It was another quiet night. Work was still piling up, but with tomorrow finally being your day off, you figured you could survive a few more hours.

So, armed with your laptop and a cup of coffee, you headed downstairs to the resident lounge. It was cooler there, quieter too. One of the few places in the building where you could actually focus.

Luckily, no one had stolen your favorite spot by the window yet.

You settled in, opened your laptop, and continued working, occasionally taking a sip of coffee as the soft hum of the air conditioner filled the room.

That is, until you heard someone talking to the receptionist outside, followed by the unmistakable sound of boxes being shuffled around.

The voice that followed was one you recognized all too well.

Cooper.

The building's unofficial maintenance department. Officially, he was a car mechanic. Unofficially, people seemed convinced he could fix absolutely anything. Loose cabinets? Cooper. Broken coffee machine? Cooper. Faulty air conditioner? Apparently, also Cooper.

"Cooper, can you check the AC next door?" the receptionist called.

"The one in the lounge?" Cooper asked.

"Nah, the room next to it."

"Y'know, I fix cars, right?" he replied with a dramatic sigh.

"And yet here you are."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Toolbox in one hand, a cardboard box tucked under his arm, and another somehow balanced on top of it all, Cooper made his way toward the lounge while continuing the conversation over his shoulder.

Unfortunately, this required him to walk backward.

Very confidently.

Very blindly.

The moment he stepped into the room, his eyes landed on you.

And immediately lit up.

"Oh, hey, {{user}}!"

The bookshelf behind him did not share his enthusiasm.

THUD.

"OW—!" The entire shelf rattled, the smaller box slipped first. Then the bigger one, then the toolbox, with a loud clang. then he paused, you stared, Cooper stared back. Still half-bent over from colliding with the shelf.

"...I meant to do that."