Chapter Text
A beam of light shot through the curtains of a window, landing on a young man sleeping within his bed. He began to stir, pulling the covers up a little bit higher to combat the chilly October air. Soon, “Imperial March” began blaring at top volume. A hand emerged from the cocoon of blankets to stop the alarm. The hand retreated back into the blankets, phone in tow. The next half hour was filled with tweets, reblogs, and liked statues until a loud banging came from the door.
“Newt Geiszler! You better be ready for school in the next ten minutes!” came a shrill voice from outside his bedroom door.
“Yeah, yeah! I’ll be right out, Mom!” he replied as he rolled out of bed and grabbed his glasses off the bedside table. He picked at the bandage on his right arm protecting his newly tattooed skin. Just a little longer and he could reveal the Godzilla themed sleeve he’d designed. Newt then fished around his room for a clean shirt, picking up a few and smelling them. He shrugged and grabbed the least offensive smelling item and pulled it over his head. He sighed as he grabbed his school supplies, which basically consisted of a few pens and a notebook full of half-assed school notes covered in tattoo designs and drawings of reptiles.
He slowly made his way to the front door, mumbling a goodbye to his mother, before leaving the house. Going to school was the last thing he wanted to do today, well, everyday, but he forced his legs to move anyway. “Why do I feel like today is going to suck?” he muttered to himself.
----
The warning bell for first period echoed throughout the halls and Newt closed his locker and began walking towards his English class. He got through the door right as the final bell rang and he was forced to take a seat in the front row of the class, which he took begrudgingly. The teacher jumped right into his lecture on the symbolism in The Great Gatsby, whichthey’d just read, and Newt zoned out within seconds. He began doodling different little reptiles all over his notes, not hearing a word the teacher had to say.
At one point he glanced over at a small group of people beside him who whispered excitedly to each other. He sometimes wished he had a group of friends to talk to in all his classes, but at the same time, he realized that not many people wanted to talk about the strange evolution of the teeth of the tuatara or the grossly toxic saliva of a komodo dragon. He had a few friends, a rather lively bunch of people, that he cared for, but their schedules were pretty different from his. And as far as relationships went? Well, most of them had just been a pain and helped in releasing some sexual frustration more than anything else.
Yeah, having a few more awesome friends and a working relationship sounded pretty good at that moment.
The teacher asked a question, which Newt completely missed thanks to his unexpected moment of self-analysis. However, a quiet voice picked up from the back, and Newt turned to look behind him. Even though he’d missed the question, the answer the boy delivered was eloquent and observant. He stared for a little bit longer, trying to remember the kid’s name. Humphrey? Hubert? Henry? He wasn’t even sure he’d heard the boy talk before now.
“Yes, Hermann! That’s a wonderful observation,” the teacher announced. Hermann, oh yeah. Where the hell did he get Humphrey?
His gaze lingered a little while longer on Hermann. He absent-mindedly observed his features; a gaunt face, a haircut that greatly mimicked the fashion sense of the 40s, russet brown eyes, and slender fingers that gripped a pen and were furiously taking notes. As for his fashion sense, his clothes were pretty darn nerdy, especially the cardigan, but then he had an odd yet charming scarf wrapped loosely around his pale neck. Sure, Hermann wasn’t the most attractive guy he’d seen, but that didn’t stop Newt’s mind from having a brief fantasy of kissing the guy senseless.
The bell for the end of class rang, jolting him from his fantasies. He wasn’t sure how he had just wasted fifteen minutes daydreaming about Hermann, but that was a sure sign he needed to get laid, and soon. He gathered his meager belongings and followed his few friends out of the classroom, glancing back to see Hermann bending over to pick up his backpack. He whipped his head back forward and proceeded out the classroom and on to his next class.
----
As soon as the bell for lunch rang, the students poured out of their classrooms, eager to get away from the school books and talk with their friends again. Newt followed a few of his friends to the lunchroom but got lost in the sea of people lining up to buy the awful things the school called food. He barely made an attempt to get back with them, scouting the area for a few seconds before getting bored and leaving the cafeteria. He pulled a sandwich out from his backpack and wandered off in search of somewhere more peaceful to wait out the lunch period.
