Heart of the Storm (Part 5)
Title: Heart of the Storm
Authors: lizynob and lorafantastory
Pairings: Oscar/Block as the Anna/Hans dynamic
Characters: Oscar Schlumper, Wayne Schlumper, Dr. Block, Dr. Tease, minor mentions of Party Mania characters
Word Count: 47,002
Warnings: Descriptions of anxiety, some bullying, angst, references to death
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Epilogue, Bonus Content
Put On A Show
Oscar bustled around his room with restless, excited energy. Anticipation had him all wound up and he hardly knew what to do with himself. His normal lab attire had been set to the side in lieu of a black button down shirt and pants, offset with a seldom-worn trench coat. Oscar dashed over to the bathroom to comb his hair yet again and he fretted in the mirror. Did he look nice? Should he throw on a bowtie? He probably should. He was going for black to look professional, but maybe it was too much. He flicked at the odd blonde streak in his hair. Did he look weird? He wanted to look not weird for once. Just this once. He and Wayne were on top of the world.
The comb went through his hair several more times before Oscar finally put it down, only to pace and fidget some more. However ridiculous he looked, he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when the night would bring everything he’d ever wanted. True, the limelight really belonged to Wayne, but Oscar was happy enough to share in even a small part of it. All through his life, he’d been shunned and teased, called names and been excluded for his interests. But there was a chance, a real chance, that he and Wayne could finally gain some acceptance. People were interested in them, intrigued by their abilities. Wayne’s abilities really, Oscar corrected himself. Talented as he was, Wayne always seemed to have some special knack for their experiments that Oscar could never seem to quite replicate. But the younger Schlumper truly didn’t care that he wasn’t going to be the one on the stage. He was still over the moon for the event.
There would be people there. Not like the people that had surrounded them in school, but people like them. Scientists and mathematicians and engineers. People of intellect. People Oscar could talk to for once without being told to slow down and speak ‘normally.’
How welcomed he would actually be was yet to be seen, but Oscar was happy enough to at least have a chance.
*****
Wayne took a deep breath as he fiddled with his gloves and slipped them off with a queasy feeling. He could do this. He could do this. He just had to shake someone’s hand, accept a certificate, and say a few words at the podium. That was all. Shake someone’s hand without shocking them. Accept a piece of paper without burning it. Speak into a microphone without blowing the electric system.
He gingerly picked up a scrap sheet of paper from his desk. He could do this. He just had to keep calm. It was only this one time and only for a few minutes. He could do this. But…one wrong move could…it would….
Thin, delicate arcs of lightning began to flow off Wayne’s fingers, instantly singeing several gaping holes into the paper. Wayne dropped the page as it continued to rapidly burn up into nothing, hurrying to yank his gloves back on. “Damn,” he whispered to himself miserably. It was hard, so much harder without his gloves. He was already nervous and that was making things exponentially worse.
“It’s only one night,” he murmured to no one, trying to reassure himself. “You just have to keep it together for a few minutes, that’s all.” But words alone did little to quell the anxiety of knowing each minute was bringing him closer and closer to the most terrifying thing he’d had to do in a long time.
Keep it in. Keep it down. You have to.
Wayne jumped when suddenly there was rapt knocking at his door. “Come on, Wayne! We don’t want to be late!” Oscar called out with excited urgency. “Don’t tell me you’re still getting ready.”
Wayne gulped, knowing he could not put things off for any longer. “Coming, Oscar,” he said with as much normality as he could muster. He tugged at his gloves without thinking and moved to open the door, and couldn’t help but stare at the sight that greeted him.
Oscar was beaming, wearing a wide smile that radiated unbridled joy. He’d seldom seen his brother look so happy before.
“You look nice,” Wayne complimented, speaking about Oscar’s happiness as much as his outfit.
“You look great too!” Oscar said encouragingly.
“Hardly,” Wayne said with an attempt at a smile. He had done his best to dress appropriately according to the letter he had received. So the obligatory formal shirt and tie had been donned. But he still wore a clean lab coat which, along with his gloves, Wayne intended to only take off when he had to before slipping right back into them at the first chance he got.
“You look fine,” Oscar reassured and gave Wayne a warm look. “Don’t be so nervous. Tonight’s going to be amazing.”
He said it so confidently, so earnestly, that Wayne could almost believe it.
Almost.
