Grass, tangled in blues, and cross examinations

Chapter 26: Grass, tangled in blues, and cross examinations
==Text==
Newt jerks awake and squints.
Damn, it’s bright. Who turned on the li—
The sun. It’s the sun. Forgot to close the curtains. He grins so widely his cheeks hurt. We have a bedroom with windows.
His smile evaporates when he looks at the empty spot next to him in the bed.
I’m not gonna worry. Twelve hours late isn’t so much on a trip like this. There was probably a delay getting out of Hong Kong. Weather there sucks this time of year. Nuhthing to worry about.
He runs his hands through his hair, jams on his glasses, and throws himself out of bed.
Dammit, why can’t the phones be working? They were connected two days ago, but there’s some sort of ‘problem’ with the relay tower near town and they're down again. Perfect.
Newt digs into a mostly-unpacked box and pulls out an old Black Velvet Rabbits t-shirt which passes the sniff test and yanks it on before shimmying into yesterday’s jeans. After a stop at the bathroom to swallow his meds, he pads barefoot down the stairs and out the back door and buries his toes in the grass of the lawn.
This is the first lawn I’ve had since Boston ‘cuz that city park grass which might as well be carpet doesn’t count. That was, what, ten years ago? Huh. Time flies when you’re saving the world.
He flops onto the greenery with a sigh.
God, the sun feels good.
The warmth soaks into his skin.
Where the hell is Hermann?
Newt’s eyelid twitches as he levers himself up and heads for the kitchen. He locates a clean bowl in a box and fills it with his favorite cereal, stowing the rest of them in a cupboard. He retreats outside with the food and perches on the deck rail to watch the last of the contractors leveling paths and listen to others putting up the typhoon shutters.
When they finish today, they’re outta here and I’ll be alone. Unless Hermann shows up. Finally.
The empty bowl goes into the sink to be dealt with later. Newt stretches his arms over his head until his shoulders and back pop noisily. Further unpacking lacks appeal, so he swaps his clothes for his painting gear and moseys to the last area needing new color: his lab.
"Here, brush-brush-brush," he singsongs. He finds it under a worktable and nearly gets stuck flattening himself to reach it. The paint is easier to locate and Newt only scrapes his knuckles twice getting it open.
Fuck. What if he changed his mind? He’s had a week without me to reconsider. Maybe he’s decided he likes it better alone after all. It’s not like he could tell me with all the connections out.
Newt slaps the paintbrush against the wall and drags it across the surface. Sky blue eclipses the original white. He pauses, staring, and the paint drips.
What if he’s on a plane to Oxford right now, instead of here? It would be just like the asshole not to tell me he’s changed his mind. ‘Ooo, Geiszler’s getting too close! Better disappear again! Leave him twisting in the breeze. He’ll be fiiiiine!’
Newt growls from the back of his throat as the blue droplets hit the floor and splatter.
Calm down. Calm the fuck down.
He forces himself to take a deep breath and set down the brush.
Hermann wouldn’t do that. When he makes a promise he keeps it.
Newt sucks another lungful of air.
There must be a snag in the travel plans. It’s not like he can call, or text, or email right now. Not until the stupid connections start working.
He closes his eyes and inhales again.
He’ll be here. He will.
Newt sighs and continues painting.
After he finishes the lab wall, Newt crafts a sandwich, grabs a bottle of water, and sets out to explore the island.
He follows a path down the hillside toward the trees which surround the house and garden. At a fork, he tosses a stick in the air and turns the direction it points.
The trail winds between trees and small pools formed by the previous day’s storm. The air smells rich and green and birds chirp from all sides. Newt hears the ocean coming closer and the path opens up to a cove ringed by a rocky beach.
Ooo! A waterfall! Not much of a one—could probably get as much flow from the hose—but it’s a waterfall and it’s ours.
If he’s still coming.
Newt sits on a rock overhanging the cove, swinging his feet. He nibbles at his food. The spot is beautiful, but the water’s color is subtly wrong: Kaiju instead of ocean blue.
Maybe he changed his mind because of something I did. I can be a bit of an asshole. Not that he didn’t already know that. I haven’t changed all that much over the years. Have I?
Newt lingers until sunset, when he hears shouting from near the house. He flies up the path, arriving covered in sweat and wheezing.
"What? What’s happening?" A worker passes him the satellite phone and it crackles to life in his hand.
"Incoming!" Tendo chimes from the earpiece. "We’ll be there in five minutes, so brace yourself."
Newt’s jaw works wordlessly as he shoves the phone back into the contractor’s hands and takes off toward the dock in a graceless run. He skids to a halt at the end of the wooden pier as the boat clears the horizon.
He bounces on his toes for the interminable minutes the boat requires to close the gap to the island.
"Oh! My! God! Where have you been?" Newt yelps as soon as the engine stops. "I thought your plane crashed or got hijacked or something, dude!"
Hermann rolls his eyes as a crewman nudges Newt away the mooring lines. "Yesterday’s weather trapped us in Sydney. Mister Choi and I had to share a hotel room." He grimaces. "How Alison sleeps through your snoring I have no idea."
"Aww, she finds it adorable, like she does the rest of me," Tendo replies. "Speaking of which, let’s get your stuff stowed, Hermann, so me and the rest of the guys can get on to town. My magnificent family is waiting."
