you know how hermann finding The Tape is like, a popular fic prompt? imagine newt listening to the tape, after the breach is closed only to find out it kept recording after he passed out? imagine newt listening to hermanns frantically confessing his love to him :^)
god ive seen the opposite (hermannn finding the tape with love confession from newt on it) but THIS.....IS A GREAT IDEA
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“I’m not dying, Newton,” Hermann says. “Don’t be so melodramatic. It’s standard procedure, is all.” He shifts a little under his stiff medical-issued blanket, and blinks at Newt hazily; the pain meds they gave him have made him crazy out of it. A bit loopy. Unbalanced. Newt had to help him into his pajamas today, and that was enough blushing mortification for a life time, thank you. “I’ll be out--oh--tomorrow, I reckon.”
“Standard procedure, my ass,” Newt scoffs. “If that was true, I’d be in here with you.”
Hermann shuts his mouth and, wisely, doesn’t push the point. Probably because he knows Newt’s right. They both drifted with the kaiju brain, after all--shit, Newt drifted with one twice, practically fried his brain to smithereens the first time. Geiszler served over-hard. If anyone should be doomed to an overnight medical stay, it’s him. Hell--a week-long medical stay. Instead he’s being sent away with nothing more than an MRI, a pat on the head, and instructions to never fucking do that again, and meanwhile Hermann is being imprisoned for a whole twenty-four hours. Fucking ridiculous. Newt’s half-considering raising a fuss and insisting on being admitted to the bed beside Hermann’s just to keep him company.
“It’s nausea,” Hermann says. “Merely nausea. And--ah--” He lifts one hand, slowly, like he forgot he had one, and raps his knuckles against his temple. “Bit of a nasty headache.”
Hermann has always had a predilection to migraines, the brutal kind that leave him groaning in the dark for hours on end while Newt hangs, tentatively, out of sight, and they’re usually set off when he’s particularly stressed or overwhelmed by something. Usually work-related. Newt thinks hooking your mind up to an alien hivemind counts as a pretty intense stressor. “They merely want to keep me under observation to ensure it’s nothing more serious.”
Newt bites his lip; he shrugs. He still doesn’t like the sound of it, but he’d rather know one-hundred-percent Hermann’s okay. “I guess.”
Hermann gives him a rare smile. It crinkles the corner of his eyes and makes Newt’s heart race just a bit faster. “Go on, now, make yourself useful. Tidy the bloody lab. Oh--get started on our paperwork, why don’t you? Don’t sit around moping for my sake.” He pats Newt’s hand. “It’s terribly unbecoming for a rock star.”
The nurse at the front desk, when Newt badgers him, echoes Hermann’s sentiments exactly: no, Dr. Gottlieb isn’t dying, Dr. Geiszler, don’t be silly, both of your scans came back sparkling, overnight observation is just to ensure the headache and nausea aren’t something more serious (which we’re almost completely sure it isn’t), you can come pick him back up tomorrow morning at seven. Okay?
“Okay,” Newt sighs.
He casts a forlorn glance back at Hermann. “I’ll come back with dinner,” he says, weakly.
The nurse coughs. “Actually, Dr. Geiszler, I’m afraid there’s no outside food allowed.”
“Right,” Newt says. “Bye, Hermann.”
“Paperwork,” Hermann calls to him.
No one’s been in the lab since before the whole Breach-bombing extravaganza, a whole forty-eight hours, and Newt can’t help but be a bit unsettled by it later that evening when he finally rolls up his sleeves and trudges down dutifully to get a crack on Hermann’s requests. It’s too quiet--too stagnant--like some sort of weird memorial to a lifestyle that’s now as obsolete as the kaiju. There’s a half-finished mug of coffee on Hermann’s desk (the milk gone curdled); Newt’s filthy work tools still in the industrial sink; a bit of kaiju intestine hanging off his work bench, decaying at an alarming rate; Hermann’s last equation, unfinished, on the chalkboard--what he was calculating Newt guesses he’ll never know.
“It smells like shit in here,” Newt declares to no one.
The paperwork about the, uh, legality of their drift Hermann was so eager for him to complete is nowhere to be found--probably because the entire fucking ‘dome is on an unofficial ‘we didn’t die!’ vacation, except for him, and no one has the time to deliver paperwork to two weirdo scientists in the basement--so Newt decides to start cleaning instead.
