Story:Strangers Passing
Strangers Passing
Written by RobbieSox and FizzyFuzz
It started as a simple brush of one broad shoulder to another as they passed in the hall between classes. Neither of them even looked at the other as they continued on their ways. And then it happened again. And again. And while Rex had started to mutter an apology, the stranger had done the same while turning his head to look at the towering bunny that was walking away from him. Although he’d yet to catch a proper look at his face, he found himself looking at the slight slump in the shoulders, the droop in the ears, and the heaviness in steps that should’ve been springy.
They didn’t share any classes, but they often passed each other in the hall. Sometimes barely brushing shoulders in the crowds, sometimes only the stallion seemed to notice. Until one day; it was just before the March break, the crowds in the hall were thicker than usual as everybody clambered to get back to their dorms. Some were heading home, some were heading on vacation, and others were staying on campus.
As he tried to make his way out of the building and back to the dorms, Rex found himself crashing into another larger figure in the hall and stumbled back with a sound of surprise. But before he’d gone only a couple steps back, a strong hand grabbed him by the wrist and caught him, letting him regain his balance.
“Careful.” A rich voice rumbled at him with a slight chuckle, making him blink in surprise as he finally turned his eyes to the guy he’d bumped into. Before him stood a rather tall stallion with a silvery coat, a rich black mane, soft hazel eyes, and a gentle smile. Rex shook himself from his moment of shock, pulling his wrist from the hand that gripped it as carefully as he could even as he averted his own greyish-brown eyes.
“Sorry. It’s pretty crowded in here.” Rex demurred, looking around at the other milling students; as though he wanted to look anywhere but at the stranger. The stallion cocked his head a little and looked the rabbit over briefly before that soft smile returned.
“Would you like to join me for a coffee? You look like you could use one.” Rex was surprised by the offer, forcing his gaze to snap back to the stranger for a moment before he looked away again. His first instinct was to politely decline, but he really could use a coffee, and the cafe would probably be quieter than the halls and dorms for the moment. Puffing out a sigh, the bunny ended up nodding.
“Yeah. Thanks.” He turned and started heading for the cafe, and the stallion followed close behind as they wove through the crowds as best as guys their size could. Rex waved and smiled at a few classmates that addressed him, but it was a silent trip other than that; they each ordered themselves a coffee at the quiet campus cafe and settled at a table together. Indeed, the cafe was peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle. Rex sipped from his sweetened black coffee as he sat, seeming a little unsure of what to do now. But after a moment he puffed out a small breath and glanced up at the stallion.
“Thanks for this…” He finally said, voice surprisingly small for such a large figure.
“My pleasure. I’m EJ, by the by.” The stallion said with a slight chuckle as he somewhat sprawled in his seat, sitting at a quarter turn with one arm draped over the back of his chair, looking quite relaxed.
“Rex.”
“Ah. I had wondered. I’ve definitely heard your name whispered around campus. The basketball star that’s helped put this school on the map, as it were.” EJ teased gently with a chuckle.
Rex merely shrugged a little and sipped his coffee. “I’m no star. The team wins the games. I don’t do it alone.”
This made EJ raise an eyebrow as he looked Rex over, his demurring voice throwing him off. From his prior experience, athletes at this level were usually cocky, proud, boastful, and practically demanding of praise. But this young man seemed almost to try and avoid it. How…curious.
“Humble.” The stallion adjusts his posture, almost leaning in.
Rex shrugs again, feeling a little self-conscious under the gaze. “I just don’t want people thinking it’s all me. I don’t care about the credit.”
There was a long pause as EJ took a careful look at him, the smile softening. “You’re the first athlete I’ve met who doesn’t seem to want the spotlight,” he said quietly. “Most guys would be soaking up the attention.
Rex swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn’t know why he felt so exposed right now, but the quiet understanding in EJ’s voice unsettled him.
“Most people just… don’t get it,” Rex said softly, almost to himself.
“Can you help me get it?” EJ asked in a gentle, encouraging tone. While he had hoped to convince Rex to open up a little bit – a tall ask, he knew – his attempt seemed to do the complete opposite as he could almost see the walls around Rex being burgeoned rather than eroded. Before the walls got too heavy, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, of course.”
It seemed to work. Rex’s shoulders relaxed back into their subtle slump and his ears back into their slight droop. To EJ, it looked as though the rabbit carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and carried it stoically alone.
Then he opens up.
He only says what he has to, and the stallion doesn’t push him to say anything more. He just listens, those eyes focused on Rex, and it soon became clear where the weight on the rabbit’s shoulders came from. EJ couldn’t find the words to express how sorry he felt for him, and he figured any words he might’ve had would’ve been rejected anyway. So, instead, he reached across the table and covered Rex’s hand with his own, feeling it flinch but actually fully pull away.
Rex heaved a sigh, a release of tension. EJ could see some of the weight leave the rabbit’s shoulders.
“Thanks EJ. I…appreciate the listening ear. Even if it’s from a stranger.” Rex chuckled a little, showing the first sign of lightness that the stallion had seen so far. EJ couldn’t help but smile back.
“Anytime, Rex. Anytime.”
Featured Characters
Rex Leblanc The wikipage input value is empty (e.g. <code>SomeProperty::, [[]]</code>) and therefore it cannot be used as a name or as part of a query condition. The wikipage input value is empty (e.g. <code>SomeProperty::, [[]]</code>) and therefore it cannot be used as a name or as part of a query condition. The wikipage input value is empty (e.g. <code>SomeProperty::, [[]]</code>) and therefore it cannot be used as a name or as part of a query condition. The wikipage input value is empty (e.g. <code>SomeProperty::, [[]]</code>) and therefore it cannot be used as a name or as part of a query condition.