[Red Dwarf/Rimmer/Spinning Fan - Part 07]
Title: A Spinning Fan - Part 07
Fandom: Red Dwarf
Characters: Lister/Rimmer eventually
Prompt: 085. Hate
Word Count: 1,144 words.
Rating: PG
Summary: One day Lister woke up in a psychiatric ward and a doctor told him it was all a dream brought on by excessive drinking.
Author's Notes: Dinnertime. Concrit is appreciated.
Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Part Five.
Part Six.
---
Dinner time was fascinating, to say the least. The cafeteria was laid out in that classic style that you see in school lunchrooms everywhere.
The line wasn’t a long one, but it was still a few minutes until Dwayne was able to get his hands on a tray. Soon after Rimmer and Lister were armed as well. Lister kept recognizing faces, but by now he knew not to call out to them. Just because that looked like Selby didn’t mean it was, after all.
Rimmer eyed Dwayne warily. “Lister. If he starts throwing his food around, stop him. Otherwise we get food-fights.” He grimaced and served himself some mashed potatoes.
Dwayne was happily ignoring everything on the menu except for the fish. He hummed the tune of ‘I’m Gonna Eat You, Little Fishy’ that Lister immediately recognized from when Cat had tried to eat his robotic goldfish.
The line moved along quickly, and Rimmer led them to a table that was off in a corner, but not entirely separated from the main crunch. There was already someone sitting at it, but he did his best to ignore them when they sat down.
“Rimmer.” Hissed Lister. “Who’s that there?” He tilted his head towards the man at their table and silently hoped that it wasn’t who he thought it was.
Rimmer glanced at him and shrugged. “That’s Bill. Do you know him from your ‘memories’?” He turned the last word into a sarcastic bite, but Lister shrugged it off.
“Yeah, I recognize him. I just don’t know how he could be here…” William Doyle. Rimmer with silver hair and a yak-urine coat. Here, he only vaguely resembled Rimmer, and the only reason Lister recognized him was because of the hair.
Rimmer opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn’t going to ask.
Lister watched William Doyle eat a sparse meal of mashed potatoes and corn, and at one point locked eyes with the man. His eyes were blue - not Rimmer’s. Lister blinked, waved, and went back to his own meal.
William blinked back, but didn’t wave.
Just as Lister polished off his fish, Dwayne’s hand shot out and caught a thrown fish.
“Stop!” Rimmer grabbed the arm before it could move again and confiscated the fish. “Not now, Dwayne. No playing with your food.”
“Aww.” Dwayne reluctantly put down the fruit in his other hand and went back to singing his fish-eating tune.
Rimmer didn’t eat much, considering that he had missed lunch. Lister almost felt tempted to force food on him, but if he did Rimmer would probably take it as a comment about his body-image and almost certainly be snarky about it for the rest of the day. But then again, maybe not. Lister ended up ignoring the problem. If Rimmer didn’t want to eat much, fine.
The meal was almost over when Hudzen walked over. Lister knew that face. He wouldn’t ever forget that face.
“Hullo, boys. Time for another food-fight, Dwayne?” He grinned unpleasantly at them.
Rimmer glared. “Go away, Nelson.”
Lister stared. Hudzen? With a name like Nelson? He resisted the urge to snigger, but couldn’t resist a chuckle.
Chuckling attracted Nelson’s attention. “Something funny?”
“No.” Lister gazed levelly back at him. He would not laugh. “Nelson.” That threw it. Lister collapsed in giggles.
Nelson reached over Dwayne and grabbed Lister’s shoulder. “What. Is. So.” He paused for dramatic effect. “…Funny?”
Lister only laughed harder. Finally! Something in this place that didn’t twist itself! Nelson may have been Hudzen’s name, but he was the same. The only thing missing was the robot outfit.
Nelson glared and began to twist Lister’s shoulder. “Stop that.” Other patients were beginning to stare; who was the unlucky fool who had pissed off Nelson?
Lister grinned and removed the arm without fear. After dealing with a Vindalooian monster, a Simulant, and living in Rimmer’s body for several days, he could handle anything.
Rimmer warily glanced at the two of them and decided to speak up. “Nelson, this is Lister. He’s-“
“Dead meat.” Nelson growled. Lister only grinned harder.
“Nelson! Ever hear of Silicon Heaven?”
Dwayne leaned over. “Hey! D’you have a deathwish or something?”
Lister shrugged. “Nah. He’s not much.” His little Paranoia man in his head began to jump up and down and remind him that he had only beaten the Vindalooian monster and the Simulant through luck. His Confidence took a swing and began to wrestle Paranoia. Lister simply took another bite of his corn, ignoring Nelson.
