Home For Christmas

XIII

"What?" Hermann had heard him completely clearly but found the proposition completely unbelievable.

"Come with me." Newt said again, now holding Hermann's face between his hands.

"Newton-" Hermann shook his head as he spoke.

"If you come with me then we'll still be able to stay together and I'll get to see my family! You'll get to meet my family!" His eyes shimmered and he smiled like he was the happiest man alive. "You can be a part of a real family Christmas. A part of my real family Christmas." He shook his head as if it was spinning with possibilities. "Hermann, I..." He smiled wider than Hermann had ever seen. "I would love nothing more than to spend Christmas with you."

"And I would love to spend mine with you." Hermann replied immediately.

"Will you come with me?" He asked looking up into Hermann's eyes. His eyes sparkled with the light of 1,000 stars and he was practically vibrating with anticipation.

"I-" Hermann swallowed and blinked, trying to think. Newt lifted his hand up and held it out for Hermann to grab onto. "Yes." He tried to shake his hand and fist bump him but just held his hand tightly and smiled. "Yes!"

"Yes?"

"Yes! Yes, we are going to do this together! We are going to do Christmas together." He spoke hysterically. Newt jumped to his toes and pulled Hermann into a kiss, closing his eyes and throwing an arm around his neck. Hermann kissed back and slid his arm slowly around Newt's waist. They pulled apart and Newt clung onto Hermann's jacket, slightly dazed. "I need to pack." Hermann said suddenly.

"Oh," Newt blinked. "Right, duh." He let go. "Do you want help?"

"I'd appreciate that very much." Hermann nodded. "Now lets get you inside, it's freezing out here and we don't want you catching another cold."

"What are the odds of me getting another cold." Newt rolled his eyes but smiled and watched as Hermann shook his head.

"Just come inside." Hermann cupped his face and caressed his cheek. They pressed their foreheads together and laughed, holding each other close. Hermann took Newt's hand and led him through the door.

"So what do you wanna bring?" Newt asked linking his fingers with Hermann's.

"How long will we be there?" He asked in response. He walked to his room bringing Newt along by their interlocked fingers.

"Just a few days, four at most." Newt shrugged as he followed.

"What do we do... when it's over?" Hermann stopped in front of his dresser and turned to Newt.

"Well we'll-" Newt had been smiling brightly as he started to speak but his smile faltered and disappeared as he found himself unable to complete his thought. "We can just-" He stopped again. "I'll..." He trailed off and his mouth slowly closed. "We can- we can cross that bridge when we get to it." He gave Hermann's hand a gentle squeeze.

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it." Hermann repeated with a nod. He dropped Newt's hand only to start looking through his clothes, choosing what to bring. "Will there be enough room?" Hermann asked over his shoulder as Newt sat on his bed.

"Hmm?"

"Is there room in the house for a stranger?" Hermann asked in clarification.

"There's always room." Newt smiled warmly even though Hermann's back was to him. "And you're not a stranger." He said pointedly, gently placing a hand on Hermann's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go. "I invited you and I want you there." He spoke gently in affirmation. "And they," He took a breath and smiled. "They are going to love you." He laughed softly towards the end. Hermann stayed silent as he picked out clothes. "You wanna know how I know?" Newt asked standing up and walking to Hermann to slowly wrap his arms around his waist.

"How do you know?" Hermann asked leaning into his warmth.

"Because you are handsome," He kissed his cheek. "and charming," A kiss on his jaw. "and intelligent." A kiss on his neck. "You are funny," He rested his chin on his shoulder. "and kind and polite. You are extremely selfless and brave and understanding." He spun Hermann around and they began to sway side to side.

"And you are quite the flatterer." Hermann smiled putting his hand on Newts chin. He smiled and brought their lips together. Newt pulled away and made a face.

"I'm not flattering you I'm telling the truth." He brought their lips back together. "People like me only get to meet people like you once in a lifetime." He spoke soft against his lips.

"People like you?" Hermann raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Yeah, the hopeless romantics who spend their days aimlessly searching for their knight in shining armor." He laughed.

"And the people like me?" Hermann asked leaning forward to close his eyes and press their foreheads together.

"You're knight in shining armor of course." Newt smiled as he spoke quietly. They continued to lazily sway in each other's arms before it dawned upon Hermann that he had to finish packing. The got all his stuff together and started to make their way towards the door.

Hermann stopped and looked around, taking a breath.

"Hey Herms," Newt called him out of his thoughts. "You ready?" He asked with a questioning smile as he threw Hermann's bag over his shoulder.

"I am." Hermann nodded. "I most definitely am." Newt smiled and held out his hand for Hermann to take it. Hermann intertwines their fingers and they made their way out the door. He closed and locked it behind him and Newt blew the house a kiss goodbye. They walked over to Peach and Newt placed Hermann's bag in the backseat, rushing ahead just to open the door for him. Hermann just shook his head and smiled incredulously. "Thank you, Newton." He sighed with a fond look in his eyes.

"My pleasure." Newt bowed, closing the door and going over to the driver's side. "Okay." He put his hands on the steering wheel and turned to meet Hermann's eyes. "Ready to go?"

"I've never been readier." He smiled in response.

"Awesome." Newt started up the car and like a Christmas miracle Peachy started up on the first try. They backed down the hill and he was- they were on the road.