30Chapter 1- Wolves
AN: Hey guys, this story is based on this prompt: Hermann thinks Newt is a monster groupie, a biologist with a fascination for xeno- and para-biology. Thing is, Newt isn't just a groupie, he actually is a monster (vampire/werewolf/paranormal of some kind). Newt is keeping this very, very secret because he knows that Hermann, prior to the injury that crippled him and put him into the R&D part of the game, was a monster hunter of some renown. And there are these giant alien monsters muscling in on their turf and threatening to drive the whole planet to extinction, which is kind of a big deal even for the native Earth monsters, so Newt knows the PPDC can't afford to lose either of their two best scientist to inter-species tensions. All in all, better to keep it on the low-down. Plus. He actually kinda likes the uptight, sarcastic, grouchy SOB. You know, when they're not trying to (metaphorically) kill each other.
And then, obviously, something happens that forces the secret out into the open (the Drift?), and they have to deal with the fallout. Just gimme some monster/hunter forbidden relationship, filtered through cranky-scientists-who-might-as-well-be-married, please?
Bonus points for half the Shatterdome being some form of monster or another, on the grounds that most paranormal creatures are territorial and giant alien lizards trying to invade their planet kind of takes priority.
Double bonus for the other half being hunters of some stripe or another (Tendo strikes me as either a hunter or a very irreverent vampire, given the rosary) because, well, alien monsters are still monsters, aren't they?
And all the bonuses for poor Raleigh (and Yancy) being a thoroughly normal guy who just wanted to help save the world, and has no idea what to do when he's suddenly stuck in the middle of an ancient gang war on top of the war-of-extinction he was already fighting.
Let the chapter begin!
Newt glanced up at Hermann's back and let a silent rush of air through his lips. That had been almost too close, casually mentioning the upcoming lunar peak like that, but thankfully the mathematician was too wrapped up in his equations to even have noticed.
Newt didn't think he'd ever had something better happen in his life when he first met the odd man with a cane and sharp tongue who'd been introduced as his new partner in fighting the invading Kaiju, mix of monster and alien.
Then he'd been rather frostily told his name- Hermann Gottlieb. A name of nightmares for all young monsters. He'd still had a bit of trouble wrapping his head around the fact that this stern man, just a little taller than him, had once been the most dangerous monster hunter on the planet. His opinion had been rather forcefully changed when he'd seen the man throw a disrespectful rookie through a wall. A plasterboard wall, but still.
"Must you stare blankly like that, Doctor Geizler? It really is rather unnerving." Came a dry voice sharp as a blade. He startled and almost fell over before righting himself and glaring balefully at his annoying lab partner. Because that was all they were. Lab partners. Certainly not a retired hunter and a very deeply in secret werewolf who was terrified of and friends with said former hunter, and maybe, just maybe, crushing on him a tiny bit.
"Maybe if you stopped being so annoying with your stupid chalk." He snapped back. That was all in the past. He was relatively harmless now...so long as he didn't find out that was. He seemed to get along fine with the open monsters amongst the Jaeger crew, but then again none of them were werewolves. Or shared a lab with him. Hermann simply snorted in response and turned to his board, pressing a bit harder than before. Newt screwed up his face and flipped his back a gooey, blue middle finger before turning back to his work.
Hermann caught the action in the reflection of his glasses and rolled his eyes but eased off a bit. Although he would never admit it, the churlish scientist did elicit admiration from him quite a lot. For a start his intelligence was erratic and jumped from place to place but produced amazing results, and he exhibited an unprecedented amount of knowledge of the Kaiju and other monsters' biology and sociology for an ordinary human. He also obviously kept his wits about him, keeping up to date with the lunar cycles (he had caught Newt's comment, yes) and wearing silver near the full moon, or lunar peak as monsters often called it. Parahumans. He corrected. Couldn't be starting another mini war, although he didn't start the first one. That was, unsurprisingly, Chuck. Normally he would be the one starting it, but with the world currently under invasion by giant monsters from space of all the improbable things, there simply wasn't time or reason to, and most rumblings had been quelled by Pentecost or Hermann himself. He wasn't going to hide the fact he enjoyed scaring the monsters. Nor was he going to hide he liked ordering the Hunters about. A whoop came from behind him and he managed to move out of the way easily before some sort of Kaiju organ hit the blackboard he had just been writing on. There was a long pause, shattered by Newt's gulp.
"NEWTON!" Heads turned as Newt, still dripping sterilised Kaiju blood, was chased at an impossible speed through the corridors by an incredibly thunderous looking Hermann. Most monsters, Hunters, and the rare normal humans sped out of the way of the man with the deadly reputation and deadlier glare. Mako stared after them, then began to giggle alongside her technician friend, Louhi Noita. When there was a pained yelp from ahead, their giggles instantly cut off and they tore down the corridor after them.
What they found was not what they expected.
"What is going on here?" Pentecost demanded hotly as he followed them and saw the same thing. Newt shifted nervously, just a bit away from a panting Hermann and the large amount of unconscious bodies around him.
"Um..." The biologist muttered, eyes skittering everywhere, a little bit of blue blood still clinging to him.
"Hermann, my office, now." The Marshall ordered, sharp eyes picking out both monsters and hunters on the floor.
"No Marshall honestly it was my fault I wasn't thinking ran right into them I set them off Hermann was trying to protect me." He rushed out, took a deep breath, then quietly added "Sir."
"Both of you then!" He snapped, turning sharply on his heel. "And Louhi, clean his mess up." He ordered over his shoulder. She sighed but nodded, stepping out of the way of the scientists as they trudged past and pulling a face at Mako, who pulled one back before slinking after Pentecost. She wanted to make sure the two didn't get too scolded for something that wasn't wholly their fault. Sadly, it wasn't going to be easy.