*****
Stepping through the doors of the main conference room was like stepping into a whole other world, and Oscar eagerly soaked everything in. People filled the whole room and everyone was either wearing a suit coat or lab coat. There were rows of tables full of models and diagrams and charts all neatly displayed, and the air was filled with amicable discussions. Oscar wasn’t sure even where to begin, but he knew he wanted to immerse himself in all of it. He hurried further into the room with incredible excitement, not even looking to see if Wayne was still next to him.
Wayne was following him, it turned out, but at a much more measured pace. The atmosphere didn’t seem to captivate him nearly as much as it did Oscar, and everything about him was far more reserved. That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t taking everything in, though. He observed their new surroundings carefully, eyes lingering on both the largest groups of people and the corners where no one seemed to be gathering.
So when a few important-looking men in suits approached the two of them, at least one of them was paying attention.
“Dr. Schlumper, by chance?” one of them asked.
Wayne nodded, trying for a polite smile. “Both of them, actually.”
“Good evening. I’m the chairman of this conference association. I’m glad to finally meet the both of you.”
“The pleasure’s ours,” Oscar said, getting his attention focused on the greeting at hand. The energy in the room made him feel like he could do anything, and for once he honestly felt like he could handle making a good first impression on someone.
“The work you’ve done is simply outstanding,” the chairman said. “I’ve been discussing it at length with my associate here, but I’m sure you could do a much better job going into the details, Dr. Wayne.”
“I’m Oscar, actually,” the younger Schlumper corrected.
“Oh, my apologies,” the chairman said and turned slightly to focus on Wayne instead.
Wayne tensed a bit at the expectant looks he was being given and did his best to politely deflect the attention back off him.
“Oh, Oscar’s put just as much time into this project as I have.” He clasped his hands behind his back to subtly ward off any handshakes and nodded to his brother. “It’s been a pet project of both of ours for some time now. I’m sure he could even tell you more about it than I could at this point.”
“I know I’ve been following your work with great interest.” The chairman indicated to the other men beside him. “But I’m afraid some of my colleagues haven’t been able to keep up quite as well as I have. There are a lot of different individuals that this conference tries to keep track of. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind giving them a brief summary of what you’ve been doing?”
Oscar took his cue and launched immediately into an outline of what they had been working on while Wayne breathed a little sigh of relief. Everything was going well, for the most part. There were still far too many people for his liking, but it wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. People were genuinely interested in what they had accomplished, and nobody was looking at him like he was just ‘that guy’ they had to tolerate being around.
Things looked promising. If he could just get himself a little more at ease in the lively environment, hopefully the whole night would go a little bit easier.
His brother’s explanation was going on for some time, Wayne noticed. Oscar was clearly so excited to be there that he was letting it get the better of him and going into all kinds of details. Wayne grinned a bit. “He said ‘brief’, Oscar.”
A look of embarrassment flickered over Oscar’s face at the realization that he was going a bit overboard and he cleared his throat, wrapping up their project outline without going off on any more tangents.
Amazingly enough, none of the men looked to be bothered by the longer than necessary explanation.
“That all sounds very fascinating,” one of the men said. “I can’t wait to look over your notes in finer detail. You will be set up at one of the tables later, won’t you?”
“We’ll be over in the east conference room after the ceremonies,” Oscar said with a nod.
“Speaking of which, there are a few pre-ceremony setups I still need to do,” the chairman said with a quick glance at his watch. “Dr. Wayne, would you accompany me over to the stage? I’ll show you where your placement will be when everything starts.”
Though Wayne would have loved some way to politely decline, he knew he did need to be heading over to the stage and having someone show him where to go wasn’t entirely unappreciated. “Okay, um,” he looked over to Oscar real quick. “I’ll meet you afterward and we’ll get our table set up.”
Oscar watched Wayne be led off and managed to hold his composure until the men were out of earshot.
Then he let himself panic. They had completely forgotten all of their folders in the car.
He patted down his pockets, as though he would find several thick folders full of research there. He didn’t even think about them when they were coming in. Oscar looked around at the dozens of people, many of whom were still making their way into the hall. He still had a few minutes.
He mentally cursed himself for managing to forget all of their research documents as he tried to hurry back towards the front without bumping into anybody on his way out.
To Oscar’s relief, it only took a couple of minutes to exit the lobby and get out of the main entrance to the parking lot, and he held onto hope that he could make his way out to the car and still be back in time to snag a close spot to the stage for when Wayne would be up there. He took a few seconds to check the road and then darted forwards, his hand felt at his pocket and he was glad to know he hadn’t forgotten his keys as well as their papers. He could see the car off in the distance when a sedan suddenly made a sharp turn from seemingly nowhere. There was a loud squeal of brakes and while Oscar managed to not be flattened, the front fender forcefully knocked him to the pavement as the car skidded to a swift halt.
