Chapter Text
Kiyotaka Ishimaru sat at his desk. It was the first day of winter break, and while most of his classmates were happy to be out of school for a while, Kiyotaka found himself feeling frustrated. Winter break meant that the university was closed, which meant that the school’s library was closed, which meant that Kiyotaka had to study at home. Not that he had a problem with studying at home!--at least, he normally wouldn’t, except his upstairs neighbor seemed to be taking the holiday spirit a bit too far.
Kiyotaka had experienced...difficulties with his upstairs neighbor for some time now. Most days they were out of the house, but this was during the time that Kiyotaka often spent at the library. In fact, they conveniently only seemed to be home whenever Kiyotaka was trying to sleep or study. The problem wasn’t that they were home during this time, though; when you live under somebody, you should expect to hear noises like footsteps and voices, and Kiyotaka understood that very well. No, the problem was that his neighbor, when they were home, blasted music from what Kiyotaka could only assume was a semi-serious audio setup.
Their music of choice was usually rock or hip-hop, with the occasional “electronic dance music” or EDM that shook the walls with its heavy bass beats--much different from the pleasantly quiet orchestral music that Kiyotaka preferred to listen to when he studied. In the blessed spirit of the holidays, however, Kiyotaka’s neighbor had taken to cranking out Christmas carols; metal covers of traditional Christmas songs; and, Kiyotaka was sure, more Mariah Carey than any one person should be able to tolerate.
Kiyotaka’s pencil slipped as the thumping beat of what seemed to be an electronic version of “Jingle Bell Rock” vibrated through the walls of his apartment. He glared down at the ugly mark he had made on his page of meticulous and detailed notes--if only he was in the school library! By now, the librarian on duty would have put a stop to this ruckus and Kiyotaka would be working in peace. It would be quiet, and Kiyotaka would read his textbook and take notes, and wave goodbye to his classmates Makoto and Sayaka as they left for the afternoon. He would continue his work until the calm of the library was inevitably broken by one ornery, obnoxious Mondo Oowada--
Kiyotaka gripped his pencil until his knuckles were white. Mondo Oowada. Now, Kiyotaka did not hate any of his classmates; they occasionally irritated him, sure, and it was his duty as hall monitor to correct them for breaking rules, but he didn’t hate them, or even dislike them. Mondo Oowada, however, Kiyotaka certainly did not prefer. They only had a couple classes together, but it seemed as though they crossed paths far too often, and whenever they crossed paths, they butted heads. Mondo was loud and crude, with a foul mouth and poor attendance and even worse study habits. He would saunter into class ten minutes tardy and kick back in his chair with his legs crossed on his desk. When Kiyotaka would shoot a glare his way, Mondo would return it with a rude gesture of his hand. He addressed the professor as “Teach” and his homework was incomplete as often as it was complete. When class was over, he would shove his papers into his bag--he didn’t even have a folder for his schoolwork!--and leave without so much as a “goodbye”.
When they encountered one another in the hallway, Kiyotaka would attempt to correct Mondo's behavior. His efforts were often met with resistance in the form of cursing and threats of physical violence. Kiyotaka knew the threats were empty, and saying so to Mondo's face only served to stoke the fire between them. Mondo would grab him by the collar and shake him around a little, though not enough to hurt him, and Kiyotaka would stand his ground. Then Mondo would back off with a string of obscenities and depart, and Kiyotaka would hear the terrible spitting and revving of that obnoxiously loud motorcycle, from which Mondo had intentionally removed the muffler. Kiyotaka doubted that it was even street-legal.
He decided he could take it no longer. He closed his textbook forcefully and rose from his desk, not even bothering to put on a coat before stepping outside; he was so frustrated that he was sure that his body was giving off steam in the frigid air. He stomped up the stairs to his neighbor's door and knocked. The door did not open immediately; from inside, Kiyotaka could scarcely hear muffled cursing from over the loud music. Before he could think about how the voice sounded strangely familiar, the door swung open and standing in the doorway to the offensively noisy apartment was none other than--
"Ishimaru?!" The surprise in Mondo Oowada's face was quickly overtaken by a dark glare. "The hell do you want, hall monitor?"
Mondo Oowada, the rowdy troublemaker from school. Mondo Oowada, Kiyotaka's unofficial rival and least favorite classmate. Mondo Oowada, Kiyotaka's inconsiderate upstairs neighbor. Kiyotaka wasn't sure if he should be feeling more angry or more shocked at the revelation.
"I--" Kiyotaka stammered. He shook off the feeling of surprise and straightened his back. "I should not be surprised that you are my inconsiderate upstairs neighbor!" he accused, putting his hands on his hips and scowling. "Your apartment is so noisy, and I am trying to study!"
"Of fuckin' course you are," Mondo retorted, seemingly having recovered completely from his surprise and now fully immersed in bickering with the angry hall monitor at his door. "God, do you ever do anything else?"
Kiyotaka huffed indignantly. "Yes, I do. I practice Kendo--"
"Kendo? Christ, is that all that yelling I always hear at the ass-crack of dawn? And you say my apartment is loud!"
Briefly, a pang of guilt shot through Kiyotaka; he had not known that his Kendo was a disturbance to his neighbors. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Mondo cut him off. "Gimme a fuckin' break, man, it's Christmas! Get that stick outta yer ass and, I dunno, replace it with a candy cane or somethin'. Fuck off and quit botherin' me."
"Now, Oowada, I know you do not value your schoolwork like you should, but I do, and I would appreciate it if you were not so loud," Kiyotaka said, his words dripping with annoyance.
"Yeah, yeah, and I'm lazy and rotten and everything else that's wrong with your perfect little society," Mondo growled. "Have fun studying, hall monitor. Come back when you decide not to be such a fuckin' grinch." And with that, Kiyotaka stood fuming as the door slammed in his face. Who did Mondo think he was? Thoroughly frustrated and freezing cold, Kiyotaka returned to his apartment.
Kiyotaka removed his snow-covered coat, then his shoes, and left them by the door. He did not want to track snow and mud across the floor; unlike some people, Kiyotaka cared about his property. Surely Mondo did not keep a clean apartment like he did--
Kiyotaka blinked. Why was Mondo still on his mind? This delinquent who had no respect for anything, with whom Kiyotaka was stuck having as a neighbor, who was obnoxious and frustrating with everything he did. It was no surprise that he was incorrigible, even during the holidays. Kiyotaka sunk down in an armchair with a sigh. It was the holidays; of course Mondo would be celebrating. This was supposed to be a time for joy and peace, and here Kiyotaka was, alone in his apartment after arguing with his neighbor. Guilt struck him through his stomach. Mondo deserved to celebrate the holidays just as much as anyone else. Just as much as Kiyotaka did, too, he realized. It was then that he remembered what Mondo had said: "Come back when you decide not to be such a... freaking grinch." Perhaps that was not such a bad idea.