AN:
I wrote this one-shot for several reasons:
-I'm sick of the terrible fics in the HoA fandom at the moment.
-I wanted to write about what I think Fabian would really do to help Nina through Sarah's death.
-I wanted to see how I would do with a romance one-shot since I've never written one before.
-I wanted to organize what I'm feeling myself at this moment and thought this was a good outlet.
-And other reasons…
In addition: This takes place after the episode House of Yesterday/House of Victory.
Title: Day and Sunset
Characters: Nina, Fabian
Pairings/Friendships: Nina/Fabian (mainly friendship), one other minor one
Rating: K+
Summary: Takes place the day after Sarah dies; Victor excuses Fabian and Nina from school due to Nina's depression. Fabian spends the day helping Nina recover.
Length: 2,829 words
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship
Warning(s): Fluffy at some parts
Date of Publication: 13 February 2011
Date of Latest Edit(s): 5 March 2011
Disclaimer: House of Anubis, Het Huis Anubis, Das Haus Anubis and all related characters, plot, scenes, etc. are property of Nickelodeon (USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, etc.), a subsidiary of MTV Networks which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Viacom International. I am not making any profit or monetary acquisition off this work. This is purely for fun and another way to show how much I love this show.
Day and Sunset
"Victor!" Trudy exclaimed in shock and frustration. "The girl's distraught and depressed! You have to excuse her from school for one day!"
Victor looked uncomfortable and a bit angry but replied, "Fine! Nina can stay home today! But she's not allowed to leave the campus under any circumstances without your permission and only if one of her housemates accompanies her."
With that, Victor turned away and went back into his office.
Trudy was shocked, to say the least. She had never won an argument against Victor and never had he given her permission to clear students to leave campus. Shrugging off the strangeness, she went to the room that Nina shared with and Amber and entered softly.
"Nina," she whispered, "are you awake?"
Nina was lying on her bed staring blankly at the ceiling. "Yes," she replied blandly.
There were tear streaks on her cheeks and her eyes were red. Trudy doubted that she had gotten any sleep at all last night.
"Dear," Trudy said, "Victor's agreed to let you stay home from school today. You're free to wander anywhere on campus all day, but you may not leave without my permission or without going with someone from the house."
Nina gave Trudy a weak smile and said, "Thanks Trudy. I can only wonder how hard it was for you to convince Victor to that." She let out a small laugh and Trudy joined in.
The Housemother left the sad girl alone and went to see Victor once more.
When she got there, she found that the landlord had left with a note on his laptop.
Trudy,
I went out to run some errands in London. I will be out for a full week. Until then, you have total authority in the house. Watch after the kids and make sure that they follow all rules!
I expect to see the house in perfect condition when I return!
Also, I know you wanted to ask permission for Fabian to stay home as well. Yes, I do know about his and Nina's little "relationship" and I approve his excuse from school.
I have already talked to Eric and Daphne and informed them. Tell the two that Patricia will be given their work and notes for today.
That will be all. I shall see you in a week.
Victor Rodenmaar
Trudy smiled to herself before going to find Fabian. She found him just getting his things together for the day. He seemed extremely distraught, and to be honest, she could not blame him. Nina was always the one in the house that was able to make anyone laugh no matter the situation they found themselves in, and of course, Fabian was her closest friend and even the blindest of people, like Alfie, could see that he cared for Nina more than anyone else in the house.
"Fabian, dear," Trudy said when she entered, "Victor's excused you from school today. I think he wants you to work on cheering up Nina, she's going to be home as well." With a small smile in his direction, Trudy left and went to get breakfast ready for the others in the kitchen.
Fabian looked shocked but quickly recovered and practically ran up to Nina and Amber's room. As soon as he entered, he was moved to grief by Nina's appearance.
She was more than just grieved. There were tear streaks on her cheeks, her clothes were distraught (probably from constantly tossing and turning in the night), her hair was a mess (still as radiant as ever, though), her eyes were scarlet red, and she was clutching her teddy bear close to her heart as though it were her lifeline.
She didn't even acknowledge his presence, but he went and sat on her bed, all the while watching her in sadness.
Nina was never like this. She was always the driving force, the brave general, the powerful soldier in all situations. Seeing her on her bed broken and beat like this made his heart bleed.
"Nina," he whispered, "you have to get up and eat. You can't just leave the world! Sarah wouldn't have wanted that! She would have wanted you to live life to the fullest…"
Nina didn't answer, nor did she look at him. She kept staring at the wall across from her. "I can't Fabian," she said in a whisper, finally, "she was like a surrogate grandmother to me. I went to her for help when I couldn't talk to Gran…"
Nina's eyes started to tear up again and Fabian took her left hand in his right and squeezed it in reassurance. There was little he could do but be there for her. He knew that this was going to be hard on her; no more than hard, she herself was going to be dying on the inside because of Sarah's passing.
"I know it's tough Nina," he whispered back, "but you have to eat! You're going to hurt yourself if you keep this up! You have to keep yourself nourished!"
