#need his eggs in me. who said that did you see that gnome run past. its so dark in here

[that-darn-clown]

Getting really excited because I can't believe he's mine <3 only to remember "he" is a 7 foot tall animated flea from a mildly obscure french movie who was voiced by John Lennons son.

What. ever.

[aries1144]

A Lady and Her Borrower

Summary: Ms. Minerva and Mr. Elm, a brother-sister duo who run a model fairy village on the weekends. As they discuss how to make the village more immersive, Ms. Minerva spots a tiny Flora, and the two have a lovely conversation.

Word Count: 1293

Flora belongs to @whatifitwasgttho (ILY 😗😗😗 !!!)

Elm and Minerva belong to me

This is based off the interactions between Arrietty and Mrs Menzies from the Return of the Borrowers!

The setting sun glowed on Ms. Minerva and Mr. Elm as they discussed new ways to expand their "little garden." You see, they ran a business of a model village called the Fairy Woods. Mr. Elm would create the architecture and attractions, while Ms. Minerva would take care of the nature and create the little fairies, gnomes, and other creatures. All of which were handmade by herself.

"Do you think it would be a good idea to make a dragon?" Asked Mr. Elm, hand leaning ontop of the fairy church.

"A dragon?" Ms. Minerva lightly laughed.

"Mhm. It'd go somewhere near the castle. Maybe even on top. It gives the place more life, don't you think?"

Ms. Minerva towards her brother's hand. "I'm sure it would, but look at how peaceful everything is." She gestured her hand behind herself, showing off the beauty of what they had spent the past year making:

There was a gravel path that had a few pieces of grass sticking out of it. Surrounding it was as a barrier were rocks that children would paint for decoration, and a time capsule for if they would ever return. And, with the theme of the attraction being magic, some glitter was spread throughout.

If you walked down it, you'd see many fairy homes. Many of which were thick mushrooms with windows and doors, but others were tall tea pots, egg-shaped buildings, and, if you made it to the very center, a few manors, and a castle.

Of course, just seeing houses would get boring. That was where Ms. Minerva would come in. She would plant gorgeous flowers alongside the roads. She put in a small stream with a bridge above that lead to a small pond. She'd place clay mushrooms of a variety all around the woods. She even put around some fairy lights dangling from the trees, so when it got dark in late autumn, there would still be light.

And then, of course, were the inhabitants of the Fairy Woods. Ms. Minerva had handcrafted them all by herself. She had made fairies, gnomes, elves, and even some mermaids by the stream! She had a specific way of differentiating each creation from the other.

Ms. Minerva put her hand back down. "Don't you see? We don't need a dragon. If anything, I believe a sound machine would be more beneficial than...a..."

She glanced down to one of the houses. There was something small. A girl, with red hair, and a blue dress. Ms. Minerva had tried this color combination before on practically everything, but she had never made a wingless fairy.

He moved his head a bit closer to her. "Are you okay, Minnie? You haven't eaten since this morning, have you?"

Her eyes shifted back to her him. "Ah! N-No." She glanced back at the little girl. "Do you mind making some tea...?"

"Not at all." He said, before walking inside to make themselves some, leaving her to be alone with the girl.

Ms. Minerva made sure her footsteps were gentle towards the girl. She was practically frozen as she looked up at her! She could feel the fearful energy radiating from the little one. Her hand went over her chest. She crouched down to be closer to the girl's level. Her mouth move, but with words not coming out, until a few moments later.

"Are you real?"

The little girl kept her eyes on Ms. Minerva. Her voice was soft, and seemed to come from a genuine place of heart. Yet, she didn't respond. Though, Ms. Minerva did get her answer when the girl eventually blinked.

Her eyes widened. She was real. It almost made her smile, but she didn't want to scare her off. "Can you talk?"

Again, no verbal response. The only thing the girl before was doing was gripping onto the side of her blue dress.

"Ah, I guess you can't then..." She broke a small smile. "I like your dress."

"Thank you!" The little girl responded with an instant smile that quickly turned into a face of regret.

Minerva's smile went away, too. This was in a bit of shock. "So...you can speak?"

The little one slowly nodded, a frown growing on her face. "I promised my father I wouldn't."

"Oh dear!" Her eyes lit up. "And now I've made you break your promise, haven't I? I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to be, Ms." She shook her head. "He'd only get angry at me, not you."

"Ah." She nodded. "Do...you and your father...live here?"

The little one looked behind herself. Her orange locks swayed as she did so. She then looked back at the woman. "Can I trust you?"

Ms. Minerva nodded immediately. "Of course! Me and Mr. Elm run the Fairy Woods. We just want to-" She then cut herself off, realizing she didn't introduce herself to the girl. "I'm Minerva."

The little one slightly smiled at the woman. "Flora. A-And, yes, we're staying here for now. We're at the manor by the stream."

"Well, you have quite a beautiful name." She listened intently for the information on where she lived. She nodded. "Mm...I'd like to live there too if I was little as you were." She smiled fondly.

Flora couldn't help but smiled as well. "Are there other humans around here? Besides yourself and Mr. Elm?"

Minerva nodded. "Saturday's and Sunday's from ten to four. We open up the Fairy Woods to anyone who'd like to see them, weather permitting."

Flora's little eyes widened. "Do they see the inside of the houses?" Her voice raised a bit. Not in an angry way, but in a concerned voice.

"Well, they can certainly peek inside, but we never open them up." Minerva was confused as to why Flora was so anxious for the visitors. "I presume you're asking for you and your father's privacy?"

"Uh- yes." Flora nodded. "We wouldn't be able to stay if humans knew about our residency..."

"Oh!" Her eyes widened. "I'll leave you alone for now if you'd like. I won't tell anyone I've seen you - not even Mr. Elm. I'd hate for you to leave..."

Flora smiled at the woman. Her heart was racing with thankfulness. "Thank you." She nodded. "I guess my father and I should be getting some curtains, shouldn't we?" She awkwardly laughed.

"Do you know how to sew?" Minerva tilted her head. "I have some beautiful fabric you can use for it. A nice, muted turquoise. Goes along with the water theme."

"Really? Oh - would you? But can you place it somewhere near by? Maybe somewhere around this church, so my father thinks I've borrowed it?"

"Borrowed?"

"Mhm!" She looked down. "I know most humans think we steal from them, but we need to borrow to live, y'know?"

"I see." Minerva nodded. "You don't need to explain yourself anymore, little one. I know you mean no harm-"

"Minerva!" Called Mr. Elm. "Did you faint?"

"Oh n-no! Just...fixing a few tipped over fairies."

His footsteps were getting closer. She looked at little Flora once before looking back up at her brother. "Heard you talking. To your fairies? Or the plants?" A smirk painted itself on his face.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I was talking to a fairy." She looked down to where Flora originally was, but all of a sudden, there wasn't a trace of her in sight! She just continued staring at where she once was...

"Minerva!" Mr. Elm snapped his fingers by her ears until she flinched. "You need some food. Come on, you've been doing enough work for today."

"Alright..." She slowly stood up. Her eyes scanning everywhere for sight of the little girl. She furrowed her eyebrows. She hoped in heart to be able to see her again.

[liptonsbabe]

Chains of a family [B.W]

Bill Weasley x Grant! Reader

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

Summary: Molly knows about the reader’s relatives and she’s not so sure to put her trust in a girl that had just betrayed her own family

Word count: 1.9K

Warnings: Swearing

A/N: Hi! i’m so happy that you guys liked this thing! thank you so much for your support and, again, if you want to keep reading this let me know. Same note as ever, english not my mother language, so tell me if something’s is wrong.

Chapter 2: Not your family

The next morning turned out to be quieter than you imagined.

You slowly got out of bed and looked at everything around you noticing how quaint Bill's old room was. The ceiling was lined with grainy wallpaper with stacks of photographs of Quidditch players hanging from the reeds that moved from side to side, simulating the playing field; the right side of the room had a huge hole behind the small stool that tried to hide it, and from that hole a small garden gnome was sleeping peacefully with a small piece of cloth on top of his head. You stood up, walking towards the huge window that gave you a beautiful view of the Weasley's garden that at that moment was covered by a thin layer of drizzle that had fallen during the night.

Molly's fruit trees gleamed under the faint rays of the sun and you saw how a doxy from between the leaves poisoned Mrs. Weasley's apples, causing them to fall from the tree branches in a thick black mass with a foul smell coming out of it. You shook your head, excited to witness a very different way to wake up.

Even though several minutes have passed since you woke up, the house continued to remain in a strange silence that made you think that the family had decided to leave the burrow with the intention of buying more supplies or something like that. You knew that Bill wasn’t at home precisely for his obligations within the Order, so you didn’t worry about looking for him around the room, so you decided that a better option was going down to the dining room and know what was happening.

As you went down the spiral staircase, you cursed in a whisper when you forgot to put on your slippers before leaving the bedroom cause the floor was so cold that you slipped a couple of times. Back in the days, when you were still welcome in your parents' house, you had many servants who did all the things for you - putting on your shoes as soon as you woke up was one of those things - but now that your life had changed so much, you assumed that you would have to adapt and start taking care of your own needs.

Your curious eyes roamed the walls covered in family photos that caused a big warmth in your chest. In each of those photographs, all of Molly's children appeared along with their father, smiling for the camera and sending effusive greetings. A pic was hanging at the fireplace were Molly and Arthur were carrying a small white bundle crying his lungs out. You assumed it was Bill as his parents seemed too young back then and even as a small baby, you could recognize those tantrum features anywhere.

A giggle escaped your lips when you noticed a funny sequence from that same photo in which, even with Bill crying in his mother's arms, his father tried to carry him for a moment to calm him down, however the baby's cries didn’t stop. The baby was so annoyed that he ended throwing up  the milk ration that he must have had before the photo session on his father's neat shirt.

You laughed because you knew that William's impertinence was something he had carried with him for several years now.

"Bill hates those photos." You jumped in your place scared to see Molly standing behind you. Your cheeks turned red “He says that it’s embarassing but i think that’s nonsense. He was an adorable baby”

"he was," you answered, looking anywhere but into Molly's shrewd eyes. "but I guess displaying them in the fireplace isn’t the right thing to do."

“Is it not?

"No, they should be at the front door where everyone can see them”

Molly giggled as you watched the sequence of photos over and over again. A silence settled between you, but surprisingly it was not an awkward silence, but one that was allowing you to create a bond that neither of you expected. Mrs. Weaslsey brought up a rag, wiping it around the corners of the photo from the dust.

"Arthur and I had to save up for months to take those pictures," she mentioned wistfully, "we just had Bill and it seemed like a good idea to welcome him into our family with a gesture like that. Arthur was new in the ministry and wasn't earning too much, but we had that quirk and decided we could afford to skip certain things to pay for the pictures. It cost us ten galleons and it still took us four months to gather them”

“Oh” You didn't know what to say, but you just kept looking at the photograph feeling a bit uncomfortable. You never had those problems at home because your family was insanelly rich thanks to the inheritance in life that your grandfather Tim had left to his son and later to his grandchildren. Even the descendants of your grandfather's servants came to work in your house, reason enough for you and your siblings to grow up with no sense of responsibility other than your own wishes. Molly sighed remembering those times when life seemed to be easier.

"So when Bill asked me to remove it from the fireplace, I refused. He doesn't know how hard it was to raise that money, but I think he has nothing to be ashamed of, he was too adorable!

"I don't doubt it for a second, Mrs. Weasley."

"You can call me Molly," she said, walking back to the kitchen where you continued watching the way the pans moved back and forth preparing breakfast. You were not very good at cooking - in fact, you had never cooked before- however, that didn’t stop you from offering your help. So you took a pan, placed it on the stove, and decided that you would find a way to make a good mountain of strawberry-filled pancakes just like your dear nanny did. Molly observed you carefully. "I think that now that you are living with us it is appropriate to have a more cordial treatment.My son told me a lot about you”

“Just the good things, i hope”

“Kind of” You stopped mixing ingredients to look at her carefully” He told us a bunch of marvelous things about you and how you two met. Actually, what worries me the most is what he didn’t tell us”

And there was the recrimination you were waiting for. You were aware that it had to arrive sooner or later, however, you would have been grateful that it did it when Bill were by your side to give you the opportunity to defend yourself properly. You cleared your throat uncomfortably, knowing that what Molly needed to hear from your own lips was which family you came from. You continued your task with the pancakes, turning out as bad as you expected.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, Mrs. Weasley."

"Molly," he corrected.

"Molly" you smiled slowly "But believe me when I tell you that it was me who asked William not to mention anything about my last name or where I come from. I know that in this case, with the war above our heads, it is necessary to be certain of the people who enter your family and I apologize for that, it's just ... Bill is very important to me” Molly's eyes narrowed “Since we met ... I have found a home in him and well, all that feels when someone is in love. "Mrs. Weasley shook her head, understanding the feeling." I have experienced the rejection before. When people know that Tom Riddle is my family ... they run away in fear, curse my family and even walk away from us, as if sharing a blood bond makes us as evil as he is.

“And it’s not like that?” Molly asked with a hand on her neck. She didn’t want to be like the others and judge you without knowing the full story, just as she had promised Bill the night before that she would, but it was so difficult not to remember the death of his brothers by Voldemort’s hands and to pretend nothing had happened in the past. You sighed because the eggs you cracked on the bowl got mixed with their own shell “ I've heard of the Grants before, they're all Death Eaters, including your siblings!”

“It is difficult to have to choose a side  when you don’t have your own convictions”

"And you have it?"

You looked at Molly in pain. Of course you expected those reactions from Bill's mother, she was within her right to be upset that her oldest son never told her that he was in a relationship with a girl who seemed to have the most fucking powerful and evil wizard in the world as a great-uncle. No, Molly wasn't mad, she was deadly angry, she felt like she was bursting!

Her hands became fists and without knowing how, you found yourself between the wall and Molly's big arms from one second to the other. The pancake batter was forgotten, as was the woman's promise to treat her son's girlfriend in a good way.

"How is it possible ..." Molly questioned in an agitated voice, pressing your arms against the wall, "... that a single deer leaves the nature of its own herd?" How can you ensure that one rotten apple even in a gold container doesn’t rot the others?”Your breath caught at the questions of the woman in front of you. Once again, you were aware that your presence wouldn’t be good news to them, but at least you hoped they understood your motives before judging you “Explain to me, (Y/ N) Grant, when have you seen a pig away from his equals?”

Your words caught in your throat at Molly's fierce question. Bill had talked a lot about the temper of his mother. Even if she could be really grumpy at times, she was in general a very sweet, pleasant and maternal woman with everyone; however, you didn’t fit into that generality because it seemed that the woman was determined to kill you with her own hands.

"If my presence bothers you so much, then you shouldn't have let Bill and I to stay here."

“He's my son! All I want for him is to be happy, and that's why I don't understand what he managed to see in you”

"Maybe the same thing you saw in your husband." Molly's lips twitched in anger, but you didn't stop. You hoped that she would at least understand what your words meant, because that would make it easier for both of you to try at least get along better, even if Molly seemed not to want to do it under any circumstances. How is it that this haughty little girl dared to compare herself with her dear and wonderful husband? "I'm sorry, but I don't think this conversation is going to take us anywhere."

"If someone betrays his own family ..." Molly stopped you before you walked out the front door. The others got down the stairs, seeing the scandal formed in the kitchen “The rest of us can't expect too much, can we?

Your eyes blured.

[redvoid-40]

In the woods there grew a tree - part 2

Alright guys, I have officially lost control of this thing. I’ve fallen in a writing frenzy with this and I have no idea WHAT I’M DOING!

I have fics to write, old fics that are collecting dust! I have my own original fantasy novel to work on! But here I am, a simp for ToA!

Anyway. 

Hope you all enjoy part 2 of In the woods there grew a tree! :)

Warning: tooth-rotting fluff and, depending on whom you ask, OOC-ness (I personally love myself a soft, collected, and maternal Angor Rot - pre-Morgana of course - so it’s canon for  me no I don’t take criticism)

Part 1 / Part 3

It didn’t take long for Angor Rot to figure out why the humans had abandoned little Charo in his woods. True to their fearful nature, they got rid of anything they did not understand and, without a doubt, the tiny baby was far beyond their comprehension.

A few days, like today, Angor also thought she was beyond his understanding.

“How are you doing this, little one?”

Angor watched the baby giggle happily as she clapped her chubby hands, her enormous eyes fixed on the colorful stones floating in circles above her head. She sat on a little foliage bed he had woven for her, keeping him company as he carved totems for defense. To this day all the previous totems went unused, absorbed back into Nature without need to birth any golems. But it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

Hearing his words, Charo turned her gaze to him. Those eyes glanced at his moving hands before raising to his. A smile was quick to tug on Angor’s lips and the baby gurgled in happiness, letting her body fall forwards so she was ready to crawl to him.

Her distraction caused the magic holding the colorful rocks to dissipate, and Angor Rot leaped, dropping his totem and knife on the ground so he could hook his hands under the baby’s armpits and pull her up before any rock could hit her.

Charo’s giggles ceased as Angor held her close, a disapproving frown on his face.

“Da?” She mumbled, tiny hands reaching out to lie on his stone cheeks. “Da!”

“Don’t ‘Da’ me. You need to be careful, little one.” Angor scolded, even though his frown eased into a reluctant smile. “What am I going to do with you?”

The baby smiled at him, and Angor felt that increasingly familiar warmth in his chest. Little Charo exhausted him to no end, but she never failed to make him indescribably complete.

“Come on. It’s time for your feeding. I need to milk the goats.”

“Da!”

---

Charo’s feeding was always an event in Angor Rot’s village. All trolls stopped to watch their leader patiently spoon-feed goat's milk to the little human. Some watched with mirth, cooing at the scene and drawing close to pinch the baby’s soft cheeks, while others stood further back, observing the scene with disapproval in their eyes.

Angor Rot was keeping an eye on those trolls - a literal, all-seeing eye - but thankfully they showed no intention of taking matters in their own hands. For now, at least.

“Oh, my Spirits! Angor Rot, you’re- glowing!” 

Angor chuckled as his core glowed, a gentle blue light escaping through the areas of his body that lacked his outer layer of living stone. Sometimes little Charo’s magic did that; it reached out to his own energy and made it pulse with life, telling him she belonged there with him, completing him.

“At ease, my friend. This is just another way little Charo plays.” Angor Rot drawled, raising another spoonful of milk to the child perched on his knee. “It’s rather delightful magic.”

The startled troll dared to step closer, reaching out a finger to poke the baby. Charo’s big eyes moved towards him. She quickly forgot all about the spoon being offered to her and grabbed his stoney finger, giggling as her magic flew into the troll, soft and playful.

The troll’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, before he relaxed into the unusual sensation. He felt something akin to warmth in his stony insides and quickly moved closer, taking a seat at his leader’s side to keep playing with the tiny human as he fed her.

Angor Rot chuckled at the scene, once again raising the spoonful of milk to Charo’s mouth. As the little girl took the wooden spoon in her mouth, his yellow eyes drifted to the displeased trolls hanging afar and he smiled at them, hoping that was proof enough they did not need to worry about the baby.

They exchanged mixed glances amongst themselves before bowing their heads to their leader and walking away.

---

Years passed.

Gunmar’s force grew across the continent, and tales of his clashes against humans and trolls alike continued to spread terror within Angor’s people. Not only that, the human lord who lived outside the forest continued to expand his land, sending soldiers increasingly closer to the borders of their hidden village.

More than once, Angor Rot and his people had to move further into the woods to avoid being detected by the human lord and Gunmar’s soldiers, and he knew it was a matter of time before they forced him to take action.

War is coming. Angor thought grimly, yellow eyes fixed on the horizon. The sky was slowly gaining that deep purple colour that signalized dawn was close. I must be strong for my people.

With a sigh, Angor Rot lowered his gaze back to Earth and retreated into the large cave behind him. After a few twists and turns through narrow stone passages, he found his people moving around their village. This new home they made for themselves was simpler than the one before, houses built of wood and leaves instead of stone, but it was well-hidden inside a deep, underground cave.

“Dad!”

Angor Rot smiled, turning to greet his little Charo with a hug. The girl readily accepted the gesture, running into him and squeezing him tightly around the waist. Not letting go, she raised those doe-eyes to him, but there was a frown on her lips instead of the big smile he was so used to seeing.

“You left without me!” She accused. “You promised you’d take me along when you went out to set the wards, so I could practice.”

“Well, I went to your room to call you, but you were sleeping so soundly I couldn’t bear to wake you.” Angor explained. “You’re a human child, and you need your sleep.”

The girl sighed, pulling back to cross her arms over her chest. “You should’ve awakened me.”

Angor chuckled, laying a heavy hand to ruffle her messy hair, but stopped himself when he saw her flinch in pain as soon as he made contact.

“Charo. You have something to tell me?”

The girl’s eyes quickly moved away from him, dancing around the village as she looked for anything else to focus on. “No?”

Angor frowned, hooking his hands under the girl’s armpits and carrying her to a nearby tall block of stone. He perched her atop of it, and slowly examined her head, gently running fingers through her hair until he found a bump on the back of her skull. Despite not putting any pressure on it, the little girl flinched in pain again.

Angor Rot scowled, staring down at Charo. The little girl was twirling her thumbs in front of her, face lowered to the ground.

“I was… Uh, I fell.”

“You fell. On the back of your head?” 

“Yes. I was… You see, I was… Hmm... I was swinging! I mean, rocking! I mean, I was rocking the chair as I studied and fell backwards!” She spurted in a high-pitched voice that gave away her lie. “I know you told me not to do that. I’m sorry, dad.”