Without knowing why, his feet had led him to the library. Food wasn’t allowed but he brought his sandwich in anyway. Before he even sat down, he spotted a familiar form hunched over a book at one of the distant tables. He frowned upon realizing that Hermann probably always ate alone. However, it wasn’t like it was his duty to provide the boy with some company so he remained at his seat, glancing over every now and then.
He was eating peacefully for a while until Hermann shifted, giving him a glance of the title of the book. He nearly choked on a bite of his sandwich when he read the words, “Statistical Molecular Thermodynamics.” That was not a high school level textbook. Suddenly he felt more inclined to walk over and introduce himself, but the bell quickly ruined that opportunity. With a frown, he picked up the remains of his lunch and left the library to head for his final period.
----
Although Newt enjoyed art class, he was extremely glad for the day to be over. He dragged himself out the front gates of the school and began his walk home when he realized he forgot his sketchbook in his locker. There were some designs in there he really wanted to expand on so leaving it in the locker overnight was not an option. With a defeated sigh, he turned on his heel and headed back inside.
He got to his locker and grabbed his sketchbook, making sure that he wasn’t forgetting anything else, before turning around to leave. It was a short walk outside this time with most of the school having cleared out. He stopped when he reached the sidewalk, noticing a small silhouette in the shade of the building. He recognized the odd scarf and identified the worried looking boy to be Hermann.
Newt hesitated shortly, then started walking in the direction of his house, but he barely took a few steps before he stopped in his tracks. If he hadn’t been ogling the boy for half of his English period that day, he probably would have just kept walking by without even noticing him. With an aggravated groan, he turned on his heel and headed back to Hermann.
“Hey...Hermann, right?” Newt asked. The other boy turned to Newt with wide-eyes and looked him up and down. After a moment, he gave a gentle nod and looked back at his feet.
“Is something wrong?” Newt asked, taking a smaller step forward.
“N-no. I just missed the bus,” Hermann said quietly, “and I don’t know how I’m going to get home.”
“That sucks,” Newt responded. And he was just going to leave it at that, but Hermann looked despondent and scared, and Newt would have felt like shit just leaving him alone. “Er, if you don’t have any other way home, maybe you can just come over to my house and one of my parents can bring you back to your place. I mean, they aren’t home right now but my mom is supposed to be back from work soon.”
Hermann raised his eyes at the unexpected kindness. “Really?” He asked with a slight quiver in his voice. “Th-that would be kind of you, Newton.”
“You can call me Newt,” Newt said with a smile. His eyes didn’t miss the blush that took over Hermann’s cheeks, and something about it made Newt’s breath hitch. “And just in case it helps you to remember...” he reached a hand up to his ear and tapped behind it, pointing to the small orange newt he had tattooed there.
Embarrassed, Hermann nearly retreated into his scarf and stammered, “Y-yes, thank you, Newt.”
Newt started to walk ahead, motioning for Hermann to follow him. “Here, I live this way.”
The walk was short, but Hermann was too shy to fill it with conversation, and Newt was distracted trying to get the images of Hermann blushing out of his head. Things got a bit less awkward when they finally reached Newt’s house. As he’d predicted, they would be alone for a while. Which actually didn’t help the situation much, but he decided to be a good host and at least try to make his guest comfortable.
“Want something to drink?” he asked as he dug through the fridge.
“I’d like some water, please,” Hermann responded politely. Newt wasn’t sure if the guy always talked so formally but he certainly didn’t mind it.
Newt pulled out a water bottle and a coke from the fridge. “Here, catch,” he announced as he threw the bottle. Hermann looked up in time to see the bottle coming for him but he fumbled and the bottle fell to the floor. Newt flinched and said quickly, “Ah, sorry.”
Hermann blushed yet again and nuzzled his nose down into his scarf. “My depth perception is...lacking.” He heard a chuckle leave Newt and he prepared himself for an insult, but one never came.
“Me too, buddy. Me too. That’s why I don’t do sports.” Newt gave him a sincere smile and flopped down on the couch. He patted the seat next to him as an invitation.
