Work Text:
She hated taking the first shift. The sun had barely risen when she took her place at the college help desk. The lobby was empty except for the slow trickle of students out of the elevator. She spared a glance at the piles of paperwork in front of her that she had no actual intention of doing to today - and for that matter tomorrow either - and a single ringlet of brown hair swung into view. She tucked it back into the pile of hair on her head and looked up as the bell above the door jangled fiercely.
A stranger with piercing purple eyes and a brown chinstrap strode up to the counter, a slip of paper wrinkling in the pressure of his grip.
"Can you contact Etho Slab and tell him that Nebris Rae is waiting for him the lobby?"
She raised an eyebrow over the rim of her glasses. "Is he expecting you?"
"Yes," he said, though his eyes gave the impression that he honestly had no idea.
"Just one moment please," she said smiling kindly. The man, Nebris, nodded glumly in return and made his way to a chair at the other end of lobby. She returned her gaze to the computer in front of her, searching for a Mr. Slab. Ahh, a junior, room 388. She punched in the code and lifted the old fashioned landline to her ear. The dial tones rung for a moment before someone picked up.
"Um, hello?" The voice was thick with sleep, deep and rumbly and sounded none to pleased to have been woken up.
"Is this Mr. Etho Slab?" There was a mumbled affirmation. "Someone named Nebris Rae would like me to inform you that he is waiting for you in the lobby." The other end of the line went silent. Not the quiet of thinking, but the stillness of someone who's sucked in a breath and hasn't let it out just yet. The line clicked and went dead.
She set the phone back into place slowly, eyes finding their way to the stranger with his purple eyes glued to the elevator doors. He had sunken into the chair, nervous, like someone kicking themselves for screwing something up. His shoulders were tense and his fingers were gripping his paper with white knuckles. Perhaps its been a while since they last saw each other, maybe they parted ways on uncertain terms. Her brain took off with ideas, imaging possible scenarios that could have led to this day. What if one was presumed dead or- the elevator dinged open and Nebris' head shot up, his eyes scanned the crowd then fell, dejected.
She was curious what would happen when they did meet, would they kiss like long lost lovers or would they scream at being left alone for so long, might one have moved on? Would Etho even show? The elevators opened again, and again Nebris' head shot up, only to fall, shaking his head. Perhaps he's given up.
He began smoothing the wrinkles in his paper and she thought, no not yet. The elevators dinged and he hesitated this time. His head raised slowly then snapped the rest of the way, she followed his gaze to the lone man standing in the open doors of the elevator.
He was handsome, with a sharp jaw and startlingly white hair sticking out at strange angles, a cautious smile gracing his face. He wore sweats and his shirt was on backwards, as if he had just jumped out of bed, grabbed the first clothes in sight, and rushed down stairs, which she presumed is exactly what happened. Nebris leapt from the chair, smiling hesitantly. He waved the paper in front of him, obnoxious green ink for all to see.
-~o~-
The room was nearly empty, only his desk still sporting any semblance of life, the rest packed into moving boxes. Nebris haphazardly opened a drawer and leafed through the old school notebooks, eyes scanning the scrawl of notes for anything worth saving. Nothing. He scooped the lot up and dropped them, heavily, into the quickly filling trashcan. A curse and and a soft chuckle escaped his lips as the top notebook slid from the stack, missed the can, and landed on its side. Nebris grabbed the old math notebook by the spine and tossed it, spinning like a frisbee, to its rightful place in the trash. A single sheet of notebook paper slid out, floating slowly to ground, swaying side to side as it fell. A scowl flashed across his face at another thing escaping the trash, but as his hand shot out to catch it, the handwriting, in an obnoxious green pen, caught his eye. He knew that writing even if he hadn't seen it in three years.
He read it quickly, cursing himself for taking so long to find it.
Three years stood between then and now but Nebris found himself driving out of state, heading north for hours on end, continuing even once the sun had set, crossing the border and pulling into the canadian university.
