Chapter Text
Once again, the phone was placed back into its cradle, an annoyed look thrown towards the young concierge. It was policy; if the man was going to be this late for check in, his room was to be given away to the waiting list of customers hoping to have a bed for the night. Besides, Hermann had better things to do this evening than stand around at the front desk waiting for one late guest. Everyone else had come in hours ago. Checking his wrist-watch again, he exhaled a loud “harrumph!” before starting to pace again.
“Chill dude, he told us he’d be an hour late at least. I don’t see what the big deal is.” Swiping another room key through the machine, Tendo shrugged. “Besides, you don’t have to be hovering every second, I can do it for you if it’s that big of an issue.”
Tucking the keys into a pamphlet along with the wifi code, his coworker leaned forwards onto the desk and squinted out the window. Last they’d heard, it’d been clear skies for the next week. “Really coming down, huh? Bet this isn’t helping him, he’ll get here Hermann, just hold your horses.”
Huffing, Hermann resigned himself to shuffling various papers around the desk and making everything look slightly more presentable, carrying off a couple of Tendo’s coffee cups back to the kitchen, and glancing at the very long waiting list they had for tonight.
Even at 10 pm, he knew that if he called even someone near the bottom of the list, they’d be here in a heartbeat. You had to love concerts going on at a convenient venue five minutes away. Hermann shuddered at the thought of ushering in drunks and making sure they actually made it to their rooms and not passed out in one of the elevators.
As long as no one made a mess before housekeeping arrived in the morning, he’d survive.
Just as Tendo finally allowed Hermann’s cursor to hang over the cancel booking button at a whopping seven hours late, a thoroughly wet mess shot through the revolving door, puddles forming as he trudged through the lobby, his suitcase leaving a trail of mud behind him.
“I’m here, I’m here!” The man gasped, voice barely below a shriek. “Late flight…lady stole my cab…samples….” Pausing, he slouched forward, hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. “Newt, Newt Geiszler, confirmation number-“
Hermann silenced him with a finger, clicking instead to check him in instead of cancelling his room. “Yes, we know who you are, Dr. Geiszler, glad you could make it. Up the elevator to floor four and down the hallway to the very end. I assumed you wanted a quiet room as you’re here for…” Looking him up and down, the man hardly looked like a business man, with his shirt untucked like that, utterly drenched and his obnoxiously skinny tie slung low below his neck, he might as well of just graduated from college, not have several biology related degrees. Wrinkling his nose, Hermann finished his thought. “A business conference. Breakfast is from six to ten, soup and snacks served in the evenings after five.”
Sliding out of the back with a fresh mug of coffee, Tendo chimed in, “and coffee is served twenty four seven. Just put on a fresh pot.” He winked, gesturing to his own with a flourish.
Giving a bright smile, Newt nodded. “So I’m good? Home safe? Awesome, ok.” Giving a tired thumbs up, he adjusted his hold on his bag and headed for the elevator.
Just as Hermann thought he could finally begin his closing tasks, the wretched man turned around again. “By the way, It’s Newt, only my mom calls me doctor.” He added with a slight grimace, waving at the men before tapping the up arrow and stepping in.
Grinning, Tendo spun in his chair. “I like him.” Setting his coffee down before he spilled it all over himself, he began on his paperwork with a grin.
Shooting Tendo an exasperated look, Hermann headed off to his desk to start on his own as well.