Nina gave Fabian a sad look but got up from bed and went with him downstairs where the rest of the house was already seated at the dining table. There was a somber silence as the pair entered and everyone had their eyes glued on the pair.
Nina and Fabian took their usual seats at the table, and with a glare from Fabian, their housemates returned to their food.
Trudy entered and ushered them to school. As soon as they were gone, she told Nina and Fabian, "Victor's going to be out for a week. You two are to stay on campus for the entire day unless you get my permission to leave."
With that, she left the dining area for her room to take a nap.
Fabian finished eating and coaxed Nina into eating half of her omelet and bacon. He gave up after she refused to eat more than half and the two cleaned the table in comfortable silence.
Once they were done, Nina excused herself to go shower and Fabian went to change out of his school uniform; no need to make the day any worse with the uncomfortable clothing. He grabbed his copy of The Solar System in 1,000 Pages and went to wait for Nina in the living room.
Nina came out a little while later in a simple T-Shirt and sweatpants. She had Egyptian Mythology: Myth or Fact? with her and sat next to Fabian on the love seat.
The two passed the next hour in comfortable silence reading; however, Fabian could tell that Nina was still distraught and on the verge of sobbing. Hesitantly, he put his hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Nina gratefully moved in and rested her head on his shoulder.
Fabian's heart was beating a million times a minute but he ignored it; right now, Nina needed him for moral support to get through her grief.
Nina put her book down and closed her eyes. Fabian glanced at her on his right shoulder and set his own book down. Even though she was beyond distraught and had no make-up on, he could not help but notice how beautiful she was. Catching himself from getting carried away, he watched as she fell asleep on his shoulder.
He let her stay asleep for about half an hour like that but decided to wake her up and take her to her room so that she could get a better sleep than she was probably having on his shoulder.
"Nina," he shook her slightly, "please get up."
Nina stirred and mumbled.
"Nina, come on, let's go to your room. You'll be able to sleep better there."
Nina slowly opened her eyes and looked into Fabian's. Quickly, she got up, gathered her things, and went upstairs to her room. Fabian followed her to the door and left her after she tucked herself in.
Fabian went downstairs to his own room and grabbed his guitar; it had been several days since he had practiced. Strumming some chords, he was barely paying attention to what he was playing. Instead, his mind was focused on how he could help Nina recover from this life-changing experience. After an hour of practicing, he opened his laptop and decided to do more research on Egyptian Mythology for his and Nina's history project for Mr. Winkler's history class.
Wanting to watch some TV, he took his laptop and went back into the living room where he turned on the television to Nickelodeon. iCarly was on but he was not in the mood for comedy, so he turned it to TNT where The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was playing. The movie had just started. Abandoning his laptop and research, he concentrated solely on the movie. No matter how many times he watched it, he could never get over how amazing this movie was.
As it ended, Trudy got up and went into the kitchen to make lunch.
"Fabian, dear," Trudy called from the kitchen, "could you go and wake Nina, please? She needs to eat something."
Fabian muted the television and went upstairs to Nina's room to find her already awake and sitting up on her bed. She had another book on Egyptian Mythology on her lap and she seemed to be intently reading it.
"Nina," Fabian called as he entered, "Trudy's calling us for lunch."
Glancing at the clock (It read 13:00), she got up and followed Fabian downstairs.
Nina ate a little more during lunch than she had during breakfast, but it still wasn't enough for Trudy or Fabian's satisfaction. The two let it go, though. At least she seemed to be getting better.
Again, Nina and Fabian cleaned up as Trudy got the dishwasher ready.
Once the chores were done (It was 3:00 by this time), the two teens went back into the living room to continue their research.
Fabian opened up his laptop after they sat back down on the love seat and goggled 'Eye of Horus'.
He got numerous links but most of them were irrelevant to both the project and the mystery.
The two continued researching for another hour and abandoned it as their housemates returned from school.
The six went to their rooms to change and shower, except Patricia. Patricia came to where Nina and Fabian were sitting and set the work that was given to her on the coffee table. Fabian groaned at the pile and both he and Nina were silently thankful that the weekend was starting tomorrow.
As Patricia went upstairs to shower, Fabian and Nina helped Trudy get dinner ready. It was Friday and Trudy planned a feast for the house.
Within an hour, the rest of house came to help Trudy as well and all thoughts of homework were left to be dealt with later.
There was little talk in the kitchen but Nina rarely left Fabian's side, and more than once, Fabian hugged her close to himself. No one commented, knowing that this was what both of them needed right now.
After the cooking was finished, Mick, Alfie, and Jerome went to set the silverware, and Amber, Mara, and Patricia stayed in the kitchen to help Trudy take everything out and set it on the table.
Nina and Fabian went to change while the others got the table ready.
Once they returned, they took their familiar seats along with everyone else that was already seated. Jerome carved the roast chicken and distributed it to everyone. There was a silence in the room, but it was not uncomfortable, just…accepting, and sad.