“Oh my goodness!” The sedan’s passenger door flew open and a woman jumped out. “I’m so sorry! You’re not hurt, are you?”
She held out a hand to help him up and Oscar took it automatically, hauling himself back to his feet. “No, I…” He glanced up and got a good look at her for the first time. Her brown hair was tied messily back in a bun, but still managed to frame her round face very nicely. Her eyes were bright behind thick glasses, and for the space of a moment he completely lost his voice. “I, uh, n-no. I think I’m fine,” Oscar managed to say.
The woman gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure?”
“It was my fault,” Oscar insisted shyly. “I should have been paying more attention.”
“Or maybe my colleague could have watched where she was going instead of trying to maim some poor guy in the parking lot.” The woman flashed him a smile. “No harm done though I guess. Sorry about that, uh…didn’t get your name.”
“Oh, um, D-Dr. Schlumper.” Oscar supplied, trying not to make a fool of himself and blush in the presence of such a lovely person with gorgeous hair and infectious smile.
Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! You’re the one getting the award tonight, right?”
“No, no!” Oscar hurriedly corrected. “Th-that would be m-my brother, Wayne. I’m Oscar.” He braced himself for her dismissal. Unlike Wayne, he had no great prestige to his name. He was just the younger brother.
But she didn’t seem to care at all and after a moment of pause, she flashed him an enticing grin. “Well then, that should mean you’ll have a free spot next to you during the ceremony, Oscar.”
He felt his cheeks begin to turn pink in spite of himself, which only served to embarrass him further and worsen the blush that was taking over his face.
“Er, w-well, yes, I s-suppose it would,” he stammered. “Um, I didn’t get your name either.”
“Dr. Block. And the one who nearly tried to flatten you would be my colleague, Dr. Tease.”
Oscar felt like he could just let himself be captivated by her charms forever, but he was suddenly struck with the reminder of why he was standing outside in the first place.
“Oh! I almost forget what I came out here for!” he blurted out. “F-forgive my rudeness but I have to go fetch something before the events start.” He knew his face was bright red by that point, and he quickly hurried off to the car before any other delays held him up.
Unbeknownst to Oscar though, as he hurriedly grabbed the papers Wayne needed along with pens, goggles, and anything else lying loose in the back seat, Dr. Block stood there watching him for a few more minutes with a smile on her face before turning to head on into the building.
*****
There was a sizeable crowd gathered around the stage in the hall by the time Oscar returned, but it didn’t take too much effort to get a spot with a decent view of the podium. He bounced on his heels a little, impatiently. He’d been waiting for weeks and compared to that, a few more minutes should have been nothing. But it was just so close and it was finally happening and he had a good view...
“Is this spot taken?”
Oscar turned to the voice and found that the space beside him was now occupied by a familiar face. “Dr. Block?”
“I hope you don’t mind me standing here, Oscar.”
“Of course not,” he said quickly. His cheeks threatened to start flushing again but he could hardly help himself. Someone actually wanted to be next to him, even knowing he wasn’t Wayne. Not just any someone either but an incredibly attractive woman.
He looked past her but didn’t see the woman who had been driving. “Where is your colleague?” he asked, wondering why the two would not be together.
“Who knows by now?” Dr. Block shrugged, not sounding the least bit concerned. “I’m sure I’ll run back into her eventually. You wouldn’t mind if I hung around you in the meantime, would you?”
“N-not at all!” he stammered quickly. “I’d be glad to have your company. More than glad!” He cleared his throat to give himself a moment to organize his suddenly-scattered thoughts before he tripped too far over his tongue. “Well, for the ceremony at least. After that I have a feeling that Wayne and I are going to be bogged down by questions for a while but it shouldn’t be too long before I’ll be able to get away. Wayne’s the man of the hour, after all. Perhaps when the awards are done I could meet you somewhere after, say, twenty minutes? I - I’m sure I’d like to talk more without being interrupted by speakers and whatnot.”
Oscar braced himself to be brushed off the way he’d been so often throughout the course of his life. Surely she would be busy, or she would make up some excuse to be somewhere else, or-
But Dr. Block broke into a warm smile and Oscar’s spirits lifted. “That sounds wonderful. We can meet in the entrance hall if that’s all right with you.”