Charo was looking everywhere but at him, and Angor Rot was having none of it.

“Look at me, Charo.”

The little girl sighed and slowly raised her eyes, but before they could reach his own her gaze widened, frozen on something behind him.

Angor Rot quickly turned around, finding one of his people glaring back at the child. As soon as the troll noticed Angor’s gaze on them they looked away, quickly marching out.

Angor Rot clenched his fists, turning back to Charo. The little girl had a forced smile on her lips as she put on her best innocent face.

“Did they hurt you?”

The smile fell off. “No, of course not.”

“Charo, don’t lie to me.”

“I-I’m not… They didn’t actually hurt me or anything. It was my fault, really. I was running around, playing with the Gnomes, and slammed into them.” She said. “I fell down hard, that’s all.”

Just as she said that, a couple of Gnomes jumped into view, looking angry as always. One of them pointed at Charo, putting a toothy smile on his face. He ran in circles twice before going towards the other Gnome, who stood with a frown on his face. When he was close enough, the frowning Gnome reached out and pushed him down.

Angor’s eyes widened for a moment, before going back to the child, who was staring accusingly at the Gnomes. “They pushed you?”

“It was nothing, dad. Please don’t make a big deal out of it.” She pleaded in a small voice. “I think I startled them.”

Angor sighed, rubbing a hand over his face harshly. This was not the first time he came back to the village to find out some troll had mistreated Charo in his absence. While most of his people liked the girl well enough, some still had a hard time accepting a human and took whatever opportunities presented themselves for petty tricks like that. He had had a few talks with his people in the past, but still they went behind his back without making it too obvious.

There was a tug on his hand and when Angor looked down, little Charo was staring up at him with eyes full of worry. 

“Dad, I’m sorry I worried you.” Slowly her magic reached out to him, easing his anxieties if only for a moment. “But I’m fine, really. It was just a bump.”

Despite his anger, Angor smiled and pulled the girl up again, perching her on his shoulders as he knew she liked. Immediately she let out a stream of childish giggles.

“Come on, little one. It’s time for your breakfast.”

“Oh, can I have eggs. And bread with plum jam?”

“Hmm… I’ll see what I can do.”

“Yes!”

Angor chuckled and his core stone glowed with Charo’s magic. He looked down at himself, at the pieces missing from his body for a moment, and he had an idea.

Hmm… I’ll see what I can do.

[whitelightning9999]

Button Kids Part 7

First Prev Next ——————————————————————————————————– Mabel sighed looking around the empty room.

“Mabel” someone called from the kitchen.

“Yeah Mom?” she called back.

“It’s time for lunch.”

“I’m not hungry.” She chuckled to herself. I’m never hungry.

“I still want you to eat.”

Mabel said nothing. Looking out the window she watched the mailman riding by on the bike.

He was always riding by.

Always at the same time.

Always wearing his uniform.

Always on his bike.

Mabel gave a small wave. That was the seventh time.

She had been here for a week.

A week in this boring dry life.

“Mabel?” A voice said behind her.

Mabel turned to Dipper. The black buttons of his eyes staring at her.

A week without her family.

“Mabel are- are you ok? Its- its been a week and…” Dipper stuttered. “I- I know that things are a bit… different but-”

Mabel walked past him.

She walked past her mother.

Past her father’s study.

And up the stairs.

Locking the door behind her.

She took a deep breath.

“Mabel?” Dippers voice came through the door. “Are you ok?”

He continued when he heard nothing. “Mabel I- I know you’re sad about the others but… Mabel our life is great here. We have parents who love us. We can feel the sun. We- we can eat all the bread we want.”

“I’m tired” She said.

“O-okay.”

This is the perfect life Dipper.

She opened the window.

She crawled out onto the roof through the window pane.

But-

Carefully, she stepped on the roof tiles, navigating to the back of the house, to the rope she had left.

Mabel lowered herself down.

Her feet touching the springy blades of grass.

I can’t be here.

She slipped out through the back gate.

And ran into the woods.

I can’t be selfish.

She kept running.

Ignoring the signs of danger.

Ignoring the signs of wolves.

Ignoring the signs of bear traps.

I won’t be selfish.

She kept running.

Away from that perfect life.

Away from Dipper.

Away from everything.

Not ever again. She thought.

And the world disappeared.

             Mabel smiled for the first time in a week,

As the other world turned into ashes.

Decaying into the white void.

Mabel slowed.

“I’m not going to be selfish again.” Mabel declared as an old wooden door appeared.

She thought of her brother.

Her real brother.

How he would softly smile at her.

How after the Beldam, they could sit together in the sun.

How after the Beldam, they could just smile together.

How after the Beldam, they could be a family.

That would be the dream life. She thought as she opened the door.

She froze.

She was back in the room.

She was back in the room they had escaped from.

“N-no” Mabel voice broke. I don’t want to be here.

She turned around, staring at the white void.

Tears running down her face.

She was trapped.

What would Goggles do?

Mabel gulped and stepped forward.

She let go of the door knob, taking a couple of steps.

The door slammed shut.

She didn’t have to turn around to know it was gone.

So, she continued walking into the room.

Navigating the cramped space.

“Mabel?” A voice said behind her.

“Dipper!” Mabel screamed, turning around. “Dipper?”

The boy was frowning at her. His buttons scrunched up in confusion.

“Dipper!” Goggles screamed, jumping over the wall of boxes. The boy froze upon seeing her.

“M-Mabel” Goggles said.

“Guys!” Mabel cried.

The two boys exchanged a look.

“I- I thought-“ Tears rolled down her cheeks. “B-but we’re together again. We- We can-“

“Leave” Dipper said finishing her sentence.

Mabel wetly laughed, nodding.

“Have you seen the others?”

“I- I think I saw Whisper.” Goggles said. “He- He seemed unresponsive though. Come on”

Goggle took the lead while Dipper fell into step with her.

“A-are you okay Mabel?”

She nodded. “It was just a tough week.” She lied. There’s no reason to let him know of the Beldam’s trap.

“Y-yeah. M-Me and Goggles spent the w-week walking through the darkness”

“Guys” Goggles called, kneeling next to a cavern between the junk.

Mabel walked closer. Making out the dim form of Whisper.

He had been crying. His buttons red and puffy. As she drew near, he curled up, pushing himself farther into the hole.

“Whisper?”

He whimpered.

“He was like that when I found him.” Goggles said behind her.

“Whisper?” Mabel tried again, reaching out to the boy.

“G-g-go a-away” the boy stuttered. “I-I’m n-not l-le-leaving t-the r-room”

“Whisper?” Mabel said sadly.

“I-I’m n-not le-leaving, o-ok? I-isn’t t-that wh-what you w-wanted?”

“Why… why would I want that?” Mabel said softly. “Whisper, I- I don’t want something that makes you unhappy.” Because that would be selfish.

The boy whimpered.

“Whisper, please” She held out her hand.

Whisper shook his head. “Wh-what if I-I don’t w-want to b-be a f-family”

His word’s felt like a punch to her gut. “Whisper?”

“Wh-what i-if I-I don’t want t-to be a f-family a-anymore”

Mabel looked at the boy. Tears starting to run down her face and with a big smile said, “Alright”

Whisper knitted his eyebrows together.

“We don’t have to be a family, Whisper.”

“Y-you a-aren’t going t-to h-hurt me?”

“Wh-what?” Am I really that horrible.

Whisper pressed his hands into his buttons. “You- you sh-should be hu-hurting me.”

“Whisper?”

“No- you- you want to be a family. I- I want to be a fa-family. B-but we c-can’t…” Whisper sobbed. “We can’t be a family.” The boy whispered.

“Whisper, I don’t understand.” Mabel crawled closer.

“You’re dead! You aren’t supposed to love me. You- you should just leave me….”

“Do you want me to leave you?”

“No… Yes… I- I just don’t want to hurt.”

“Whisper…”

“I don’t want to be hurt.”

Mabel bit her lip. I only hurt people.

She backed out of the tunnel. Dipper and Goggle stared at her and she gave them a watery smile.

“Mabel?” Dipper came closer.

“Mother!” Mabel yelled out.

The room buzzed.

“Mabel what are you doing?”

“I don’t want to hurt people again, Dipper.” Mabel softly said. “MOTHER! Come out I know you’re listening!”

“Mabel!” Dipper screamed. “Mabel, Stop!”

“What are you doing Mabel?!” Goggles asked.

“I’m not going to be selfish again!”

“Mabel?” Whisper said. He had crawled out from the tunnel.

“You- you said that you didn’t want to be hurt right?”

“Mabel?”

“I only hurt people Whisper. I’m- I’m too selfish to do anything else… but I can do one thing. I can make sure you see the sun. MOTHER!”

“Mabel! Stop!” Dipper yelled. He reached out to touch the girl.

“No Dipper! I’m only going to hurt you again! I’m only going to hurt everyone again!”

“Mabel!”

“I’m doing this Dipper” She smiled at him

“Mabel stop this!” The boy reached out to grab her.

“No!” Mabel screamed, pushing the boy back.

——————————————————————————————————–

Fire stormed through the darkness. Lighting any thread that she encountered. She knew what the thread could do. She wasn’t stupid.

She just had to keep moving.

She just had to find the others.

She just had to find Goggles.

Fire growled as a bundle of yarn swung in front of her. She set that on fire too before moving past it.

“Why”

Fire froze. That sounded like a child.

“Goggles! Coraline! Whisper!” The girl cried. “Hello!”

“Why do you think someone with answer you?”

Fire turned, scanning the darkness. Threads, burning and black, cast a bit of light as they hung in the air. Soft dying embers hanging from them like glowing beads.

“Goggles!”

“Is not here”

Fire twisted around, glaring into the darkness. “Who are you?”

“Don’t you recognize us?”

“Us?”

“Yes. Us… Don’t you recognize our voices?”

Fire pressed two fingers against her forehead. “If you are trying to pick a fight!”

“Now why would we do that?”

“After all,”

Fire glanced around hoping to find one of the voices.

“We’re already dead”

“Wha-“

A body shimmered to life out of the corner of her eye. But when she looked. No one was there.

“Sh-show yourselves!” Fire screamed.

Another flicker of light. This time from her left.

“I’m warning you!”

Something brushed against her shoulder.

She yelled, letting out a burst of her power.

An inferno covered the area before sputtering down and dying.

Fire fell to the floor, panting. “I warned you”

“We are the children”

“All sown away.”

“We only wanted to play.”

“But here we are.“

“Locked away.”

Fire looked up. The flickering started all around her. Forming shapes of children.

“Won’t you come and play?”

“We can have so much fun.”

“You only have to say.”

“That you want to be locked away.”

“No! I don’t want to play!” Fire screamed, covering her ears. This can’t be happening! They died!

“Oh, but it will be fun.”

“All sown up.”

“And ready to play.”

“All we need…”

“Is you to do one tiny thing.”

Hands wrapped around her throat.

“So, are you ready to play?”

“No!” She jerked out of the grip. “Leave me alone!”

The children froze.

“You... You aren’t real! You’re dead!”

“And who’s fault is that?”

“Didn’t you fail to save us?”

“I-“

“Yes, she did”

“She let us walk out”

“No, I didn’t!”

“I remember” a boy spoke up. Curi. “I remember she stood there, watching as we all walked out”

“I tried to-” a small hand tugged her shirt.

“Miss? Why did you let us die? Did you not luve us?”

Fire jerked away.

“Of course, she doesn’t”

“She doesn’t like any of us”

“She wanted us dead”

“She wanted us gone”

“No! I-” Fire choked out a sob.

“You let us die”

Fire shook her head, tears running down her face.

A hand grabbed her. The child’s touch burning her clothes. “You let us DIE!”

Fire screamed pushing against him with her psychic energy, blasting the child back.

“Did you see that?”

“She attacked him.”

“She doesn’t want to play”

“She doesn’t love us”

“She wanted us to die”

Fire frantically glanced around, looking for some way to leave.

But all around her, was the faces of the kids she had let die.

Wild. Gnome. Hood

The kids who she had played with.

Mouse. Cruz. Eggs

The kids who raised her.

Scythe. Trick. Mute

The kids she had let walk out of the room.

A boy walked up to her. Her mind filled in the gaps giving him jet black hair and ice colored buttons. He... he taught her how to read.

“Rocket” she whispered. “Please I-”

He gave her a small smile, holding out his hand. “It’s alright Fire. We can play now. Just take my hand”

She sobbed.

“Shh, it’s ok.”

“I’m sorry”

“It’s ok. Just take my hand and we can play”

She shakily reached out to Rocket.

“Leave Her Alone!”

A gloved hand pulled her away. Two Eyed growling and brandishing a switch blade. “Don’t you dare come any closer!”

Fire looked up at him. He had switched faces at one point. Putting on something with three eyes.

“Wha-“

“Don’t let her trick you. These are metal threads. I use them all the time. Your fire is likely why they are glowing. And why they aren’t burning like the regular stuff.”

“Metal thr- No they’re ghosts!”

Two eyed twisted around, slashing at one of her friends.

“L-listen I kn-know you don’t like me, but this is a tr-trick.”

Fire shook her head.

“It is. We n-need to f-find the others”

“How do I know that you aren’t lying” Fire growled, tearing herself away.

He stared at her before holding out his hand. “Wh-what seems more likely. M-Me tr-tricking you? Or th-the B-Beldam trying to kill you w-with d-dead k-kids th-that you used to know”

Fire froze, looking into the chilling ‘green’ of his mask.

Cautiously, she slipped her hand into his. “I… I d-don’t want to die”

Two eyed nodded, pulling her forward.

She heard the ghosts howled as they ran through them.

“You let us die!”

“Why do you hate us!”

“Come back!”

Two eyed led the way, twisting and turning as they moved farther and father away from the ghosts of her old family.

Away from the memory of that night.

Away from her guilt.

It was a relief for both of them when they made it to a door. White light shining underneath it. A sign that they had beat the Beldam’s nightmare.

Fire took a deep breath, collecting herself. “Hey… Wybie”

Two eyed turned around. His hand on the doorknob.

“If you tell anyone I cried I will wrap you up in metal threads and set you on fire”

She couldn’t tell if he paled or not underneath his mask, but she liked to think that he did.

“Now come on. The others are likely doing something stupid.”

Without waiting on his response, she yanked the door open.

——————————————————————————————————–

Mabel’s hands went through her brother’s chest.

“Mabel?” Goggles said behind her.

Dipper made a keep quiet gesture. “Everything is ok Goggles.” He stepped around her, leaving strings on her hands.

Mabel stared at them. Not listening to the boys behind her.

Wait does this mean? Mabel walked over to Whisper.

With the boy’s attention on the other two, Mabel reached out, booping the boy.

Whisper jumped, his black buttons focusing on her.

“Mabel?” Goggles asked.

Mabel looked up.

“Goggles…” Thoughts started to fit together.

“Mabel, I think we should wait for the others.” Goggles said. Behind him Dipper stood awkwardly.

Goggles continued. “If you found the room then the others will find it too so-“

“I’m not staying.” Mabel whispered.

Whisper looked up at her.

“Mabel be reasonable. Coraline and Fire will-“ Goggles argued.

“I’m not staying!”

“Mabel you’re being selfish!” Goggles yelled.

She shut up.

“Mabel?” Whisper asked.

“And what are you” Mabel said, growing louder with each word. “What are you Goggles”

“I’m your brother.”

“Prove it! Prove that you’re not just some trick like the last world!”

Goggles walked forward, grabbing her hand. “See Mabel I’m not a trick”

“Goggl-“

A hand slapped her stomach.

She looked down at Whisper’s arm.

“You’re lying. You- you’ve been lying.” Whisper proclaimed.

Mabel looked at Goggles, finding the fake boy’s stomach impaled by Whisper’s hand.

Whisper pulled, taking a knot of thread out.

“You little!” Other Goggles yelled. The boy threw up his hand, ready to punch Whisper.

Other Dipper tackled Goggles. “Mabel run!”

Whisper grabbed her hand, pulling her forward.

“Don’t you dare!”

She didn’t resist.

“Don’t let them get away!” She heard Other Goggles yell.

They ran through the mountains of junk, clutching each other’s hands like a lifeline.

Other Fire stepped in front of their path and Whisper slowed.

Mabel without hesitating, jerked the boy’s arm. Pulling him up the wall of boxes.

Other Fire screamed, extending her cloth arm, wrapping around Mabel’s leg. Yanking her down.

“Mabel!” Whisper yelled as Other Mabel appeared at the end of the hallway, blocking them in.

Mabel kicked at the arm holding her. “Whisper run!”

“Not without you!”

“I’ll be-“ Mabel started.

“Leave my sister alone!” Other Dipper screamed from below them, right as Other Fire lost her grip. Mabel took the opportunity. Scrambling up the boxes as fast as she could.

“Come on!” Whisper yelled, moving forward.

The room trembled, and they lost their footing.

“Whisper!” She called, glancing around desperately.

“Over here!”

Whisper clutched the edge of the boxes, dangling above the floorboards.

Mabel ran over helping him up.

Below them, the floor started unraveling.

Throwing herself back, she pulled the boy up.

“Go! Go!” she yelled pushing him.

The floor was completely gone now, leaving a white void of space. The only thing keeping them from their doom was the narrow wall of boxes under their feet.

“Get them!” Coraline’s distorted voice came behind them.

“There’s the mirror!” Whisper yelled.

The mirror stood on the last few floorboards. Floating farther and farther away.

“We- We aren’t going to make it!”

“Oh yes we will!” Mabel yelled. Putting on a burst of speed, she grabbed his hand.  

The end of the boxes coming closer and closer with each step.

“You’re Mine!” Other Coraline screamed.

Mabel leapt off the wall, feeling the puppet grab the tips of her hair.

“No!” Her brother’s voice screamed.

And the puppet’s hand was gone.

The two kids hit the floor boards.

“Mabel come on!” Whisper helped her up, running for the mirror.

Mabel followed, glancing back.

Other Dipper stood on the wall of boxes, giving her a thumbs up, as the room fell apart around him. ——————————————————————————————————– ——————————————————————————————————– I have a goal to finishes this before October!

[pikelanette]

A Pirate’s Life For Me (chapter 6)

AND FINALLY! The thrilling finale! 

Pairing: pikelan Words: 5155 Rated: M (for language) Link: ao3 Chapter 1: tumblr / ao3 Chapter 2: tumblr / ao3 Chapter 3: tumblr / ao3 Chapter 4: tumblr / ao3 Chapter 5: tumblr / ao3

a multi-chapter pikelan pirate AU - chapter 6 - final chapter

The next day was the weirdest day they’d had yet. They had nothing to work on anymore except prepping for the upcoming fight, and it left them both a little awkward and a little restless. From the look on Pike’s face, sometimes, Scanlan guessed that she had a lot more questions, but for some reason she wasn’t asking any of them. Maybe it was because she didn’t want to waste another spell on making him tell the truth on a day where she would probably need to be at full power, and she didn’t trust him to answer truthfully without it. That thought was a little disappointing, but it could be the case.

They spent the larger part of the day trying to prepare to the best of their abilities. Pike put on the pieces of her armour she had put aside for comfort and spent a good long while praying over her holy symbol. Scanlan tried to see if the amulet responded to her in any way, but if it did, he couldn’t pick up on it. There was nothing visual, at least.

He, thankfully, felt a lot better than the day before. A night’s rest had done him good, and although he realised that he wasn’t exactly at full physical strength yet, the magic inside of him was humming contently and he knew that he would have no problem with throwing out some bolts of lightning.

They grew tenser as time passed, because they knew that the moment of truth had to be getting closer. Particularly Scanlan, who knew the rate at which his friends must be approaching them, had a fair estimation of how long it would take before they arrived, and the anticipation that was constantly rising within him seemed to be picked up on by Pike.

They smiled nervously at each other a couple of times, and Scanlan found himself pre-emptively mourning the time they had spent locked up in this brig together. there was nothing he wanted more than to sleep in his own bed, but the thought that that might cost him Pike made him flinch. He had gotten irrationally attached to her in the past two weeks. And, no, that wasn’t just because she was basically his dream woman. Well, maybe it was.

She was his dream woman, okay? He was only human. How could he not get super attached to her?

So, for whatever time they had left, he revelled in the feeling of being in the same boat together. They looked at each other like they shared a secret, and they did, and he loved it. He wanted to share all of his secrets with her. He wanted, for the moment, to pretend that he did.

It was about mid-afternoon when something in the air changed. They started hearing mumbling from above deck, and then running, and shouting. The voices grew more panicked the more they picked up, and Scanlan knew instinctually that the pirates above deck must be watching his friends approach at the incredible speed that Keyleth could create when blowing air into a ship’s sails.

The pirate’s rising panic delighted him, and he felt a grin take over his expression. The time for mourning was over. Only excitement at the upcoming confrontation remained.

He looked at Pike, who took a cue from his obvious amusement and smiled back at him in anticipation.

“Almost there?” she whispered, as though she could ruin it by speaking up.

“Oh, yes,” Scanlan grinned.

Right at that moment, he could hear a soft, metallic voice, that grew louder and clearer as the seconds past.

“Scanlan? Are we in range?”

He lifted his hand to his ear and touched it to his earring. “I hear ya, Kiki.”

“Scanlan!” He could hear the obvious relief in Keyleth’s voice at hearing him, “Oh my gods, it’s so good to hear your voice. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Good job finding us. I’m in the ship’s brig with another prisoner. I could break through the lock, but I’d like to keep some element of surprise and jump them from below as well as above. Can you send in Vax?”