-~o~-
Nebris closed the distance quickly, slowing only when he noticed that Etho had barely moved. She leaned forward with obvious curiosity, hoping to catch the conversation.
Nebris held the paper before him, like an offering, "Better late than never." It was meant to be a joke, but it came out like a question, a quiet plea for forgiveness. Etho's shoulders drooped, whatever Etho had been hoping for, this wasn't it.
Nebris' mouth opened, hands reaching, grasping for answers and coming back empty, the words escaping him. Etho's mouth pressed into a firm line, "You look tired, c'mon you'll be able to think better in the morning."
Nebris didn't protest, "Yeah, drove straight here." He missed the look of surprise that flashed across Etho's face, his eyes pressed tight in a yawn, but she saw it and she saw the look of heart-breaking defeat in Etho's eyes as he led Nebris to the elevator.
-~o~-
The next five hours of her shift pasted uneventfully, a few students to help but nothing that could take her mind off the couple from that morning. She was naturally a curious person and this was an interesting situation. She clocked out for the day, only hoping nothing happened while she was gone.
The next day, Sunday, she found herself walking into first shift with a hopeful smile. Nine o'clock rolled around and Etho strolled out of the elevator. He looked more put together, jeans rather than sweats, hair sticking out at random while also looking like it was meant too. Yet, she noted that he still looked frazzled. The bags under his eyes were dark and he walked like the weight of the world sat on his shoulders.
"How it'd go?" Etho turned, surprised and glancing around the room, as if to assure himself that he was indeed the one being addressed.
He raised an eyebrow and stepped up to the desk. "How did what go?"
"Why, with you and Nebris of course." When he met her gaze, his eyes held the same defeat from the morning before, he didn't question her knowledge of the situation and she noticed the subtle redness around his eyes.
"He fell asleep on the couch, neither of us brought it up, I was actually on my way to get breakfast, clear my head. Maybe then we can sort this out." His head fell and her response was instant. She flipped the open sign on her desk so it read closed and grabbed her purse.
"Well, let's get going, shall we. Did you have a place in mind?" Etho tried to protest at a stranger inviting themselves to eat with him but he didn't quite have the strength. She slipped her arm through his and dragged him out the door. The autumn wind buffeted their faces as they left the warmth of the building and it broke Etho from his shock.
"Why are you doing this? Shouldn't you be at your desk." He questioned her, but he kept pace, allowing himself to be led down the street to a little restaurant with particularly good coffee.
"You need to sort yourself out, said so yourself. Now, that's easiest with an ear to listen and a second opinion, plus this is quite an interesting story, and I would very much like to know how it begins. And technically I am still doing my job, I'm helping you aren't I?"
"I suppose." They made it inside, sitting at a small table by the window. She ordered a coffee and Etho, pancakes. When the waitress had left, she leaned forward, a single eyebrow raised in curiosity. Etho sighed, "Why am I telling you this again?" She just smiled bigger and earned another sigh in return. "Fine. Where should I start?"
"Would it be cliché to say the beginning?"
"I met Nebris in middle school, we were the best of friends, the kind of annoying teenagers that hang out in the park after sundown laughing their heads off, that was us." The first real smile she had seen spread across his face and it was then that she decided that whatever had broken between them, she was going to fix it.
"What happened?" She asked hesitantly.
"Huh? Well, nothing really. I came up here for college, he stayed back in the states. We just kind of faded out of each others lives." She nodded.
"Then what was the letter?"
"Oh that stupid thing." Etho paused and looked down at the table, "I wrote it senior year. It was a confession because at the time I thought I was falling in love with him. I put it in the back of his math notebook, I wasn't sure if I wanted him to find it and then I had something to blame if he never responded."
"Do you love him?" Etho looked up and met her gaze right as waitress arrived with their orders. He dug in and she sipped slowly at her coffee. Time passed and she wasn't sure if he ever planned on answering, maybe he had forgotten. She was considering repeating herself when he met her eyes again.
"I think I might." She reached across the table to squeeze his hand. She saw the fear in his eyes, but also the hope and this was one love story she wanted to see through to the end.
