Double

Date/Timing: 25 October 2011
Setting: Hermann and Edan's flat; Battersea, London, England, United Kingdom
Note: It's just the roll of the genetic dice that has Kris looking like Edan. The older Kris gets, the less like Edan he looks, until they resemble mere relatives instead of twins.
.
Hermann whistles "I Feel Alright" as he steps out of the lift and to their flat's door. He's through it, divested himself of all his gear, and into his slippers before he reaches the second verse. "Edan?"
Silence.
As he hangs his keys on the hook, he notes Dottie's lead is gone and heads to the kitchen.
A note waits for him on the fridge:
- Help yourself to tea ☺ -
Hermann smiles, pours a cuppa, adds the waiting slice of lemon, sips.
Perfect.
Back to the foyer, bag over his shoulder, a shuffle to the big room and the sofa, tea on the side table, laptop out of satchel, satchel next to the couch, laptop open and booting, glasses on his nose, tea back in hand.
Hermann sighs.
PAIGE opens.
/PAIGE: Good evening, Hermann.
/PAIGE: I have completed scoring the short answer exam and have input the marks to the course management system.
/hermann_g: Thank you, Paige.
/PAIGE: You're welcome.
/PAIGE: What shall I do next?
/hermann_g: Has there been any change to the at-risk student list?
/PAIGE: There are no additions and one student has moved to within the receipt of half-credit on their exam essay of being removed.
/hermann_g: That is most excellent news.
/hermann_g: Thank you, Paige.
/PAIGE: You're welcome.
/PAIGE: What shall I do next?
/hermann_g: Please put yourself in research mode until battery life falls to 50%.
/PAIGE: Yes, sir.
/hermann_g: Thank you, Paige.
/PAIGE: Entering research mode.
Hermann minimizes PAIGE's window, logs into the testing server, navigates to today's exam, and isolates the essays.
Keys rattle in the lock.
He listens as Dottie bounces in, bells jingling.
A beat later, Edan's shoes hit the mat with dull thuds.
Hermann's heart aches a bit, so he puts some cheer into his voice and calls, "Welcome home, /leannan."
""Hey, Hermann.""
Hermann inhales deeply and focuses on the first of the essays.
Clattering from the kitchen, then a /kresh.
Dottie sprints in, leaps onto her spot on the couch, curls up.
A string of Scots profanity.
"Oh dear." Hermann sets his laptop aside, heaves himself to his feet, hobbles to the kitchen.
Edan glares at the floor, fists tight and shaking.
"Let me sweep this up."
"It's my fault. I'll deal with it." Edan crouches, gathers shattered bits of plate into a pile. "This day has been total and complete /shit."
Hermann retrieves the brush and dustpan from the cupboard, limps back to Edan's side, offers them.
"Thanks." He accepts, then nudges the smallest fragments into the pan with the brush, shifts the bigger ones with his hands. He straightens, dumps the lot in the bin and sighs.
"Do you want to talk about your day?"
"After I rescue the lasagna, maybe." He grabs mitts, extracts a tray of /delicious from the oven, deposits it on a trivet next to the stove.
Hermann hovers just off his shoulder, filling his lungs with the smell of hot cheese and tomatoes.
Edan steps back—
Hermann squeaks, flails, sits down hard on the floor.
—yells, "/Goddammit!" Goes pale and to his knees beside Hermann. "I'm /so sorry! I didn't—I wasn't—are you alright?"
Hermann grimaces. "I'm not damaged, only surprised by the sudden change in altitude."
Edan runs a hand through his hair. "Just when I thought I couldn't make this day any worse."
"It's fine; help me up, please."
"Su-sure." Edan gets an arm around Hermann's back and lifts from under his arms. 
Hermann runs a quick diagnostic. "I'm alright: nothing a good meal can't make better."
"Thank /God." Stays glued to Hermann's side until he's safely in his seat. "I'll get the feed together. Post is there, if you want reading material."
Hermann shuffles credit card applications and assorted fliers, then smiles. "No bills."
"/There's something good for my day."
Hermann stacks the junk neatly for recycling. "What happened?"
Edan takes a measured breath. "I've got three impending failures in my 'astronomy for the uninformed' lab and they've told Houghton it's /my fault, so I got hauled into his office to defend myself." Edan brings over a loaded plate—salad from the fridge, lasagna, a roll—and a glass of water. "He decided the problem was /my /teaching and not the fact those spanners spend the entirety of the lecture /and lab twittering at each other."
Hermann hums in sympathy as Edan stomps off to assemble his meal.
"/Then Coen called me in and in-fucking-/sisted my idea for using fluctuations in gravity and ionization to target searches for possible exoplanets wasn't going to work." He collapses into his chair with his plate. "It /will work and I just need his permission to use the data archive that'll prove it."
"He won't give you access?"
"He 'doesn't want me to waste my time'."
Hermann frowns. "Your hypothesis is sound."
"Thanks, but /I /know." Stabs his lasagna, glowers at it, grumbles, "I /am smarter than a fuckin' kebab."
Hermann winces.
Edan cringes, murmurs, "Sorry. I didn't mean—" Sighs. "I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut the rest of the night."
Hermann waves it off.
A mobile /shimmers.
"That you or me?"
"I belive that's you."
Edan grunts, fishes it from his pocket, thumbs it awake, and squees.
"Good news?"
"Kris /finally gave in and sent a selfie."
"May I see it?"
Edan offers the phone.
Hermann glances, double-takes. "He looks /exactly like you."
Edan, apparently fully recovered, grins. "Uncanny, isn't it? Annie must have some /seriously dominant genes."
"That or—" Hermann clears his throat. "—she volunteered for a cloning experiment."
Edan cocks his head. "So we'd be /twins?"
Hermann nods.
"That'd be so /cool!" Dances in his seat. "I'm gonna start calling him 'Dolly'!"
Hermann forces a weak chuckle. "I'm—I'm sure he will find the humour in that."
"You alright? Something wrong with the food?"
"No, no! It's fine. It's just—" Brightens. "The idea of there being two of you in this world scared me a bit."
Edan scoffs. "It'd be good for the world to love me more."
Hermann smiles, for real this time. "On reflection, maybe the world /could use another of you."
"Oh?"
"If there was another, I wouldn't have to share /you with anyone."
"I /would like someone else to deal with Houghton and the twits."
Hermann grins. "That sounds like an excellent name for a band."
Edan blinks, snickers.
"Going to add that to the list of possibilities?"
"Yea, /definitely." Queues up a forkful of lettuce. "Maybe I'll be able to settle on one by the time I have something I'm willing to show off." Frowns, thoughtful. "Make that 'show off when I'm sober'."
"You'll be ready in no time."
"Why d'you say that?"
"You're already down to three-quarters of a cider before playing for me."
"Well, sure, but you're easy. For example, you're not gonna lob beer bottles at my head."
"I'm certainly not. I love your brain too much to risk it." Pecks his cheek.
"Aww ... thanks." A kiss of his own. "I love you, too."Category:Ficlet
Category:London (setting)
Category:Hermann
Category:Hermann's POV
Category:Hermann is a professor
Category:Hermann (ficlet)
Category:Peridot
Category:Peridot (ficlet)
Category:PAIGE
Category:PAIGE (ficlet)
Category:Kris (mention)
Category:Annie (mention)
Category:Ficlets with images