Pike was staring at him, a little slack-jawed, and visibly getting more excited.

“I’ll polymorph him and bring him to you,” Keyleth told him. He could hear the smile in her voice. “We’re about half a minute out. I just stopped the extra wind, so we should be slowing down enough not to pass them by. Did you say something about an extra prisoner?”

“Excellent. And yes. She’s with us. Bring her a weapon.” He glanced at Pike and smiled at her. “Any preference, Pike?”

“Do you have a maul?”

Scanlan touched his earring again. “Bring the Brawlers maul.”

Pike looked at him like he had just offered her a pile of gold.

“Done,” Keyleth said, “I’ll see you in half a minute. And, Scanlan? I’m really glad you’re okay.”

“See you soon, Kiki,” he smiled, and broke the connection.

Pike was inspecting him with a hint of suspicion, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her face. “Did you say the Brawlers?”

“Yup.”

“The notorious pirates who claim they’re all descended from dragons?”

“They’re full of shit. But yes.”

Pike shook her head in disbelief and laughed a little. “Why do you have their maul?”

Scanlan grinned and, emboldened, reached out to take her hand and bring it up to his mouth so he could kiss it. “They didn’t deserve it. That’s why we’re getting it a new wielder.”

Pike giggled and his very favourite blush rose to her perfect round cheeks.

His heart felt like it might burst. This was the best day of his life.

“Are you ready?” he asked her, “Things are about to get crazy.”

She sent him a dramatically scandalised look. “Scanlan. Who are you talking to?”

“Someone who’s about to kick some pirate ass?”

“Someone who’s about to obliterate some pirate ass.”

He hummed appreciatively. “I’d like a front row seat to that.”

She grinned. “First come first served.”

At that moment, there was a flutter of movement in the brig, and they looked up to see a small robin making its way towards them, flapping its wings enthusiastically. As it approached the bars to their cell, it started glowing, and, like a flower unfurling its petals, shifted into a tall, red-haired woman holding a staff. There was a maul hanging from a belt around her hips. She had a huge, happy smile on her face, and Pike liked her instantly.

“You’re still looking like that, huh?” she said to Scanlan, clearly happy to see him, even in his disguised form.

“You know I love a good costume.”

“Touché.” The woman’s gaze drifted to the gnome beside him and curiously looked over Pike – her full plate armour, white hair, the scar that ran across her left eye.

“Kiki?” Scanlan said, “The Vax, please?”

“Oh! Sorry!” She reached up and pulled a tiny spider from her messy red hair, putting it onto the ground beside her and dropping the spell she had put on it.

Another shift took place, this one reminding Pike more of an egg shell breaking to reveal a creature within. She blinked, and there was another person in the brig with them. This one had long, dark hair and a wicked grin on his face. He pulled out some thieves’ tools from his pockets and twirled them between his fingers. “Captain,” he said.

Scanlan didn’t dare to glance at Pike with that word hanging in the air.

She definitely heard that.

Above them, the fight had broken loose, and they heard shouts as well as small explosions and the unmistakable splash of someone hitting the water beside the ship.

Vax got to work immediately and within seconds he had picked the lock, swinging open the door to the cell, allowing Scanlan and Pike to rush out. Neither of them looked back before the four of them started rushing up the stairs. But, as they did, Pike reached for Scanlan’s hand and took it.

Something inside of him caught fire.

This was the happiest day of his life.

The hatch to the brig was slightly ajar and Vax learned over to gently lift it a little further and peek out. The sounds of the battle grew even louder, and Pike could feel the familiar adrenaline rushing through her veins at the proximity of a good fight. Gods, she wished Grog was here.

Vax motioned that they had to keep quiet for another moment as he reached into his belt and pulled out a mean-looking dagger. While he did, Keyleth removed the maul from her belt and quietly handed it to Pike with a smile. Pike returned her smile with as much warmth as she could muster and weighted the weapon in her hand. Then, she brought it up with her as she touched her holy symbol and sent a quick prayer to Sarenrae to help her face this.

Before she even finished, Vax flicked a dagger into the fray, and then two more. Pike couldn’t distinguish the cries of pain from each other, but the grin on the rogue’s face told her that he had definitely hit his target.

“Let’s go!” he said, and pushed open the hatch.

They rushed onto the ship’s deck and, immediately, Pike was a little disoriented. Everywhere around her people were running and shouting. There was the sound of metal upon metal and spells being flung around, recognisable, familiar sounds, but there were others sounds too, and she followed them to their sources. Her eyes widened at the things she saw.

There was a woman on a flying broom, racing over the fray, with an enormous longbow in her hands and a grin on her face that immediately identified her as Vax’s sibling. She shouted something down and Pike followed her gaze to an actual living grizzly bear that was running across the deck and mauling pirates left and right. Vax jumped into the battle as well, sneaking behind barrels and dodging opponents before pushing daggers into their flesh, his eyes flashing darkly as he released poison and fire into their bloodstream. Near the ship’s helm stood a tall human with a shock of white hair and a strange mechanical contraption in his hand. He looked impeccable in his blue coat as he pulled the trigger on the thing and shot fast-moving projectiles across the deck, incapacitating people left and right.

Pike and Scanlan looked at each other, identical grins on their faces. Scanlan wiggled his eyebrows and squeezed her hand. And, for the first time in weeks, Pike threw her head back and let out a good spell of laughter. With that, they let go of each other.

Pike gripped her maul and finished the prayer to Sarenrae that had been cut off earlier. With that, she spoke the divine words that had protected her so many times before, and sent out a spike of radiant energy, making good on the promise she had made herself so many weeks ago and getting a good ol’ Guiding Bolt right up a pirate’s butt.

Scanlan sauntered forward to get a better vantage point and sent his first Lightning Bolt towards the piece of shit who had ordered his capture two weeks ago. He didn’t hit on the first one, but immediately let out another, and this one hit home. The captain twitched and straightened out as the electrical charge rushed through his body, some of it sparking off his rapier.

Scanlan laughed heartily at the sight and kept approaching, ignoring the rest of the fighting crew on the ship. One or two of them attempted to hit him, but both missed and he stepped out of the way deftly. Before long he had the captain’s attention, and he could see the confusion take over his expression as he looked at the meek, scruffy halfling with a most uncharacteristic grin on his face. Scanlan oozed confidence, and he felt suave. He felt in his element.

He was in his element: he was about to drop a bomb of drama on this poor soul.

“You are not having a good day,” he said gleefully.

The captain actually let his rapier lower for a moment, staring at this tiny creature slack-jawed. Then something seemed to click, and although Scanlan was sure that he couldn’t see through his illusion, exactly, it was clear that the pirate now knew there was one.

“Who the fuck are you?” the captain barked, clinging on to his dignity and bringing up his rapier again. He tried to look imposing, but Scanlan wasn’t having any of it.

“Who am I?” he repeated, happy with the set-up. He could feel the eyes of others on him, friends as well as enemies. He was sure that one pair was Pike’s. He finally got to show her where his biggest strength lay.

Theatrics.

“Well, I have many names,” he continued smoothly. “The Meat Man. Burt Reynolds. Kingslayer. Francois Bertrand Jean-Luc Australia. But you, my friend, probably know me as Aes Adon.”

The pirate looked as though he was watching a guillotine being raised with every name that Scanlan uttered. He grinned at him, ready to drop it and chop off his head.

“And this,” he continued, spreading his arms to gesture towards the crew that was quickly overpowering the ship, “Is Vox Machina.”

With that, he dropped his illusion, watching as the full realisation of who they were dealing with washed over his rival’s features.

“Vex’ahlia!” Scanlan shouted, and immediately he was approached by the half-elven ranger, who reached for something hanging from her belt and dropped a dark brown tricorne into his hands, adorned with purple feathers and the odd dragon-scale or two. He drew it onto his head, and felt as though he had undergone a transformation that ran far deeper than just dropping an illusion.

Now, he was a force to be reckoned with. Now, he was Aes Adon. Captain of Vox Machina.

The rival captain’s shock morphed into rage within seconds, and Scanlan steadied himself to prepare for his oncoming attack. His rival roared and came at him, the tip of his rapier aimed at his gut, but Scanlan stepped away just in time and the blade merely nicked his side. The joys of being a gnome.

He brought up his own hands and traced an arcane sigil in the air while muttering a few words. Immediately, a huge, spectral hand appeared and lifted him up above the deck, out of the reach of the pirate captain’s rapier. He swung it at him one more time, but only caught the hand’s form, which didn’t falter on its way up.

Scanlan couldn’t keep the grin from his face and he quickly surveyed the battlefield, unwilling to admit that he was looking for Pike until he found her in the crowd.

She was staving off an enemy with maul and then turned to look at him up in the air. Her eyes were wide and bright blue.

Pike just stared up at the fixture in front of her, who both was and was not the person she had spent two weeks locked up in a cell with. He looked so comfortable like this, with the grin on his face, wearing his real visage proudly, the ridiculously ostentatious hat on his head.

Everything fell into place.

“Pirate-robbing pirate,” Pike stammered, and everything made sense now. Why he had targeted these pirates. Their conversation on piracy. His unease with letting her know who he was. The vagueness which had cloaked his true intentions. Even the rough way of speaking that sometimes overpowered his more charming lilt.

He was a pirate. Of course he was. He was a pirate captain.

He was Aes Adon.

She had little to no information on Vox Machina, except that they hit who they could hit and were impossible to track. Looking over the crew that he had brought with him, Pike could definitely see how they were an unconventional lot. A bear at sea, for example, was not exactly something she would have expected.

But they looked powerful. And she was glad to be on their side.

She grinned at Scanlan, finally unbound, having thrown off the limits he had put on himself and showing his bardic prowess in all its glory. Purple looked good on him.

They gazed at each other in the midst of the battle, and then, smoothly, Pike lifted up her maul and pointed it at him. “You and I need to talk!”

“Now?!” he yelled back, but he was still grinning, and seemed pleased with her response.

“After!”

With that, she threw herself back into the fight, her adrenaline fuelled by her excitement at finally knowing who exactly she was dealing with. She had no time to consider anything but how neatly her image of Scanlan fit into that of Aes Adon. Vaguely, she registered that someone was laughing loudly, having heard their exchange. She glanced to the side to see the source and found the rogue with the daggers, Vax, laughing and shaking his head. He caught her gaze and winked at her, before somehow disappearing into some of the shadows cast over the ship by the midday sun.

After that, the fight was over quickly. Pike got some good Guiding Bolts in, one of them scorching the bastard captain who had overpowered her own crew so violently over a month before. It felt good to pay him back, although she knew that there was nothing she could do to him that would somehow make up for the lives he had taken that day.

She loved the feel of the maul she had been given, swinging it left and right whenever she felt like, before reaching for her holy symbol again to communicate Sarenrae’s wrath.

Before long, most of the enemy pirates were crawling, and then the last one fell to one of the fast projectiles that the white-haired human was shooting into the crowd. Pike looked up at him as the battlefield quieted down. Somewhere behind her, Scanlan was walking up to the enemy captain as Vex’ahlia was binding him tightly with rope. Vax offered him one of his daggers, and Scanlan took it as he approached his fallen enemy.

But Pike’s eyes stayed on the gunslinger. There was dark smoke coming from the barrel of his weapon, and he hadn’t lowered it yet. There was something hard and dark about his eyes, and, for a moment, she could swear that she saw some of his weapon’s smoke coalesce and drift down his arm. She knew, instantly, that something was wrong with him, and shivered at the sight.

Then he put down his weapon and the darkness faded. He was just a man.

Suspicious, but satisfied for the moment, Pike turned away from him and looked at where Scanlan stood in front of the bound captain.

He tapped the ropes with Vax’s dagger. “There we go. Neat little packages for Emon’s Crown. I’m sure they’ll be delighted to see you.”

The pirate captain spat at him, but Scanlan’s hand sneaked up to slap him just before he did, and his spit landed on the deck beside his comrades’ blood.

Scanlan looked at Vex’ahlia. “Maybe gag him?”

“It would be my pleasure,” she answered, and reached over to do just that.

Once the pirate captain was silenced, Scanlan looked him over again. “You have made many mistakes in your life, Harold,” he said, “And kidnapping me was far from the worst of them. I hope others may learn from your mistakes. It becomes rather dull to have nothing but enemies who fall for every trap I lay for them.”

The twins chuckled.

“Let it be known,” Scanlan smiled, “That today, once again, Vox Machina triumphed.”

His crew cheered, and he grinned, and everything was wonderful. There was nothing like the adrenaline rush that he got from a good fight. He felt ecstatic.

As soon as the end of the battle had been officially proclaimed, he was hounded by his crew about all sorts of things. The cook wanted to know whether he should use the special meat for tonight, Keyleth offered to do a Heroes Feast for the occasion, Percy chimed in to say that he had had a thought and wanted some extra materials to work on something, Vax was cajoling him, the younger crew members were congratulating him on the great mission, and Vex was still poking Harold with a stick behind him, resulting in some fairly interesting noises from the bound-up captain.

By the time things had settled down a little again, he had momentarily lost track of Pike. He’d meant to, of course – he couldn’t seem like he was paying anyone special attention.

He had grown up in an environment where it was very dangerous to let people know that you cared about something, and that education still pushed to the surface sometimes. He knew that he could trust his people. But still.

He really did have trust issues, did he? Wow…

Right as he had that realisation, his gaze locked in on Pike, who was tending to some of the wounded. Their usual healers were with her, helping both magically and mostly non-magically, but Pike was dead in the centre of it all. It looked like people had just flocked towards her, and Scanlan wondered whether that happened to her any place she went.

She was bandaging one of the deck mates and muttered a short incantation that seemed to help with sealing up his wounds. Then she turned around and put a hand on one of the unconscious members of the crew, and hesitated. Scanlan watched as Pike looked up again with a frown and looked around for a moment, inspecting the small crowd that had gathered around her. She steadied herself for a moment and reached for her holy symbol and then let out a shockwave of radiant energy that started to stitch up the wounds of various of the people around her. The crew was clearly in awe of her. As they should be. She was incredible.

Vax’s hand fell on his shoulder with a smack and he was shaken out of his thoughts. He looked up at his friend to find the familiar, shit-eating grin on his face.

Scanlan sighed, but couldn’t keep a smile from his face. “Whatcha got, Vax?”

“It really isn’t much about what I’ve got,” Vax grinned, “As much as it is about what you’ve got, my friend. Of course, I’m referring to the exquisite companion you’ve somehow managed to pick up.”

“Yeah, Scanlan,” Vex said as she joined them, “Where did she come from? She looks adorable.”

“She’s a badass,” Vax corrected her immediately.

“Those aren’t mutually exclusive.”

“Not in her, they aren’t,” Scanlan affirmed. He looked back over to where Pike was helping his crew. “What can I say? She was just a very lovely surprise that I found down here.”

There was something about the quiet after he said that that didn’t sit right with him. There were so many things he wanted to say about Pike, and he was horrible at keeping all of it inside.

“She honestly saved me,” he finally admitted, “She kept me up and running while we were stuck in that ship. She really took care of me, in a multitude of ways. It was… honestly a gift.”

If he had said it in a tone that was any less sincere than this, he was sure that the twins would have jumped on him with a decent amount of provocative jokes about what exactly he had received from Pike in all of those weeks. But, as it stood now, Vax and Vex just looked at each other briefly, Vex raising one of her eyebrows, and that was that.

They took a moment, and then Vax squeezed Scanlan’s shoulder. “Well, then you should probably go talk to her, right?”

“Maybe.”

“Scanlan,” Vex said with a delighted gasp, “Are you nervous?”

Scanlan ignored her and turned to face them, running his fingers through his hair. “How do I look?”

“Ruggedly handsome,” Vax deadpanned.

“Very charming,” Vex agreed.

Well. He was willing to settle for that.

“Alright,” he said softly to himself, and then he was off.

By now, most of the people around Pike had stepped aside to tend to rest of their wounds on their own. Pike was still helping some of them with slings and bandages, but it seemed that she was tapped out when it came to her healing spells. That wasn’t surprising, of course, considering the shit she had pulled out of her figurative closet during that fight.

She was sitting on an upturned crate, the maul she had used resting beside her, blood and sweat gathered on her brow. The sun was starting to go down in earnest, and Scanlan got a perfect view of the way that the low light gave her hair a golden sheen. The sun was right behind her, and he had to squint a little, and, by the gods, was she an actual angel? Had he lost blood? He was getting dizzy.

He absent-mindedly reached for the place where Harold had nicked him, and, sure enough, his vest was pretty moist with blood, although the flow seemed to have stopped already. He quickly muttered a Healing Word to himself to help his body along.

Pike looked up at him now, and when she noticed him her mouth pulled up into a gorgeous smile that made his stomach do a twirly thing inside of his body.

She got up from the crate, her hands instinctively reaching for the maul again. That’s how she stood before him – covered in grime from the fight, a damaged maul in her hand, her holy symbol having that soothing glow across it that he had seen only once before, and a grin on her freckled face. Her hair was an absolute mess, which made him feel better about his own, and she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen in his life.

“So,” she said.

“So,” he parroted, feeling too much like an awkward teenager. He attempted to fix it by plastering a smile onto his face, but it couldn’t entirely conceal the nervousness he was feeling, standing before her in all of his infamous glory.

“Pirate-robbing pirate captain,” she observed.

“Amongst other things.”

He remembered the intimacy between them when he had last spoken those words in her Zone Of Truth, and Pike seemed to remember too, because there was a spark in her eyes and just the tiniest hint of that lovely blush rising to her cheeks. She didn’t look embarrassed as much as she looked to feel a little hot. That had to be a good sign, right?

She crossed her arms and started to slowly shake her head, but there was a smile on her face that made the entire thing look loving. “You’re something else, Scanlan Shorthalt.”

And that wasn’t rejection. That absolutely wasn’t rejection.

Fuck it, he thought, and decided to be bold.

“So, what do you say, Pikey?” He reached for her hand and took it, holding it up loosely with his own and looking down at it as though he were considering where to kiss it exactly. But then he glanced up at her through his eyelashes. “Ever wanted to be a pirate?”

Pike let out a burst of laughter at his ridiculousness, but the blush on her cheeks also deepened when she realised what exactly he was saying.

Oh shit. He was asking her to stick around. Wasn’t he?

“How so?” she asked, her voice quivering lightly, “Do you have an opening?”

“We could certainly use someone with your kind of magnificent mind,” he flirted.

Pike laughed again. “You’re laying it on thick. Scared I’ll run off to the enemy?”

Scanlan glanced at the other pirate captain from the corner of his eyes. “I don’t think he could woo you away from me, exactly.”

Pike smiled, but then tried to wrap her head around the idea properly. “I’ve never considered becoming a pirate before,” she muttered, and she looked over the ship’s deck to see what she would find there.

There were the twins, who were not even hiding that they were watching them and listening in on the entire conversation. They looked excited and pleased, and Pike figured they would have no objections to her joining the crew. Even the bear seemed to be anticipating something. Keyleth, who was helping people with her bandages as she had been, had a warm smile on her face, and Pike knew instinctively that she could really use a friend. The white-haired human wasn’t paying attention. He was meticulously cleaning his gun. She remembered the darkness that had so briefly overtaken him, and she knew, just as instinctively, that there was something she could do here. If Sarenrae allowed it, she could mean something to these people. She could help them.

She looked back at Scanlan in front of her, his impish grin, his flair, and felt the way his hand was trembling slightly underneath hers. She looked into his eyes and there was something there that she had never found before.

She could help him. She could help all of them. And, maybe, they could help her.

Pike took care to bring out her best pokerface. She pursed her lips as though she was thinking this offer over, and she dragged it out just long enough, with a dramatic tension that she was sure Scanlan would be able to appreciate. He was still grinning at her, but she could see that there was something beneath the surface there. He really wanted her to stay.

Something inside of her soared.

“On one condition,” she said finally.

“Anything,” Scanlan told her eagerly, almost greedy for an opportunity to do something to sway her in his favour.

Oh yes. She could be something here.

Pike let her expression break open into a shit-eating grin that almost brought Scanlan right back to the beginning of the fight.

“We have to pick up Grog.”

It was Scanlan’s turn to soar, and he tightened his grip on Pike’s hand unintentionally. “Done.”

Pike laughed, and that sound changed the course of everything, so Scanlan grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up, sparking another burst of laughter from her perfect lips, and when he brought her down he kissed both of her cheeks and then her forehead. He lingered there for just a second, and hoped she was able to pick up on just how much this meant to him.

Then they looked at each other, faces close together, and just like the day before, Scanlan felt like she shared all of his secrets. And he wanted to share in all of hers.

[lifeinahole27]

CS ff: “On the Two” (Chapter 3/9) (au)

Summary: He’s one bad trip from ending up in AA, and she’s one performance away from a solid job and moving closer to home. Their paths were unlikely to cross until Camp Hope brought them together. How and why they meet and intertwine is against the odds, and definitely against the rules, but will that really stand in their way? A Dirty Dancing inspired modern au.

Rating: E

Content Warnings: Borderline alcoholism, very brief mentions of past relationships, mentions of the loss of a limb - this fic is primarily tame but I’ll do my best to tag anything that might need tags.

Chapter Specific Warnings: Some dirty dancing, and a little more drinking.

A/N: We have one more disastrous meeting between our two before things very quickly turn around for them. And by the end of the chapter, they've reached an agreement. Enjoy!

Catch it on FFN & Ao3! Or find the previous chapters here on Tumblr!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | 

It takes two days for Killian to recover from the hangover he got from his night in the camp bar. He never should’ve bribed the bartender to part with that full bottle of rum the other night. In his defense, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Who knew a camp bartender would be so amenable, after all?