Giddiness bubbled up within him. It was far more than just “all right”.
*****
Wayne fidgeted nervously just offstage as the chairman of the conference went through his introductory speech, trying not to give in to panic and silently cursing the unwritten rules of formal dress that maintained work gloves were not appropriate ceremonial attire. Any moment now he would have to walk out of the wing and onto the stage and up in front of a lot of people. So many people who would be focused solely on him, and who would know the moment any sparks escaped….
He squeezed his eyes shut. You can do this. It’s only for a few minutes; you can do this. He shrugged out of his lab coat and draped it over a table, silently reciting once more what he was going to say.
He needed to just get it over with. The quicker he could get through it, the quicker it would be over and the less time he would have to mess things up. Don’t think, he commanded himself. Don’t think about anything. Just keep it down and hurry through it.
“Now ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, please welcome Dr. Wayne Schlumper.”
Wayne pulled in a deep breath, slipped his gloves off, pasted a smile onto his face, and stepped out onto the stage from behind the curtain. It was far brighter than he had expected and the lights were nearly blinding as he forced himself to walk at a somewhat normal pace across the stage. At least that made it more difficult to see the dozens of eyes locked on him. He wasn’t sure how many people were in attendance, but the applause seemed awfully loud. However many there were, it was too many.
The chairmen held out a hand as he approached and Wayne swallowed hard, straining to keep his mouth in a smile. You’re a normal, everyday person. You can do this. He took the hand and shook it firmly, like he was supposed to. Keep it down. Don’t shock him.
And didn’t get it back.
“It’s good to have you here this evening.”
Wayne fought not to grit his teeth. “It’s good to be here.” Letgoletgoletgo-
At last his hand was released and he returned it to his side as quickly as possible without being rude. “Your research over the past few years has been nothing short of extraordinary. In recognition of your work, the Northwest Physics Conference would like to present you with-”
Wayne wasn’t listening, because the certificate was being held out to him. It looked particularly nice, with gold leaf around the border and everything.
It looked particularly fragile.
He reached out to take it gingerly, trying to touch as little skin to it as possible. Hold it back, keep it down.
Vaguely, he was aware that the chairman had stopped talking and that it was his turn say something. He turned to the microphone, setting the certificate down on top of the podium to get it out of his grasp. “I have to say, I’m incredibly honored to be receiving this-”
He had rehearsed this speech countless times, knowing he would need the majority of his concentration to just maintain a normal appearance. His mouth recited the words on autopilot as his mind concerned itself with keeping the nervous energy contained, barely paying attention to what he was saying. Sweat began trickling down the back of his neck. Keep it together. Almost done.
His eyes found Oscar in the crowd, standing next to a woman Wayne had never seen before. His younger brother was beaming at him. “And a good deal of credit has to go to my brother Oscar, of course, without whose help this project never would have made it nearly this far-”
The backs of his hands began to prickle and Wayne released the podium quickly, his heart pounding even as his mouth continued talking. No! Hold it in, for the love of God, it’s almost over.
“-and I hope that-” The microphone squealed with sudden feedback and he froze. The audience winced slightly, but the whine stopped as suddenly as it had started and no one looked particularly concerned. Panic rose in his chest and he hurried to finish speaking before something obvious happened. “And I hope that this research will continue well into the future. Again, thank you.”
There was applause but he barely registered it. Hold it in. He took the edge of the certificate delicately, struggling to keep the electricity inside even as the fake smile slipped on his face. The walk off the stage was the most difficult of his life, everything in him screaming at him to run.
Hold it in. Hold it in.
The instant he was out of view, he dove for his gloves, jamming them on as sparks sprang out across his knuckles. He shut his eyes tight and leaned heavily on the table.
Stop it. Stop it. It’s over.
He held as still as he could, shaking with the effort of keeping the electricity confined to his insulated fingers. It was over. He’d done it. Judging by the applause outside, no one had seen anything out of the ordinary.
The sound came through to him finally. Applause. Applause for him. That was new. A more genuine smile made it onto his face. He could get used to that.
He let out a deep breath as the surge of electricity died down and bent to retrieve the certificate from where it had fallen to the floor. The edges of the paper were just barely singed black. It was hardly noticeable. He’d have it framed and no one would ever have to see.
He’d done it. His weak laugh of relief echoed in the small space as he pulled his lab coat back on. It was over. He’d made it through like a relatively normal person and he never had to do it again. He tugged the gloves once again out of habit.
