Murder, manhandling, entourages, and north stars

Chapter 27: Murder, manhandling, entourages, and north stars
==Meta==
Read artificiallifecreator's "Red-China-Copper-Break" before starting this chapter. It is the first part of the chapter and it's integral. When you're finished with it, come back.
==Text==
===Red-Copper-China-Break===
Please see "Red-Copper-China-Break". 
===27.1===
"Newton!"
Newt feels a strong hand on his shoulder and he strikes something solid and warm with a flailing arm. He blinks sleep from his eyes. "Hermann?! You're alive!" He presses his palm flat against Hermann's chest.
"You were having a nightmare. Your screams woke me."
"You were dead! Something killed you!" Newt grabs Hermann in a crushing hug. "I think I might’ve killed you," he mumbles against Hermann’s collarbone.
"I'm not hurt. It was only a dream."
"Yeah. Fuck. Thank god."
Hermann’s wings droop. "I’m afraid I may have infected you with my predisposition to nightmares in our Drift."
Newt’s breathing finally slows and he releases his grip. "Nah. I’ve had nightmares all my life. Just don’t normally find my significant other dead." He looks up at Hermann. "We’re still that, right? Significant others?"
"I thought your label for me was 'boyfriend'."
"So … we’re still on? Together?"
Hermann rolls his eyes. "As if one more argument after a decade of arguments makes much difference. I needed sleep last night, which I could not get while you badgered me about my leg."
"Oh." Newt grins and his tone turns teasing. "And you were cranky."
"You ignored my requests and my patience with your nonsense was severely limited."
"You were cranky."
The muscles along Hermann’s jaw tighten. "You, as usual, didn’t listen to me. We could’ve slept in peace if you’d dropped it when I asked."
"I was so excited to see you again, I couldn’t stop talking. You know how I get." Newt shrugs.
"I do. You’ve been keeping up with your meds? Sleeping enough?"
Newt tugs at the neck of his t-shirt. "I’ve been behaving," he pouts, "and I slept well enough except for last night. You?"
"I slept like the dead until you disturbed me."
"Well, excuse me for being attacked by my subconscious. Maybe if you’d let me finish our conversation last night, I would’ve been able to sleep peacefully."
"Newton, I was in no shape to converse last night. I barely am this morning." He rubs his bad knee.
"You should’ve said something," Newt huffs.
"I did. You ignored me in favor of nattering on."
"I did?"
Hermann sighs and starts to rise. "You did. Since you seem your approximation of normal again, I’ll return to my bed."
Newt grabs Hermann’s wrist and tugs him back to sit on the mattress. "This is your bed, Hermann."
Hermann holds up a trembling hand to protest.
"Have you taken your medications?" Newt interrupts. "I haven’t had mine yet this morning. You stay right there and I’ll get them for you."
Newt pops to his feet and shoves Hermann hard enough to tip him onto his back, squawking indignantly and wings flapping in a futile attempt to remain upright.
===27.2===
Hermann sits up as Newt returns with his medication and a glass of water. After he swallows them, Hermann scowls. "I do not appreciate being manhandled like that."
"Desperate times, dude," Newt says lightly.
"There is nothing desperate about my making a minimal effort to care for myself." Hermann lowers his voice. "You may also inadvertently cause me injury if I’m unable to catch myself."
Newt’s mouth drops open. "Oh, shit," he eventually whispers. "Hermann … I’m sorry. You’re not … you’re not like other … uh … partners I’ve had."
"I’m not." Hermann twists a wing to touch Newt with a primary feather before folding it tightly against his back. "You cannot act as though I am."
"I don’t want to hurt you."
"I’m not made of china, Newt," Hermann says and Newt pales, "but I must be careful."
"Yeah. Yeah. Me, too." Newt catches Hermann’s eye. "Please let me help you, Hermann," he says earnestly.
Hermann stiffens. "As I’ve said before, I don’t need your pity, Newton."
"It’s not pity. It’s … "
"Guilt?"
"No!" He gestures wildly. "Jesus, Hermann! I want to help. I want to make your life easier, okay? Just because I do. No strings."
Hermann blinks. "Why is it worth it to you?"
Newt blinks. "Because … because it is, dude." He runs his fingers through his hair. "You hungry? I’m hungry. Want some breakfast? I’ll cook?" He offers a hand to help Hermann to his feet.
Hermann levers himself up with his cane. "I need to dress."
"What? Why? There’s no one else here."
The sounds of hammering and a motorized drill drift through the window.
Hermann raises an eyebrow.
Newt groans. "Typhoon shutters. They must not’ve finished yesterday."
"I’ll dress."
"Yeah," Newt sighs as he drags his eyes over Hermann’s wings. "Meet you downstairs?"
===27.3===
In the kitchen, Newt assembles the stash of oranges and apples in a bowl he settles in the center of the table on his way to reclaim his tablet from the main lab.
He discovers a series of recipes bookmarked in the browser. Newt chuckles. "Someone’s feeling helpful." He freezes and stares at the screen. "Someone broke into my tablet. Correction: Someone else broke into my tablet. Someone Hermann trusts broke into my tablet." He shrugs.
He skims the instructions for lemon rolls. "Too hard." He dismisses pancakes and adds baking powder to his shopping list. The crepe recipe results in an eye roll.