Liam is already out and about, which is unsurprising, even for how early it is. While his brother was adamant about this camp bringing about changes and chances for both of them, Liam has been so wrapped up in his own discoveries of what the camp has to offer that he’s mostly left Killian to his own devices. Thankfully, that applies to this morning’s shameful rising, as well.

The hangover is something he can deal with. The chagrin of his encounter with… Emily? Elsa? Anna? Bloody hell, what was that lass’s name? The meeting with her, the beautiful angel in disguise that also distracted him in the small grocery kiosk a week ago, only to be sick all over her, was bad enough. Now he’s gone and forgotten her name.

Maybe today he can take it easy on the rum. Maybe it’s time to visit the activity board in the main lodge and look at the brochures for anything he could use to fill his time. He needs to find something to do that doesn’t involve drinking excessively and passing out in odd places around the camp. Two nights ago was the first time he wasn’t safely back in his own room before the alcohol won over his system in the week and a half they’ve been here, and he never intended it to get so far. He doesn’t want it to get that far again, so maybe today can be one of rest from liquor and he can remember to eat a meal or two more than he’s been.

After a shower, he almost feels human again, enough so that he can wander down to the main lodge that towers over the rest of the campgrounds. It’s the first time he’s eaten a meal here since their first night at camp, but it’s not much different than that first experience. There are people bustling in and out, all adult, paired off or alone, but all with easy postures and smiles. Killian, on the other hand, is tense from the way his body is screaming for nutrition, his sunglasses perched on his nose to hide the bloodshot eyes that still haven’t cleared.

Astonishingly, he finds Liam eating at a table with a battered book sitting open beside his plate. It’s been ages since Killian has seen Liam do something as serene as read a book, so he’s almost hesitant to disrupt the peaceful scene in front of him, but he figures his brother might be pleasantly surprised to see him joining in, no matter how hungover he is.

“Well, well,” Liam starts as soon as Killian is in the seat across from him. “You’ve finally decided to join the land of the living again, then?”

“Aye, but no need to throw me a party.”

He can tell his brother is just short of clicking his tongue at him, but instead Liam continues. “Breakfast is a buffet. You can help yourself to as much as you’d like. I’ve been grazing on mine, so I’ll be here when you return.” The way he says it means that Liam intends to wait for him, not out of courtesy but as a means of checking on his younger brother.

With a barely restrained eye roll, Killian wanders over to where Liam indicated, looking over the choices first before grabbing a plate and selecting his breakfast. He’s grown so used to just eating granola or whatever Liam grabs for him, or whatever he pulls together in the small kitchenette, that he almost doesn’t know how to handle this many choices. It all looks to be homemade, too, which makes Killian wonder how they even manage to make this much food every day. Do they have elves humming “Hi Ho” back there as they scramble hundreds of eggs? Gnomes slicing fruit varieties? Have they got the magic brooms from that cartoon back there cooking endless heaps of bacon and sausage?

Whatever the case may be, Killian finds there are too many options for the sensory overload he’s feeling. Bread sounds like a good start, though, so he grabs a slice and puts it in the toaster nearby while he picks and chooses a few other items to put on his plate. He’s just about to retrieve his toast when someone bumps into him, almost upending the plate from where it rests on his prosthetic before a hand shoots out to steady it.

“Sorry, I’m – oh, hi. It’s you. Killian, right?”

In the daylight, and without the rum, the woman is still stunning but at least more approachable than his last two run-ins with her. The previous label of “angel” still seems rather apt. Her hair is braided again, sunglasses on top of her head, her green eyes curious but cautious for some reason. It probably has something to do with the fact that he doused her in his sickness less than forty-eight hours ago.

“Aye, I’m sorry again for our first unfortunate meeting. If there’s any way I can repay you, I’d be happy to. I just feel awful about it.”

“Just had to take my laundry into town a little earlier than I planned, that’s all. No harm done.”

“Nothing was destroyed by my behavior, I hope?”

“Nah, it was just my favorite t-shirt. No big deal or anything,” she says, the sarcasm eased by the way she smiles. She’s apparently joking, but the look on his face must reveal how aghast he is at hearing it was her favorite shirt. “It’s fine. I promise! I already hung it back up and everything, good as new. I do have to teach in less than an hour, so if you’re gonna have a repeat performance, I need to know now so I have time to change.”

Killian chuckles, finally relaxing on the heels of her joke. “Teach?”

“I’m one of the dance instructors,” she tells him, leaning around where he’s still blocking the buffet to grab a banana. “You’re not my lesson, right?”

“No, thankfully not. It’ll be a surprising day in hell before I find myself willingly in a dance studio.”

She purses her lips together at that, taking offense in something he’s said, but she squeezes out something of a smile as she backs away a couple steps. “Yeah, well, it takes a certain kind of dedication to find something you’re good at. Good luck, Killian.”

“Um, thanks? Same to you, Emily.”

Her face quickly falls into a scowl after that. “Emma.”

“Shite,” he whispers, just wanting the day to be over already. Hell, wanting the whole summer to be over already if this is how it’s going to go when he tries to be sober for once. “Emma,” he repeats, but finds she’s already weaving her way out of the breakfast area with smiles and greetings for people she knows.

His toast is cold by the time he gets back to the table where Liam is observing him, one Jones eyebrow raised as he takes in Killian’s sour demeanor.

“You seemed chummy with the dance teacher. Have you taken a lesson?”

“Of course not, no. She was unfortunate enough to meet me the other night in a rather sorry state.”

“Ah, and that’s why I heard a female voice when you got in rather late, then?”

Killian nods, more subdued after finding that Liam is more aware of his comings and goings than he initially assumed.

“Little brother, about your drinking…”

“Save it,” Killian says, cutting him off from continuing that thought. “I don’t need a lecture, and that’s younger brother. I hardly qualify in the little, nor have I since I was a lad.”

He takes to angrily chomping on his dry, cold toast, not really much interested in eating now, but still needing to nonetheless. To his credit, Liam just sighs and goes back to spearing pieces of fruit from his plate between flipping pages of his book. They eat in silence until Liam has cleared his plate. Then, with a check of his watch, he bookmarks his spot and stands.

“Well, it was lovely catching up with you. I’ve got a couple things I signed up for today. If you’re interested in keeping yourself out of trouble, there’s a great little library off the main room here.” With a nod of goodbye, his brother is gone again, leaving Killian alone to eat and stew in his own thoughts.

In his continuous land of “maybe” he considers the fact that a book wouldn’t be a terrible waste of his time.

His thoughts, even after he’s selected a book and hidden himself away in a corner of the small library, seem to stray back to Emma. There’s something still missing from their encounter the other night, something about her name that waits to be uncovered from the alcoholic stupor he was in. He does still feel bad about the sullying of her clothes, and he considers ways to make it up to her, despite her reassurances that it’s of no matter to her. If he didn’t know himself better, he’d think he was trying to come up with reasons to see her.

But that’s impossible, isn’t it? He hasn’t actively sought the attention of a woman other than one-offs in longer than he cares to remember. After Milah passed away, he was alone for a long time, and only after a year had passed did he start going out to meet women with the sole purpose of physical gratification. His attentions to Emma, as new as they are, don’t feel like attempts at a quick fling, and not only because he knows she’s off limits to a guest as a camp employee.

He runs into her several more times as he stops drinking quite so much and starts leaving the cabin during the daytime. If Liam is surprised by his sudden interest in the camp’s amenities that don’t involve liquor, he doesn’t show it. And it’s not to say that Killian doesn’t still sip from his flask or drink to his content in the cabin at the end of the day.

The most illuminating trip out of his cabin is to watch a demonstration of dances offered for classes by Emma and another instructor named Ruby. Tucked in the back of the yet-again transformed main lodge (he swears that every time he goes to it the whole setup has changed), Killian watches in fascination as Ruby glides on stage first. Her hair is tied in a ponytail, long and straight and severe. Sure, she looks stunning, until Emma walks onto the stage to stand next to her. Then, he momentarily forgets that there are even two of them up there.

He can’t help it; he knows he’s staring. Both women are in the same dress, and their hairstyles are identical, but where Ruby’s red dress is eye-catching, Emma’s cobalt dress is downright captivating. The sleeves come down to her elbows, and the dress itself falls nearly to her knees except for a slit that shows a tantalizing amount of thigh when it flares out just the right way. Her make-up, even from this far away, is done in such a way that she looks like some film noir heroine reincarnated.

Killian spends as much time watching her face as he does trying to take in the whole dance, but if asked later what they were performing he’d be hard-pressed to give a solid answer. This is mostly due to his utter lack of knowledge on the subject, excepting for the Waltzes he learned back in grade school. Instead, he’s intently paying attention to the way her eyes scan the room before returning to her partner. He’s focused on the sultry way her smile changes between movements and the way her red lips seem even brighter when she grins with teeth showing.

After a number of performances, and a well-earned standing ovation, the two women circulate the room, talking to everyone for even a moment. Ruby seems to be the books, as she has her phone out while they go through setting up lessons and talking details with these potential new clients. She gets stopped up talking to one of the hiking guides, throwing her head back and laughing while Emma keeps circulating.

He sincerely considers ducking out of the lodge before Emma sees him, but once her eyes find him in the diminishing crowd, he’s powerless to move. He stands next to the chair he was rooted in for the entire performance, trying desperately to hold his hand still and not fidget with his prosthetic.

“Well, well,” Emma starts, her lips tilting up in something like surprise and welcome. “I thought it would be a cold day in hell before you watched a dance.”

“Until I do one meself,” Killian clarifies, finally losing the battle with his nervous habits as he rubs the back of his neck.

She hums in consideration. “I don’t know, you seemed pretty graceful for someone too intoxicated to even be able to stand. I’m sure if you gave it a shot, it wouldn’t be too bad.”

His mouth opens to respond, but before he can, Ruby is calling to her partner again and Emma is apologizing, bidding him goodnight with what seems like an unplanned hand on his bicep, and one last smile before she moves away. He stands there, watching as she goes, and so he gets to see the one time she glances over her shoulder at him (probably expecting him to have turned away and not still staring at her like a right git), her face unreadable as she turns back and hastens away after Ruby.

He forgets to drink himself to sleep that night.

It’s the middle of his third week at the camp when he finds his way to the dance studio, passing close to the scene of where Emma found him that night. He’s tried to keep himself away, but he feels a curiosity so strong that he’s quite unable to resist at this point.

There are windows, but the whole building is raised up, so that he can’t easily peer into them. Rather than try to take a hidden vantage point, he opens the heavy door and walks up the five steps until he’s even with the parquet floors. The room is brightly lit, with mirrors lining the one wall, but his focus is trained on Emma moving across the floor. There’s music playing, but it’s nothing compared to the symphonic way her body twists and turns.

He thinks to leave, to exit what is clearly alone time for the dancer he’s had such rough encounters with, but he’s mesmerized by her movements. It’s fitting, watching her move as she does, that he remembers at that moment that her last name is Swan, and he finds it utterly fitting to all aspects he’s seen of her personality thus far.

There’s clearly grace, especially with the way her arms arc above her head at the moment, and there’s fire. That was most evident the other night at their performance, watching her come at some of the dances like she’s attacking them. There’s beauty, of course, he’d never deny she’s one of the most attractive women he’s ever seen. But it’s more than her physical appearance that draws him in, particularly in this moment.

She’d remarked about the time it takes to find something one is truly passionate about, and he can read her years of study and practice like an open book as her feet move across the floor. She’s so focused in every aspect of this solo that she hasn’t even noticed him practically standing right in front of her. Her attentions are solely on her actions, with only passing glances to the mirrors to check form, he supposes.

It’s only when she turns to hold a pose, leaning forward with one leg raised perpendicular to the floor that her eyes finally focus on him. With a gasp, she loses her concentration and goes crashing to the floor, and Killian races up the rest of the steps to help her up.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she grumbles, hesitating before taking his hand and letting him haul her to her feet. “Just wasn’t expecting anyone. It’s my free hour. Do you need something?”

Need? No, definitely not. Want? That’s a whole different concept that he is coming to grips with.

“No, I was just passing by and thought I’d stop in. Are you sure you’re okay?”

She snorts, a low laugh coming from her as she moves towards the stereo to turn down the music. “I’ve taken harder falls.”

He watches as she moves to swipe a towel off the back of a nearby chair, dabbing her face and neck before throwing it back down and grabbing a water bottle instead. “So is that the sort of dancing you teach here?”

She smiles, even as she tilts the bottle upward to take a couple deep gulps. It’s only after she’s recapped the bottle and moved back into his general vicinity that she answers. “No, that’s my own personal dancing. I wanted to dance on big stages for most of my life.”

“And why aren’t you?”

“Tragic backstory, misfit past, the usual.”

“Ah, of course. I know a bit about those,” he says. He only notices that he’s fiddling with his prosthetic fingers again when Emma’s eyes are drawn to watch his movements – her expression one part wary and two parts curious. “Anyway, if you’re not teaching that kind of dancing, what do you teach?”

“Mostly just ballroom, like you saw the other night,” she comments, her gaze tearing away from his hands and meeting his eyes again. At his blank stare, she huffs once, rolling her eyes in the process of starting a series of stretches. “Fox Trot, Tango, Mambo, that sort of thing. You ever danced before?”

“I learned to Waltz when I was just a lad. Other than that, just the standard variety of three feet apart types at school dances and decidedly less innocent kinds while at university.” He tries to tame the smirk on his lips when he mentions the form of dancing they used to do in the youth that seems like forever ago, but fails miserably by the way she raises an eyebrow at him.

“You should see our staff dances at the end of the week,” she says, the way she wiggles her eyebrows indicating that she’s not only fully aware of the kind of dancing he’s referring to, but that she participates.

While he laughs, she moves to another stretch and he spots the angry red mark on her shin from her earlier fall. He cuts off abruptly, looking concerned even if it doesn’t seem like she notices it. “I seem to have caused you another misfortune.”

She hums out a question mark, and he points to the spot. Without breaking her stretch, Emma glances at it and promptly waves it off. “I’ve done worse. Nothing’s broken, I’m not bleeding; it’s fine.”

“Oh, you’re a tough lass, eh?”

Rather than responding, she sizes him up for a minute before turning fully towards him. “You wanna give it a try? The ballroom style that I teach? We can even start with the Waltz.”

“I don’t think I’ll be any good at it.”

“Don’t care. You owe it to me.” She raises her eyebrow in challenge and waits.

With a grimace, Killian rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck, shaking out his arms before slipping the flask from his pocket. “Rum?” He holds it out to her first, chuckling as she shakes her head and scoffs.

“Is that your solution to everything?”

“Doesn’t hurt,” he mutters, taking a sip for himself before setting it down by the top of the steps. At her incredulous look, Killian holds up his hand in a placating gesture. “Okay, okay, sometimes it’s more insult than injury. You win that one.”

She switches music, grabbing a small remote while she’s at the system before moving to the center of the room and motioning Killian towards her. When he moves to join her, she positions her arms and hands, only faltering for a moment as she moves his prosthetic into place before she uses the remote to start the song.

“Okay, hold that position. When I step back, you’re going to step forward. Got it?”

“Sure,” he says, his tone much more assertive than he feels at the moment. His eyes go downward, staring for the moment her foot moves back and he moves his forward. It’s been lifetimes ago, but he gets the general understanding of how he’s supposed to move. After three or four repetitions, she instructs him to look at her instead of their feet and he loses the progress he’s made. It’s partly due to inexperience, but it’s also because then he’s looking at her eyes, studying the pigments of color that he finds. He’s utterly enchanted by the flutter of her eyelashes, wondering if she feels the same jolt that he does.

He’s so wrapped up in his thoughts that he moves out of turn, and he’s a hair away from stepping on her toes. They both realize it, both sucking in a gasp at the close call and looking quickly at the lack of space between their feet. The spell of the moment is broken when their hold falls apart and they both start laughing.

“Not bad! Try again?”

She’s got to be lying; he feels like he was less than subpar at best but she’s still looking at him like he’s got something like potential and he’s not sure how to even begin processing that. But it’s time spent in the company of a pretty woman, so who is he to argue with her decision to invite him closer again?

They’re just moving to the same starting position when the door opens and closes swiftly, announcing someone’s arrival. Emma looks to the stairs to see who the newcomer is, her hand still tangled with his, her other one just coming to rest on his shoulder until she furrows her eyebrows.

“Mulan, what’s wrong?”

“We have a bit of a problem,” a female voice says, and Killian turns to see the hiking instructor Ruby was speaking to the night of the performances standing at the top of the stairs. She’s out of breath, and her face is pinched with worry and apprehension. “Ruby sprained her ankle. Victor is looking at it now, but he already says it isn’t looking too good.”

Emma’s hand on his shoulder tightens incrementally as the statement is uttered, and then she breaks the hold all together to run both her hands through her hair as one loud, angry expletive rings out through the dance studio.

-x-

She forgets for a moment that there’s a guest standing in the room with her, and that she’s standing with her arms around him to start with, no less. Instead, she drops an f-bomb or two, or five, and a bunch of other swears all in a row. What else could she do after finding out that her partner is okay but likely unable to dance any time soon?

“Shit,” she mutters, stomping around the studio a couple times. She kicks a yoga mat in the corner for good measure. “What happened?”

“She came with me for the intermediate hike and lost her footing. She rolled it pretty bad. I had to carry her the whole way back and postpone the rest of the hike. Thankfully, we weren’t too far into the woods yet.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Everyone is showering her with attention so she’s doing fantastic,” the other woman says with a grin, and Emma’s own smile is thin-lipped but there. Of course, Ruby would be graciously accepting the fawning.

“I guess I can reschedule my next lesson, go over and check on her and…” It’s then that she remembers Killian is standing there, just behind her now, and she winces as she turns towards him. “Sorry, Killian. Um, raincheck on those lessons?”

“Of course, Swan. Until next time.”

She likes the way he says her name just a little too much, and it’s almost a relief when he’s gone. Apparently, even time in the supply closet hasn’t fully squashed the possibility for sexual attraction to a certain guest. He is at the top of her No list, though, so she will have a stern talk with herself later about remaining professional and aloof with him.

Things get worse when Emma stops by to see Ruby in the infirmary. Her ankle is swollen, the bruising already apparent when she lifts the ice bag for Emma to see. Ruby’s face is grim, as if she’s already received bad news, and maybe she has.

“How long?”

“Four weeks, maybe. Three if I’m lucky.”

With those simple sentences, Emma’s hopes of the job at Mills Regency vanish in smoke.

“Victor has ordered me to stay off of it for the next week, and we’ll start going through some stretches and rehab to get it healed up. I can still make it.”

“No, you can’t. I don’t want you to risk making it more permanent. I want you to heal properly the first time.” She settles onto the edge of Ruby’s bed, sighing as she does so.

They exhaust every possible other option, including Emma dancing on her own and her trying to teach another staff member the routine. The problem with that is she knows the strengths and weaknesses of each staff member, and also their work schedules. The best of the bunch are all tied up or getting ready to take their first week off of the season.

And then the terrible idea comes to her.

“Well, I could teach someone.”

“Like who?”

She doesn’t respond, instead thinking about the way Killian looks visually next to her, and thinking about the way he quickly started getting the steps. He’ll probably resist, probably flat out reject the idea, but she has to at least try. “I gotta go. I’ll come back later. You rest!”

With that, Emma all but sprints from the infirmary, making her way across the campgrounds to the secluded section of cabins she visited just a week ago. She has no idea if he’ll even be back at his cabin now, but it’s worth a shot to try this place first. Bounding up the stairs of the modest cabin, Emma raps on the screen door.

Killian appears after a few seconds, his eyebrow going up in question when he sees her. “Hello, Swan. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“You said you’d make it up to me, right?”

His look of confusion intensifies for a moment. “Make it up…? For the vomit incident? Of course.”

“And calling me by the wrong name, pushing your chair into me two days ago, stepping on the back of my heel at the grocery kiosk, and knocking me on my ass while I was dancing earlier. All of that. You can make it up to me.”

His face had continued to pinch as she listed the offences he’d accrued in their short amount of shared time, so when she finishes, he nods slowly. “And how can I do that?”

“Be my dance partner.”

A pregnant pause follows her words, in which Killian blinks at her through the barrier of the screen door and Emma finally gains control of her breathing after the dash across camp.

“No.”

“Killian.”

“No, Swan, I’m not going to be any good for something that’s meant to be graceful.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I can barely walk a straight line,” he counters. And while he has a point, that’s not exactly a difficult thing to fix.

“So quit drinking so much.”

He steps back, mock affronted and clutching his chest.

“You don’t mess with a man’s rum, Swan.”

She just raises an eyebrow at him. “Okay, fine, give me a better reason.”

“How many professional dancers have artificial hands?”

“No one will even notice that!”

It’s Killian’s turn to lift an eyebrow, his head tilted for extra emphasis. They probably wouldn’t – not if he has the footwork she thinks he could have – but there’s no easy way to convince him of this fact.

“I just don’t think I’m what anyone would want to see dancing with someone like you.”

“I doubt that,” she answers quickly, the mental image of them together flashing strongly in her head.

“You’d be wrong. Listen, I am quite willing to do anything to make all of that up to you by any means necessary, except for that.”

“But this is the kind of repayment I need. I can teach you. I can teach you and you’ll be good.”

He still looks like he’s going to turn her down, but she’s turning just a tiny bit desperate.

