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Hermann sat patiently in his booth, papers scattered about the table along with stationary and a steaming cup of tea. He’d already finished marking up the speech laid before him, grammatical errors highlighted in blue and embarrassing informalities in green, and unfortunately his tea still scalded his tongue, leaving him to sit there, back straight and cane rested across his lap, in a café he’d sworn off of ever visiting again over half a decade ago.
It wasn’t the café’s fault, not really. It was cosy and quaint, and quiet enough that he hadn’t been distracted as he worked, not to mention the fantastic service. It just so happened that the last time he’d visited, he had been arriving thirty minutes early to a not-quite-date with a certain pen pal of his, one which immediately soured the moment said pen pal stumbled through the entrance, having seemingly gotten dressed on the way there, and whom decided to be as obnoxious as possible.
At the time, Hermann had viewed Newt’s behaviour as not merely disrespectful, but as a sign that he didn’t care about him in the same way he did about Newt. Later, however, as the world was ending, he would find out by glimpsing into his mind that Newt had cared; immensely, in fact. So much so that he’d arrived five minutes late instead of his usual twenty, had traded in his typical faded graphic t-shirt for a button-up and his most tasteful tie, only for his nerves to get the better of him the moment he opened his mouth.
To his credit, Hermann knew that he hadn’t made the best impression on Newt, either. He’d tried, of course, but he was well aware that he could be cold and abrasive at the best of times, and that their first meeting had been anything but. While Newt had attempted to appear approachable while still putting effort into his look, Hermann had decided that he would wear the clothes he reserved for meetings with his most esteemed colleagues. In other words, the two’s opposing personalities could not have been more visually apparent.
The café itself, however, was not the cause of these problems. Hermann had just been looking for something to blame aside from himself for how poorly the meeting had gone within the first five seconds, and the café got caught in the crossfire. He never had the chance to visit it again, as the very next day was when he would board a plane for Alaska, and he would spend the next six years drifting about the Ring of Fire in an effort to prevent the end of the world. A small little café in Berlin that he hadn’t even had the chance to eat at before storming out was the least of his worries.
The meeting spot had been Newt’s idea originally, after he’d learned that Hermann would be in Berlin for a week before leaving Germany entirely, and so it shouldn’t have surprised him that, eight years after their first disastrous meeting, Newt would suggest they go there again during their lecturing tour around Europe. Just because it shouldn’t have, however, didn’t mean it hadn’t. Despite his preconceptions, Hermann had eventually caved in. He told himself it was so Newt would stop pestering him, but he had to admit that he was curious, especially since he knew there were plenty of other places in the area to visit. What could possibly be so special about this one?
Hermann tested his tea again. It was cool enough to drink now, but there was nothing particularly special about it. Just as he put his cup down, Newt came out of the bathroom and sat down opposite Hermann, features immediately scrunching up when he noticed the highlighter all over his speech. He picked it up and began muttering to himself as he leafed through the pages, sighing heavily each time his eyes glazed over the green bits, and Hermann let himself smile.
“It’s like you’ve never heard of jokes before,” Newt said just a little bit louder, but Hermann didn’t reply. He remembered a comment similar to that one having been said the last time they were there, but it had been far more mean-spirited. When Newt said it now, with the steam of his coffee fogging up his glasses as he took a sip, Hermann understood it to be lighthearted teasing.
Newt shuffled all the paper back together and used the stack to shove Hermann’s stationary aside just in time for their waiter to set their food down in front of them. The plates were small and dainty, akin to the ones Hermann’s Oma would use when serving desserts with little flowers painted around the edges. They both said thank you to the waiter before picking up their forks, although Hermann took a bit more time to dig into his food than Newt did, who spent no time at all shovelling forkfuls of Donauwelle into his mouth.
The Bienenstich didn’t look particularly extraordinary, but Newt had said that it, aside from the Donauwelle, was his favourite, and Hermann knew it to be true. He cut a piece out with the side of his fork and ate it, but he still couldn’t tell what made it stand out. He ate it anyway, because it wasn’t bad (it was, he had to admit, quite pleasant), although he did end up giving a bit to Newt when he asked in exchange for a bit of his Donauwelle, which Hermann enjoyed a bit less. He much preferred the almonds and custard to the cherries.
After finishing his food and coffee, Newt went up to the counter to pay, leaving Hermann still rather confused. He packed away his stationary and hauled himself out of the booth, only to realise Newt had left behind his speech, causing him to reach across the table to grab it.
“You’d think we’d at least get a discount everywhere in Berlin,” Newt said from behind him, and Hermann scoffed. “No, I’m serious! We have to be the most famous scientists from Germany except for, like, Einstein, but I’m paying thirty Euro just like I was back in 2017!”
“Well we didn’t have to come here,” Hermann said, turning around to hand Newt his papers and the stationery. “If I’m remembering correctly, and I am, I actually objected to it. I’m sure whatever they have at TU would have given us a discount.”
“Maybe, but we don’t have history with TU like we do with this place. It’s special, Hermann.”
“What, because it’s the place where our friendship fell apart?” For a second Hermann had thought he’d gone a bit too far. As they stood in the entryway of the café, Hermann began to think that maybe the place really was cursed to make him say stupid things, but when he looked down at Newt to see his reaction, he was still smiling.
“Yeah. And, okay, maybe it sucked to lose my best friend for a bit, but I don’t think I’d change it.” Newt held out his hand, and Hermann took it, allowing Newt to use the opportunity to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Besides, what would’ve happened if it had gone well? It’s not like we were gonna start dating, not with you flying out to Anchorage the next day.”
Hermann huffed. “It would’ve saved us a lot of grief.”
Newt shrugged, but he didn’t argue. He simply opened the door for them both, and they walked out hand-in-hand. Perhaps the café wasn’t special, but Hermann could live with that. It didn’t have to be. Not when he had Newton.