It was all downhill from here for the rest of the night.
Authors: lizynob and lorafantastory
Pairings: Oscar/Block as the Anna/Hans dynamic
Characters: Oscar Schlumper, Wayne Schlumper, Dr. Block, Dr. Tease, minor mentions of Party Mania characters
Word Count: 47,002
Warnings: Descriptions of anxiety, some bullying, angst, references to death
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Epilogue, Bonus Content
Put On A Show
Oscar bustled around his room with restless, excited energy. Anticipation had him all wound up and he hardly knew what to do with himself. His normal lab attire had been set to the side in lieu of a black button down shirt and pants, offset with a seldom-worn trench coat. Oscar dashed over to the bathroom to comb his hair yet again and he fretted in the mirror. Did he look nice? Should he throw on a bowtie? He probably should. He was going for black to look professional, but maybe it was too much. He flicked at the odd blonde streak in his hair. Did he look weird? He wanted to look not weird for once. Just this once. He and Wayne were on top of the world.
The comb went through his hair several more times before Oscar finally put it down, only to pace and fidget some more. However ridiculous he looked, he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when the night would bring everything he’d ever wanted. True, the limelight really belonged to Wayne, but Oscar was happy enough to share in even a small part of it. All through his life, he’d been shunned and teased, called names and been excluded for his interests. But there was a chance, a real chance, that he and Wayne could finally gain some acceptance. People were interested in them, intrigued by their abilities. Wayne’s abilities really, Oscar corrected himself. Talented as he was, Wayne always seemed to have some special knack for their experiments that Oscar could never seem to quite replicate. But the younger Schlumper truly didn’t care that he wasn’t going to be the one on the stage. He was still over the moon for the event.
There would be people there. Not like the people that had surrounded them in school, but people like them. Scientists and mathematicians and engineers. People of intellect. People Oscar could talk to for once without being told to slow down and speak ‘normally.’
How welcomed he would actually be was yet to be seen, but Oscar was happy enough to at least have a chance.
*****
Wayne took a deep breath as he fiddled with his gloves and slipped them off with a queasy feeling. He could do this. He could do this. He just had to shake someone’s hand, accept a certificate, and say a few words at the podium. That was all. Shake someone’s hand without shocking them. Accept a piece of paper without burning it. Speak into a microphone without blowing the electric system.
He gingerly picked up a scrap sheet of paper from his desk. He could do this. He just had to keep calm. It was only this one time and only for a few minutes. He could do this. But…one wrong move could…it would….
Thin, delicate arcs of lightning began to flow off Wayne’s fingers, instantly singeing several gaping holes into the paper. Wayne dropped the page as it continued to rapidly burn up into nothing, hurrying to yank his gloves back on. “Damn,” he whispered to himself miserably. It was hard, so much harder without his gloves. He was already nervous and that was making things exponentially worse.
“It’s only one night,” he murmured to no one, trying to reassure himself. “You just have to keep it together for a few minutes, that’s all.” But words alone did little to quell the anxiety of knowing each minute was bringing him closer and closer to the most terrifying thing he’d had to do in a long time.
Keep it in. Keep it down. You have to.
Wayne jumped when suddenly there was rapt knocking at his door. “Come on, Wayne! We don’t want to be late!” Oscar called out with excited urgency. “Don’t tell me you’re still getting ready.”
Wayne gulped, knowing he could not put things off for any longer. “Coming, Oscar,” he said with as much normality as he could muster. He tugged at his gloves without thinking and moved to open the door, and couldn’t help but stare at the sight that greeted him.
Oscar was beaming, wearing a wide smile that radiated unbridled joy. He’d seldom seen his brother look so happy before.
“You look nice,” Wayne complimented, speaking about Oscar’s happiness as much as his outfit.
“You look great too!” Oscar said encouragingly.
“Hardly,” Wayne said with an attempt at a smile. He had done his best to dress appropriately according to the letter he had received. So the obligatory formal shirt and tie had been donned. But he still wore a clean lab coat which, along with his gloves, Wayne intended to only take off when he had to before slipping right back into them at the first chance he got.
“You look fine,” Oscar reassured and gave Wayne a warm look. “Don’t be so nervous. Tonight’s going to be amazing.”
He said it so confidently, so earnestly, that Wayne could almost believe it.
Almost.