“Okay, how about this. Tomorrow night, there’s this staff dance. You show up, you give dancing a try, and we go from there. I’ll buy the rum?”

The last sentence is a chance she’s willing to take, but it apparently does the trick. Hesitantly, oh so hesitantly, he nods his head. The fact that he’s grimacing while he does is a fact she’s willing to ignore.

“Good. Meet me outside the studio at ten and I’ll walk you up. Dress for a workout. It gets hot in the staff lodge.”

If possible, he grimaces harder. So she smiles as brightly as she can and lifts her hand in farewell as she heads back to the studio to prepare for her postponed lesson.

She’s nervous energy all through the next day, as well. She worries Killian isn’t even going to show, but all she can keep thinking about are the aesthetics they would create on stage if she could get him to move. Dark and brooding, with that constant three-day stubble. She gets lost in the thought of how it would feel to have a male partner again. Short of lessons and an occasional favor to Graham, it’s been a long time since she danced with a man.

Don’t get her wrong – she loves dancing with Ruby. They make one hell of a spectacle that people have loved for years. Plus, while they can’t compete, it’s fun to knock the gender barriers and fuck with the system a little bit. But mostly she and Ruby have been partners for all these years because of the trust they’ve created with each other. It’s worked well for them. They’ve participated in non-official events and arts festivals, and it gets them business.

For some reason, maybe due to the newness of the possibility, she shivers in anticipation.

Sure, she’ll have to give Regina a heads up so the hotelier knows she’ll be dancing with a sub for the evening, but that Ruby will be with her if they get the job. But since the email was addressed to the two of them, she figures that won’t be a problem.

When she can’t stand it anymore, when the clock is moving too slow, she changes for the third time and goes to stand by the studio. The building is dark and locked up, but she checks the door one last time to make sure and paces. At ten til the hour, she hears footsteps on the path and turns to see Killian wandering up. He’s in a t-shirt and shorts, and he looks apprehensive at best. She’s only mildly surprised to see him. More than surprised, she’s glad he actually showed.

Emma has dressed for the humidity that’s climbing upwards again, so even though the night brings a little relief from the discomfort, it’s still sticky.  Her hair is pulled up in multiple braids and crowned around her head to keep it off her neck, and otherwise she’s gone with light materials that only cover what’s absolutely necessary and appropriate. Her shorts, borrowed from Ruby’s clothes, may be just a tad too short. The way that Killian’s eyes trail up her legs with an appreciative glance kind of makes her feel like she made a good choice, though.

“You’re making a mistake,” he says as she motions him to follow her up the steps that lead to the staff lodge.

“I’ll be the judge of that. Let’s get a drink in us and see what happens.” She’s glad he can’t see her face after she says it because it sounds like a pick-up line.

“I brought my own,” Killian calls from behind her, and she can hear the quiet sloshing of his flask. There’s a quick flash of irritation, not that he brought the flask – it’s clear there’s an attachment to it that she’s not interested in breaking or making him change – but because she can’t have him getting too drunk too fast.

“Nurse that. Stay loose, not sloppy for me, okay? I’ll buy the last round.”

He nods, taking a quick sip and slipping the container back into his pocket.

Inside the lodge, the heat instantly intensifies, what with the lackluster air conditioning and the moving bodies. She gets to watch Killian’s face go from one of trepidation to some mixture of horror and wonder. There’s something to be said about the bass-driven music, the low lighting, the staff looking a little less prim and proper than they are when they’re directing hikes or leading a yoga session. A kid they call Herc who teaches archery normally looks like the perfect, nerdy frat boy during lessons, but with his shirt hanging open and the way his hand palms the ass of the girl in his arms, he looks like he’d fit better in a porno.

Now that she thinks of it, and now that she takes the time to imagine what Killian is seeing for the first time, she’s really surprised they aren’t in some weird, group-sex, niche-as-fuck porno. She comes back to herself a little bit, grabs Killian’s hand, and makes her way through the sea of people. She’s not worried about him being in here. Everyone is so intent on not wanting others to notice what they’re doing that they don’t look – it’s the easiest rule of staff dances.

In need of her own lubrication for making someone else dance, she heads straight for the bar and orders tequila. After she orders, she realizes Killian is completely motionless beside her. At once, she’s not sure if it’s because she’s holding his prosthetic or if he’s still trying to take it all in. “You good?”

His eyes focus again, and he nods, taking a moment to sip from his flask again.

At the same time, a shot glass is finally placed down in front of her and she knocks back the drink. “Okay, let’s do this.” She weaves them through the dance floor, finding a place not central but still surrounded enough that he’ll get lost before he can escape if he tries to run. She has her priorities straight, after all.

He’s a good two feet away from her as the song that was playing ends and a new one begins. Like always, Emma takes her time to let the beat sink into her bones before she tries to get him to move. Instead, she follows what she’d do if she was dancing alone, closing her eyes and giving over to her heart instead of her head. Once she has the rhythm pumping through her blood, she grabs his t-shirt and pulls him closer, molding them together. She gasps, her eyes darting to meet his when she feels him insistently poking her where their hips are pressed together, and he at least has the dignity to look embarrassed by it.

“Sorry, love. You’re a little entrancing when you move like that,” he tells her a moment later, saying it close to her ear so he doesn’t have to yell over the music. He tries to put space between them, but she holds him in place. She waves it off, hoping that he can’t see her own feelings about it in the dim lighting.

Emma can’t help the flush that spreads along her cheek bones, but she is surprised when it keeps lighting a fire across the skin of her neck and beyond. She’s been called a thousand names, she’s been told she’s sexy and asked to do strip teases for men she was sleeping with, but for some reason Killian’s words are more arousing than she expected.

She can’t let him know how much she’s affected, of course, so with a coy smile, she instead turns back to their reason for being here. With her hands on his hips, she moves them as she moves her own body. And thank the higher powers; Killian is a man who knows how to move his hips. Most men that she teaches have a bad tendency to move their whole torsos when she tries to get them moving, but Killian mimics her action and his hips fluidly move the way Emma is directing them.

After getting him familiar with that one motion, she steps back a little and takes his hands. She prompts him to follow her footwork, slowly incorporating steps and hip movements at the same time until he’s moving exactly the way she wants him to. From there it’s simple; he moves easily as she guides him, catching on quickly when she coerces his movements with her own. He copies her or follows her nearly-unspoken directive, staring at his feet or hers, staring at her hips, his eyes dipping down to admire her legs more than once.

It only takes that first song but three songs later, Emma determines that this is possible. It’s even more apparent that he has the ability to move when the rum has worked its way into his bloodstream a little and he’s finally loosened up. The time is creeping by but she’s still a little too happy to wrap herself around him, so she doesn’t try to fight it.

After a couple more dances and a few trips to the bar, they engage in much lighter dancing, goofing off as they try to recreate famous dance choreography to songs that don’t match the beat. A few more after that, and they look just like everybody else in the building, fitted tightly together and letting the music rule their movements.

Another slow song comes on and without prompting, Killian gathers her close and easily sways to it. She’s not sure how much he’s had from his flask, but she’s also not sure how much tequila she’s had at this point. Which means they’re officially in dangerous territory, in her opinion. Probably way beyond it, but this is the first time in a half hour that she’s actually thought about it.

She hates that there’s obvious chemistry between them. Mostly, it’s because he’s a guest, and the one person in the room who is completely off limits. Also, she’s always been a hit-it-and-quit-it woman. Relationships are messy. They hurt. They’re prone to being overbearing and uncomfortable. At least, all of hers have been. Not to say that Killian would be like that. Her fingers tickle into the hair on the back of his neck and she can feel more than hear the contented sigh that escapes him.

He’s actually quite smart, and very funny, and easy on the eyes. He’d make a hell of a one-nighter if she was allowed. That much is obvious by the latent abilities she’s yet to fully unlock, and many of which she’s not allowed to. He’d make a top grade lover, with the way he holds her, his hand splayed across her lower back, his prosthetic propped against her hip – her hand is still in his hair and she’s one shift away from being lip-to-lip with him, a fact that finally shakes her from her little daydream.

She steps back, enjoying the dazed look on his face for a moment before she twirls under his arm and pulls him away from the floor. Thankfully, the rum seems to have worked enough that he looks oblivious to her inner turmoil and attraction.

As soon as they’re outside, Emma deems their experiment a success. “You can dance like that? You can follow my directions? You can dance the Mambo.” She’s yelling, but there’s no one around to hear her lack of volume control except for Killian, who is having similar troubles.

“I still think you’re wrong,” he loudly concludes, swinging their hands as they diligently pick their way down the path to where they met up earlier.

“I could be, but I don’t think I am. Come by tomorrow at noon. That’s my lunch break. Give it an actual, sober try and decide after that, okay?”

He stares at her, his eyes searching her whole face and making eye contact every few swipes, until he finally releases a breath she didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Fine. Okay. I’ll be there. But if I’m terrible at it, we’re done, and I’ll find another way to repay you. Deal?”

“Deal!”

Chapter 4

[boywizardscanbecute]

Once Bitten Twice Shy

Summary: You moved to New York for the love of you life, who left you. A year later someone you thought you’d never see again walks into your life. Newt Scamander.

15,224 words

PSA- This has been my baby for the past month, please tell me what you think!

Your alarm blares in your ear, pulling you out of your nightmares. “I’m up,” you grumble, slapping the snooze button. You yawn and swing your legs over the foot of the bed, standing up. As you go about your usual morning routine, you can’t help but think about the dream you had. It was about him again, about Peter. Everyday your mind always wondered why he left you. You completely relocated for your love, moving to America, but apparently it wasn’t enough for him. It didn’t matter that it’d been a year, the pain was still fresh in your chest. You pull on your work clothes, and slip your badge in your waistband. Grabbing your coffee and keys, you walk out the door.

10 minutes later you arrive at work. “Morning (y/n),” your coworker Stephanie says cheerfully. “Morning Steph,” you yawn back at her. “What do we have today on the agenda?” you add. “Well a no-maj reported a gnome in their yard, we have to go collect them and perform the selective obliviate charm. The gnomes are getting bad in these parts,” she tells you. “Very well, and what will we do with said gnomes?” you ask her, dreading the answer. “Well, we’ll have to kill them,” she tells you. “No! I won’t do it! We’re supposed to be the department of care of magical creatures, I’d say killing it isn’t caring for it,” you argue. “Believe me I don’t want to kill it either, but we don’t have much of a choice, Seraphina is strict with her rules. Magic is out of control in America and we must suppress it as much as we can, lest the no-maj’s find out,” she replies. You sarcastically chuckle, “I never thought I’d see the day when wizards would hide from muggles. This is insane.” You shake your head. Your co-worker nods in agreement, “I know it is, but I’m just following orders.” “Well it’s about time you stopped following orders,” you grit through your teeth, marching out the door. “Where are you going?” she yells after you. “To talk to madame president,” you say, slamming the door behind you.

You find yourself taking the elevator up to the higher employees offices. You saw people standing guard, outside her office, but you march right past them. “Hey you can’t go in there!” one of the guards shouts at you. You ignore him and swing the door open, slamming it against the wall. “What is the meaning of this?” Seraphina asks incredibly. “Madame president you can’t keep ordering us to kill these creatures. It won’t help, it will only hurt their numbers, please, you’ve got to stop,” you beg. “(L/n) I don’t need this right now, I’ve got much bigger fish to fry. You have orders and you will follow them. Now leave,” she waves you out the door. “Madame president you can’t do this! This isn’t how the ministry of magic treats animals!” She turns sharply towards you, “Well this isn’t the ministry of magic, (y/n), you knew that when you moved here. We do things differently here, if you don’t like it, then leave.” “Regardless, no animal should be treated this way, please!” you raise your voice. She waves in two guards and says, “I've had enough of you today (l/n), go home.” “No please!” you shout at her as her guards throw you out onto the street. “Go home stupid girl, the magical congress of the united states is no place for you. Either oblige or next time Madame president will fire you,” they say slamming the door behind you. You hit the pavement hard, on your knees. “I don’t want to work here, believe me, but I don’t have a choice,” you grumble under your breath. You trudge back to your apartment, and fall into a restless sleep.

The next day

You have the pleasure of Madame President greeting you at the door personally that day. “I trust there will be no issues today (l/n)?” she asks you. “No Madame president,” you let your head drop. You march to your office that you share with Stephanie and begin the days work. Around lunch time there’s a big commotion in the hallway and you peek your head out, to see what's wrong. “Tina?” you see her familiar form standing in the doorway. “(Y/n), I heard what happened yesterday. You need to be careful or you’ll get fired just like I was,” she tells you. “I think I can take care of myself thanks. Besides, I’m not willing to sacrifice my morale values for this job,” you scoff. “Only trying to warn you,” she raises her hands up in surrender. “What’s going on?” you ask, referring to the commotion outside. “Dunno, but I’m gonna find out,” she smirks at you, and walks away. “Man she bothers me,” you grumble to yourself.

The next day you see him, being escorted through the building in a haste by Tina. His eyes pass over you and he stops, it’s as if he almost recognizes you, but not quite. He stares into your (e/c) eyes deeply, as if asking where he knows you from. His eyebrows raise in confusion.You turn away from him, hiding your face, and Tina yanks his arm, dragging him back along. “Is that Newt Scamander?” Stephanie asks, an awe in her voice. “Wouldn’t know,” you reply. It’s then that Madame President walks into your office. “(L/n), there was a niffler sighting by the bank. You’re on it. But I can assure you, if you don’t take the niffler out, if need be, you’ll be in a heap of trouble.” You nod and follow her out the door.

5 minutes later you’re inside the bank and you see him again. He’s searching frantically for his creature no doubt. His eyes pass over you once again, but this time he looks displeased as he spies your MACUSA badge. You turn to walk over to him, but that’s when you see a muggle holding an egg, an occamy egg. “Shit,” you curse under your breath. “Hey mister! I think your egg is hatching!” the muggle shouts at him. Newt draws him towards where he is, and dissapparates. “Fuck,” you dissapparate after them, no doubt to the safe where the niffler is.

You find yourself in the basement of the bank and search frantically for Newt. “Mr. Scamander!” you look around, but he’s nowhere to be found. “Damnit!” you shout, dissapparating back to your office.

“Well?” you find Seraphina anxiously waiting for you. “He got away,” you gasp. “But it wasn’t my fault,” you add quickly. Her face glowers and she says, “Very well, there's been several more cases of creatures on the loose. Find them, find them!” she shouts and storms out. You groan and turn to Stephanie, “Where’s the case file?” She hands it to you. You flick through it and stop on the page that shows the Jarvey. “I suppose I’ll start with him. But you’re joking if you think I’m turning him into that crazy lady,” you mutter and walk out, heading towards central park. The creature liked wooded areas, so you figured you’d start there.

When you get to Central Park, you see the ferret’s trails leading into a grove of evergreen’s. “Got you,” you smirk to yourself. “Oh really?” you whip around to see who replied, but no one was there except the Jarvey. “Excuse me?” you ask to no one in particular. “You heard me, god are you deaf?” the Jarvey looks up at you. “You, you, you can talk?” you babble. “Of course I can talk do you do your research?” the Jarvey laughs at you. “Well, I’m sorry, but you’re causing a ruckus for the no-maj’s. So I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with me,” you approach the creature slowly. “I don't think so,” the ferret runs into the trees just as you try to leap onto him. He’s too fast and your body hits the ground covered with pine needles, the air whooshing out of your chest. “Ughhh,” you get up and dust yourself off, running in the direction of the trees. “Come here you little rascal,” you shout and search the ground frantically for his tracks. Since your eyes are glued to the ground, you don’t see the figure ahead running straight towards you. He hits you with an almighty, “Oomph,” and you both fall smashing to the ground. “What the hell!” you yell. The man lays on top of you, and looks down at you. It was Newt. “Get off of me Newt,” you push him off. “Apologizes, but do we know each other? I recognized you immediately, as soon as I saw you,” he offers his hand, and picks you up off the ground. “Of course we know each other, or did you really forget? We went to Hogwarts together. Remember? We were both studying to be magizoologists.” “Ah yes of course, (y/n) is it? I haven’t seen you since…” his voice trails off. “Since you were expelled?” you finish his statement awkwardly. “Yes since I was expelled,” he sighs. “Well, what are we doing standing here, we need to find the Jarvey,” you tell him, trudging further into the trees. He follows behind you saying, “We? What we? I don’t believe I asked you for your help (y/n).” You scoff, “Well it sure looks like you could use it, I nearly caught that Jarvey before you barged into me.” He chuckles, “Aren't you a ray of sunshine.” “Shut up!” “Excuse me?” he asks at your outburst. “I said shut up, I can here the Jarvey crawling around, but not over your loud voice,” you repeat. That shuts him up. Scuffling comes from inside a tree. You walk towards it and pin point the branch where the animal is no doubt hiding. When your sure you dive your hands into the thicket and pull the squealing creature out. “Get off of me filthy witch,” it yells at you. “You got a place for him,” you ask Newt. He nods, pulling out his suitcase. He opens it and quickly shoves the creature inside. “Huh, what a nice home,” you say sarcastically. “It is! I live in there too from time to time. Now it was nice to see you again (y/n) but I’m afraid I must get back to finding my creatures,” he turns to walk away but you stop him. “Not so fast. I’m coming with you,” you state. “Why on earth would you do that?” he asks back in turn. “I’m coming with you because you don’t know New York like I do, I know the terrain, you need my help. Besides, you got me into this mess, now the president is threatening to fire me if I don’t round up these creatures, that’s right, MACUSA knows you’re here. So you’re gonna need someone on the inside to help you out. I need to save my job,” you tell him. He looks stunned and replies with, “Alright. Let’s go.” So you follow Newt out of central park.

“Where are we going,” you ask him after about ten minutes of walking. “Tina Goldstein’s. Perhaps you know her? She used to be an auror for your government. She’s also helping me get my creatures back.” You groan at the mention of her name. “What’s wrong?” Newt asks. “That girl, Tina. We don’t exactly get along,” you tell him.  “Why am I not surprised,” he replies. “She got fired, you have to wonder why,” you tell him. “Well that’s not my business. I’m just lucky that she’s agreed to help me, now I have two people on the inside at my aide,” he says. “Yea, I’m not sure I’d call it that, you have two people, one who was fired, and one about to be fired,” you shoot back. “Well, let’s go save your job then,” Newt says, stopping in front of an apartment building. “We’re here,” he whispers. Next thing you know, Tina is opening the door and rushing the two of you up the stairs before her land lord can see. “God Tina slow down,” you growl at her as she pushes you through the door. “Didn’t know you were bringing this one,” Tina throws at Newt. He just shrugs cluelessly. “In here,” Tina shows you into the only spare bedroom. “Newt and Jacob already took the beds, (y/n) I can grab you a sleeping mat,” she states. “Why would I stay here?” you ask in turn. “Because after you didn’t bring the Jarvey back, Madame president found out, and she’s just waiting on your doorstep to fire you,” she replies. “Very well then,” you sit down in the only chair in the room. A minute later Tina comes back with the sleeping mat, a pillow and blanket. You thank her, begrudgingly, and follow her out to the kitchen for dinner. “(Y/n), this is my sister Queenie,” she introduces you. “Hello,” you go to shake her hand but she pulls you into a hug. “She’s quite the sweet lady ain’t she,” Jacob says from the corner, clearly smitten with her. You laugh. “Alright we got a delicious dinner coming, if I do say so myself, so please go ahead and take a seat,” Queenie says, motioning to the kitchen table. You take a seat, careful not to sit next to Tina. Newt plants himself between the two of you. Queenie approaches the table with a gigantic roast chicken, served with mashed potatoes and green beans. “Wow Queenie, you’re quite the talented cook,” you compliment her. In your mind you’re wondering how someone so sweet could be related to someone so annoying. “(Y/n)!” Queenie scolds your thought, “My sister is too sweet.” Your cheeks flush and look down at your plate, finishing your dinner in silence.

When you finish dinner, Newt immediately gets in his suitcase for the rest of the night, checking on his animals. He said not to follow, but of course you do anyway. Awe overtakes you as soon as you step into his case. There were dozens of separated habitats, each filled with hundreds of different animals. It was beautiful, all of it, but the first thing to catch your eye was the thunderbird sauntering about. “He’s gorgeous,” you whisper into the hot desert air, as you step into his habitat. The bird whips around, looking at you. “Hey, hi,” you hold your hand out, showing that you mean no harm. The bird approaches you cautiously. You bow your head showing your respect. The bird judges you, deciding on whether or not he likes you. He decides he does and places his head in your hands, letting you pet him. “Thanks,” you tell him. You stand petting the bird for a while, until he’s completely leaning onto you. You chuckle, “Alright alright, I can sit down, that way you can sit in my lap.” You move to sit down in the grass and the giant bird lays his entire upper body in your lap. You continue to pet him, and he lets out a soft coo. You’re so content, just to sit there, stroking his soft fur, that you don’t even here him come up. “(Y/n)?” Newt’s voice calls out rather softly. You lightly turn your head and motion for him to come here, as the thunderbird has fallen asleep in your lap. He sits down next to you in the grass. After a beat of silence you ask him, “What is it?” “Oh nothing,” he quickly replies, “It’s just I haven’t seen Frank take a liking to anybody except me.” You lightly laugh, “Frank. That’s a good name for him.” Newt gulps and nods. “What’s the matter?” you ask him, turning to look him in the eyes. He looks down at the ground and sighs, “I’m just worried about them. They’re out there all frightened, amidst the most horrible creatures on this planet.” “Oh and what might that be,” you question his strong judgement. “Humans,” he states, gritting his teeth. “Man, someone must’ve really done a number on you,” you tell him. “Whatever do you mean?” he asks you. “Well, just that. I would’ve said the exact same thing a year ago, but you learn to move past a bad breakup, Newt,” you reply. “How did you know?” he whispers. “Because I know what a broken heart looks like, I’ve had it done to me too, and now I have no where to go because of it, so believe me I get it. But it’ll fade,” you whisper back. “Sure it will. It’s been ten years,” he says quietly. “Give it time,” you state. After a pause he says, “What do you mean you have no where else to go?” “I moved here for my love, and after a month, he left me for someone else.” You let your sentence hang in the air. His breath is taken away by your statement. “(Y/n) I’m,”- you cut his apology off, “I know.” He gulps and looks down. “Well I think that’s enough personal talk for the day, if you’d allow me, I’d very much like to stay here with Frank,” you tell him. “That’d be fine, I don’t think he’d let you up now anyways. Goodnight (y/n),” he stands up. “Goodnight Newt,” you reply softly. He returns to his shack, and you lay back against the hill, snuggling up, the majestic bird acting as a blanket. Your eyes begin to droop, and the last thing you see before you fall asleep is Newt watching you from afar.