She smiled, "Well then, you need a plan. What are you going to do?"
"Who says I need to do anything, he was the one who showed up with the letter."
"So you wouldn't be upset if you got back to the room and he wasn't there?" Etho nearly shot from his chair. "That's what I thought, so what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. What if he's moved on, heavens knows I've had my fair share of girlfriends since I last saw him. What if he came back to laugh about how silly we were as kids. What if-" The waitress returned with the bill, setting it very obviously in front of Etho, who reached for it. She smacked his hand away.
"I'm helping you, remember?" He opened his mouth to protest. "Honestly, it's no big deal. You have more important things to focus on.
"So your worried he doesn't love you?" She asked. Etho nodded glumly, looking back down to his plate, empty save for a small puddle of syrup. "Well, I know how to solve that." Etho didn't believe her, if anything was apparent from the incredulous eyebrow he raised in her direction. She didn't explain, just looped her arm through his and hauled him back to his feet. "C'mon, lets go. Not going to get a happy ending moping around like that."
She led him back to the dorms, but rather than stopping at her desk she continued pulling him into the elevator. The doors closed behind them and as she pushed the 3, she felt the harsh breath Etho sucked in. He seemed to guess where they were heading. They rose and the doors opened. With only minimal dragging, she managed to get him to room 388 and she was lucky she remembered the number because Etho did not look inclined to tell her. She knocked then looped their arms back together.
The door opened to a drowsy Nebris, though the sight before him woke him up quickly. His face paled and she saw in his eyes how his heart broke. Then his expression grew cold, he sent a jealous glare her way.
"I'll be going, then." He started to step forward, but she was faster, dragging Etho into the room and pulling the door shut behind them.
"Nuh uh, not happening." She turned to Etho, "I hope you saw that, cause your not going to get any better proof." She stepped away from the pair and settled into the couch.
They just stood, staring for a while. Neither moved nor spoke and neither made any move to dispel the growing tension. They were both so unsure and neither looked willing to take the first step. And she was impatient. "Etho," she growled, "you are the only one here with all the facts, you had the same fears Nebris is having. I promise both of you that this will work out, but one of you needs to do something." She stressed the last word.
Etho closed his eyes momentarily; to prepare for what he was going to do or to hide from her piercing gaze, she didn't know. He drew in a shaky breath and opened his eyes.
"For one, she is not my girlfriend," he said pointing, as if there were any other 'she's' in the room. "Secondly, about the letter-" Nebris cut him off with a shake of his head.
"It's okay, I understand if you don't feel the same, I shouldn't have just assumed like that, it's been three years."
"Distance makes the heart grow fonder," she whispered under her breath, but the withering looks she received shut her up.
The room fell silent once more, and she felt the need to intervene again as Nebris reached for the door knob. "Etho. Don't you let him walk away. You know what you need to do, stop being a wuss. I assure you, everything will work out fine."
He nodded almost imperceptibly. "Nebris." He hand fell away from the door and he looked up, nervous and scared and worried and the tiniest bit hopeful.
"I think I might love you." The words were quiet and fearful, so small compared to the years of tension hovering between them.
A grin spread across Nebris' face, "Well, I know I love you," and Etho couldn't help but laugh. They leaned in, foreheads touching, smiling like idiots.
It was then that Etho remembered her, eyes leaving Nebris' lips just long enough to make it clear that she was supposed to leave now. She pouted for a second but looking at the adorable couple before her, she smiled.
"I'll be going then, my work here is done. If you need my help, you know where to find me."
"Thanks."
"My pleasure, every princess needs a fairy godmother." She said with a little curtsey.
"Which one-"
"He's the-" they began at the same time, but she cut them off.
"Fine. You are both lovely princes. And if that is all I will be going." By the look on their faces, it seemed that they half expected her to pull out a magic wand and disappear but instead she walked to the door, leaving and pulling it shut behind her. But not before she saw Etho wrapping his arms around Nebris and drawing him in for a kiss.
Multiple kisses.
If you had been there you would have shut the door slowly, too.