*****
Stepping through the doors of the main conference room was like stepping into a whole other world, and Oscar eagerly soaked everything in. People filled the whole room and everyone was either wearing a suit coat or lab coat. There were rows of tables full of models and diagrams and charts all neatly displayed, and the air was filled with amicable discussions. Oscar wasn’t sure even where to begin, but he knew he wanted to immerse himself in all of it. He hurried further into the room with incredible excitement, not even looking to see if Wayne was still next to him.
Wayne was following him, it turned out, but at a much more measured pace. The atmosphere didn’t seem to captivate him nearly as much as it did Oscar, and everything about him was far more reserved. That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t taking everything in, though. He observed their new surroundings carefully, eyes lingering on both the largest groups of people and the corners where no one seemed to be gathering.
So when a few important-looking men in suits approached the two of them, at least one of them was paying attention.
“Dr. Schlumper, by chance?” one of them asked.
Wayne nodded, trying for a polite smile. “Both of them, actually.”
“Good evening. I’m the chairman of this conference association. I’m glad to finally meet the both of you.”
“The pleasure’s ours,” Oscar said, getting his attention focused on the greeting at hand. The energy in the room made him feel like he could do anything, and for once he honestly felt like he could handle making a good first impression on someone.
“The work you’ve done is simply outstanding,” the chairman said. “I’ve been discussing it at length with my associate here, but I’m sure you could do a much better job going into the details, Dr. Wayne.”
“I’m Oscar, actually,” the younger Schlumper corrected.
“Oh, my apologies,” the chairman said and turned slightly to focus on Wayne instead.
Wayne tensed a bit at the expectant looks he was being given and did his best to politely deflect the attention back off him.
“Oh, Oscar’s put just as much time into this project as I have.” He clasped his hands behind his back to subtly ward off any handshakes and nodded to his brother. “It’s been a pet project of both of ours for some time now. I’m sure he could even tell you more about it than I could at this point.”
“I know I’ve been following your work with great interest.” The chairman indicated to the other men beside him. “But I’m afraid some of my colleagues haven’t been able to keep up quite as well as I have. There are a lot of different individuals that this conference tries to keep track of. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind giving them a brief summary of what you’ve been doing?”
Oscar took his cue and launched immediately into an outline of what they had been working on while Wayne breathed a little sigh of relief. Everything was going well, for the most part. There were still far too many people for his liking, but it wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. People were genuinely interested in what they had accomplished, and nobody was looking at him like he was just ‘that guy’ they had to tolerate being around.
Things looked promising. If he could just get himself a little more at ease in the lively environment, hopefully the whole night would go a little bit easier.
His brother’s explanation was going on for some time, Wayne noticed. Oscar was clearly so excited to be there that he was letting it get the better of him and going into all kinds of details. Wayne grinned a bit. “He said ‘brief’, Oscar.”
A look of embarrassment flickered over Oscar’s face at the realization that he was going a bit overboard and he cleared his throat, wrapping up their project outline without going off on any more tangents.
Amazingly enough, none of the men looked to be bothered by the longer than necessary explanation.
“That all sounds very fascinating,” one of the men said. “I can’t wait to look over your notes in finer detail. You will be set up at one of the tables later, won’t you?”
“We’ll be over in the east conference room after the ceremonies,” Oscar said with a nod.
“Speaking of which, there are a few pre-ceremony setups I still need to do,” the chairman said with a quick glance at his watch. “Dr. Wayne, would you accompany me over to the stage? I’ll show you where your placement will be when everything starts.”
Though Wayne would have loved some way to politely decline, he knew he did need to be heading over to the stage and having someone show him where to go wasn’t entirely unappreciated. “Okay, um,” he looked over to Oscar real quick. “I’ll meet you afterward and we’ll get our table set up.”
Oscar watched Wayne be led off and managed to hold his composure until the men were out of earshot.
Then he let himself panic. They had completely forgotten all of their folders in the car.
He patted down his pockets, as though he would find several thick folders full of research there. He didn’t even think about them when they were coming in. Oscar looked around at the dozens of people, many of whom were still making their way into the hall. He still had a few minutes.
He mentally cursed himself for managing to forget all of their research documents as he tried to hurry back towards the front without bumping into anybody on his way out.
To Oscar’s relief, it only took a couple of minutes to exit the lobby and get out of the main entrance to the parking lot, and he held onto hope that he could make his way out to the car and still be back in time to snag a close spot to the stage for when Wayne would be up there. He took a few seconds to check the road and then darted forwards, his hand felt at his pocket and he was glad to know he hadn’t forgotten his keys as well as their papers. He could see the car off in the distance when a sedan suddenly made a sharp turn from seemingly nowhere. There was a loud squeal of brakes and while Oscar managed to not be flattened, the front fender forcefully knocked him to the pavement as the car skidded to a swift halt.
