's first solution had been to find one of the millions of fans he had lying around. Usually not one to take the things handed to him on the street, Nino's one exception were the uchiwas in the summer. Finding one for some kind of cell phone game in a pile of sheet music, he quickly began fanning himself. Relief washed over him with the swish of the air.
Fanning yourself takes effort, however, and after five minutes, the man's arm protested under the strain of the repetitious movement. There was only so much you could do to save yourself with a handheld fan.
Nino could hear rain outside and with a quick jump, headed for the window. A quick inspection proved that yes, it was colder outside than in and he opened his window to let the cooler air in. Although it seemed like a solution, the man knew that the morning sun would bring heat and this temporary help was really just a bandage. It wasn't even that much cooler.
The night wore on a little longer. Nino ran downstairs for some water from the vending machines (the tap never really tasted quite right to him) but found himself drinking it much faster than his wallet agreed with. Finding the atmosphere not conducive to songwriting (as nothing had been written besides the word "hot" scribbled in margins for the past few hours), the man decided to call it a night.
Trying to sleep in a sauna is near impossible. Nino knew this but was determined get some rest, knowing that he would have to get up early if he was to catch the manager and get her to fix the air conditioner before he had to go to a meeting with his real manager at ten. Two fans stationed at either side of his pillow (as sometimes his hands got bursts of energy when he couldn't stand it anymore) and a water bottle on his bedside table, Nino attempted sleep.
He only woke up once in the night, when a car outside decided to screech to a halt at four. Dazed and unthinking, he grabbed the water bottle to take a sip. Unfortunately, he forgot his current reclined position and spilled water all over his face, chest, pillow, and bed. After spluttering a bit (and returning the water bottle to an upright position), he found himself too hot to care and rolled around in the spilled water a bit, trying to soak in the last of its chill. He fell asleep again.
The alarm went off at 7:45. Nino peeled himself out of bed, sad to find magical air conditioner fairies didn't fix the machine overnight. He popped in and out of the shower, threw some clothes on, and ran downstairs to get to the office when it opened at eight. Unfortunately for the young musician, a note was posted on the office door.
"Notice to All Residents:
This office will be closed from Tuesday, July 28 until Monday, August 3 due to a family emergency. Thank you for your understanding."
Understanding? Fuck understanding. His fucking air conditioner was broken! Grumbling all the way, Nino decided to go to his meeting early. At least the cafe would be cool. And the look on his manager's face would be priceless.
Nino spent the entire day daydreaming about his machine being fixed when he got home. He would walk in the door and push that little orange button and the machine would beep to life, like it always had before. Nino was just starting in the music business; he didn't have the money to buy fancy things like actual houses. Most of the time he didn't care but now? Now he did.
Nino's manager had no idea how to fix air conditioners, despite how many times he asked her, and since Nino didn't know the brand or make of his, there was no way to find out. Tanaka just shrugged and said Nino would have to deal with it before moving on with information about his next gig. Nino muttered things he wished Tanaka would have to 'deal with' under his breath. If she heard, she made no mention.
He stayed out as long as he could that day, determined to spend as little time as possible in the desert he called his home. Soon it would be time for the last train, though, and Nino found himself reluctantly headed towards the apartment. As he turned his key in the lock, he heard sound from the room next door. 'I guess their AC works fine,' he grumbled to himself.
Much to his dismay, the unit had not fixed itself in his absence. In fact, the room had gotten hotter due to the sunlight streaming in all day. Thinking of nothing else he could do, Nino took a cool shower. It wasn't exactly a solution to the problem but at least he was cool for a little while. He was sure cold water had never felt this good.
An hour out of the shower, however, Nino's body had retreated to it's now-normal semi-moist state. It was more than a person could bear. He dropped his pencil upon a stack of paper and frowned. There was no way to concentrate.
Faint strains of music floated from the room next door. His neighbor probably had their window open, too. Nino considered for a bit. He had never met any of his neighbors but he was kind of at his breaking point. Maybe they knew how to fix the air conditioner?
Quickly dressing himself again (boxers did not a good first impression make), Nino headed out the door and knocked on 406. He swallowed when he heard the music turn down, in preparation to open the door, and tried on his best 'i'm innocent please help me' smile.
The door opened and a young man blinked out at him. He was probably the same age as Nino, if not a little older, and was tan to the point of being burnt. He was wearing pajama pants and a ratty t-shirt with long sleeves, proof that only Nino's unit was broken. Nino could feel the cool air coming from the room and almost shivered with delight, stopping himself because, well, that was weird. Even though it was almost midnight, the other man didn't look at him as if he were annoyed, merely curious. This gave Nino the courage to press forward.
"Um, hi," Nino began. "I know we've never met before but I'm Ninomiya. I live in #405."
"So you're the one that's always playing guitar," the man mused.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you could hear me," Nino apologized sheepishly.
"Don't be. I enjoy it." The man smiled, almost sleepily. "I'm Ohno, by the way," he added as an afterthought.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late, Ohno, but I was just curious: do you know how to fix these air conditioners?" Ohno blinked at the sudden question but took it in stride.
"Is yours broken?"
"...Yes." If Nino thought the question were a bit obvious, he didn't let on, somehow amused by how clearly the thoughts passed through Ohno's head, reflecting on his face. How had he lived six months next to this man and never met him?
"Oh," Ohno responded glumly. "Well, I'm sorry but I have no idea how to do anything with these units. I just push the button to turn it on and off." Ohno really did look sorry and that bit back any sarcastic remarks that were burning at the back of Nino's throat.
"Oh, well thanks anyway, I guess," Nino sighed and began walking the long trek of four steps to his doorway.
"Wait," Ohno called and Nino turned, curious.
"It must suck to have the AC broken."
"Yes. It does." Nino turned again, hand on the doorknob.
"Well, my unit is still working. If you'd like, you can come over here."
Nino stopped, not entirely sure he heard that right. A man who he had just met at midnight after living next to him for months was offering to let him stay with him simply because his AC was broken?
"You're actually offering to let me stay with you?" Nino asked, slightly incredulously.
"Yeah," Ohno replied, as if not seeing the big deal.
"What if I were a rapist?" Nino prodded. Ohno didn't even take time to think before responding.
"The manager's nice. She wouldn't let a rapist live here."
"What if she didn't know?"
Ohno paused.
"But you seem so nice."
Nino blinked before laughing softly at the honest look on Ohno's face. While normally Nino would be annoyed by now, the promise of air was delaying his temper and there was something about how Ohno's eyes reflected back at him that Nino liked, even if he couldn't place it.
"I'll be over in two seconds. Let me grab my guitar." A pause. "You don't mind if I compose a bit?"
Ohno smiled.
"Write me a song about fish."
-
Welcome to the inaugural fic for my new community, senkawa! I thought it would be the final chapter of Walking Club but ... well, if you couldn't tell, my air conditioner has broken and has not fixed itself magically, no matter how hard I wish. All events in this story have happened in real life, with the exception of meeting a potential love interest next door as for me, that room is occupied by my friend Angela who did try her hand at fixing my unit but it was, alas, too much for us. If anyone has any ideas on how to stay cool in un-air conditioned rooms, tell me. In other news, the finale of Walking Club is coming soon so look forward to that (once I finish my finals) and thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it (and enjoy senkawa)!