Unknown Pleasures

Date/Timing: 16 November 2005
Setting: University of Manchester; Manchester, United Kingdom
Scene-ifying "Joy Division"
.
Hermann hobbles into probability theory internally cursing his aching knee.
Doctor Smith lasers in on him. "Thank you for joining us, Mr Gottlieb."
Hermann cringes, slinks into the only open seat in the room: front row, dead center.
"I hope you don't expect special consideration in relation to the tardy policy because of your disability. There will be none when you go out in the world."
"Yes, sir," murmurs Hermann, digging out his pencil and notes. He breathes carefully as he straightens, calming himself and relaxing his trembling wings into stillness.
Between his classmates' stares on his back and Doctor Smith's repeated questions, the period is excruciating.
"That's all for today," declares Doctor Smith.
Hermann lets out a shaky sigh, shoulders softening as they release some of their tension.
Edan's beside him an instant later, face full of concern. "You alright?"
Hermann grits his teeth as he pushes to his feet, bad knee protesting. "I'm fine. My knee is a little sore, is all."
"Still? From when you fell on the ice yesterday morning?"
"Yes." Hermann's anger bubbles up at the pity. "Doesn't waiting for me /bother you? Aren't you embarrassed to be seen with a bad-tempered cripple?"
"Who and what the /fuck are you talking about?"
Hermann slumps back into his chair before his knee can give way beneath him. "Me. I'm fucking /crippled, if you hadn't noticed. I can't even walk across campus like a normal person," he snarls.
"I'm not friends with your /leg, for Christ's sake. I'm friends with /you." Edan runs a hand through his hair, leaving much of it sticking up. "Listen. If you want to go back to your room, I'll take notes for both of us and bring you some food. Walking on that knee /has to be making it worse. You should rest now so you'll be full speed tomorrow."
Hermann lurches to his feet and wobbles.
Edan catches his elbow—
Hermann tears free, snaps, "Don't."
—takes a step back, hands up, palms out.
Hermann breathes deeply through his nose for a mental five-count. Finally, he grinds out, "I would appreciate it if you would take notes for me this afternoon."
Edan's posture relaxes. "No problem. You'll make it back alright?"
Hermann nods, takes up his cane, begins to pick his way from the room.
Edan smiles encouragingly, takes off at a run to make the next lecture on time.
Hermann watches Edan's retreating back with envy, then hobbles from the room, the building, across a strip of campus to his dorm.
The trip takes twice the usual time.
He bolts the door and flops face-down on his bed. His knee throbs, his side aches, and his wings burn under their restraint.
Hermann pushes to sitting and shrugs out of his layers, his binding last of all. He flexes his wings and hisses at the pull of the muscles against his ribs.
„Shit shit Hell.“
He shuffles to the mini-fridge, extracts cold gel packs, hops back to the bed, drops one pack on the mattress, eases himself down, resting his knee on the ice. The other pack he tucks against his side. 
He tries and fails to stifle a yawn as he sets an alarm on his mobile for two hours in the future. Then he spreads his wings, pillows his head on his arms, and dozes.
Hermann jerks awake when his mobile screams and he paws at it to make it /stop. 
Lies there a moment waiting for his heart to quit racing.
With a sigh, he hauls himself to the edge of the mattress and sits up. He gathers up his clothes, wraps himself in all the necessary layers, puts the ice packs back in the fridge.
A knock at the door, almost exactly when Hermann predicted it would come.
Hermann shuffles over, unbolts, swings the door open.
Edan smiles. "Sorry I took so long, but I stopped to copy my notes for you." Beams. "On the bright side, I brought Manchester's best curry for us both." Proffers a takeaway bag.
Hermann accepts, starts unpacking it onto his desk. "Where do you get the money for all of this?"
"My parents give me a little 'have fun' allowance and since I don't spend as much on pints as my da expects ...." Shrugs.
Hermann chuckles.
"Yea ... I'm kind of a cheap date. A couple and all my filters fall off." Ducks his head. "So I have to watch myself."
"I can't drink much alcohol, either." Hermann grimaces. "I get sick."
"Guess we shouldn't be surprised we're lightweights, yea?"
"That's a /horrible pun."
"But you almost laughed."
"At you, not /with you."
"Harsh, mate." Edan chuckles. "Harsh, but true."
Hermann hides a smile in fishing plastic utensils from the bottom of the bag.
"How should we do this?"
"Do what?"
"Sitting? The chair's probably hard on your knee?"
"Oh. Right. On the bed?"
"That'll work," chirps Edan. "You get yourself comfy and I'll pass you the food."
Hermann swallows another smile, hops over and up, scoots himself across the quilt until his back touches the wall.
"Set?"
"Yes."
"Your curry, sir." Edan, grinning, hands over a clam-shell case, a fork, and a couple of napkins.
"Thank you."
"Anything else I can get you?"
Hermann chews his lip.
"Something for your knee maybe?"
Hermann sighs. "Yes, please. There are ice packs in the fridge."
Edan retrieves one—
Hermann takes—frowns at his full hands.
—drapes it across Hermann's knee. "That where it needs to be?"
"Yes," replies Hermann, face heating.
"Mind if I put some music on?"
"Go ahead."
Edan fiddles about with Hermann's laptop until the speakers buzz with the kind of music often playing in his room. He cheers, then grabs his own meal and settles in beside Hermann, so close their arms nearly brush.
Hermann keeps his attention firmly on his food while they eat in companionable near-silence.
Edan's finished and Hermann has only a few mouthfuls left when the music crackles and Edan sits straighter.
Hermann side-eyes—
"Ooo!" Edan cries and launches himself off the bed to the laptop. "Joy Division! I love this song!" He pushes the volume to its upper limit.
The speakers whine.
Edan—is he dancing?
He's /dancing.
Hermann sets down his fork to watch.
Edan continues, oblivious. Then the song ends and he turns the volume back to a safe level.
"What'd you think?
Hermann's face flames. "O-of what?"
"The /song, Gottlieb."
"Oh. Right." Hermann clears his throat. "It sounded familiar, but I can't quite place it. I rather liked it."
"You 'rather liked it'?" scoffs Edan.
Hermann cringes.
"What a ringing endorsement for Manchester's greatest band!" Edan laughs—
Hermann uncurls.
—continues, "It's Joy Division, mate! And 'New Dawn Fades'—that song—is pretty much the anchor of their first album. I'm downloading it for you. You need to get some culture," he jokes as he logs into iTunes.
"I'm so glad you're around to educate me about the finer things in life," Hermann replies sarcastically. "I had no idea how boring I was before I met you."
"You were /never boring: you just needed some polish."
"Which you're happy to provide, I suppose?"
"Ridiculously happy, mate." He grins.
Hermann smiles back.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Manchester (setting)
Category:University of Manchester (setting)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann's POV
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Hermann has wings
Category:Edan
Category:Edan (ficlet)
Category:Torquil (mention)
Category:Joy Division (reference)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Celestial Mechanics
2005 11 16