“Oh my goodness!” The sedan’s passenger door flew open and a woman jumped out. “I’m so sorry! You’re not hurt, are you?”
She held out a hand to help him up and Oscar took it automatically, hauling himself back to his feet. “No, I…” He glanced up and got a good look at her for the first time. Her brown hair was tied messily back in a bun, but still managed to frame her round face very nicely. Her eyes were bright behind thick glasses, and for the space of a moment he completely lost his voice. “I, uh, n-no. I think I’m fine,” Oscar managed to say.
The woman gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure?”
“It was my fault,” Oscar insisted shyly. “I should have been paying more attention.”
“Or maybe my colleague could have watched where she was going instead of trying to maim some poor guy in the parking lot.” The woman flashed him a smile. “No harm done though I guess. Sorry about that, uh…didn’t get your name.”
“Oh, um, D-Dr. Schlumper.” Oscar supplied, trying not to make a fool of himself and blush in the presence of such a lovely person with gorgeous hair and infectious smile.
Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! You’re the one getting the award tonight, right?”
“No, no!” Oscar hurriedly corrected. “Th-that would be m-my brother, Wayne. I’m Oscar.” He braced himself for her dismissal. Unlike Wayne, he had no great prestige to his name. He was just the younger brother.
But she didn’t seem to care at all and after a moment of pause, she flashed him an enticing grin. “Well then, that should mean you’ll have a free spot next to you during the ceremony, Oscar.”
He felt his cheeks begin to turn pink in spite of himself, which only served to embarrass him further and worsen the blush that was taking over his face.
“Er, w-well, yes, I s-suppose it would,” he stammered. “Um, I didn’t get your name either.”
“Dr. Block. And the one who nearly tried to flatten you would be my colleague, Dr. Tease.”
Oscar felt like he could just let himself be captivated by her charms forever, but he was suddenly struck with the reminder of why he was standing outside in the first place.
“Oh! I almost forget what I came out here for!” he blurted out. “F-forgive my rudeness but I have to go fetch something before the events start.” He knew his face was bright red by that point, and he quickly hurried off to the car before any other delays held him up.
Unbeknownst to Oscar though, as he hurriedly grabbed the papers Wayne needed along with pens, goggles, and anything else lying loose in the back seat, Dr. Block stood there watching him for a few more minutes with a smile on her face before turning to head on into the building.
*****
There was a sizeable crowd gathered around the stage in the hall by the time Oscar returned, but it didn’t take too much effort to get a spot with a decent view of the podium. He bounced on his heels a little, impatiently. He’d been waiting for weeks and compared to that, a few more minutes should have been nothing. But it was just so close and it was finally happening and he had a good view...
“Is this spot taken?”
Oscar turned to the voice and found that the space beside him was now occupied by a familiar face. “Dr. Block?”
“I hope you don’t mind me standing here, Oscar.”
“Of course not,” he said quickly. His cheeks threatened to start flushing again but he could hardly help himself. Someone actually wanted to be next to him, even knowing he wasn’t Wayne. Not just any someone either but an incredibly attractive woman.
He looked past her but didn’t see the woman who had been driving. “Where is your colleague?” he asked, wondering why the two would not be together.
“Who knows by now?” Dr. Block shrugged, not sounding the least bit concerned. “I’m sure I’ll run back into her eventually. You wouldn’t mind if I hung around you in the meantime, would you?”
“N-not at all!” he stammered quickly. “I’d be glad to have your company. More than glad!” He cleared his throat to give himself a moment to organize his suddenly-scattered thoughts before he tripped too far over his tongue. “Well, for the ceremony at least. After that I have a feeling that Wayne and I are going to be bogged down by questions for a while but it shouldn’t be too long before I’ll be able to get away. Wayne’s the man of the hour, after all. Perhaps when the awards are done I could meet you somewhere after, say, twenty minutes? I - I’m sure I’d like to talk more without being interrupted by speakers and whatnot.”
Oscar braced himself to be brushed off the way he’d been so often throughout the course of his life. Surely she would be busy, or she would make up some excuse to be somewhere else, or-
But Dr. Block broke into a warm smile and Oscar’s spirits lifted. “That sounds wonderful. We can meet in the entrance hall if that’s all right with you.”