Nelson picked up the lunch-tray and threw it on the floor.
Lister watched him do this, then fell down laughing again. His common sense gave up and packed it’s bags, already heading for Alabama.
“Um, Lister, you might want to stop that.” Rimmer leaned back in his seat, away from Nelson.
“I’ll be fine.” Lister stood up, picked up his tray and took it to the waste bin. Nelson watched this, then charged Lister.
It was only through sheer luck that Lister managed to drop his tray right in front of Nelson, instead of on the waste bin. Nelson stepped on it, slipped, and tipped over the waste bin onto himself.
The entire cafeteria burst out laughing while Lister shrugged and walked back to their table.
“Nothing to it.”
Rimmer stared, stood, and fled. Dwayne hastily followed, but not before grabbing some extra fish from the buffet. Lister watched them hurry out, then sauntered out.
He completely missed Nelson’s death-glare.
---
“What the HELL were you thinking?” Rimmer shouted, once they were back in their room. “Were you trying to get us killed?”
“No.” Lister sat on his bunk and prepared for the grilling. “Rimmer. I’ve faced him before. He may be strong, but he’s got the brains of a fruit-fly.”
“Faced?”
“He tried to kill me.”
“Oh. I see.” Rimmer sneered. “So surviving him once sets you up for surviving him again?”
“I guess.” Lister shrugged. “Sorry about that, actually. It’s just his name…”
“Nelson?”
Lister chuckled again.
“What’s so funny about that?”
“The last time I faced him, he had a gun, and his name was Hudzen.”
“Hudzen?”
“Yeah.” Lister flopped back on the bed. “He was a robot.”
“A robot, you say?” The sarcasm crept back into Rimmer’s voice.
“Yeah.” Lister closed his eyes. He wasn’t tired, but right now he needed a break from all of this. The laughter had been good, but now he had another thing to worry about.
Rimmer sneered and dropped the subject. Dwayne just finished his fish and then dropped off for a nap.
Lister laid on the bunk and stared at the now-familiar ceiling.
---
Rimmer wasn’t sure what to make of Lister. One moment he was a good person to talk to, and the next he insulted the resident strong-man. Lister was crazy.
Still. Lister listened to him. Rimmer didn’t want him to leave.
Not at all.
---
Fandom: Red Dwarf
Characters: Lister/Rimmer eventually
Prompt: 085. Hate
Word Count: 1,144 words.
Rating: PG
Summary: One day Lister woke up in a psychiatric ward and a doctor told him it was all a dream brought on by excessive drinking.
Author's Notes: Dinnertime. Concrit is appreciated.
Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Part Five.
Part Six.
---
Dinner time was fascinating, to say the least. The cafeteria was laid out in that classic style that you see in school lunchrooms everywhere.
The line wasn’t a long one, but it was still a few minutes until Dwayne was able to get his hands on a tray. Soon after Rimmer and Lister were armed as well. Lister kept recognizing faces, but by now he knew not to call out to them. Just because that looked like Selby didn’t mean it was, after all.
Rimmer eyed Dwayne warily. “Lister. If he starts throwing his food around, stop him. Otherwise we get food-fights.” He grimaced and served himself some mashed potatoes.
Dwayne was happily ignoring everything on the menu except for the fish. He hummed the tune of ‘I’m Gonna Eat You, Little Fishy’ that Lister immediately recognized from when Cat had tried to eat his robotic goldfish.
The line moved along quickly, and Rimmer led them to a table that was off in a corner, but not entirely separated from the main crunch. There was already someone sitting at it, but he did his best to ignore them when they sat down.
“Rimmer.” Hissed Lister. “Who’s that there?” He tilted his head towards the man at their table and silently hoped that it wasn’t who he thought it was.
Rimmer glanced at him and shrugged. “That’s Bill. Do you know him from your ‘memories’?” He turned the last word into a sarcastic bite, but Lister shrugged it off.
“Yeah, I recognize him. I just don’t know how he could be here…” William Doyle. Rimmer with silver hair and a yak-urine coat. Here, he only vaguely resembled Rimmer, and the only reason Lister recognized him was because of the hair.
Rimmer opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn’t going to ask.
Lister watched William Doyle eat a sparse meal of mashed potatoes and corn, and at one point locked eyes with the man. His eyes were blue - not Rimmer’s. Lister blinked, waved, and went back to his own meal.
William blinked back, but didn’t wave.
Just as Lister polished off his fish, Dwayne’s hand shot out and caught a thrown fish.
