Work Text:
Hermann and Newton were observing Trespasser's skull. The room of the museum in which it was exposed was empty except for them.
Hermann was looking at it with a mixture of awe and contempt, while Newton was just jumping up and down around the glass case, absorbing her view from every angle, craning his neck, lifting up his glasses and rambling wildly about how despite her lack of classification, Trespasser was definitely a category 1 to him. It had been years since he hadn't seen her.
"It's so weird how people mix up her name! Some call her Trespasser, some call her Axe-Head. I mean it's obvious that Axe-Head is a nickname, I don't get how people can not see that."
He gestured the shape of the Kaiju's skull above his own head with his hands.
Hermann sighed softly. He had heard this all before. They had known each for a ridiculous amount of time through their correspondence but had only been working together for two years.
If he was to be perfectly honest with himself, Hermann had only started to vaguely appreciate his co-worker a few months ago. Not exactly a year. It was all a bit vague. But it all tumbled downhill from the moment he realised he didn't hate him.
From that realisation came the realisation a couple weeks later that his voice wasn't that annoying. That his persistence was maybe passion. That his glasses weren't stupid, but suited him. Like the way he dressed.
Then came the realisation some months after that, that he didn't like it too much when Newton was talking to attractive people. Or that the "peace and quiet" he craved for in the lab wasn't that necessary, when Newton had been sent on a mission while he was stuck in their Shatterdome. He realised talking to him was not only something he had gotten used to, but something he wanted. Ironic, since he had ignored him for three whole weeks after their first meeting, ranting that this couldn't possibly be happening to him.
But now, they were on official duty in New York for a conference on their work and Hermann had only thought it logical they enjoyed their stay outside of their obligations.
The American Museum of Natural History had been a recurring topic of conversation ever since Newton visited it ages ago, before they met in the flesh. He had written pages about it to him, about how brilliant it would be to stand before Trespasser with Hermann.
Hermann felt his stomach turn a little when he thought about that.
He really wanted to make things right between them. He wanted to show Newton that despite his short temper and antics, he cared about him, without having to tell him. Words and romanticism weren't his thing. So bringing Newton here in reminiscence of what they had shared years ago was as sentimental and romantic as he would get.
The mathematician realised Newton had come back to stand beside him and was just contemplating the kaiju's skull with admiration. He hadn't been expecting Newton to loudly and awkwardly squeak out:
"This is - is this - we're on a date, right?"
His voice was high-pitched and the resolution with which he stared at the huge skull gave his nervousness away immediately.
Hermann breathed slowly - in through the nose, out through the mouth - two times before straightening his back, taking off his glasses and turning towards Newton with a smug little smile on his lips.
"Really Newton, I don't know what could have possibly given me away. Was it the fact that I surprised you with this visit on our day off? Or the fact that I did it because you told me once you wanted to come here with me?"
Newton finally turned to look at him, his eyes glinting behind his glasses.
"Oh I don't know. Maybe all of that yes. Or maybe it's because your pupils are slightly more dilated than usual when you look at me, or maybe because you've been standing much closer to me than is really necessary during our visit."
He marked a pause and shuffled closer to Hermann. He looked eager and his right leg started shaking restlessly.
"Or maybe it's the fact that I really, really wanna kiss you right now."
His colleague stared at him with a straight face for a moment, expression blank, then turning away towards the exit of the room and starting to walk away from the glass case, replied:
"Yes, this is a date."
Newton followed him, hands in his pockets and a satisfied grin on his face.
They continued their visit in a relative silence until they came to a room in which a movie about the first kaiju attacks was being shown. It was a small room, without any bench to sit on. Hermann leaned his weight on his cane to watch the movie. It had obviously begun since a few minutes already because they were talking about Karloff and Sydney.
"He was the third to attack. Man, I wish we could have seen Trespasser. Maybe we can wait until the movie is done to watch what we've missed when it starts again?"
"Whatever you want, Newton."
Hermann heard the biologist chuckle softly and felt him get closer to him. He felt warm fingertips brushing and lingering on his left hand and glanced at Newton who was looking much more sheepish than usual. Hermann noticed he was holding his black-rimmed glasses in his left hand and his stomach felt like it had warmed up and tried to jump out of his body.
"Is this okay?"
Newton's voice was soft and Hermann simply nodded. Newton leaned in and pressed his lips against Hermann's.
It was over in a few second, Newton getting out of his personal space immediately. He put his glasses back on and resumed watching the movie with a smile on his face.