302.
"What the Hell do you mean we don't have a deal? I told you before that I would have the money on the-"
303.
Crying.
"Hush now. Hush, hush. Shhh..."
"Make her stop crying! Make her stop!"
304.
"... found today after neighbors reported hearing..."
"Honey?"
"It's so sad."
"What?"
"They found that girl that was mi-"
305.
Hurried voices.
Unhurried foreign voices.
Hurried voices.
Pause.
Rewind.
Play.
Hurried voices.
Unhurried...
306.
"... domo..."
"... --chan!..."
"... itai..."
307.
Whisper.
Cry.
Slap.
"You fucking whore!"
"Please don't.... no, no... no, don't! Please, no!"
"You brought this on yo-"
308.
"Mom, I just don't get this-"
"Sweetie, I know, but you have to try."
"Mom-"
"Look. Four times twelve. Work it out..."
"Four... times... twelve... is-"
309.
"Yes."
Moan.
"... oh, gods... harder..."
"You want me?"
"Ohhh, yes..."
310.
Sobbing.
"I'm sorry."
"H... How?"
"It was an accident. He lost control of the car-"
311.
Laughter.
Anger.
"That's not funny!"
"You fell asleep first! We told you that whoever went to sleep first would get-"
312.
"... it seems you have a problem with commitment."
"Preach it, love."
"The first thing I want you to do is turn and apologize."
"Apologize?"
Scoff.
313.
"You little brats! Stop-"
Crash.
"Your mother wouldn't approve!"
"So what?"
Giggling.
314.
Soft snoring.
"Maybe we should wake him up."
"What for?"
"He fell asleep on the couch. He's always cranky-"
315.
"I have so much to do. Hey! Can you bring that plate into the kitchen and pop it in the dish washer?"
"No problem."
"Thanks. You have fun at school today?"
"Not really."
316.
Silence.
Click.
Thump.
Sigh.
The man standing in the hallway pushed himself forward again, twisting the knob in hopes that the key would work the second go around. The door shifted forward a little before the lock slipped back into place, once again keeping him away from getting inside. A little down the hallway, a door opened and a teenage girl flopped out with a frustrated scream, her eyes flying open as the two kids she was babysitting managed to slip past her. Her eyes locked onto the man's for just a second before she started racing after them, trying to get to them before they could make it to the elevators.
"Morning, Heero."
He watched her disappear around the corner before he allowed a small smile to creep across his features. Turning back to the apartment, he prepared himself for some aches and pains and slammed his shoulder against the door as hard as he could manage, but the damn thing refused to budge.
Loud music pounded out into the hallway coming from room 317, where a fifteen-year-old runaway lived with his nineteen-year-old girlfriend. The elderly lad from down the hall was slowly moving towards him, using a metal cane for support, a roll of newspaper tucked under his arm like he planned on beating the kids to death with the paper. His kind eyes lifted and he nodded once at Heero before he steadied himself on his feet and started slamming the cane into 317's door. The young kid opened the door and peeked at the old man, and the only thing stopping him from slamming the door and cranking the music up louder was the brief second he met Heero's glare.
The door closed.
The music dulled to a soft rumble, hardly loud enough for the old man to hear close up let alone down the hallway and around the corner.
Laughter started to well up in Heero's throat as he heard the loud squeaking of a bed, the unbearable screech accompanied with little shouts of passion. The newlyweds had just moved into the apartment building and were driving everybody else up the wall and back when they proved that all they could do was have sex. All the time. And loudly.
The motherly, TV-obsessed woman in 312 seemed to ache every time she heard the two start up again, always stepping out into the hallway just to scream that her television show was on and the sex was too loud. Heero smiled again as her door flew open and she stomped out in her silk robe, looking both ways as if she were walking across the street, before going towards 309 and banging on the door.
No answer.
Heero pushed against his door again, putting his foot against the bottom to try and aide himself. Failing yet again, he ignored the soft snickering he heard from inside and nodded at the robed woman as she smiled and disappeared back into her apartment. Slamming against the door, he nearly snorted as his laughter spilled free. Giving up, he yanked the key out and knocked against the door.
It flew open almost immediately, the doorframe groaning from effort as it was tugged from the inside. The second he saw his best friend, Heero stepped forward and pulled the young man into his arms to place a soft kiss right on his lips. Smiling as the kiss was earnestly returned, he pushed them both forward and freed one arm to swing it behind his back, searching absently for the door that he had just struggled with.
His friend started to laugh quietly as they parted for air and Heero continued to try and find the door. Heero let his lover go for just a second, those long strands of hair caressing along his arms as he pulled away. Turning away from blue-violet eyes, the Japanese man put his hand on the door and slid it closed, sighing as it clicked when the lock slammed in place.
Silence.
They embraced each other once again, Duo leaning in to place a small kiss at the corner of Heero's smiling lips.
312 was peacefully watching her television shows.
The newlyweds in 309 were being surprisingly quiet.
The babysitter was still missing from 313, in search of the two brats that she secretly loved it when they made her chase them.
The child in 308 finally figured out the math problem that had been causing him some grief for about seven minutes.
The old man down the hall had his hearing aid out so that he could eat dinner in peace and quiet.
303's infant was busy moving multi-colored blocks about on the gray carpet, laughing from the bright cartoons playing on the television screen.
The woman from 307 called the police on her boyfriend, locking herself in the bathroom until they would come help her.
And the two men in 316 were completely oblivious to whatever might have been going on outside of their broken, bootleg apartment door. Not a speck of sound could be heard through the walls that seemed to bother everyone else because they were too thin. Nobody seemed to be doing anything remotely distracting as they fell onto the couch together and continued what they had been doing in the doorway.
They had lived with them for years; they were used to it all now.
As far as they were concerned, whatever went on outside of their apartment didn't concern them as much as it may have concerned their neighbors. If they didn't make them their business, then they wouldn't be their business.
Their neighbors didn't quite grasp the concept of privacy.
"That's wrong!"