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Stepping down the hallway, quickly rounding the corridor- you made quick work of the longer walk by simply walking faster. It was April the first, April fools’ day. While you didn’t particularly enjoy April fools’ day, you had to admit that it could be pretty funny watching other people suffer or get pranked on.
Usually, you wouldn’t attend to such a day. It just really wasn’t your thing now that you had been on your own for some time. You especially didn’t expect to be working on that day either- schools were still closed despite spring break ending just that week, some working places shut too.
But this was Membrane Labs, you and everyone else working there knew that this place never slept. You didn’t even have to go home for a Christmas break if you didn’t want to, which was sweet sometimes, since you got the extra money and favored it.
It was still pretty early in the afternoon and you had just gotten off of your lunch break. Since you still had some left over money from your hard work during Christmas, you had decided to spend your lunch break going out and grabbing something to-go. It wasn’t the best, but it would work. While you were there, studying each item, you remembered something from your last chat with Professor Membrane.
He was more interested in eating salads as of last week. He discussed with you of his interest in this fast food place he had visited recently that, despite being fast food, had an excellent choice of salads that were surprisingly healthier than he had expected. The Professor bosted about how he had studied one of each piece of vegetable in his salad, and concluded that there weren’t as many pesticides as he had expected there to be. Which made him enjoy the salad more.
You had to admit, the side-salad that you had gotten, despite its portion being smaller, was still pretty good. But before you left- you back tracked to the counter- and ordered a to-go salad. Now, it was in your lunch bag- as well as an extra to-go box. Why? You had a trick up your sleeve for that day. Maybe it was just you wanting to play along with the idea of April fools, or maybe it was just on your impulse, but you wanted to at least give the Professor a chuckle. You knew him for his quip-dad jokes, and his science puns, so you assumed he had a lighter sense of humor.
You finally made it to the Professor’s office, and, despite being slightly nervous, you knew you had to go in there and follow through with your plan. ‘What if he’s already eaten lunch?’ You thought about the idea as you stood in front of the door to his office, hesitating. You shrugged your shoulders, because you knew he hadn’t eaten yet. Membrane was notorious for neglecting himself despite advocating for others’ health. That was just how Professor Membrane was.
You knocked on the door, hearing a loud ‘come in’ signal your entry. Shutting the door behind you quietly, you pushed your bag in front of you as you dug through it, quickly pulling out the empty box first.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
You spoke, Keeping your bag open as you got closer to his desk. Professor Membrane sat in a chair- hunched over his desk at some papers and blueprints. He looked just as focused as ever, brows knit, sweat on his forehead from the sudden increase in temperature from the weather. His serious scowl seemed to disappear as you got closer, causing him to look up, and lean back a bit to get a better look at you.
“I didn’t expect you to be here. Is.. that for me?”
His voice was still loud, but had a softer tone to it. His question was played in part with a tweak to his brows, one arching to signify his question. He even lifted a hand from his desk to point. You piped up, holding up the empty box to him.
“It is! I remembered you talked about that to-go place with the food salads. While eating from there I thought- maybe you’d like a salad from there.”
Membrane’s face seemed to flush slightly, something that made him slightly embarrassed. You didn’t seem to notice, which made the Professor let out a deep breath. To keep you waiting no longer, he quickly took the box and a wrapped plastic fork from you, marveling at its tininess. He set the box down before reaching into his pocket, fishing out his own build-it-up fork, the holographic one he ate with all the time.
“I- hm- I appreciate you doing that for me,”
Membrane started, as he began to put the fork together. You felt the anticipation in your heart speed up, as you tried to keep your smile down. You nodded with him, almost flattered that he was flattered with something as simple as getting him a salad.
“If anything,”
He continued, and you assumed he.. looked up at you again? It was hard to tell because of his goggles.
“- You should’ve notified me that you were getting me lunch. I would’ve given you the money to pay for it myself…”
His voice stopped as he finally opened the box, and noticed it was empty. ‘That explains why it was so lightweight,’ He thought to himself as he began to look up at you again, brows narrowed as his shoulders moved slightly. He was chuckling, though it was very subtle compared to your own laughter.
“April fools!”
You called, laughing at his face as you let his silence sink in. Soon enough, the laughter died down and Professor Membrane shook his head, trying to speak again.
“I honestly forgot that today was April fools.”
He replied, voice cracking as he put a hand to the bridge of his nose, pinching it as he sunk back into his chair. You took the time to grab the empty box from his desk, and replaced it with the actual box that held the salad.
“Don’t stress it, Professor. And don’t worry, I did actually get you a salad. I know it’s not that much, really, but I want to make sure you eat something today. You can’t neglect your health like that.”
Membrane nodded, opening the box to look at the full salad as he sighed. No one had scolded Membrane like you had, and he admired you for it. He accepted the defeat, and instead of fighting back, opted for a simpler route.
“Thank you. Really. If you weren’t here I’d probably still be hunched over these blueprints. I’ll keep up, I promise.”
His voice has turned softer, more sincere. You didn’t quite understand why, but you loved hearing that side of him. Ignoring the butterflies in your stomach, you nodded quickly, checking a nearby clock on the wall.
“It’s no problem, Professor. I’ve got to get back to work though. Lab partners need me and all,”
You stated quickly. You felt a frown creep up on your face, but you quickly ignored it. Leaving the Professor so soon made you feel a bit more upset than you thought it would. You waved the Professor goodbye, exiting his office quickly to make it back to your assigned lab.
Little did you know, the Professor was also upset to see you leave so soon. But he couldn’t let you know that, not yet at least. He stared down at his salad, hand playing with the lid of the box as he traced an edge with his thumb. He was going to be thinking about you a lot more tonight, that was for sure.