"Then let’s get going. Gimme your hand." Newt reaches across the space between the boat and the dock.
Hermann eyes the proffered appendage skeptically but stretches to take it.
Newt tugs Hermann’s arm gently to catches him with a smothering hug. "Welcome home, dude," he whispers into Hermann’s ear.
Hermann huffs in response and pulls away.
"Screw that." Newt hops up onto his tiptoes and gives Hermann a quick kiss on the lips, eliciting a rosy blush from the other man.
Tendo makes a gagging noise as he steps next to them.
Newt sticks out his tongue as he threads his fingers through Hermann’s. "You’re just jealous."
"I like you both, but I think I win in the life-partnership sweepstakes," Tendo responds with a smirk. "We ready to go, brothers?" He swings Hermann’s suitcases and takes a few steps toward shore.
Hermann nods and nearly doubles over his cane as he takes a first step.
Newt drops Hermann’s hand to take his arm. "Lean on me. You probably need more help than the cane after all the time cramped. It’s a little hike up to the house."
Hermann grumbles but allows Newt to take much of his weight.
"Did you get seasick on the trip over? I must’ve puked like eighteen times. I had no idea I got seasick," Newt babbles, supporting and guiding Hermann up the cobbled path to the house.
Tendo deposits the suitcases inside the door, says a quick goodbye, and retreats hastily to the boat, leaving Newt and Hermann on their own.
"What did you do to yourself while we were apart?" Hermann asks with a quirked eyebrow.
"What? Oh! Band-aids. Yeah," Newt says as he rubs the one stuck to his forehead, "I wasn’t allowed to touch a hammer after Tuesday. I’ve been painting since then."
"Which explains your new freckles."
"You know how many freckles I have. How do you know how many freckles I have?"
"I count everything."
Newt gapes. "Duuuude ... "
Hermann sighs. "The paint is a very different shade from your natural coloration."
"They’re probably blue, actually. I painted my lab—" Newt’s voice seizes in his throat as Hermann caresses the back of his hand with a thumb.
"Newt, I believe I should retire for the evening. I did not sleep well last night."
"Wait. You had to share a room?" Newt blinks as Hermann nods. "So you’ve been tied up nearly … forty-eight hours! Holy shit! We’ll do the tour tomorrow. Let’s get you to the bedroom and undressed."
"Thank you." Hermann’s shoulders slump as they climb the stairs to the second floor.
Newt flutters about as Hermann peels off his outer layers, finally taking over as Hermann struggles with the final buttons of his shirt. Newt unfastens the binder restricting Hermann’s wings and tosses the garment aside.
Hermann holds his breath as he opens his wings and slowly flexes them. He exhales as he folds them loosely against his back and sighs as he eases his legs out of his trousers.
Newt freezes as his eyes glide over Hermann’s damaged right knee, his first chance to examine it clearly.
"Jesus," he breathes. "It’s been like this since you were seven? You live with this? You walk on this? You’ve climbed ladders on this?"
Hermann’s words slur. "Newt, I need to sleep."
"God, Hermann. I knew it was bad but this … this is capital-b Bad."
"I will not talk about my leg tonight."
"Is any part of it not fucked up?"
"Newton. Leave it."
Newt gently brushes his fingers over the scars.
Hermann shivers, makes a displeased noise, and swats Newt’s hand away.
" … broken patella, all of these exterior ligaments torn, broken tibia … I’m amazed you didn’t trash the growth plate … How did this feel?"
"I’m certain you have the memory, Newton. Why don’t you experience it and find out for yourself?" Hermann growls.
Newt startles. "I couldn’t. I tried and I couldn’t."
Hermann hisses as he pulls up his pajamas, "Not as brave as you think? Have we finally found something at which I am better than you?"
"Fuck you, Hermann! Turn an attempt to sympathize into an insult, won’t you!"
"Sympathize! You have no idea what my life has been!" He opens his wings wide.
Newt spreads his arms in frustration. "Maybe because you never talk about it!"
"You should accustom yourself to my silence, then! I have no intention of sharing my entire life story with you! Certainly not beginning now!" Hermann grabs his cane and lurches to his feet. He pushes past Newt and into the hallway.
Newt pursues. "I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong, Hermann, and I can’t know if you don’t tell me!"
"Have you stopped to consider that may be the way I prefer it? That, perhaps, I do not want or need your help?" Hermann throws over his shoulder.
"Dude, you clearly need my help! You couldn’t even undress yourself tonight! Why can’t you admit it?"
Hermann turns to face him and forces himself to stand as straight as he can. "I am completely capable of taking care of myself and I most certainly don’t need your pity. Goodnight, Newton." He steps through the door of the guest bedroom and swings it closed.
The lock clicks, stranding Newt in the hall.
"Unlock the door, Hermann! We’re finishing this right now!"
"We have finished! Goodnight, Newton!"
"No, dude! We need to talk!"
"No. We. Don’t."
"Hermann, please open the door."
There’s no response.
Newt lingers, listening to Hermann’s slow, shuffling steps until he hears the mattress creaks under the other man’s weight.
He retraces the path to the master suite and throws himself onto the too-big, too-cold bed.
Well that sucked.
Newt leaves the light on. The sticker constellations on the ceiling would keep him awake.
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