The group began eating and eventually conversation began again, however somber it was. Even Nina and Fabian were able to smile at some points, but mostly, the two kept quiet and to themselves. Their chairs were closer together than they usually were, but no one mentioned it. Perhaps this would act as a catalyst anyway.
After eating, the group excused themselves to get ready for bed. Trudy had lifted curfew since Victor was out and it was the weekend so they enjoyed the extra time they had for themselves.
Nina was the first one in and out of the shower. She met Fabian back in the living room. He was reading a book but looked up once she entered.
Giving her a smile (Again, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, even when she was just wearing simple clothing and no make-up), he met her halfway.
"Nina," he said, "would you like to take a stroll around the campus with me? I know a place near the woods where the view of the sunset is positively beautiful at this time."
Nina returned his smile and replied, "I'd love to, Fabian."
Fabian's smile widened even further and he proffered his hand with a slight blush. Nina's cheeks were a bit tinted as well, but she took his hand and Fabian led her outside and around the campus, keeping her close to him as though he were afraid that he would lose her completely if he were to let go.
Just as the sun began to approach the horizon, Fabian led Nina to a bench almost on the edge of the campus.
They sat there together with Fabian's arm around Nina's waist and her head resting slightly on his shoulder. As the glowing orb approached the horizon, red and gold rays spread out from it in full majesty.
The sight was extremely breathtaking as dusk began to fall, and the sun led the world in saying good-bye to another day.
The rays spread out over the entire campus and cast a soft, golden glow that made an amazingly magnificent sight. As the sun set over the canopy of the forest, the tree's tops reflected the golden aura spread over the world.
Nina couldn't help thinking, Fabian was right. Sarah wouldn't have wanted me to live in grief for the rest of my life. She'd want me to move on and enjoy the joys that life has.
The sunset reminded Nina that death was a part of life and that while you would never forget, there were little things in life that made in better—like this absolutely majestic sunset that Fabian introduced her to.
She let a genuine smile settle on her face for the first time since Trudy had given her the news and lifted her head to look at Fabian.
Fabian turned his own head away from the forest and met Nina's eyes. He noticed he smile on her face and saw that it was truly genuine, one of the first that she had in a long time and returned it with a grin of his own. The two turned back towards the sunset and enjoyed the last few minutes of it.
"You feeling better?" Fabian asked Nina in a whisper.
Nina turned once more and met his gaze with a smile. "Yeah, much better. Thanks Fabian, for today."
"No problem," he smiled back, mentally noting how beautiful she was when she smiled, especially in this perfect setting.
"Come on," he said after a little longer, "we should get back, or Trudy will start to worry."
"Yeah," Nina replied.
After walking in the direction of Anubis House for a few minutes, Fabian suddenly stopped. Nina turned around in confusion but Fabian had a smile on his face and was humming a tune that Nina recognized.
Fabian started singing, and Nina was taken aback by his beautiful voice:
It's time to move out of the darkness
Use what you feel inside
Your faith alone will guide you
Feel the turning tide
It's in your heart, it's in your soul
Don't be scared, keep believing
I know you know, deep inside
That your time has come
Once in every lifetime
If you do believe
Man can move a mountain
Change the course of history
How far we've come
So far from home
Trust in your path, you've been chosen
Become your destiny
Lead and we* will follow you
Your truth will set you free
It's in your heart, it's in your soul
Don't be scared, keep believing
I know you know, deep inside
That your time has come
Once in every lifetime
If you do believe
Man can move a mountain
Change the course of history
How far we've come
So far from home
Once in every lifetime
If you do believe
Man can move a mountain
Change the course of history
How far we've come
So far from home
Once in every lifetime
If you do believe
Man can move a mountain
Change the course of history
How far we've come
So far from home
Nina blushed as he finished but smiled and hugged him. The guy would do absolutely anything to make her happy, and she was glad to have someone like him in her life.
After they let go, the two turned towards the path again, and went back to their house.
Disclaimer (Part II): House of Anubis, Het Huis Anubis, Das Haus Anubis and all related characters, plot, scenes, etc. are property of Nickelodeon (USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, etc.), a subsidiary of MTV Networks which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Viacom International. This is purely for fun and another way to show how much I love this show. iCarly is property of Nickelodeon (USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, etc.), a subsidiary of MTV Networks which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The song "Once In Every Lifetime" was sung by Jem and released by RCA; I do not own it. The Lord of the Rings is property of the J.R.R. Tolkien estate and New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., etc. Anything else that seems to be famous and/or well known is not mine. I am not making any profit or monetary acquisition off this work.
That's it! Please leave a review of whether or not you liked it as well as what you thought of it! :) I really hope that I did the characters justice.
As of right now, this will only be a one-shot.
Oh, the song that Fabian sang was "Once In Every Lifetime" by Jem and it was the theme song for the movie Eragon.
I thought that the lyrics fit, for the most part.
*I changed the lyrics slightly to fit the situation.