| Running Out Of Time | 172732014

Good Fences Make Good Neighbours

You quietly perused through a few books you found around the apartment, more so staring at beautiful photography and images rather than reading anything. It had been a few hours now and Hanta Sero had yet to return back home, leaving you to your devices. You had already eaten into a few of the leftovers in the fridge, leaving the now dirty cutlery in the kitchen while you swung languidly on the hammock that was propped in the lounge.

This was a slice of life, you thought to yourself, relaxing into the sway of the hammock. It felt unimaginable to be in Cellophane's abode, reading his books, eating his meals, swinging in this large hammock. You never imagined he was laidback with the way he swung about the city and how law-abiding he was.

A knock at the door caught you off guard, eyeing it from afar. You froze in place, hoping that you didn't make a sound until the knock persisted again.

You felt it would be unbelievable that it was Sero at his own front door. Although he had mentioned in his note-

"Hey mate, you home?" Called an accented voice from the door. "Thought I could ask a favour?"

You froze in place on the hammock, hoping that any creak from it would go unnoticed. Your eyes drifted to your clothes, still hanging by the corner of the room. After all, you were still in the large tee that Sero had offered the night before along with a pair of shorts you found scrounging around his drawers, indulging in their comfort, at least up until this point. You had not heard anything else following that request from the front door, opting to take that first quiet step towards your clothes. You slowly lifted yourself from the hammock, the slight creak of its anchors filling your ears louder than they should.

"Come on Sol, he's not home," spoke another voice while your feet slowly crept across the floor, avoiding creaks if any. "He's probably at work. You know how Pro-Hero life is."

"Babe, it's the weekend."

"It's my day off today."

"Yeah, you're different. You're a Sidekick."

"I take offense to that."

You slowly pried each piece of your outfit from the hooks on the wall, now air dried from last night's mishap before quickly making your way towards the bathroom, lucky enough that you had discovered where it was in Sero's place earlier this morning. Eavesdropping was difficult to avoid, seeing as how loud the voices projected through the door, catching the last few words of their conversation. Sero wasn't kidding when he added that note about his neighbours, you thought.

That was until-

Click

"Come on, I'm sure he won't mind if I-"

Midway across Sero's apartment, you froze with eyes as large as saucers, staring at two men, who in turn stared at you in surprise. The way this looked was beyond any comprehension, especially since you were still in Sero's clothes. The silence was deafening, until one of the men blurted a cry in panic.

"Oh-my-god-we're-sorry-for-barging-in-like-this-so-sorry," exclaimed Sol in a flurry of words before he immediately slammed the door shut. You jumped in surprise from the sudden outburst that broke you out of your frozen state, still staring at the door for any further signs of movement. You wondered, even entertained the idea, so against your better judgement, you walked to the front door, clothes still in hand, and slowly opened it. There standing before you were two men, impeccably dressed despite the casual look they exuded. One eyed you curiously, while the other looked away, his lips turned into a nervous frown.

"May I help you?" You asked clearly, turning your gaze between both men.

"Forgive us for intruding, my partner thought Sero was home," explained one of them, gripping onto the shoulders of the other.