((Hey guys, I know we've never made an authors note before, but this will be quick. My girlfriend and I (who write as Newt and Hermann Respectively) Will be attending a con next weekend so you will be getting the next chapter earlier in the week so keep an eye out for that! Thank you all for keeping up so far!))
Newt had high hopes for this day. It was his birthday, he and Hermann were cool now and Tendo was taking him out for drinks that night since now it was relatively safe to go out into the city. It had been a great morning, he felt good about himself and he couldn't help but grin as he walked into the lab. Normally he would have gone straight for his work space and try not to spark an argument at least until he had set up, but today he walked over to his lab partner and patted his back lightly. "Hey Herms, how you feelin'? I know they didn't let you out of medical until the other day, and I haven't seen you around." he said as he turned to make his way to his work space.
"I'm fine, Dr. Geiszler." Hermann muttered quietly before adding "And please refrain from touching me. It is unprofessional."
"Oh…" Newt said in a way that definitely made it very obvious that he was confused.
"Are you surprised?" Hermann turned sharply to face Newt and said very firmly,"I have always felt - and informed you - that I would prefer if you maintained your distance. I do not understand why you are suddenly reverting back to a behavior you know I detest, but please refrain in the future."
Well, not always...Newt thought to himself, and then shook his head, forcing those thoughts out of his mind. He couldn't think about that… "Look man, I'm sorry… but I thought we were cool… after the drift, you know?"
"What could you possibly mean by that? It's not as though I had any sort of choice in the matter, the world was ending!"
"I know the world was ending, dude. I do, but that doesn't change the fact that you were in my head. I thought we were okay… I mean, you must have seen…" He muttered as he looked down and began absentmindedly scratching at his right arm
"Seen what, Dr. Geiszler? What do you think I could have seen that would have suddenly willing to change everything about my behavior, to pretend all of a sudden that we are some sort of 'chums' or 'mates' when I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I have no desire to be anywhere near you, much less on such a consistent basis as we are frequently called upon. Don't flatter yourself; nothing in your mind is nearly so interesting as that."
Newt opened his mouth, and then shut it immediately. There was honestly nothing he could say to that. Hermann had seemed okay with him. He honestly thought they could at least talk like they didn't hate each other. Though, he hadn't seen anything in the drift to indicate otherwise. Just a lot of...well… pain. "Sorry Herm-... Dr. Gottlieb. You just seemed… alright… with me... after the drift…"
"Ah, you thought that was personal, then? Because acting slightly unreasonably when faced with saving the entirety of the world is completely out of the question. Naturally, I am expected to behave exactly as I did after cancelling the apocalypse at all times." Hermann scoffed loudly "Don't flatter yourself, Dr. Geiszler. That changes absolutely nothing."
Newt sat in silence for another few moments before taking a deep shaky breath and standing up. "You know, my new specimens won't be around until tomorrow, and I can do this report then… "
"I had rather hoped for as much. After all, I have about 20 seconds of data with which I need to analyze the laws of physics not only of an entirely separate universe, but the interior of an actual, functioning Einstein-Rosen bridge. Do have a good day."
"Tendo's taking my out for drinks tonight, for my birthday… you won't have to deal with me. Sorry for bothering you, Dr. Gottlieb." If Hermann wasn't gonna talk to him, the least he could do was try to back off. He could see that he was upset and definitely didn't need Newt bugging him, and hey. Maybe if he backed off, Hermann would too. He took one more look back as he gathered his things and headed towards the doorway. "See you around…" he mumbled, making sure to shut the door behind him.