The next morning you’re awakened by the sunlight peeking through your eyelids. “Mmmhh morning Frank,” you yawn. You stretch your legs and walk around his habitat. When you turn to leave, he whines. “Don’t worry I’ll be back,” you laugh, patting his nose before you leave, making your way through the suitcase, back into the bedroom. When you emerge you find everyone already bustling about, Queenie making breakfast. “Hiya sweetie, like a shower? We got towels already in there, and some of your clothes were sent here last night,” Queenie greets you. “Okay,” you nod. When you climb into the shower/tub, you turn on the steaming water, letting it run over your tired, sore body. As you wash and condition your hair, you think about what Newt said, about humans. “Perhaps it was true, but not of all humans,” you thought. You climb out of the shower and wrap a towel around you, scurrying into the bedroom to find your clothes. You decide to put on your blue skirt and blazer and are slipping on your black flats when Tina comes into the room. “(Y/n), can we talk for a moment?” she asks you. You nod. “It’s just, well, I know we don’t get along much, but we must! I don’t want you to lose your job and I’d very much like mine back. So can we just agree to set aside our differences for now?” she asks. You sigh, “I would like that Tina, but right now there is one thing standing in my way. See I know you like to do everything by the book, and that’s the problem Tina. Madame president, she wants to do away with all these animals, so are you telling me that in order to get your job back you would be willing to kill them?” “Of course not! But it’s not that simple, we must do some things by the book,”- you cut her off, “We can’t. If we do, we condemn us all, including those animals.” She huffs, “We shall see. In the mean time, I hope you can agree to be civil.” You smirk and say, “We shall see.” She rolls her eyes and walks out of the room.

You stand in front of the mirror, putting on some light makeup and curling your hair with your wand. When the smell of Queenie’s delicious breakfast overtakes you, you declare that you’re finished and walk into the kitchen ready to eat. “My my don’t we look gorgeous,” Queenie says. “Jacob thinks so too,” she adds, reading his mind. He responds by blushing. “So, where are we off to today?” you ask, sitting down to eat. Newt shoves a bite in his mouth and says between chews, “I was thinking that we’d go looking for the swooping evil.” “Okay, where do we start?” you ask him. “Well he likes dark spaces, so maybe we check the subways?” he suggests. “Sounds like a plan,” you reply. So the five of you exit the apartment, and head down to the subways.

After about an hour of searching, Newt slumps against a brick wall outside and slides down. “It’s like he could be anywhere on earth by now. How am I ever supposed to find him?” he asks bewildered. “Hey, we’ll find them, don’t worry,” you offer a hand to pull him back up and keep searching. He takes it and the search continues.

Suddenly there’s a scuffle around the next alleyway and you quickly round the corner to see the murtlap, yet another escaped animal from Newt’s case. “Newt!” you called out for him. “What is it?” he comes into view. He gasps when he sees his murtlap attacking the muggle, Jacob. “Jacob!” you gasp and run over to him. There was a nasty bite mark on the side of his neck. “Newt, we have to get him help,” you stare at him gravely. Newt nods and swoops up the murtlap, shoving it into his suitcase. “Come on Jacob, let’s get you back,” you pick up the slumped over man, grab Newt’s hand, and dissapparate back to the Goldstein’s apartment.

As soon as you get back you lay Jacob down on his bed. “Newt hand me my wand,” you say quietly. He places it in your palm and you wave your wand over the wound, healing it. “You’ll be alright Jacob, just get some rest,” you gently lay him back on the bed to rest. You back out of the room and quietly close the door. When you turn to walk back to the kitchen, Newt stops you and grabs your arm. “(Y/n), wait.” “Yes?” you turn around. “I.. um.. thank you, for acting so quick under pressure. I, I fear Jacob wouldn’t be alive without your help,” he stares at the ground. “Well, um, you are welcome,” you nod.

At dinner Tina attempts to reason with you. “(Y/n), some things must be done by the book, don’t you see what a danger these creatures are?” “Now wait just a minute,” Newt attempts to interrupt. “Tina we just can’t do that. It’s cruel, inhumane. I won’t let you,” you respond. “I agree it’s not ideal, but we don’t have a choice, it’s the only way I’ll get my job back,” she attempts to reason with you. “Well I don’t care enough about my job to do things this way,” you reply. “Perhaps there’s another solution,” Newt chimes in. “We shall certainly see. Now enough bickering it’s supper time,” Queenie comes strolling into the kitchen with a piping hot plate of meatloaf. “Thank you Queenie this all looks delicious,” you smile at her. Dinner is a quiet affair, as there’s not much to talk about. When you finish, you decide to retire to the bedroom. Getting up from the table you glance at Newt and ask, “Would it be alright if I spent some more time with Frank?” He looks up at you surprised, a smile forming on his face. “Of course it’s alright love.” “Thanks,” you nod and exit into the other room.

When you arrive in the other room, you quickly swing open the case and run into Frank’s habitat. “Hey buddy,” you smile and sit down next to him, beginning to pat him. You feel relief and all of your worries begin to fade away as you stare at the beautiful surroundings. Sleep soon overtakes you and Frank lays his wing over you, protecting you and shielding you from view.

Newt's pov

He finished his dinner and quickly rushed off to his suitcase, anxious to see how Frank was reacting to that peculiar girl. He excused himself and quickly climbed down the ladder. It was late, and she was already asleep, the vision was a dream. Underneath the sparkling stars and midnight blue sky she slept. The meadow was a deep emerald green below her and the stars shined like a halo surrounding her. She laid with her hands resting on her stomach, her peaceful slumber depicted on her face. Of course, she was hidden from view. He rounded the corner and saw Frank’s wing splayed out above her, protecting her. He was stunned, shocking his thoughts into silence. The only thing that came through in his head was how beautiful she was. Her (h/c) hair splayed around her and even though her eyes were closed, he could just imagine those (e/c) eyes sparkling like the sun. Her skin was pale, shining in the moonlight and her supple skin was gorgeous. What was so strikingly beautiful about this peculiar girl was that she was not like any other girl he had ever seen before. She wasn’t a skinny, conventional female, she was a rounded, curvy, compassionate woman. (Y/n) was a marvel to him, the thought itself shocked him, he’d never thought about her this way before.

Regular pov

The sun shone through your eyelids and you slowly peaked your eyes open. Frank's wing was still above you, but you could hear other birds chirping as the creatures began to wake. “Morning (y/n),” Newt chuckled. You nearly jumped out of your skin, As you sat up, you saw Newt standing over you. “What are you doing here? How long have I been asleep?” you babble. “Not long, I just figured you’d want to get some breakfast. After all Queenie is the best cook around,” he continues to laugh. He offers you a hand and pulls you up. You dust off your skirt and follow him up back into the Goldstein’s apartment. During breakfast, it’s hard to concentrate on your meal, on account of Newt never taking his eye off of you. “Newt is something wrong?” Tina asks him. “What? Oh no, everything’s fine,” he babbles, pulling his eyes away from you. You look down, blushing, avoiding his gaze. “So where do we look next?” Tina asks. “Well, I could actually help with that,” Queenie butts in. “Do go on?” Newt implores her. “Alright well there’s a club, and a goblin I know owns it. Rumor is that he grabbed some of those creatures and we’ll have to get to the speak easy tonight. Around 9, but it's not the quaintest of places. We’ll have to get all dolled up and such,” Queenie says much too excitedly. “Well I suppose we should prepare,” you add, exiting the kitchen.

4 hours later

You stood in the bedroom, curling your hair with your wand. “I think I've found you the perfect thing,” Queenie announces, coming strolling into the room. You gasped, staring up at the beautiful dress she held in front of you. It was a flapper dress, navy with a black and blue overlay of beads, strings of them hanging down at knee length. “Queenie it’s perfect!” you tell her. “I thought as such,” she smirks and hands the dress over to you. You put the dress on and it hugs your curves in just the right way. “Beautiful,” Queenie adds. You smile sheepishly. You turn back to the mirror and continue to curl your hair. It falls in delicate waves, framing your face in just the right way. With just a touch of blush, mascara, and lip rouge you were ready to go. When you exited the bedroom Newt stopped in the middle of his conversation with Tina and stared at you, mouth agape. Queenie giggles behind you and says, “Newt thinks you look good too.” He glares at her for reading his mind, but nods, confirming her statement. “Well, thanks Newt,” you smile to yourself, looking at the ground and brushing your hair behind your ear. “Shall we go?” Tina asks everyone. You nod, grabbing hands and dissapparate.

When you arrive at the club it’s extremely evident that the stakes are high. The tension in the air is palpable and almost everyone stares at the newcomers that had come through the door: you. A song begins and Queenie hisses in your ear, “Go dance, blend in. Jacob and I will do the same. Tina, go look for clues, and the goblin.” You nod and gulp deeply as Newt reaches his hand out and offers it to you. The music begins and it’s a slow, jazzy piece. He places his hand on your waist and intertwines his fingers with yours in your other hand. You take a sharp breath. He smiles into your eyes and says, “You know you do look lovely.” You look down and smile in response. Watching your feet, careful not to stumble, Newt removes his hand from yours and pulls your chin up, saying, “Are you really that afraid to look at me?” “No,” you whisper back. The song continues and you almost immediately stumble. “Sorry,” your face  goes red. He chuckles lightly, “Don’t worry about it.” The song slows and Newt lightly pulls you into him, and you rest your head on his chest. As you sway back and forth, you feel a sense of calm wash over you. It was short lived. Out of the corner of your eye you can quickly see Tina getting into a heated argument with the goblin owner. Newt is lost in the music so you pull back and whisper, “Newt look.” He turns his head and panic flashes across his eyes. “Come on,” he pulls you by the hand to over where Tina is causing trouble. Queenie and Jacob quickly follow. “What’s going on here?” you ask Tina and the goblin. “This ex-government employee is trying to swindle me into telling her where some creatures are. This is my club, and that ain’t gonna happen. At least not without some sort of exchange of sorts,” he snarks at you. “Oh really, and what exactly would you require?” you reply back equally as sarcastic. He looks at Newt and smirks, “That,” he says pointing to Pickett. Newt’s face drops. “Absolutely not,” he shields Pickett from the goblin. “Newt,” Tina and you say at the same time. You walk up to him and hold your hand out for Pickett. “We’ll get him back I promise,” you console him. A tear manages to escape from his eye and he slowly hands him over. You turn around and reluctantly hand him over. “Now, give us the information we need,” you snarl at him. He narrows his eyes and says, “They’ve all hidden themselves away in the city. Rumors are the Occamy has taken nest up in the macy’s on 5th. Your Erumpent has been spotted up in Central Park. That’s all I know.” You’re about to respond when there’s a scuttling and 3 aurors burst through the door, including Percival Graves. “Well, time to go,” Tina grabs Queenie and Jacob’s hands and dissapparates. You turn towards the goblin and yank Pickett out of his hand, smiling the fakest smile ever, and say “Thank you very much.” Pickett in one hand, Newt pulls you into him and you dissapparate back to the Goldstein’s apartment.

You reappear in the kitchen and see Queenie, Tina and Jacob sitting around the table. Newt finally lets go of you and you turn to him smiling. “I believe he belongs to you,” you say pulling Pickett out from behind your back. Relief floods over his face. “Thanks,” he says gratefully. “Well we have a starting point for tomorrow. As for me, I think I’m going to go to sleep,” Tina gets up and walks to her bedroom. Everyone else follows.

It’s the middle of the night and you begin to toss and turn. You hadn’t danced like that with someone since Peter, your former lover. It was like you were right back there.

Flashback

You emerged from the bathroom, dressed in white. The strapless, chiffon gown clung to your curves, yet flowed down your body. “Oh my (y/n) you look gorgeous,” Peter smiles at you as you emerge. “Do you really like it?” you look down, blushing. “It’s beautiful,” he says, taking your hands in his. “Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see a bride before the wedding? We aren’t even getting married, not for 3 months anyway,” you chuckle. “(Y/n), darling, We’ve waited long enough, you moved here for me. I think we’ve faced all the bad luck we’re going to ever face,” he pulls you into his arms, where you feel protected, safe. You wrap your arms around his waist, smushing your face into his chest. Behind your back, Peter waves his wand, and your favorite song plays on the record player. “Dance with me?” he whispers in your ear. You smile up at him, taking his hand in yours and placing your other on his shoulder. As you sway across the floor, you both sigh in contentment. “I never thought that I’d get this life,” you say softly into his chest. Peter looks down at you and says, “Darling why would you think that?” “You know as well as I that I’ve not had the easiest path to where I am today. I’m just glad I found you,” you reply. “Me too,” he smiles. You lean back into him and your two forms dance into one as you make your way barefoot across the wooden floor of your apartment. When the song ends, the two of you continue to dance, dancing till dawn.

The dream remained in your head, that wonderful moment of peace, when you danced with the one you loved. But then the horror of it all comes crashing back, him leaving you for another woman, you desperately trying to get him back, everything came crashing back. You woke up sobbing, and screaming. “No, don’t leave!” you cried half asleep. Queenie comes bursting into the room. “Oh (Y/n) wake up, wake up! It was just a dream,” she shakes you awake. Tears stain your face as you look up to see Queenie, Newt, and Jacob standing over you. When you’ve awakened Queenie gasps, seeing your thoughts. She drops the mug in her hand and it shatters across the floor. The pieces bounce against the hardwood, echoing in your mind as you sit there, dumb struck.“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, pulling you into a hug. You begin to sob into her shoulder, knowing she must have seen your thoughts. “It was horrible, it was like it was happening all over again,” you whisper. “I know I know,” she says stroking your hair. You open your tear stained eyes and look up to see Newt’s emerald green ones staring back at your own. His face is filled with despair, watching you in pain. He raises his eyebrows at you, asking you with his expression what could’ve hurt you. You look at him, sadness filling your features, too scared to reply. “Why don’t you go take a shower,” Queenie pulls you up off the ground. You nod slowly, and emerge into the bathroom. The last thing you see before shutting the door is Newt, who looks as if he desperately wants to follow you, to make sure you are alright.

When you step out of the shower, you find a set of clothes on the toilet seat. You slip on the black cotton dress and the big gray cardigan to go with it. The colors reflected your mood. As soon as you’d barely opened the door, Newt was standing in the doorway, demanding to know what was wrong. “(Y/n) what’s going on? Please tell me,” he begs you. “I can’t," you look down, avoiding his gaze. You turn to walk past him, but he grabs your arm. “Please,” he asks again. “It's too painful, please Newt, let it be,” you say, the sobs escaping you. You turn to try and leave again, but he yanks you back. “I just, I don’t want to see you in pain,” he chokes up. You look up at him and your lip quivers. “I, I’m sorry,” you yank your arm out of his grip and walk into the bedroom. Newt’s face falls, defeated, and he turns to walk back into the kitchen.

The next day

You didn’t sleep at all last night, instead choosing to stay up and walk around Newt’s case. In the morning he came and found you. “(Y/n),” he lets your name hang in the air. You turn around and see him standing there, cautiously approaching you. You sigh, “Newt would you please let it go.” “I can’t. I saw your face, I saw how hurt you were, you’re my…. friend. I don’t want to see you hurt, tell me,” he walks closer. “No. Please go,” your voice grows cold as he pushes you further. “(Y/n) please,” he once again grabs you by the arm. “Stop! Just let me be! I don’t want to talk about it!” you snap at him. He’s taken back by your outburst, and removes his hand from your arm. “Alright, I shall let you be,” he says, backing away. His face stayed with you though, he looked hurt. You yelled at him, but all he wanted to do was help you. And you wouldn’t even let him.

Three days later

Newt had barely spoken five words to you, only when he had to, when it had to do with his creatures and that was it. He was hurt, you could tell, you pushed him away. The guilt was eating away at you. You decided today would be the day you would apologize. He was in his suitcase, almost scarfing down his dinner just to get to it. You finished shortly after and followed him down into his case.

When you got down there, you smiled to yourself, he was sitting on his work bench, nose pressed in a book, while he wrote down his research with his other hand. He had no clue you were even there. His brows were furrowed in concentration and his tongue stuck just slightly out as he wrote his work. “Newt?” you call to him. He raises his head, tearing himself away from his work. “(Y/n), he states. “Can I come in?” you ask tentatively. “It appears you already have,” he says somewhat sarcastically. “Suppose I deserved that,” you say walking over to him. You pull another stool over to where he sits and look him in the eyes for a rare occasion. “Newt, I just, I wanted to apologize. For how I snapped at you. You were just trying to be my… friend, and I pushed you away. I’m sorry Newt. And I know that an apology isn’t enough so I figured I owe you an explanation,” you pause. “Alright,” he nods. “Well, it’s just dancing with you, that night, at the club, it reminded me of my past relationship. His name was Peter, and we were to be wed. You see, that night, it was eerily like another night that I shared with him. And so I dreamt of that night, of a time when I was truly, truly, happy. Before he left me. Where we danced barefoot across the wooden floor. And when I woke, it all just came flooding back to me. How he left me for another woman. How he stood up our wedding, telling me I was not enough for him and that I never would be,” you pause as tears push through your eyes and continue, “And that’s why it was so hard for me. Because when I’m reminded of him, well, it’s hard to forget about that time in my life. How I was never enough, how I was nothing. And that’s why I didn’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Newt, you were just trying to help,” you sob. All the while you explain, he stares at you with his shiny green eyes, they grow wider with every word. And when you cry, he does too. Just for a moment. You finish looking down, but he pulls your chin up to look at him. “Thank you (y/n), thank you for trusting me with that. I’m so sorry, truly. But you aren’t nothing, you were never nothing. You are one of the kindest, most compassionate people I’ve known in my life. Even at Hogwarts, you were, you always have been.” You shrug off his words, but he continues, “Darling you’re a goddess. And once you know what that truly means, I pray for anyone who tries to hurt you.” His words leave you dumbstruck. “Do you really mean that?” you ask quietly. He smiles for the first time in a while and says, “Every word. It is the plain and simple truth.” You laugh, but it comes out as half a sob. No one had ever thought so much of you. So you said as much. “No one’s ever said anything so kind about me.” “Well they should,” Newt replies immediately. “Why do you care so much?” you find the words falling out of your mouth, too late to take them back. He smiles to himself and shakes his head. “Honestly, I don’t know. There’s just, there’s something about you (y/n), something wonderful,” he trails off, looking down. This time it’s your turn to pull his chin up to look at you. “Newt,” you say barely louder than a whisper. As if the clouds had parted, it all became clear in Newt’s head, his feelings about you. Before you had time to process any of it, Newt leans forward on his stool and lightly presses his lips to yours. There was electricity, just like your first kiss with Peter, but this was different. You felt safe, you knew you could trust him. You leaned in more and Newt responds by placing his hands on your cheeks. When you pull away, you lean your cheek into his hand, bringing your other hand to linger on your lips, where he had kissed you. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have”- you cut Newt off by pulling him closer, kissing him again. This time it’s your turn to run your hands through his hair, those cinnamon curls. Your hands find each other behind his neck and your legs push against one another as the stools are now so close together. His hands find themselves on your shoulders, relaxing you. He brushes the hair away from your face and his piercing eyes stare into your (e/c) ones. “See I told you. A goddess,” he mumbles. You blush more and take his hands in yours. For a while you sit there in peace, but soon enough you blurt out, “What does this mean?” Newt smiles at your excitement and says, “I don’t know what this means (y/n), but I know that I care deeply about you, and would never ever hurt you.” “Good enough for me,” you smirk at him. The clock strikes seven and you soon realize that it’s Newt’s time to check on all the animals. “Come on,” you hold out your hand for him, and gesture to outside. He takes your hand in his and the two of you stroll in the moonlight of each habitat, checking on his creatures.

When you emerge from the suitcase, Queenie and Tina stand in the doorway, waiting for you two. Queenie immediately smiles, reading both of your thoughts. “You kissed,” she exclaims with excitement. Both of you blush profusely and stare at the ground. “You did?” Tina asks. You look up at her and nod. “Well, I’m happy for you,” she says, reluctantly. “I know it’s hard to be happy for me Tina, given our rivalry, but that means a lot,” you reply. She smiles at you for the first time since forever. Newt interrupts, “Now we can check central park tomorrow for the erumpent. I’m sure he’s still there.” “Sounds like a plan,” Tina nods. It grew late and the 5 of you decided to go to sleep. As you curled up on the ground Newt walks over and says, “Are you sure you don’t want me to sleep on the floor?” “I’m sure,” you smile, but there was a worry behind your eyes. “What is it?” he asks you. “I just, I haven’t sleep since that dream,” you admit. “Well I’m right here, if you need anything, please wake me,” he urges. “I will,” you squeeze his hand. “Well, goodnight then (y/n),” he says, kissing the top of your hand. “Goodnight,” you say peacefully.

