Work Text:
“Scheiße...”
The first twinge of pain in his bad leg while he was having breakfast was all he needed to know it wasn't going to be a good day. He ran a hand gently over his hip, trying to soothe the ache. It slowly faded, but Hermann knew it would come back.
He took his medication regardless and headed off to the lab.
It happened again while he was walking over from his desk to the chalkboards. He staggered and gripped his cane hard enough that his grip when knuckle white, and unfortunately gained the attention of Newt.
“You alright, buddy?” The biologist asked as he pulled something out of cold storage. Hermann ignored him and picked up a piece of chalk. “Yo; Earth to Hermy. Anyone there?”
“Fine.” He hissed, not looking at Newt.
'It will pass. It will pass.' He kept telling himself.
By midday he resigned himself to his desk, the deep ache in his leg exaggerated by walking about. The earlier call form his father and yet another shouting match with Newt did not help matters any. He wished today could be over so he could retreat back to his room and review his next research paper he was preparing.
Slightly bent over at his desk, one hand rubbing his forehead and the other on his leg, he was already considering calling it a day.
He didn't even notice Newt had come over to him until Hermann felt someone poking his shoulder. He turned on the biologist sharply.
“What?”
“You're not lookin' too good. I was worried.”
“You hardly need to-”
“You're limping more than usual today too.” Newt interrupted. “Your leg acting up again?”
He rest his hand on his leg, pondering how he really felt at the moment. “Yes. It's... not exactly a good day, pain wise.” As irritating as his colleague was, one thing he was grateful for was that he could confide matters like this to him.
“Need to take some time off? Your work's not going to go anywhere.”
“I... I suppose so.”
Newt smiled and held out his hand. “I can help you back to your room if that's where you were gonna go.”
Hermann considered this, but took the offered hand, using Newt as balance to stand. “I have a heating pad back in my room. It will help.”
“You take your meds?”
“Yes. I merely need a rest.”
Newt stayed by his side as they walked back to Hermann's room. He could walk fine on his own, no matter how much his leg might be paining him, but appreciated Newt's company. He allowed Newt to follow him into his room, knowing the biologist would stop fretting if he knew for sure Hermann would be okay.
The physicist tossed his jacket aside, removed his shoes, and lay down on his bed. Newt, in the meantime, got his heating pad and warmed it up for him.
“Thank you, Newton.” He took the heating pad and pressed it against his hip, letting out a relieved sigh from the warm contact.
“Need anything else?”
“No, I think-” Well, there was something Newt could do, but he was a bit embarrassed to ask. “Actually- I can't believe I'm saying this- you still do massages, yes?”
A moment passed before a wide grin broke out on Newt's face. “Hell yeah. Of course I do. You want one?”
“That might... help.”
Newt carefully sat down on the bed, taking a blanket at the foot of the bed and tossing it to Hermnan before positioning himself on Hermann's bad side, to better get at the area he was going to massage.
He looked up at Hermann. “Are you absolutely sure? I mean, I'm all about helping you out, but I need to know you're cool with this.”
He gave a consenting nod and pulled the blanket close.
Newt flexed his fingers and gently placed his hands on Hermann's leg, slowly kneading the skin under the fabric. “Tell me if it's too much.” Newt warned, but Hermann was rather lost in a surprisingly comfortable sensation. He'd never accepted one of Newt's massages before, but he found it to be relaxing as the tension was slowly worked out of the muscles in his leg and hip.
Over the course of this, Hermann became a bit sleepy, the pain he previously felt fading away. When Newt was done, in his half asleep state, the physicist smiled and searched for Newt's hand.
“Thank you.” He muttered, eyes closed.
The biologist's hand curled around his own, and suddenly there was a brush of lips against his forehead.
“No prob.” He said. “I'm gonna head back to the lab before that sample spoils. You gonna be okay here?”
“Yes. Maybe... you could do this again sometime?”
“Sure thing. Especially for you.”
Newt let go of his head and the last thing Hermann heard before he drifted off was “sleep tight, buddy.”