《 Skip a Beat 》

Surprise, surprise

"But... Newt... that's the point, buddy. You're not meant to do anything," said Jacob slowly, as if speaking to a young child. Newt looked baffled, and it took everything within Theseus' power to not burst out laughing, though he couldn't help the small smile from sneaking out the corner of his mouth.

"You've gotta let your leg heal," Jacob added, draping an arm around Newt. "Especially after what you went through in the surgery."

This seemed to strike a chord with Newt. He went still for a moment, then straightened slightly and met Jacob's eyes.

"Well, I've been meaning to ask, but what exactly happened in the surgery?" he asked carefully. Off their looks, he continued. "Dr Mallord told me that he was mending the bone, but he didn't say how...?" he trailed off, hoping that someone would understand what he was trying to ask.

Jacob and Theseus exchanged looks again. For some reason he couldn't pinpoint, Newt felt a twinge irritated by it.

"Newt... the bone was... it was broken," said Theseus eventually. Newt frowned. He knew that. He wasn't stupid. That was the whole reason part of his life felt muted. "He didn't fix it," Theseus finished solemnly. Newt didn't respond. He didn't know what to think.

"What he means is, it's not fixed yet," offered Jacob. "He, well... he put this huge metal thing in. Like a wire. And all these little pins, and metal plates..."

Now Newt was feeling uneasy.

He hasn't fixed it yet?

Why didn't I know about all the metal?

Newt dropped his gaze to his leg, still covered by his pyjamas. It was impossible... all that metal inside the bone? It was wrong. It was all wrong. He looked up again. It couldn't be possible.

"You're joking, right? You're messing with me."

Newt had to admit to himself, they got him good. It sounded real. He would've believed it if it wasn't possible.

The two of them were staring at him solemnly. Theseus was chewing on a lip.

"We aren't, Newt. He's telling the truth," murmured Theseus finally. His voice was pensive, as if he was making a speech at a funeral. Newt's grin slowly faded. To have something like that inside his bone...

"Really?"

"Really," said Jacob quietly. Newt stared at the floor again.

"So... there's a chunk of metal inside my leg?"

Theseus cringed, then nodded. Newt's heart dropped to his stomach. They were telling the truth. That was what the strange tingling sensation inside his leg was. That's why everything felt weird, even walking.

"... Oh."

"Well, it can't be that bad. I mean, you're like... part robot! Right?" mused Jacob hopefully. Newt couldn't help but laugh.

"Part robot!" Theseus shook his head incredulously, but he was smiling too. "Really!"

After Queenie squirreled Theseus off to work, Jacob left so Newt could get some rest, which he repeatedly objected to. Needless to say, Newt was not in the mood for resting. How could he, with a newfound (not to mention slightly disturbing) piece of information in his mind, rest?

Every time he moved, he tried to convince himself that his leg felt the same as it did before he knew what was inside it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't block out the tingly, slightly ticklish feeling whenever he moved.