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“You know, Newt, when I said we should go out for some dim sum I didn’t exactly have this in mind…”
Raleigh looked over the rim of his beer glass at the K-science doctor, currently surrounded by an obscene collection of colorful plates.
Newt popped another- what was that one again? He didn’t even know what it was called, but it was delicious- morsel into his mouth and licked the ends of his chopsticks as he chewed. Hermann rolled his eyes and elbowed one of the empty baskets away from his own place setting.
“Hfey, when I faid we’d frrow down,” He swallowed. “This is exactly what I had in mind.”
Mako shook her head, hiding a smirk behind her hand as she chewed another shrimp dumpling. To her right, Raleigh wiped his mouth on a napkin. They shared a grin as Newt moaned in delight, picking up another piece and stuffing it in his mouth.
“That’s an immense amount of food, Dr. Geiszler. Are you sure you can finish it all?”
Newt smirked and shook his head condescendingly. He barely finished chewing before he gulped down his mouthful. Patting his stomach proudly, he beamed over his glasses at her.
“Ohoo, Little Miss Mori, you are looking at the MIT Atomic Hot Wings throwdown champion for 3 years running!”
Raleigh chuckled. “I’m sure that’s quite the badge of honor ya got there.”
“Don’t encourage him, please, Ranger Beckett.” Hermann snarled. “Newton, you’re being rude. You’ve taken too much from the cart.”
Newt picked up another basket from his pile and placed it in front of him, ignoring Hermann altogether. Raleigh grinned at Hermann.
“Sorry, Doc, but I’m really starting to enjoy this. I wanna see where this goes, it’s sure to be an adventure.”
“Yes, yes, exactly! An Ad-ven-ture, Hermann!” He shoved two dumplings into his mouth. “Ad-fen-furr, efer hurr of it?” He turned to face Raleigh and Mako with a victorious smile spread across his chipmunk cheeks.
“You are so, so sad.” Hermann shook his head and straightened up, finishing his last dumpling and placing his chopsticks carefully on his plate.
“Anyway, Newt-“ Raleigh took another sip of his beer. “I just wanted to say that I really appreciated what you did- what you both did, and I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot as far as Kaiju go.” He extended his hand to Newt.
Newt wiped his fingers messily on his napkin and reached across the table, shaking Raleigh’s hand firmly.
“Ifft’s cool.”
Hermann kicked him under the table.
“Will you stop your incessant eating? Show some manners, you fool.”
Raleigh and Mako appeared to enjoy Newt’s enthusiasm, much to Hermann’s chagrin.
Mako nodded. “We may disagree regarding the Kaiju, but without your work we wouldn’t be here today.”
Newt grinned and adjusted his glasses. For a brief moment Hermann thought that he might witness a moment of humility.
“Aah, well thanks.” Hermann’s head snapped up to look at his partner. Thanks was not a word he was used to hearing out of Newton Geiszler’s mouth. Newt then stuffed a large, translucent pink dumpling in his mouth. “I apprefiate it when peofle come ‘round, y’ffow.”
Hermann rubbed his temples, flashing Raleigh a look of desperation.
Raleigh grinned and flashed him a thumbs up.
“I don’t know, Newt. I think you’ve beaten me. I just can’t eat anymore, I’m at my limit.”
Hermann thought he might lean across the table and kiss Raleigh.
“Y-yes! Yes, I have reached my limit as well, Ranger Beckett. I think that it’s time for the check-“
“I don’t know,” Mako’s soft voice interrupted his moment of relief. Did Hermann detect a hint of mischief in her smile? “I think it is healthy to have a big appetite.”
Hermann shot a death glare at Mako.
Mako glanced his way and continued anyway.
“Dr. Geiszler- Newt, you must…expend an enormous amount of energy on your work.”
Mako, no.
No, no, don’t do this, please!
Clearly no one was going to listen to Hermann Gottlieb tonight. Hermann’s face fell and he looked from Mako to Raleigh and back. Would no one help him end the madness?
Newt grinned at Mako, mouth stuffed with food. He’d worked his way through another basket and was now assaulting a basket of triangular, fried items.
“You would be correct in that assumption. It takes a lot of brainpower to do what I do, y’know, on a daily basis. I’m pretty much turning the world inside out and rocking and rolling pretty freaking hard while doing it.”
Mako laughed. “And I imagine…you are very active physically, as well?”
Raleigh shrugged at Hermann with an apologetic smile. Hermann swigged his beer with vigor, glowering at both of them.
Newt nearly choked on his mouthful of masticated dumpling and meat.
Hermann pushed a cup of water Newt’s way. “If you really must know why Newton insists on eating like a pig, it is because he’s a shameless, witless glutton.”
He poked Newt in the midsection, to Mako’s amusement. Newt made an angry noise in his throat.
Hermann continued. “And as for physical activity, you will find Dr. Geiszler in the fitness center less than even I. Running from a Kaiju through the streets of Hong Kong was probably the most exercise the man has gotten in a good year.”
“Ow, ouch. Ouch, man. Right in the heart. You’re killin’ me.” Newt rolled his eyes at Hermann.