“Stop!” Rimmer grabbed the arm before it could move again and confiscated the fish. “Not now, Dwayne. No playing with your food.”
“Aww.” Dwayne reluctantly put down the fruit in his other hand and went back to singing his fish-eating tune.
Rimmer didn’t eat much, considering that he had missed lunch. Lister almost felt tempted to force food on him, but if he did Rimmer would probably take it as a comment about his body-image and almost certainly be snarky about it for the rest of the day. But then again, maybe not. Lister ended up ignoring the problem. If Rimmer didn’t want to eat much, fine.
The meal was almost over when Hudzen walked over. Lister knew that face. He wouldn’t ever forget that face.
“Hullo, boys. Time for another food-fight, Dwayne?” He grinned unpleasantly at them.
Rimmer glared. “Go away, Nelson.”
Lister stared. Hudzen? With a name like Nelson? He resisted the urge to snigger, but couldn’t resist a chuckle.
Chuckling attracted Nelson’s attention. “Something funny?”
“No.” Lister gazed levelly back at him. He would not laugh. “Nelson.” That threw it. Lister collapsed in giggles.
Nelson reached over Dwayne and grabbed Lister’s shoulder. “What. Is. So.” He paused for dramatic effect. “…Funny?”
Lister only laughed harder. Finally! Something in this place that didn’t twist itself! Nelson may have been Hudzen’s name, but he was the same. The only thing missing was the robot outfit.
Nelson glared and began to twist Lister’s shoulder. “Stop that.” Other patients were beginning to stare; who was the unlucky fool who had pissed off Nelson?
Lister grinned and removed the arm without fear. After dealing with a Vindalooian monster, a Simulant, and living in Rimmer’s body for several days, he could handle anything.
Rimmer warily glanced at the two of them and decided to speak up. “Nelson, this is Lister. He’s-“
“Dead meat.” Nelson growled. Lister only grinned harder.
“Nelson! Ever hear of Silicon Heaven?”
Dwayne leaned over. “Hey! D’you have a deathwish or something?”
Lister shrugged. “Nah. He’s not much.” His little Paranoia man in his head began to jump up and down and remind him that he had only beaten the Vindalooian monster and the Simulant through luck. His Confidence took a swing and began to wrestle Paranoia. Lister simply took another bite of his corn, ignoring Nelson.
Nelson picked up the lunch-tray and threw it on the floor.
Lister watched him do this, then fell down laughing again. His common sense gave up and packed it’s bags, already heading for Alabama.
“Um, Lister, you might want to stop that.” Rimmer leaned back in his seat, away from Nelson.
“I’ll be fine.” Lister stood up, picked up his tray and took it to the waste bin. Nelson watched this, then charged Lister.
It was only through sheer luck that Lister managed to drop his tray right in front of Nelson, instead of on the waste bin. Nelson stepped on it, slipped, and tipped over the waste bin onto himself.
The entire cafeteria burst out laughing while Lister shrugged and walked back to their table.
“Nothing to it.”
Rimmer stared, stood, and fled. Dwayne hastily followed, but not before grabbing some extra fish from the buffet. Lister watched them hurry out, then sauntered out.
He completely missed Nelson’s death-glare.
---
“What the HELL were you thinking?” Rimmer shouted, once they were back in their room. “Were you trying to get us killed?”
“No.” Lister sat on his bunk and prepared for the grilling. “Rimmer. I’ve faced him before. He may be strong, but he’s got the brains of a fruit-fly.”
“Faced?”
“He tried to kill me.”
“Oh. I see.” Rimmer sneered. “So surviving him once sets you up for surviving him again?”
“I guess.” Lister shrugged. “Sorry about that, actually. It’s just his name…”
“Nelson?”
Lister chuckled again.
“What’s so funny about that?”
“The last time I faced him, he had a gun, and his name was Hudzen.”
“Hudzen?”
“Yeah.” Lister flopped back on the bed. “He was a robot.”
“A robot, you say?” The sarcasm crept back into Rimmer’s voice.
“Yeah.” Lister closed his eyes. He wasn’t tired, but right now he needed a break from all of this. The laughter had been good, but now he had another thing to worry about.
Rimmer sneered and dropped the subject. Dwayne just finished his fish and then dropped off for a nap.
Lister laid on the bunk and stared at the now-familiar ceiling.
---
Rimmer wasn’t sure what to make of Lister. One moment he was a good person to talk to, and the next he insulted the resident strong-man. Lister was crazy.
Still. Lister listened to him. Rimmer didn’t want him to leave.
Not at all.
---