iāll be waiting by the radio // diego oneshot
Mavās unconditional tolerance for Diegoās tinkering ways solidified the Colombian manās stance that the American was a wonderful choice for a roommate. He had told him so himself, although his accent paired with the numbers of wires heād jammed between his teeth meant that the sentiment was lost a little. He was sure Mav knew what he had been saying though. Never once had he uttered a complaint when he stood on a spanner lying around or was nearly poked in the eye as Diego waved an antenna in the air to get a signal. Instead, he encouraged his roommate to continue with what he was doing, wishing him luck before ducking out the door to go to work.
The click of the door shutting behind his roommate was what prompted Diego to turn back in his chair and place his hands over the manual on the desk in front of him. Fingertips traced the braille on the page, letting the words sink in so he could understand them. Cisco had scoured the internet for Spanish handbooks he could use, although Diego was really only using it as a secondary source. His predisposed knowledge of radios and handsets were all he really needed to get the broken equipment in front of him working again.
His hand slid across his work space so his fingers could brush the wires collecting there. Heād needed Mav and Ciscoās help to figure out which one was the live wire, as colour coded objects were something that he had yet to find a way around by himself. Heād wrapped tape around the three he needed though, each one with a different length of tape around it so, when he was alone, he could identify which was which. Upon finding the wire with the longest amount of tape wrapped around its cabling, a triumphant grin appeared on his face as he squeezed the naked end of it with his thumb and forefinger before attaching it to the main area of the radioās circuit.
At once, a static rustling filled his ears and a joyful giggle burst forth from him, uncontrollably giddy and full of all the triumph he felt. Hastily reaching for the antenna, his knuckles bumped it clumsily, sending the whole device toppling over. After a quick āoopsā, he fumbled for the radio and set it upright again, the barest traces of worry on his face. His nerves quickly subsided when the static turned into a familiar melody and he sat bolt upright in his chair.
Not only was the radio functioning, it was receiving a transmission.
He knew, however, that given the size of the tiny radio in front of him, the frequency wasnāt designed to travel further thanā¦ the Messina complex, really. Which meant the sound was coming from somewhere in the building.
Diego was well aware that no one else in the apartment complex was in possession of any transmission radios, as he would jumped at the chance to befriend them if they did. Nerves gnawed at his gut when he realised he was invading another personās privacy, most likely one of his neighbours. He was about to shut the whole device down, content to have just repaired it, but before he could do so, a voice quickly accompanied the melody he had heard and suddenly, he was frozen.
āWhen I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me,ā a woman sang, her voice crackling through the tinny speakers of the radio and somehow still sounding perfect. Diegoās unseeing eyes widened at once and he found himself leaning forward to hear better.
āSpeaking words of wisdomā¦ā
āLet it beā¦ā Diego quietly sang. He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth though, although that was silly. He knew the other person wouldnāt be able to hear him. He didnāt continue to sing along though even after the realisation. He was content to just listen to the woman on the other side of the accidental transmission sing, the smile on his face spreading wider as her tempo grew.
Heād heard the song before. It was something his father had liked to play in hospital before he was rolled away on a rickety gurney for another operation that left him feeling worse for wear. Diego had always liked to hear it though, holding his dadās hand as the older man croaked out the tune. He wasnāt a particularly good singer, not like the woman Diego was hearing, and he rather thought his father would like the voice filling Diegoās ears at that moment.
The song came to a close sooner than Diego would like to and, quickly, he shut the radio off. The inevitable silence that followed the song would only heighten how much he felt like he was trespassing so he simply leaned back in his chair, the sleeves of his cardigan attempting to cover the huge grin he wore.
āOh,ā he breathed quietly, his chest feeling warm and his ears aching to hear that voice again. Who was she? Diego was sure he had never heard a voice like that, even when Cisco had attempted to get him invested in which ever reality talent show was airing on television. Whoever the voice belonged to, Diego was certain heād love. He wanted to commend the woman on her talent and tell her how much he enjoyed her voice, even though he was sure his broken English would not be able to do the sentiment justice.
When the door creaked open behind him, Diegoās head snapped round. His ears picked up the rumbling sound of someone clearing their throat and the deep noise helped him to recognise his brotherās presence.
āCisco!ā he greeted the other man loudly. He couldnāt see the confused expression on Ciscoās face but he knew it was there.
āWhatās got your face all red?ā his big brother asked.
Ignoring the question, Diego leaned over the back of his chair and hurriedly beckoned Cisco closer.
āI need you to help me find someone!ā he told him, excitedly.
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