Work Text:
After staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours, Hermann decided that sleep was not going to come easily tonight.
He sat up in his small bed and kneaded at a knot in his neck, before throwing his legs over the side of his bed, and grabbing his cane.
After drifting with Newton and the Kaiju, Hermann felt an odd ache in the core of his body that refused to disappear. Flashes of Newton's memories would quickly flit through his mind, and he could certainly feel some of Newton's emotion, like the added excitement when they cancelled the apocalypse, the quick following melancholy for the lives lost. The desperate need to be drunk off of loud music and some form of alcohol was the most foreign feeling that Hermann had felt, and that was what made it completely obvious that the neural door they had opened would probably never close completely. Hermann wanted to run tests, but that would have to wait until...Hermann wasn't sure when it would happen. He knew realistically that they'd all have to leave the Shatterdome, that he and Newt would have to pack up the lab, and that he and Newton could end up on opposite ends of the world.
That realization caused a ridiculous feeling of nervousness to flow through him, and he decided that he desperately needed to clear his head somehow. Hermann stood up from his bed and walked to the door, cursing his cane for the loud, dull thud of the end colliding with the metal floor.
When he opened the door, he saw Newton standing there, wearing boxers, a thin white t-shirt, and red, tired eyes, clearly debating whether or not to knock on the door to Hermann's quarters.
"Hello, Newton," Hermann greeted him uncomfortably.
"Oh, uh, hey," Newt replied quickly.
"Why are you outside my room so late?" Hermann asked, though he was secretly pleased. He pushed that happiness down in disgust.
"I can't sleep, and I need to talk to you about stuff," Newt told him through a yawn.
Hermann wordlessly moved out of the doorway so Newt could shuffle in.
Once Newton was in his room, Hermann thought that the room felt much smaller, as if Newt took up the whole room. Of course it was not with physical size, but it was with his whole being, which bounced off of every surface as if it were trapped in a much smaller space.
They stood in uncomfortable silence, Newt taking in the appearance of Hermann's room, and Hermann taking in the appearance of Newt. Hermann realized quickly that he could see a hint of tattoos beneath Newt’s t-shirt, and he could easily tell that they spread from his arms to his chest. Hermann quickly looked away, his cheeks flushed slightly.
"I can feel your emotions," Newt blurted out, breaking the silence. "I mean, not all the time? But, I get glimpses and impressions," he clarified.
"Yes, I do too. They come in waves, sometimes stronger than others," Hermann replied.
"Yeah, exactly," Newt agreed.
They stood in silence once more, until Hermann decided that this had gone on quite long enough.
"What is it you're here for, Newton?"
"I was just--hey, you called me by my first name!" Newt exclaimed with a smile.
"Don't get too excited," Hermann replied without any anger, impatience, or any emotion he usually spoke to Newt with. He blamed this on his exhaustion, but deep down knew it was something else completely.
"Does this mean I can call you Hermann?" Newt asked, still grinning.
"You always have anyways, no matter what I've told you to call me," Hermann replied exasperatedly, hoping that Newt would miss the explicit and obvious yes that lay hidden beneath the surface of his words.
"Dude, that was so obviously a yes," Newt answered smugly.
Hermann rolled his eyes, but the gesture felt embarrassingly fond. He squashed down the bubbling warmth, knowing that Newton could possibly sense his emotions.
"Let's get back on track, Newton, why are you here?"
"Right, uh, so I wanted to talk about the neural connection, so check!" Newt mimed checking something off of a list. "Now, I can't sleep, and you can't sleep..." Newton trailed off.
"Yes, obviously," Hermann replied.
"Maybe, uh, we would be able to sleep if we shared a bed," Newt suggested nervously.
Hermann raised an eyebrow.
"It's just a suggestion, but I've been up for probably two days straight because of the whole giant kaiju apocalypse thing, and I'm willing to try anything for a bit of shut eye," Newt explained quickly.
Hermann thought about that for a moment. The ache he felt early was alleviated by Newton's presence, so maybe sleeping in the same bed would be beneficial to actually falling asleep.
"Alright," Hermann consented, and Newt looked as if he just won the lottery.
That was easier than I expected! So, lets get to bed," Newt replied with a smile.
The innuendo of the statement was lost on neither, but Hermann was grateful that Newt had avoided making some inappropriate joke about it.
Hermann nodded and got back into his bed, followed by Newt.
They stared at the ceiling, still unable to sleep. Hermann felt Newton's arm pressed hot against his own, and an overwhelming need to touch him more blossomed through him. He realized that unless he touched Newton, neither of them would probably sleep at all tonight.
Hermann debated with himself whether or not it was too far, but he desperately needed sleep, so if he needed to do this, he would.
"Oh, hell!" Hermann exclaimed, before roughly grabbing Newt's hand, twining their fingers together.
A feeling of warmth spread up his arm, and Newt smiled graciously at him, glad that he didn’t have to make the first move.
Tentatively, Newton moved his arm around Hermann’s shoulders, and Hermann allowed him to do so.
Newt continued to slowly loop his body with Hermann's until they were cuddling, with Hermann's head resting on Newt's chest and Hermann's good leg tangled with Newton's legs.
Finally, they were able to sleep, warmth and comfort flowing through both of them, ebbing and flowing on the edge of their consciousness from one another.