That’s maybe misleading. Newt does decide to clean, but he never actually follows through on that decision, because he immediately gets distracted by all the fun and interesting stuff in Hermann’s desk. The dude keeps, like, a million Rubik’s cubes on hand. All solved. A miniature chess set Newt thinks they played together once on a slow day. An entire drawer-full of those weird British digestives he likes so much that he almost definitely purchased on the black market. There’s even a photograph of Newt in there--the two of them, together, probably at some Shatterdome party, Newt holding a beer and smiling cheekily at a blushing, disgruntled Hermann.
It’s...kinda cute, actually. Newt props the frame up on Hermann’s desk over a somber Gottlieb family photograph. It deserves to be displayed.
Once he’s exhausted Hermann’s desk, he moves to his side of the lab and actually starts cleaning. He tosses out the decaying entrails--suddenly wishing, a bit sadly, that he’d taken better care of his kaiju specimens, because they just got even rarer--and rinses down Hermann’s grody coffee mug as he debates out what to do with the leftover pile of junk from his drift machine. He also wishes he’d planned ahead and made a back-up: the UN seized Newt’s machine from the Bone Slums milliseconds after Mako and Becket’s escape pods popped out of the ocean, and he has a feeling he won’t ever be seeing it again. Oh well. It had a fucking awesome run.
He’s just finishing washing out Hermann’s mug and setting it on the drying rack when he pauses; his tape recorder is on the kitchenette counter.
Newt recalls his almost-parting message to Hermann with something like guilt. At the time, he’d meant it... Well, he’s not sure how he meant it. As a joke? A weird, superstitious way of ensuring his drift would be successful, because he couldn’t possibly die with last words that bad? He’s not sure he would’ve said it if he knew what Hermann would be doing for him in a few short hours. Frankly, he’s not sure he would’ve said it if he thought about it for more than five minutes.
He wonders if Hermann listened to it.
A bit of the plastic is cracked. Newt thinks he must’ve knocked it to the floor when he started, uh, spasming, and Hermann probably picked it up before he got Newt a glass of water, which could be how it migrated here. He could’ve listened to it then. He could’ve listened to it when Newt headed out to meet Chau, and Hermann sent him off with the awkwardest little hug of all time and a quiet, terse little “Don’t get yourself killed.” He could’ve listened to it before he hopped on a helicopter to the Bone Slums to risk his life for Newt. He could’ve snuck back into the lab without Newt knowing and listened to it any time yesterday, in fact.
Newt rewinds a little and presses play. Despite the crack, it still works.
“Unscientific aside,” he hears himself say, “Hermann...”
He listens to the rest of his message in morbid fascination. Three, two, one--
The loud clatter of the recorder hitting the floor, then the even louder one of Newt hitting the floor. A prolonged period of loud, pained gasps. Before Newt can switch it off, suddenly, to his surprise, there’s Hermann’s voice, out-of-his-mind, frantic--saying his name--what have you done?--low, terrified murmurs of no, no, no--
The sound of the helmet being ripped from Newt’s head and thrown, violently, to the floor. “Don’t,” Hermann stammers, “Newton--you stupid, stupid man--you can’t leave, I--” Fast, panicked breathing. “I love you, you stupid--”
The tape runs out, and cuts Hermann off mid-sentence.
Newt sets the recorder down with shaking hands.
“Oh,” he says.
He knows, in the vaguest sense, that Hermann harbors a regard for him that matches Newt’s regard for Hermann to some degree--he got enough of that in the drift, in Hermann’s too-long too-shy lingering glances across the lab, his too-long too-shy lingering touches, the way he never smiles for anyone but Newt--but hearing it spoken so blatantly out in the open like that makes Newt’s heart race and his stomach feel a little funny, like it’s being twisted up in knots.
Hermann loves him. Like, loves him, loves him.
It’s late, which means there’s only one nurse on duty in medical this time, and Newt manages to use his newfound rock star status to charm his way pass without a problem.
(“Pleeease,” he whined. “Please, please, please--”
“Fine,” the nurse snapped. “But if you annoy Dr. Gottlieb, you’re out of here.”)
