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When the world was saved, Petra Gottlieb knew that her son had to have taken part in it. Though she hadn’t talked to him in over a year (and not for lack of trying), she knew he was still in the PPDC. Hermann was more stubborn than her husband, and that was saying something. She knew instinctively that he would have taken part in the whole messy business of closing the breach and causing the end of the Kaiju War.
When she heard about the highly anticipated PPDC press conference, she resolved to watch it. Even if Hermann wasn’t on the conference, she still wanted to see it, to find out about how the world was saved from mass destruction. Lars was still sore over the destruction of the wall, so she kept her plan to herself, deciding to watch it only if he wasn’t home.
The conference was at nine in the morning on a tuesday, and her husband was off at work, so she switched the television on and settled in on the couch.
She watched as the camera panned across a table with a mediator to call on the journalists and news anchors from all around the world, a military man who looked extraordinarily tired, a young man and woman who looked at each other like they were each other’s whole entire world, a man who wore suspenders and a calm expression, a jittery tattooed man, and her Hermann. A fond smile stretched across her face at the sight of him. He looked a little rough around the edges but he was alive and safe, and apparently important enough to be in a press conference.
She also noticed how his shoulder was decidedly pressed against the shoulder of the tattooed man, which was very odd, because the Hermann she remembered did not like to be touched at all, not by family, not by his ex-fiance, not by anyone; however, he allowed this tattooed man to touch him, instead of pulling away.
She listened as the tired man, who she found out was named Hercules Hansen, explains what happened with the kaiju. She tries to pay attention, but the speaking becomes just background noise as she focuses on her son.
He looks nervous, she thinks quietly to herself, nervous that the whole world is watching and nervous about something else too, but this something else isn’t something she recognizes on him. She watches as his eyes dart to the left, towards the tattooed man. The tattooed man catches this half a glance too, and smiles at Hermann, and Petra is certain that he doesn’t know they’re in frame, because that was a private special smile. Hermann gives a half smile back, reluctant and slow. She realizes that this isn’t a smile she’s seen on Hermann’s face before and she’s not quite sure what to make of that.
Suddenly, Hermann is talking and she didn’t hear the question that he’s answering, but the soft smile that she had before becomes a full grin as she listens to her son’s voice coming through the speakers of her television.
“Yes, New--Dr. Geiszler and I did drift with a kaiju,” Hermann says and Petra’s eyes widen.
Hermann was reserved and cautious, and he would never do anything as ridiculously dangerous as drifting with a kaiju, and Petra Gottlieb isn’t quite sure she knows her son anymore. However, she takes in the whole statement and finds out that Hermann drifted with a person, as well, and that’s even more out of character. Hermann would never let anyone do anything as intimate as letting them into his head. The Hermann she knows is private, bottles most everything up unless it’s anger, which he lets out with no problem in shouting matches with Lars.
“Well, I drifted with one first, then Hermann and I did it together,” the tattooed man adds, and Petra registers him as Dr. Geiszler. His voice is loud and crass, matching his appearance entirely.
The pieces click into place and she breathes in a deep, calming breath. She knows exactly what is going on here, she decides.
The whole rest of the conference she gives up even trying to pay attention, instead watching her son and Dr. Geiszler interact, deciding that there’s something there between them.
When they walk off, Dr. Geiszler claps Hermann’s shoulder and his hand lingers longer than a platonic shoulder pat, and Petra smiles as they walk off together.
Later, she calls him, and is actually surprised when he answers.
“Hello, mother,” he says stiffly, uncomfortably. Petra thinks she hears the voice of Dr. Geiszler in the background, “dude, shit, why’d you answer your mom’s call?” She hears Hermann's muffled response, “be quiet!”
“Hello, Hermann, how are you?” Petra asks the phone.
“Fine,” Hermann answers shortly.
“I watched the press conference,” She says to him, hoping that it would make some conversation flow.
“Alright,” Hermann replies curtly.
“I’m glad you’re safe, Hermann.”
Hermann didn’t answer at first, allowing a long pause to stretch between them, before she hears a quiet “thank you.”
Petra hears a distant “c’mon, Hermann, we’ve got shit to do, mainly eating, because I’m probably gonna die if we don’t get food soon” and she hears an exasperated “Newton, you’ve gone two days without eating before, I highly doubt that two minutes will kill you,” but she notes that the exasperation is filled with an overwhelming fondness.
“Well, I’ll let you go, Hermann. Goodbye,” Petra says.
“Goodbye, mother,” Hermann answers.
Hermann hangs up and Petra is left sitting on the couch, staring at the phone in her hand.
Hermann has someone to take care of him, to make sure he doesn’t hole himself away from society any longer, and that is a comforting fact. She’s sure that they’ll become a media spectacle soon, with gossip about the nature of their relationship in magazines and blogs and on morning television, but for now it feels as she is one of few who has it all figured out.
She takes comfort in the fact that Hermann and Newton will have a small period of time before the storm starts.