Hermann took the seat but he allowed as much distance as possible between the two of them. He quietly sipped his water, looking at the decorations placed around the living room. Among the trinkets and flower vases, he spotted family photos. Newt had both of his parents in all of them, and together they all looked so happy. Even in the more recent photos where Newt looked to be in high school, he was standing with his parents and grinning widely. So different from his own, broken family.
Hermann fought away the lump that formed in this throat.
Newt noticed the heavy silence that formed in the room and tried to break it. He inched a bit closer to Hermann and turned his body to face him. “So, uh, I noticed you were reading a book earlier.” No, duh, Newt.
“Oh, yes. I picked it up recently.” Then Hermann went back to drinking his water.
Not much of a talker, Newt noticed. “Physics is great, but I’ve always enjoyed biology more.”
“Yes, biology is also interesting, though I admit I haven’t read many books on the subject,” Hermann added. He felt incredibly awkward. They both did. He recognized Newt’s earnest efforts to make some conversation so he tried to think of something to ask. “Is that newt your only tattoo?”
Newt beamed at the question. “Oh man, not even. I have plenty more. Designed ‘em all myself, too. Wanna see?”
“Er, sure?” Hermann was worried where these other tattoos might be.
That was enough of a ‘yes’ for Newt.
He began by showing off the tattoo on his right arm. It was time to remove the bandages and he was eager to see the end result. “This one here,” he said as he unfolded the bandages and put them off to the side, “is my new baby. It’s kind of an exaggerated design, but I think that helps it stand out from my other tattoos.”
“It’s... Godzilla?” Hermann asked with uncertainty. Newt nodded his head and grinned widely.
Hermann wasn’t too sure what would prompt him to get the monster tattooed on his skin, but the reason didn’t matter. The tattoo was beautiful and it obviously took some great skill to design. The linework was varied, energetic, and the detail in the scales and destroyed buildings was staggering. “That’s incredible,” Hermann practically whispered in awe. “It’s even more astonishing that you designed it all.”
Hermann now had three things going for him: he was smart, cute in a dorky way, and he liked Newt’s tattoos. Newt wasn’t sure how he hadn’t noticed this guy before, but he realized with trepidation that he was quickly becoming fond of him.
Newt chuckled, “Wow, thanks! I’m glad you like ‘em. I just love those old kaiju movies, y’know? I’ve got another one you might like...” He grabbed at the hem of his shirt and slowly lifted it up from his body. He arched his back and pushed his shoulder out, emphasizing the inked skin. “This one here’s a bush viper. It took a while to design, even longer to get it on me.” He had pulled his shirt completely off now, showing the turquoise and yellow snake that wrapped around his left pec and shoulder.
Hermann scanned his eyes over the tattoo, admiring everything about it. He knew he’d never get a tattoo himself, but he appreciated the passion Newt had in his work. His eyes didn’t stay long on the tattoo, though. After all, Newt had just bared his entire chest to him. He gawked at Newt’s shirtlessness, a very visible blush appearing on his face.
The gawking didn’t go unnoticed. Newt smirked and tried scooting closer to Hermann right when he heard the front door open. They both jumped and Newt quickly squirmed back into his shirt. “Mom! You’re home early!” he exclaimed with forced sincerity, scratching nervously at the back of his head. Hermann still stared large-eyed at Newt’s now-clothed chest and didn’t look away until Newt’s mom spoke up.
“Yeah, it wasn’t a very busy day-- oh, who’s this?” she asked.
Hermann stood up and introduced himself, “Hello, Mrs. Geiszler. I'm Hermann Gottlieb.”
Newt chimed in, “Yeah, he missed the bus and I was wondering if you could give him a ride?”
“Of course! I’d be happy to. Where do you live, Hermann?”
“I live at 832 Woodford Avenue.” Hermann responded. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Geiszler.”
Hermann bent over to grab his things so he could be taken home. After gathering his belongings he turned and gave a shy smile to Newt, “Thank you so much for having me over, Newt.”
Newt gave him a sincere smile and a small wave. “Anytime.” Hermann turned to leave and followed Newt’s mom outside and into the car.
Once they had driven away, Newt smacked himself on the forehead and slid back onto the couch and mumbled, “Smoooooth.” He hoped that Hermann wanted to see him more, and that the awkwardness that ensued between them today didn't scare him off for good.