A pile of toast and an omelet wait on the table when Hermann, bound and wearing a new sweater and shirt, limps into the dining area.
"Looking good, dude," Newt remarks, waving a hand toward Hermann’s open collar. "You found the kitchen okay."
Hermann eases into the chair nearest the food. "I followed the unmistakable smell of smoke."
"That’s on the toaster, not me. I set it to five, put bread in and—boom!—came out burnt. Six toast, at least." He sets down a pot of tea.
Hermann inhales deeply. "Earl Grey."
"Hot." Newt grins. "It’s the good stuff from Hong Kong. Tim and her terrifying friends insisted I take some for you."
"Tang Mǐn." Hermann punctuates the correction with a bite of toast. He sips his tea and scrunches up his nose. "Marvin the timer is upstairs in my luggage. I’ll bring him down later."
"You and your ability to gather an entourage of frightening children … " Newt smiles and shakes his head.
Hermann finishes his breakfast then absently peels an orange while staring out the nearest window.
"Want a tour?" Newt prompts. At Hermann’s nod, he asks, "Before or after you finish the orange?"
By way of answer, Hermann sets the citrus aside and pushes to his feet.
===27.4===
Newt leads the way into the next room, the largest in the house. "This is my lab. I’m going to fill it with plants and growth tanks for algae and plankton." He directs Hermann’s view to the floor. "I had the contractors raise the paths and put in the grating to keep them drier. And safer."
They wind their way between the empty tables to a second room. "This is your space. Cork floor so it’s easier on your feet. And, see? Pocket doors in case you want to shut me out sometimes."
Hermann smirks and reaches for the handle.
"Hey! Not yet!" Newt squeaks.
Relenting with a snort, Hermann steps into the room. Chalkboards cover most of the walls to the top of Hermann’s reach. Bookshelves of the same height occupy the remaining space.
"Don't trust me with a ladder, do you?" he asks, arching an eyebrow.
"Not trying to cramp your style too badly, dude, but I really don't want to set another bone. You should have plenty of room to math with this. We'll get you a free-standing chalkboard if you need more space."
"You’ve added a couch."
"In case you want to relax a bit while you read."
Hermann raises an eyebrow but remains silent.
Newt grins. "Check this out!" He steps through a sliding door onto a broad deck. "Plenty of space for a container garden and isn’t the view awesome? Nothing but ocean off the beach. No one to watch us sunbathe."
Hermann snorts and leans on the railing.
"Of course, we’ll have to clean some Blue-contaminated gunk off the rocks first."
Hermann straightens and frowns.
"You … you can’t see the difference, can you? Between the normal ocean goo and the poisonous stuff?"
"I will learn."
"Until then, don’t turn over any rocks or go wading without me, okay?"
"I should be able to restrain myself."
"Good. If that stuff is anything like what we had off Lima, it’ll remove the fingerprints from your fingers in twenty minutes. I haven’t gotten down there to test it yet. Better safe than sorry."
Hermann nods and shifts his weight from his damaged leg more firmly onto his cane.
Newt links their arms and tows Hermann back toward his office. "How about you test drive couch? You’ve probably got a ton of fanmail to catch up on."
With a sniff, Hermann stretches his legs across the cushions and accepts the tablet Newt hands him.
===27.5 & 6===
Relaxing with a sigh, Newt leaves Hermann to his email and sets about adding a second coat of paint to the lab walls. He finishes after a lunch of sandwiches shared in Hermann’s office.
The rest of the afternoon passes quietly, until Newt tires of painting and arranging empty trays for starting seeds. He washes his hands and approaches Hermann. "So … ah … one of your hacker buddies texted me last night."
"Ah." Hermann stills but remains focused on his tablet.
Newt perches on the arm of the couch. "Seemed to know an awful lot about us."
"They value protecting us over respecting our privacy."
Newt snorts. "I mentioned earlier your friends are frightening, right?"
"You did." Hermann sets the computer aside. "They are only frightening if they decide you are a threat. Most of the time and to most people, they are quite sweet."
"Thanks for the warning. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you’re hanging out with folks who give themselves Jaeger names for online handles. You’re such a Jaeger geek. You’d think they were your kids."
Hermann’s expression softens. "I did work with all of them over the years. Part of my job was to teach them the basics of being Jaegers, after all."
"Huh. Never figured you for the sentimental type." Newt giggles. "Hermann Gottlieb: Jaeger whisperer."
Hermann rolls his eyes.
===27.7===
Night closes in and the pair retire upstairs. In silent agreement, they walk together to the master suite.
As they cross the threshold, Newt stops and Hermann pauses beside him. "I have one last thing to show you," Newt says quietly. He turns off the light and tilts his head back.
Hermann follows his gaze.
Hundreds of stars glow from the ceiling.
"Say something, dude. Did I break you?"
"I have to subtract those stars of lesser magnitude from my mental map."
"Oh." Newt presses against Hermann’s side. "I wish I could see your sky, dude. I got a tiny glimpse from your memories and it was beautiful."
Hermann blushes. "These are northern hemisphere stars."
"Yeah. I figured you could step outside if you wanted to see the southern ones."
Smiling crookedly, Hermann offers a quiet ‘thank you.’
"You are so very welcome." Newt squeezes his hand. "Let’s go to bed." 
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