Flashback

It was supposed to be a surprise, the proposal. But you found out about it. It was an accident, but you already suspected. Peter never liked to cook, yet he insisted on cooking you dinner tonight. And now you knew why. He just cleared your plates, so you knew it was coming. “Peter?” you call into the kitchen. He emerges with a candle and a cupcake. “Happy birthday darling,” he smiles at you. “Thank you,” you take it from him, but instead of blowing out the candle you set it on the table. “Darling what’s the matter? Don’t you like cupcakes?” he asks. You gulp and say, “Peter I know. I know you’re going to propose.” He just laughs, “Of course you do.” “I'm sorry, really,” you add. He pulls the box out of his pocket and motions for you to sit down. “I guess it won’t be much of a surprise then,” he says kneeling down in front of you. “(Y/n) I love you, with all of my heart. And I want you, forever, for the rest of our lives. I promise I’ll never leave you, I promise I will love and cherish you forever. You’re everything. So (y/n) will you marry me?” he asks. Tears come to your eyes as you hold out your hand giddy. “Of course I’ll marry you,” you laugh and cry. He slips the ring on your finger, and you stand up, wrapping yourself around him. He kisses your head and looks at you. “It’s you and me, the rest of our lives,” he smiles. “Forever and ever,” you agree.

Your eyes blink open and you feel the tears automatically come. “God why?” you breath into the night. You reluctantly sit up from your mat and look around for Newt. He’s fast asleep in the bed on your right. You feel bad waking him, but you knew that he would get mad if you didn’t. You sit on the edge of his bed and brush his red curls away from his face. “Newt?” you whisper. His eyes slowly blink open, bringing him back from whatever dream he was in. “(Y/n)? Are you alright?” he asks you, sitting up. You shake your head no, knowing if you tried to speak you’d end up sobbing. He understands, and silently opens up his arms. You fall into his chest, the silent sobs wracking your chest. He strokes your head with his hand, and whispers, “Shhh, it's okay. Everything will be okay I promise.” You nod into his chest. After a few minutes he looks in your eyes and says, “Do you wanna talk about it?” “It was the proposal,” you sob, “He promised not to leave but he did.” “(Y/n) look at me,” he wipes the tears from underneath your eyes. “I may not have known you for long, but I’m not going anywhere that you’re not coming with me,” he states with sincerity. “Okay?” he reassures you. “Okay,” you nod, sniffling. He smiles and says, “See? All better now.” He kisses your forehead and rests his against yours. After a few minutes he breathes, “What would help you to sleep easier?” Your cheeks turn pink as you say, “Sleeping here.” Referring to the bed. “Alright,” he nods, gulping nervously. He adjusts the covers so that you can climb under them. You climb under them and turn so you’re facing Newt. “Thank you,” you whisper. He responds by lightly kissing you. The two of you fall asleep staring into each other’s eyes, without a word.

You wake up to light peeking through your eyelids. You squint open your eyes to find your position changed. You were now facing away from Newt and his arms were wrapped protectively around you, your legs scrunched up into your chest. His chin rested on your shoulder, he was still fast asleep. Before you can even think about moving, Queenie walks in and smirks at the two of you. “My my, what have we here?” she jokes. Newt’s eyes blink open and he quickly sits up, pulling you with him. “Queenie, um, what it is, is”- she cuts him off. “Oh it’s alright darling, I already know,” she smirks. Newt still blushes. “Breakfast time you two,” she says as she walks back to the kitchen. When she’s gone Newt says, “Alright love?” You nod, “I slept soundly.” “I’m glad,” he says getting up, but pausing to plant a kiss on your cheek.

After breakfast the five of you decide to take the search to central park, to find the erumpent. “Are you sure the goblin wasn’t tricking you?” you ask Tina. Before she can respond Newt says, “It makes sense, the environment in central park, it’s perfect for him.” “Okay,” you nod. You all grab hands and dissapparate.

You reappear near the pond in central park. You all stare around, searching for any sign of him. “There!” you point up by the bridge and see the erumpent prancing around. “Come on, we need to use someone as bait,” Newt says as he pushes Jacob foreword. Jacob’s eyes widen in fear. “It’ll be fine,” you tell him. Soon enough you find yourself standing on the bridge, watching with Queenie and Tina. Jacob stands in the middle of the frozen pond, with armor on. “Oy! Over here!” he calls. The erumpent charges towards him, but Newt jumps out right in front of him. He sways his legs back and forth. “What is he doing?” Tina asks incredulously. You chuckle, realizing what he is doing. “He’s doing a mating dance, attracting the erumpent so he can capture him,” you snort, laughing. Newt continues to back towards Jacob, all the while completing the dance. He completes it with shaking his butt at the erumpent. The creature charges and Newt turns around, waving his wand, snapping his fingers, and sucking the creature up into his suitcase.

Newt and Jacob approach the three of you on the bridge and you look down at your feet, breaking into a fit of laughter. “(Y/n)? What is it?” Newt puts a hand on your arm, concerned. You look up at him and snort with laughter. “I’m sorry,” you wheeze between giggles, “It’s just that mating dance. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” Newt immediately goes bright red, which makes you feel bad for laughing. “I’m sorry for laughing, I just couldn’t help it,” you quickly say, wrapping your arms around him. “It’s alright,  I suppose,” he says into your hair, hugging you back. “Thank you,” you say planting a kiss on his cheek.

When you arrive back into the apartment, Queenie starts to make dinner, and you and Newt enter the case, checking on the erumpent. You find him back in his habitat, safe and sound. “Right where he should be,” Newt lets out a breath. “Yes he is,” you reply, taking his hand. “What now?” you ask him. He smirks, pulling you into him and planting a kiss right on your lips. You’re taken by surprise, but after a pause you wrap your arms around his neck and his hands find their way to your waist. You slide your tongue across Newt’s teeth and you can tell it takes him by surprise. After a brief hesitation, his tongue entwines with yours, tasting as sweet as ever. He pauses, pulling away. “(Y/n), I’ve just realized, we haven’t been on a proper date,” he tells you. “I suppose we haven’t,” you smile. “But I think all these walks around the case might count,” you add. “I suppose they do,” he smiles back. “Shall we see if dinner’s ready?” you ask him. He nods. You take his hand and the two of you climb up the ladder and exit the case.

There’s an air of contentment at dinner. After all, there was just one more creature to find. Though you suspected Newt would want to stick around just like you did to take care of Mary Lou Barebone. When you finish taking care of the animals, Newt doesn’t even hesitate when he pulls up the covers for you to crawl in next to him. He automatically wraps his arms protectively around you, and you pull his hand up to your lips, planting a sweet kiss on it. “Goodnight Newt,” you yawn. “Goodnight (y/n),” he whispers in your ear.

The next morning you roll over to feel around for Newt, but he’s not there. “Newt?” you call out for him. He steps in the doorway and smiles at your sleepy form. “Breakfast is ready,” he beams. “Mmmkay,” you say sleepily, flipping the covers off of you. You change into one of your day dresses, it was green cotton. Taking your gray cardigan off of the chair, you walk into the kitchen. Sitting down you say, “So where is the occamy hiding?” “Macy’s, been lots of sightings,” Tina replies. “Well we should get to it,” you say back. “After a solid breakfast,” Queenie chimes in.

After breakfast you dissapparate into macy’s. It’s dim and dank, nearly the entire store being abandoned after the obscurial attacks. Newt sees fallen feathers. “Come on,” he motions, following the trail. It leads you upstairs and you find the occamy nesting in a storage room. “He’s gigantic, how do we get him in the case,” you ask incredulously. “He shrinks down to the size of his pray,” Newt responds, “Now I just need to find a bug.” You all begin to search the ground. Just then, the occamy begins to awake. “Uh oh, Mr. Scamander,” Jacob starts. Newt motions for him to be quiet. Newt approaches the creature and whispers, “Keep looking.” You pull his arm back and say softly, “Newt be careful.” He nods. He attempts to soothe the creature while the other four of you search for any sort of insect. “Found one,” you quietly chime picking up a cockroach. You walk slowly over to Newt, but it’s too late, the Occamy already saw it. “Newt catch!” you shout throwing the bug at him. He holds a teapot in one hand, but catches it with the other, stuffing it in the teapot. At the same moment the Occamy jumps into the air and hurls its humongous body at the teapot. Mid-air the creature zaps and is shrunk as he dives into the teapot after his prey. Newt takes his suitcase and throws the teapot in there, shutting it closed. “Thank god,” Tina whispers into the air. You nod fervently. Tina suddenly grabs Newt by the arm and says, “I’m sorry Mr. Scamander, but the president must know.” Before you know it, she’s dissapparated with Newt and his suitcase back to MACUSA. “Newt, NO!” you shout. Queenie attempts to console you, “It’ll be okay, he’ll be back.” “No. I’m getting him back, now!” you reply, dissapparating.

You reappear in your office, luckily no one is there. You cautiously open the door and wander down the hallway. “Newt?” you whisper, searching frantically for him. “Newt!” you call again. You round the corner and that’s when you see him, in handcuffs, as well as Tina, being pulled away by Percival Graves. “Shit,” you mutter under your breath. Queenie and Jacob appear beside you and Queenie says, “I know where he’s taking them.” “Come on then,” you reply. Queenie nods and cautiously leads you down the hallway.

“I’m sorry Newt,” Tina sobs as they’re pushed into the pristine white room. Newt sighs, “Tina, did you know this would happen? (Y/n) needs me. If I die now, I would surely doom her to never trusting another soul again. We need to get out of this.” Tina replies, “I don’t think we can,” as Percival pushes her down in a white chair. “Sweet dreams,” he says sinisterly and he slams the door shut. One of his aides comes forward and extracts memories from both Tina and Newt, throwing them into the pool of black liquid beneath. Then she too exits. “Newt what’s…” Tina trails off as her own memory entrances her. Newt looks down to his and smiles to see the image reflected back at him. It was (y/n), kissing him the night before. How he ached for the pain he would cause her, when he was gone. He wanted to escape, but the sight of her, her smooth (h/c) hair, glowing skin, sparkling (e/c) eyes, he was bewitched by her figure.

Outside of the door you stood with Queenie. There was an eery air that washed over you, emanating from that room. “Queenie what is this place?” you ask her. “A death chamber,” she breathes back. You gasp, “We have to save them!”

Newt’s pov

The chair sunk lower and lower, but he had no idea. He was enthralled by the vision of her, standing with him. The way she caressed his cheek. The way they danced across the floor, all of it was heaven. The black liquid began to bubble up across the bottom of the chair and soon he would be dead. Suddenly, as if by a miracle, the door swings open, ricocheting off of the wall. The noise made him look up and he saw her standing before him in real life. His senses came back to him and he realized if he didn’t get out now, he would never see this beautiful girl again.

Regular pov

You kicked open the door and there he was, cinnamon curls and all, sinking to his certain death. “Newt!” you shrieked. Before your mind could comprehend what your body was doing, you apparrated right into his lap. Pulling him into your chest, you dissapparated immediately back to the doorway just as the black ooze bubbled up over the chair. Tina, who had come to her senses, was now standing on the top of her chair, crying out for help. You leave Newt in the doorway and dissapparate, grabbing her, and apparating back to where the rest stood. “Okay?” you ask her. She nods. “Thank you,” she mumbles. Once she said this you turn to Newt and throw yourself into his arms. He barely has time to catch you. Before you know what’s happening you find yourself sobbing heavily into his chest. “I thought that I was going to lose you,” you hiccup. “Shhh, shh, you’ll never lose me,” he wraps his arms tightly around you. You continue to sob silently into his chest and he kisses the top of your head. There’s a scuttle down the hallway and Queenie says, “We better get out of here.” You nod and the five of you travel back to the apartment.

Back at the apartment, Newt holds you close to him, never letting go. “How about we go somewhere more private? I need to make sure you’re okay,” Newt says to you. You nod and he takes your hand, leading you down into the case. Newt sits on a stool and you follow suit. He begins, “(Y/n) I’m so sorry. The memory, the sight of you, it put me in a trance, as I’m sure was the point, and I should’ve been stronger. If I left you, I can’t even imagine what effect that would have had on you.” “I’m just glad I was able to get to you in time,” you sniffle. “Yes. Me too. Thank you, for saving me,” Newt chuckles. You half laugh, half cry in response. “(Y/n), I, well, we haven’t been together for long, but I feel like you’ve been what’s missing,” he admits. You look up at him and smile for the first time in hours. “Me too,” you reply. He presses his forehead to yours and says, “Don’t ever change.” You smirk back under his gaze. “Only for you,” you whisper. You both get off of your stools and wander back upstairs for dinner.

After dinner you all converse around the kitchen table, planning on how to help Credence. “It’s his adoptive mother. She’s ruining him, tormenting him. We have to get him free,” Tina pleads. “We will,” you reassure her. “How?” she asks. “We need to get him away from her. That’s what is causing his transformations,” Newt replies. “I don’t know how we would. She’s got him locked up under her thumb. That’s how I got demoted in the first place, trying to help him,” Tina admits. “We’ll save him,” Newt reassures her. “I think we should plan this one out a little more. Obscurials can be dangerous and we don’t want him to get hurt,” you add. Everyone nods. “So tomorrow we go after him?” Newt asks. “Yes. Agreed,” Tina responds.

The next day was senator Shaw’s campaign. But there was an incident. An obscurial swept through the building, killing Henry Shaw Senior. Newt and his creatures, they had a reputation at this point. And that’s how Madame President knew to come after you. “This obscurial, is causing too much damage to the city. It must be destroyed,” she yells at you. “He’s just a boy,” Tina argues. “Silence Goldstein,” the president shrugs her off. “Madame President please,” you beg her. She sighs, “You have one hour to try to take care of him in your own way. After that, I send in Graves.” You nod and she dissapparates.

“Hurry,” you shout over your shoulder, descending into the subway station. “He must be down here,” you say aloud. When you all emerge into the tunnel, you see him standing there, Credence. “Credence,” you hold out your hands to show you mean no harm. “Stay back,” he cries. “We don’t want to hurt you, we want to help you,” Newt says walking up beside you. “Please Credence, let us help,” Tina adds. He cautiously approaches. You can see the end of this destruction in sight, but that’s when Graves appears. “Credence no!” the auror shouts, standing between you and Credence. “Credence it’s okay, you can do this,” you cry. Graves turns to you with a satanic smirk on his face. “Ah (y/n), I figured you’d be here. And it’s a good thing you are. See I got awful tired of Mr. Scamander here always winning. Everyone said he had no weaknesses. But I think I found one,” he narrows his eyes towards you. “What do you want with her? She did nothing to you,” Newt steps forward and places a protective hand in front of you. “On the contrary. She rescued you. And you, Mr. Scamander, you’re ruining my plans. See I have big plans for the wizarding world,” he moves closer. “But you’re already an auror, what more could you want?” Tina steps forward, questioning him. “Ah you see that’s where you are wrong Ms. Goldstein,” he laughs. Newt’s eyes pop and he realizes who Graves actually is. “Revelio,” Newt says as soft as a whisper. Graves stands there and lets the spell wash over him. When his disguise is gone, he’s revealed in all of his horrible glory; Gellert Grindevald. “No,” Tina whispers in horror. “Yes it’s true. And I think I got here just in time. Wouldn’t want the president ruining my plans. See Newt, you are gonna give up these creatures to me and you’re gonna give up your fight,” he dissapparates. He reappears directly behind you and whispers, “Or (y/n) dies.” Grindevald yanks your arm, pulls you into him, and the two of you dissapparate. “NO!” Newt reaches for you, but it’s too late. You were already gone.

You reappear in a dark, dank room. “Where are we?" you ask aloud. It’s pitch black, so you’re not sure where his voice comes from when he says, “Somewhere no one will find you.” “What do you want from me?” you attempt to say in your bravest voice. “It’s not what I want from you. It’s what I need from Newt,” he chuckles. “What?” you ask. “Newt has interfered with my recruiting for far too long now. And besides that, I’ve seen the damage his creatures can do. I need that for my dark forces,” he tells you. Fear slips down your body like a cold gush of water. “He’ll stop you, you know. He’ll never give up his creatures for me. They mean too much to him,” you say, trying to convince yourself it’s the truth. “You’re wrong (y/n). Newt would do anything for love,” he laughs at you. The L- word makes you shake with worry. Did Newt really love you? You’d known each other for all of a week. But that didn’t matter to you, you felt like you’d known him a whole lifetime. “You can keep me here. He won’t come. He knows better than that,” you state. “Oh does he?” Grindevald makes you doubt yourself. “Just to be sure, however, I may need to make you look worse for the wear,” he sneers. You hear footsteps and back further into your corner. The steps grow closer and the fear inside you heightens. Suddenly an arm is yanking you towards him. You can hear the cling of metal and before you process what is happening, he cuts into your flesh, causing blood to spurt out of your arm. “That ought to cause enough damage,” his hot breath speaks in your ear. You realize he must have hit a vein, because the blood feels like it is gushing out of you. Soon enough, you grow dizzy, and slump to the ground, against a wall. “What did you do?” your voice comes out fuzzy. “Oh that, I may have struck a vein or two. Don’t worry, you won’t die. Not yet. I need you looking at death’s door to get that boyfriend of yours to come rescue you,” he replies. “He’s not… we’re not…” you don’t even finish your sentence before you black out.

Meanwhile back at the subway station..

“We have to get her back! Where would he have taken her?” Newt paces angrily. Queenie attempts to calm him, but he shoves her off. “Newt, don’t you realize why he did this? He wants to make you trade your creatures for (y/n),” Tina tells him. “Then that’s what I’ll do,” Newt says without a second thought. “What? After we went through all that trouble to get them back? Are you crazy?” Tina asks him as if he is joking. He turns to her, “No. I’m thinking about (y/n), which makes one of us. None of you three seem to even care that he’s probably taunting and torturing her right now. I don’t care. She’s more important.” Suddenly Queenie gasps. “What?” Newt turns to her. “You love her,” Queenie states with awe, even the thought surprised her. Newt ponders the thought for a split second before saying, “If you read my mind then yes, you know it’s true. I love her. And I’m not about to let her die.”

Your eyes flicker open, the florescent light burning through them. You try to sit up, but gasp when you feel a stabbing pain in your arm. You found your arm wrapped up with a bandage, but it was already red with fresh blood. Grindevald walks into view. “Glad to see you awake. I have a job for you. It's been nearly three hours. We need to send Mr. Scamander a message. So here's what’s going to happen. I’m going to send him a message with my patronus. And you’re going to tell him the deal, give me his animals, or I’ll kill you. On your feet,” he yanks you up by your hair. You screech in pain. He throws you against the wall and hisses, “Do it!” He waves his wand and you begin. “Newt,” you cry. “Newt I’m being held captive by Grindevald. He says you have to bring him your case and hand it over or, or,” you pause, refusing to give that ultimatum to your sweet heart. “Crucio!” he shouts, pushing you over the edge. “Agggh!” you writhe in pain. “Newt bring him your case or he’ll kill me,” you grit between the pain. Grindevald strolls into view and says, “Mr. Scamander. You have one hour.”

Back at the subway station

They stand in a circle plotting on how to rescue you. That’s when Madame President walks in. “Mr. Scamander, I trust you took care of Credence?” Newt looks up, “Actually no. We have a much, much, bigger problem at hand.” Seraphina rolls her eyes and says, “Oh really and what could that be? Another excuse?” “No! Graves isn’t who he says he is. He's Gellert Gridevald. And he kidnapped (y/n), he's torturing her!” Tina shouts. Seraphina’s eyes nearly jump out of her head. “Oh dear,” her voice trails off. Suddenly the white wisp of a patronus comes floating down to right above their heads. It flashes into a video, a video of you. Your image comes into view and your voice comes across in the end. “Bring your case or he’ll kill me,” the reflection of you states. “You have one hour,” comes Grindevald’s voice. The patronus fades out and Newt nearly snaps his wand in half out of anger. “We have to get her back, now! If you won’t help me, I’ll do it myself,” he yells dissapparating. He thought of you, and as a result, he appears to where you are.

You sit chained against some unknown brick wall. The bandage on your arm reeked of infection. In the perhaps hour or two since you sent the message, he had been non stop torturing you, repeatedly using the crucio curse. Your body was slumped over, defeated, as you fade in and out of consciousness. Tears escape your eyes, dripping onto the concrete. He blasts you with another curse and you thrash in agony. Your body falls to the ground from your seated position, your head smacking the concrete. You can feel your skull open and fresh blood pour out. “This is it. I never even got to tell him I love him,” you sob. Suddenly, as if you had wished it, his form appears in front of you.

Newt’s pov

As he dissapparated, he kept his thoughts on her. Guilt ate away at his insides, he should of protected her more. This was all his fault. And now, because of it, she might die. His body twisted and turned through the air, apparrating, while he tried to think of her when she was happy, when they first shared a moment, that night at the speak easy, when they danced. He loved that memory, but he hated the fact that it later caused her pain that night. His body came screeching to a halt. He opened his eyes and there she was. The sight broke his heart, tore it to smithereens. She laid on the hard, cold, concrete floor. Her (h/c) hair was splayed out around her, but a pool of blood was leaking out around her beneath it. Her legs were twisted up against her, as if she was trying to block out some of the pain. A small drip of blood leaked out of her lip. The sight made him want to cry, cursing himself yet again for letting this happen to her. As soon as he arrived he could smell the stench from her arm and knew it must be infected, shortening the time she had left right now. Her tiny, frail voice called out to him, “Newt?”