Giddiness bubbled up within him. It was far more than just “all right”.
*****
Wayne fidgeted nervously just offstage as the chairman of the conference went through his introductory speech, trying not to give in to panic and silently cursing the unwritten rules of formal dress that maintained work gloves were not appropriate ceremonial attire. Any moment now he would have to walk out of the wing and onto the stage and up in front of a lot of people. So many people who would be focused solely on him, and who would know the moment any sparks escaped….
He squeezed his eyes shut. You can do this. It’s only for a few minutes; you can do this. He shrugged out of his lab coat and draped it over a table, silently reciting once more what he was going to say.
He needed to just get it over with. The quicker he could get through it, the quicker it would be over and the less time he would have to mess things up. Don’t think, he commanded himself. Don’t think about anything. Just keep it down and hurry through it.
“Now ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, please welcome Dr. Wayne Schlumper.”
Wayne pulled in a deep breath, slipped his gloves off, pasted a smile onto his face, and stepped out onto the stage from behind the curtain. It was far brighter than he had expected and the lights were nearly blinding as he forced himself to walk at a somewhat normal pace across the stage. At least that made it more difficult to see the dozens of eyes locked on him. He wasn’t sure how many people were in attendance, but the applause seemed awfully loud. However many there were, it was too many.
The chairmen held out a hand as he approached and Wayne swallowed hard, straining to keep his mouth in a smile. You’re a normal, everyday person. You can do this. He took the hand and shook it firmly, like he was supposed to. Keep it down. Don’t shock him.
And didn’t get it back.
“It’s good to have you here this evening.”
Wayne fought not to grit his teeth. “It’s good to be here.” Letgoletgoletgo-
At last his hand was released and he returned it to his side as quickly as possible without being rude. “Your research over the past few years has been nothing short of extraordinary. In recognition of your work, the Northwest Physics Conference would like to present you with-”
Wayne wasn’t listening, because the certificate was being held out to him. It looked particularly nice, with gold leaf around the border and everything.
It looked particularly fragile.
He reached out to take it gingerly, trying to touch as little skin to it as possible. Hold it back, keep it down.
Vaguely, he was aware that the chairman had stopped talking and that it was his turn say something. He turned to the microphone, setting the certificate down on top of the podium to get it out of his grasp. “I have to say, I’m incredibly honored to be receiving this-”
He had rehearsed this speech countless times, knowing he would need the majority of his concentration to just maintain a normal appearance. His mouth recited the words on autopilot as his mind concerned itself with keeping the nervous energy contained, barely paying attention to what he was saying. Sweat began trickling down the back of his neck. Keep it together. Almost done.
His eyes found Oscar in the crowd, standing next to a woman Wayne had never seen before. His younger brother was beaming at him. “And a good deal of credit has to go to my brother Oscar, of course, without whose help this project never would have made it nearly this far-”
The backs of his hands began to prickle and Wayne released the podium quickly, his heart pounding even as his mouth continued talking. No! Hold it in, for the love of God, it’s almost over.
“-and I hope that-” The microphone squealed with sudden feedback and he froze. The audience winced slightly, but the whine stopped as suddenly as it had started and no one looked particularly concerned. Panic rose in his chest and he hurried to finish speaking before something obvious happened. “And I hope that this research will continue well into the future. Again, thank you.”
There was applause but he barely registered it. Hold it in. He took the edge of the certificate delicately, struggling to keep the electricity inside even as the fake smile slipped on his face. The walk off the stage was the most difficult of his life, everything in him screaming at him to run.
Hold it in. Hold it in.
The instant he was out of view, he dove for his gloves, jamming them on as sparks sprang out across his knuckles. He shut his eyes tight and leaned heavily on the table.
Stop it. Stop it. It’s over.
He held as still as he could, shaking with the effort of keeping the electricity confined to his insulated fingers. It was over. He’d done it. Judging by the applause outside, no one had seen anything out of the ordinary.
The sound came through to him finally. Applause. Applause for him. That was new. A more genuine smile made it onto his face. He could get used to that.
He let out a deep breath as the surge of electricity died down and bent to retrieve the certificate from where it had fallen to the floor. The edges of the paper were just barely singed black. It was hardly noticeable. He’d have it framed and no one would ever have to see.
He’d done it. His weak laugh of relief echoed in the small space as he pulled his lab coat back on. It was over. He’d made it through like a relatively normal person and he never had to do it again. He tugged the gloves once again out of habit.
It was all downhill from here for the rest of the night.