“No, eating itself is a sport. It’s physically demanding. Look, see, my heart is beating outta my chest right now, I’m kinda sweaty, y’know, and I think I might be having a hard time breathing. It’s natural, it’s what happens.”
“No,” Hermann interrupted. “It’s just disgusting and sad to watch.”
“Well I was having fun.” Raleigh smiled sheepishly. “Though I’m gonna get the check because uh, I don’t think my wallet can handle much more…”
It was a bald faced lie, of course. Hermann knew as well as anyone else there that NO restaurant in Hong Kong, much less the world, would probably deny Raleigh Beckett and Mako Mori a free meal after what they did. But he was grateful to Raleigh anyway.
-------------------------------
“Twenty three baskets of dim sum, Newton. And at Ranger Beckett’s ‘expense.’ I do hope you’re pleased with yourself.”
Hermann set his cane on the floor and sat stiffly in a chair arranged next to their couch. Newt lay on said couch, pants unzipped and shirt unbuttoned. His glasses were dumped haphazardly on his chest. His yellow and red tattooed belly bulged out over his waistband.
“ Ugh. Erp! I am pleased…with m’self, Hermann.” Newt groaned and placed a hand on his lower stomach, eyes clenched closed tightly. “…I’m just a little bit uncomfortable, but do I regret anything?” He belched. Hermann wrinkled his nose.
Newt shifted on the couch, with some difficulty. “No, the answer is ‘no.’ I don’t regret a damn thing. Did you see the look on Raleigh’s face? Man, I demolished him!”
Hermann couldn’t take much more. “At an eating contest he was NOT PARTICIPATING IN, you fool! It was just you, stuffing your face and making an ass of yourself.”
Newt placed both hands on his round belly. “Alright, alright… I get it. Thanks. But you gotta admit, man, I demolished those dumplings like they were NOTHING. A-and I’ll bet if we DID throwdown, I’d probably still beat that muscle-bound chump!” He laughed but quickly stopped, wincing and curling in on himself as best he could.
“Newton? Are you alright?”
“Mmm…it does hurt a little. Ungh, I feel like I’m gonna pop.” Newt, much to Hermann’s surprise, blushed. “Would you… would you mind rubbing my stomach a little?”
Hermann couldn’t help but oblige, not when Newt sounded like a lost little child. He rubbed Newt’s stomach in slow, gentle circles. His pale bony hand stood out sharply against the colorful softness beneath.
“…you really are a fool,” Hermann murmured softly. “You always leap right into things without giving a second thought.”
Newt’s eyes were still shut, but he looked serene. He smiled and let out a little chuckle.
Hermann flushed at how it made the soft, warm flesh beneath his hand jump. Pliant.
“Hey, after 10 years? You should know that about me, dude. How many times have I gotten myself- us- into trouble? And we always come out of it okay. It’s been…” Newt looked up at Hermann, squinting a bit without his glasses. “It’s been…amazing.”
Hermann suddenly felt like Newt’s round belly felt too hot to touch. He flinched back as though it burned him.
Newt put his glasses on and blinked at him blearily.
“Hermann? What’s wrong, did I say something?’ When Hermann said nothing, Newt looked down at his stomach. “…I meant it. That it was amazing, you know.”
Hermann felt his cheeks warm. “What was amazing?”
“Well, y’know… working with you. Working together. And uh…” Newt adjusted his glasses clumsily. “…what we did, with the drift and all.”
Hermann smiled. “Well I assure you, that was a sporadic lapse in judgement on my part. Severe pressure can cause people to make rash decisions, even someone so logical as I. Perhaps it was…” Hermann stopped.
He looked at Newt, that foolish bastard. Let his eyes fall on that ridiculous bloated stomach, those obscenely colored tattoos, the man’s unbuttoned shirt, and his sleepy stupid face (all rosy from the exertion of digesting) with those tarnished glasses.
When would that bloody fool learn to clean his glasses from time to time?
If left to his own devices, who would even take care of that fool?
If left to his own devices last week, lying there on the floor convulsing, he would-
He would have…
“Hermann? Oh god, I did say something wrong, didn’t I?!” Newt struggled to sit up, his bloated stomach making it a chore. “Herm… look at me, man…don’t cry.”
“I-it’s nothing, j-just a little bit of pent up…f-frustration is all.” Hermann wiped his eyes. When Newt stared up at him, faced twisted in concern… “Oh, don’t look at me like that, Newton! Just leave it, will you?”
Hermann put a firm hand on Newt’s belly, causing him to cry out in pain.
They paused and stared at each other.
“Oh, right… I was supposed to be rubbing your stomach.” Hermann stuttered.
They broke out laughing. They laughed in sync, and didn’t stop laughing for nearly a minute.
Hermann ran his finger over Newt’s tattoos, now grossly stretched over the bulging flesh. He traced each line with a gentle touch.
“Newton?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m… I’m glad that you’re alive… a-and I’m glad that… that you’re here with me.”
Newt smiled, settling down into the soft couch sleepily.
“Yeah, me too.”
The rest could wait.