He finds Hermann where he left him, conked out in one of the stiff beds with his blankets and hair in disarray. There’s a little bit of drool on his chin. Newt wipes it away with the sleeve of his sweatshirt, folds his glasses up on the nightstand, then--after glancing around to ensure the nurse isn’t looking, though it’s dark enough in here he doesn’t think anyone would be able to see him anyway--burrows underneath the bedcovers beside Hermann. It’s a tight squeeze, but they’ll fit.
Hermann stirs. "Newton?”
“Yeah,” Newt whispers. “It’s me.”
Hermann sniffs, then wraps an arm around Newt’s waist. “Jolly good,” he mumbles, sleepily. Newt smiles against his chest. Hermann loves him--how funny. “Do stay.”
“Of course,” Newt says. “You can go back to sleep, if you want.”
“Mm. Yes,” Hermann agrees.
Hermann’s breathing steadily evens out. Newt laces the fingers of his left hand with Hermann’s right, and--still smiling--drifts off to sleep, too.
The aroma of coffee awakens you early. You decide to squeeze in a quick workout at home in the morning before preparing breakfast and beginning your workday because you have some extra time. The ideal morning routine will encourage wellness and give you the tools to succeed the rest of the day.
Pros of mourning routine
Morning routines play a key role in setting the tone for the rest of the day and have a major impact on overall productivity and well-being. How we start our morning can affect our mindset, energy level and focus throughout the day. A well-structured morning routine provides a sense of control and stability, helping us gradually and systematically move from sleep to wakefulness.
Exercise, meditation, journaling, or a healthy breakfast can increase physical and mental alertness, improve concentration, and reduce stress. In addition, consistent morning routines encourage the development of healthy habits, promoting a sense of accomplishment and self-discipline.
Enjoy a cup of tea
Tea, specifically herbal teas, can offer a gentle caffeine improvement and a calming impact on your machine. It offers a moment of mindfulness, allowing you to ease into the day with a feeling of calm. Selecting a caffeine-free choice at night can also assist in promoting rest before bed.
Take deep breaths
Incorporating deep respiratory sporting activities, like mindfulness meditation or easy deep breaths, can help lessen pressure and tension. This exercise oxygenates your body, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, and sets a tranquil basis for the day ahead.
Do your most important thing first
One of the most crucial suggestions on the morning routine checklist is this one. You might think that you already do this because it is so easy. A lot of people believe they are productive if they complete a lot of work in one day. But that's not quite accurate.
To be productive, you must complete tasks. But rather than just completing any assignment, the priority should be finishing the most crucial ones. According to Mason Currey's book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, the majority of the world's most well-known writers, scientists, and novelists routinely perform this as part of their morning practice.
Avoid social media
As you awaken, avoid using your phone. Avoid the temptation to respond to your emails, texts, or social media notifications. While mindlessly reading or scrolling through social media may seem like a productive way to start the day, it actually wastes a lot of time and puts a tremendous damper on productivity.
Make the first hour or two after waking up a technology-free period to start your morning. By doing so, you may focus on your ideas, priorities, and tasks without the distraction of social media. Instead of scrolling through feeds, go to activities that are good for your body and mind.
Think about introducing mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing into your daily routine. These methods can help you focus more clearly, increase your ability to concentrate and feel less anxious, all of which promote productivity.
Conclusion
A great morning can be distinguished from a good morning by one's morning routine. Learning healthy habits is crucial to having a productive workday because productivity starts when you wake up.
I guess if I didn’t have to warm up with painting before painting, I could get commissions done a little quicker. It’s a real struggle😣 #opentheheartwithpainting . BTW 💓 artist buddies, I loooove these colors for a realistic latte color-recipe. It looks just like the lattes I make every day 🤤🙌Transparent Yellow PY150 (it GLOWS) - or you could use quinacridone gold, PR122 (quinacridone lilac, or violet), PR101 (burnt Sienna) and touch of ultramarine blue (black actually is nice too, but I feel like less of an artist for saying it lol🤪 . . #mourningroutine ##colorlovers #liveacreativelife #morningcoffee #paintwhatyousee #inspirationiseverywhere #paintingtherapy #creativemoms #momartist (at Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ0thg5ugnm/?utm_medium=tumblr
I literally want to move across the ocean and live a quaint cottagecore life with you, I'm not asking anymore, this is a threat. You seem like you lead such an interesting life and I am fascinated by you. I feel like we understand each other a lot and I cherish what we've created in this little internet bubble. In short :