Regular pov

He appeared like a miracle and you felt a tiny bit of hope spring up inside you. Your small voice croaked out, “Newt?” Needing to be sure, you were worried you were hallucinating. He immediately came to your side, pulling you into his lap. “You came for me,” you smiled, reaching up and caressing his chin with the back of your hand. Tears fell from his eyes onto your cheeks. “Of course I did,” he whimpered. “(Y/n), I’m so so sorry, this is all my fault,” he continued. “Hey,” you press your finger to his lips, “Don’t say that. I’ll be," you pause in pain, “I’ll be okay. And if I’m not, I’ll just be glad that we got the time we did together.” “Don’t say that. You’ll be okay,” he says, now openly weeping. “No, she won’t,” Grindevald comes strolling into view. You pull Newt’s face down near yours and say, “You can’t let him have the case. Whatever will happen to me will happen, but your creatures, you can’t let him use them for evil.” Newt looks at you sadly. “But I can’t live without you,” he admits. You cry at the unspoken love this man has for you. “And I you, but we have to think about the greater good,” you sob. Suddenly, rushing to your aide, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob come bursting into the room. Queenie visibly winces when she sees the pain you’re in. Feeling your pain and how severe it is she shouts, “Newt, you need to get her help now, or she will surely die.” Newt nods fervently. He pulls you into him, preparing to dissapparate, but you push against his chest, “No. We need to stay and help.” “(Y/n), you are so good, so pure, but if we stay, you will die. I cannot live with myself if you’re dead,” he whimpers. You burrow into his chest and prepare to dissapparate in your condition. The feeling never comes. Instead you feel yourself being ripped away from your love. “No!” you cry in pain. Grindevald took you, stood you up, and held a knife to your throat. “Ganging up on me? Now that’s just plain not fair. Shame,” he jokes with your life in his hands. The knife drags across your throat, grazing your skin, producing dribbles of blood. “Don’t hurt her,” Newt stands up, grabbing his case. “You can take them. You can take everything I have but for the love of god, don’t hurt her,” he continues. “Hand over the case Mr. Scamander,” Grindevald motions for it. Newt slides it over. As soon as he does Grindevald throws you across the room and you fall into Newt’s arms, barely able to stand on your own. “I think I can say with confidence, that it is too late for her,” he chuckles. Newt stares at him with loathing in his eyes. “I will find you,” Newt growls at him. “And I will destroy you.” Suddenly, as if from the heavens, the president appears. “I think we can arrange that Newt,” she states. She casts a simple stunning charm, but it hits Grindevald as he is taken by surprise. They handcuff him and yank the case out of his hands. “Tina take it,” Newt says, gesturing to the case. “I need to get her help,” Newt says. At this point you had passed out in his arms, and your blood was covering his chest. Tina catches the case and Newt brushes your hair out of your face, whispering to your unconscious form, “You’ll be okay. Please be okay.” He pulls you into him and dissapparates you into the hospital.

You fade in and out of consciousness, but can make out that you’re on a gurney, being rushed into the emergency department at the wizarding hospital. Your eyes blink open and you look up to see Newt running beside you. You grab his hand and he looks down at you in surprise. Intertwining your fingers, you tell him, “I love you.” You don’t have a chance to hear his response, as you begin to fade back out of consciousness. The last thing you hear before the world goes black is, “She’s lost too much blood, it’ll be a miracle if we can save her.”

3 days later

You wake up to find yourself in a hospital bed. Trying to shoot up, you immediately cry out in pain, and lay back down. When you look to your right, you can see multiple bags of blood tied up to your IV, being transferred into your body. Your eyes glance to the left and you see Newt asleep in a chair next to your bed. His hand rests on the edge of the bed, as if it was just holding yours. You grab his hand and squeeze it. His eyes slowly open, unsure if he dreamed your reaction. When he sees that you are indeed awake he whispers, “(Y/n)?” You nod, smiling, a tear coming to your eye. Newt immediately sobs, “They said you might never wake up. But you did, you did and you’re here.” He plants kisses all over your hands. Newt looks into your eyes and you open your mouth to speak, but find your throat on fire. You point to a glass of water and Newt brings it to you. After downing the whole thing you take a breath and say, “I’m okay.” He laughs at your simple statement and says, “You are. You’re gonna be just fine.” “Thanks to you,” you add. Newt argues, “Because of me, you almost died.” You shake your head no. “Because of you, I am alive, but not just alive, I am thriving,” you state, staring into his forest green eyes. He gulps, struggling to accept your response. His eyes light up as he remembers the last thing you said to him. “(Y/n),” he gasps, “(Y/n) I love you too.” You smirk. “I thought as much,” you joke. Newt laughs at how you’re already back to joking with him. “When do I get to go home?” you ask. Newt chuckles, “Not so fast. You’re gonna be in here, for a few weeks. But that’s okay, I’m gonna stay here with you. I’ll update you on everything that happened since your surgery.” “Surgery?” you ask. Newt nods, “Your skull was so broken up, they had to reform it." “Oh,” you breath, feeling the back of your head with your hand. All the hair was shaven off the back, just for the surgery. “I’m bald,” you half laugh, half cry. “I can fix that,” Newt laughs. With a wave of his wand, your familiar (h/c) locks return. “They said it’ll take three weeks of recovery,” he tells you. “Okay. That’s easy compared to what I just went through,” you reply. “I’m sure it is,” Newt says. “Can I get you anything?” he asks you. “Just you,” you say sincerely, opening the covers for him to crawl in next to you. He gets up, and that’s when you see it, the bandage on his arm. “Newt what happened?” you gasp. He looks at you and realizes you don’t know. “How do you think you got the blood you needed?” Newt states. The answer hits you and you immediately cry, yet again. “You gave that much blood for me?” you cry softly. “Of course I did. For you, I would do anything,” Newt states as if it is the simplest fact in the world. You lean over just enough to kiss him on the lips, placing each hand on his cheeks. He kisses you back, now sitting on your hospital bed, propping himself up on his elbows. “I love you Newt Scamander,” you cry. “I love you too (y/n) (l/n),” he presses his forehead to yours and kisses you yet again. The kiss has both of your tears intermingled in it and it tastes salty sweet. “Now, let’s get some sleep,” he says, removing his lips from yours. You nod and lay down. He lays down beside you and wraps both arms protectively around you. You place your hands on top of his and your legs intertwine in a pile of blankets. For the first time in nearly a week, the two of you fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

You wake up and turn over to look at Newt. He’s sleeping soundly and you peck his face all over with kisses, waking him up. “(Y/n) stop,” he laughs as you attack him with more kisses. “I’m sorry, I just can’t believe we can finally be together, in peace,” you say between kisses. “Me too, darling, me too. But they said recovery won’t be easy,” he tells you. “Doesn’t matter. I can do anything with you,” you state simply. “I hope so,” he smiles. A nurse walks in and says, “Alright (y/n) now’s the time where we’re gonna test various skills of yours. Because the injury to your head effected your brain, we want to make sure it’s functioning properly. It’s going to be like any other test you would normally take in school. If you’ll just come with me.” You get up and Newt follows. “I'm sorry Mr. Scamander, you cannot come with,” the nurse holds her arm up. He frowns and says, “Alright I’ll see you later then lovely. You can do this,” he says, planting a sweet kiss to your forehead.

The recovery was the hardest. They gave you tests of all sorts, from math, to science, to history, nearly everything. “I can’t do this anymore,” you throw your pencil down. “Alright. You may go,” the nurse pulls the test from your desk. Your head is pounding, you definitely exceeded your capacity for concentrating. You walk down the hallway and anxiously rush into your hospital room. “Newt sits with his work spread all over the table. You pause outside the door, smiling at his concentration. You lightly knock, “Hey.” He nearly jumps up and says, “(Y/n) darling are you feeling any better?” You sigh and walk over sitting on the arm of his chair. “It was terrible, it’s so hard to concentrate,” you sigh. He puts his arm around you and brushes the back of your head. “I know, I had a feeling it would be. You don’t need to concentrate though. I had an idea,” he looks at you excitedly. “What is it?” you ask. “Well…. I was thinking since I still need to finish my book, that maybe you could do the illustrations? I remember you saying you like to draw and that way you can contribute,” he says hurriedly. Your face lights up at his suggestion. “Newt that is a fantastic idea! You’re the best,” you say as you plant a sloppy kiss on his lips. He chuckles, “I’m glad you like it.” He continues to kiss you, making you weak. “As much as I’d love to keep kissing you, I think I need to get some sleep,” you tell him. He nods and pulls you into the hospital bed with him. Your head rests on his chest with his arm underneath you. You curl into his side and hold his other hand. “Sweet dreams princess,” he mutters in your ear. You snuggle into him more and fall asleep.

The three weeks of recovery are rough, as you adjust to your new, lower brain capacity. But Newt was right, with your concentration levels dwindling, your drawing flourished, actually becoming something to be proud of. Over the time you where in the hospital, you had already begun illustrations for the book. On the last day, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob came to visit you. “(Y/n)!” Queenie shouts rushing over to give you a hug. You laugh and hug her back, dropping the suitcase in your hands. “Thanks for coming you guys,” you tell them. “It’s our pleasure, we’re just glad you’re alright,” Tina says genuinely. “And I have some good news. Madame President has offered you the position of auror, should you choose to accept it we would work together,” she adds. You smile sadly. “Tina that’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you, but I can’t be a part from Newt, not now that I’m alive and well. I’m going to travel with him, and do the illustrations for the book. But I’m really proud of you,” you tell her. She smiles, “Thank you. I think that’s wonderful, I’m so glad you two found each other.” You blush and Newt’s hand finds yours. “So what will you do? Since you get to leave?” Jacob asks. You shrug, “I guess we’ll go back to my apartment for a little while, but I don’t care where we are, as long as I’m with him.” “Well, keep in touch, okay?” Queenie says. “Will do,” you smile and hug her. When you’re done saying goodbye to everyone, you grab Newt’s hand and bring him back to your apartment.

You arrive in your living room. You hadn’t been back here in over a month, but it was just the same way you left it. “So this is my place,” you say sheepishly. Newt grins. It reflected who you were so much. There were plants covering almost the entire space and the walls were white, with a bright yellow couch in the center of the room. “I love it,” he beams. “Really?” you ask. “Really,” he turns to you, taking your hands in his and staring into your eyes. “So what now?” you ask. “Now, now we get to be together,” he replies simply. You turn to him and drop the suitcase in your hands, grabbing the collar of his jacket and smashing your lips to his. His eyes open wide in surprise, but they quickly close. He brings his hands up to your cheeks and caresses them with his gentle touch. Still grabbing his collar, you let your tongue dance across the inside of his mouth. His hands wind themselves into your hair and he tugs at it, causing you to open your mouth more, allowing him to slip his tongue in. His hands find your lower back and he pulls you closer to him. This time it’s your turn for your fingers to get tangled in his cinnamon red hair. His hands pressed against your back, send shock waves through your body. You were very aware that this time, for the first time, the kiss wasn’t sweet, it was passionate and full of heat. Newt pulls away for the first time and breathes in your ear, “I’m so happy I found you (y/n).” After that he finds the sweet spot behind your ear and kisses the skin there. Your hands tighten in his hair, letting him know that what he’s doing feels good. You can feel his lips form into a smile as he licks down your neck. “N-n-newt,” you stutter under his touch, getting awfully squirmy. He removes his tongue from your skin and smiles, planting a sweet kiss on your nose. “Come now, we should get some rest,” he pulls you towards what he assumes is the bedroom. “Alright, but if we go in there, I don’t think it’s rest we’ll be getting,” you walk in front of him, swaying your hips in just the right way. He runs in after you like a giddy school boy and says, “Oh really?” You turn and press him against the door, “Really,” you whisper right against his face. He smiles and scoops you up, laying you down on the bed. He shakes off his coat and comes over to you. “Are you sure, (y/n),” he asks. You smile, “I’m sure. I love you Newt.” That’s all the answer he needs. He surprisingly presses your arms above your head and kisses you all over your body, sending you reeling. “God, Newt!” you shriek, tugging on his hair, pulling him into you more. The rest is a blur of sweaty, hot, bodies, melting into one as Newt shows you just how much he loves you.

The next morning you wake up in a tangled pile of skin. The sun shines brightly through your window. “Morning Newt,” you plant a kiss to his bare chest. “Morning lovely,” he smiles at you, running his fingers through your hair. “Shall I make us some breakfast?” you ask him, starting to get up. “Not yet, don’t leave,” his arm snakes around your waist and he pulls you back into him. “Newt!” you laugh out loud at his actions. “I just can’t get enough of you,” he says kissing your shoulders. You turn to face him and say, “I cannot believe how lucky I am.” “I’m the one who’s lucky,” he returns. You blush. You nuzzle your face into his bare chest and he holds you against him for a while. “What next,” you say after the silence. “I don’t know. I want to take Frank to Arizona. That’s the reason I came here in the first place,” he replies. “Well I think we can make that happen,” you tell him.

Hours later, you’re dressed and ready to go. “Shall we?” you offer your arm to Newt. He takes it, and you dissapparate.

Appearing in the center of a desert, you stare around in awe. “Where are we?” “The grand canyon,” Newt breaths it in. You grip his hand tightly. “Will he like it here?” you whisper. “I know he will,” Newt assures you. He briefly lets go of your hand so he can bend down and open the case. Reaching down, he motions for Frank to emerge. He does, slowly, but surely. The majestic bird looks around. Smiling beneath his beak, he prances around the rocky terrain. He pauses, and comes back to you. “Hi Frank,” you smile and pet his beak. The bird coos into your shoulder. A tear manages to slip from your eyes. “Good luck buddy,” you tell him. Frank pecks you on the cheek and walks over to Newt. Newt’s a mess at this point, having to say goodbye to one of his favorite creatures. “You be good now Frank,” he murmurs, hugging the creature with all his might. Frank soars off over the two of you, and creates a light rain in tribute to your parting. “He’ll be so happy. I know it Newt,” you come over to your love and put your arms around him. “I know, I know,” Newt mumbles, placing his head into your neck. You pull his cheeks into your hands, “I love you Newt Scamander.” “I love you too (y/n),” he presses a kiss on your nose. You stand, watching Frank fly off. After a while, you say, “What shall we do next my love?” “Anything you want,” he replies. You smile, leaning into him, and you dissapparate.

The End.

[strikxen-writing]

Hey remember when I shipped my D&D characters? Whoops cant help myself, here’s more.

(Is it any good? Maybe not. Did I write this completely indulgently? Perhaps... Will there be more....? I would like there to be, also don’t expect a damn thing to be ‘accurate’ cause fuck that)

Growing up, the pun that is Prili Slightstout’s last name was mostly lost on her; that was until she journeyed to Waterdeep to attend a cleric’s college and nearly each and every taller person in her boarding house pointed out that she was a gnome with a last name that meant short. She, however, always took these little jabs with a smile on her face. She felt that being sweet and kind above all else put that very same energy into the people around her, and all Prili ever wanted was for everyone to be happy and harmonious. 

This is what drew her to Mishikal in the first place--among other things--the loving and beautiful light surrounding her temples and great joy felt by those who are healed from the brink of death. She wanted to spread that joy to everyone else in the world. 

Her years in college did little to dampen her idealistic spirit, though not for lack of trying. When she was in her second year, she was assigned alone to take care of a young child who was in the late stages of consumption. This was intended to be a lesson from a jaded instructor on the futility of saving everyone. Prili, who couldn’t even competently cast a full healing spell yet, was given what the family could afford, a few medicinal herbs and a prayer. She didn’t sleep all night, convinced that through Mishikal’s light even the faintest soul can be brought back. When the boy died, Prili learned that, though Mishikal’s light is incredible and all powerful, the realities of society prevent everyone from receiving Her light. Instead of letting this darken her hope, however, Prili became doubly determined to bring Mishikal’s light to everyone who sought it, regardless of whether they could or could not pay. 

Graduating with her accolades in Religiosity, Medicine, and Devotion, however, left her as good as penniless in the greater city of Waterdeep. She needed a job, and quickly as she was no longer welcome in the college’s boarding houses and needed a room to stay in. 

This is what led Prili to being stuck in the same hospital at the heart of the dock ward, 5 years later. The Siren’s Boon and Balm was owned by Mr. Wenceslas Almas, a tiefling man who very much was jaded by the pains of the world and ran his hospital in a very particular way. If you can’t pay, walk it off. He had even gone as far as to paint it on a sign set right next to the check in desk, right where Prili sat eating her lunch that day.

Lunch was a small cup of rice and a few vegetables with her normal cup of tea. Modest and a little bland, but Prili was okay with that. Every copper saved up was a copper closer to her dream, and by eating boring meals this week, Prili had saved a whole gold piece. She hummed thinking about the jangling coins she had saved in the little jar next to her alter at home. She scooped the last scoop of rice and onion in her mouth when the bell on the front door jangled.

“Hello! Welcome to the Siren’s Boon and Balm, how can I help you today?” she said in her high pitched voice. 

The man who walked into the store had a dirty face with tear stains, though now his face was stern and set. He was a tall man who held his arm underneath a bloody sheet. Prili didn’t need to see anything else; she leapt from behind the counter and held back the curtain leading to the healing rooms.

“Right this way sir! Please, sit down here,” she insisted. 

In the back of her mind, she realized that she hadn’t asked for payment first, again, but she would rather risk the money being taken from her paycheck than to risk this man dying on the streets, and the moment she pulled back the sheet, she was glad of her decision. His arm was crushed just beneath the elbow. The man winced and bit down a scream when the open air touched the wound, and Prili couldn’t blame him.

“Oh my!” she exclaimed, “You poor thing! Don’t you worry… by Mishikal’s light all pains can be lifted.” 

She held her holy symbol, a sapphire infinity sign on a cord around her neck, and began to murmur her incantation. The symbol began to glow a cleansing light, a light which stuck to her hands like jelly before she pressed it gingerly into the ruined arm. 

The man winced at the pain he anticipated, but let out his breath smoothly when the wave of agony didn’t come. He looked up at Prili with watery, thankful eyes.

She smiled and finished the healing spell. When the light dissipated, she could see that he would be okay. The arm was still heavily bruised and probably very tender, but he was no longer at risk of losing his arm. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, thankfully you got here before any infection could take hold!” Prili reassured, “You just need to rest for a few days and your arm will be good as new!”

“Thank you so much…” the man said.

“What’s your name, if I may ask?”

“Terrence, I’m… I’m a sailor. Our ship is in port for a few days, but as we were throwing down the anchor, my arm got caught in the rope and…” he trailed off, the painful memory still fresh.

Prili was glad that the man had been able to make it to her, and she quietly thanked Mishikal for the opportunity to save a man’s life. The happiness was short lived, because she heard the sounds of the back door opening and closing. Mr. Almas was back from his lunch and she had still not charged this man a single copper.

“Well, that’s all in the past, isn’t it? Now… ah… concerning payment.”

This was the worst part and Prili hated it with a passion. She never understood the exorbitant rates that Mr. Almas charged. By the way Terrrence visibly deflated, Prili knew that there would be an issue. The footsteps behind her told her that she was being watched and she took a deep breath.

“The standard fee for healing is 10 gold pieces,” she said.

“I….I can’t pay that much…” he said sheepishly, “All I have to my name is 2 gold and a handful of coppers…” 

She had expected as much, and tried to offer a reassuring smile. “I’ll take one of those gold pieces, that will be enough. Save the rest for food while you’re in town.”

The slamming door behind her told her that taking a tenth of the price was about to land her in hot water, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her patient was safe and that made her happy. Terrence let a small tear slip and nodded, placing a gold piece on the table next to him. Prili led him to the door and wished him well.

“Thank you, my lady….” he paused searching for her name.

“Prili,” she said brightly, “Prili Slightstout.”

---

A week had passed since Prili had lost her job. Her boss had kicked her out without even paying her her remaining paycheck. You’ve cost me more than you’ve made me! Now she was living off her paltry savings in search of work. Though her new found freedom had allowed her to wander the streets and offer healing free of charge to those who needed it. 

Prili pressed her forehead to the ground in front of her small statue of Mishikal. Her alter was small, but well loved. Prili attended to it every morning, sweeping up dust, replacing the offering flowers, and meditating over the candles to strengthen her connection with her loving deity. It was a simple routine that kept her grounded. The morning rays of light trickled in through the window, illuminating the eyes of her statue and filling Prili with rejuvenated hope. 

“Thank you for your guidance, my lady of light,” she prayed, “Please help me find more work so that I may administer your light to all I meet.”

Prili glanced over at the small jar she had been forced to dip into. Down to 10 gold pieces after she paid rent, and it would be tax day in a few days so she would need to set aside 2 extra gold for that, leaving her with 8 gold pieces to survive on until she found another source of income. She took a deep breath, all she needed to do was put her faith in Mishikal.  

Prili stood up, gave one last bow, and turned to eat breakfast. Her meals these days were simple, incredibly so. The stalest bread she could find at the baker and the very last egg she had from her trip to the market a week ago. Thankfully, if food ever became truly desperate, Prili knew how to conjure the most basic of rations thanks to Mishikal's good grace. 

After breakfast, Prili strolled out of her small home and began to wander the town. Without a job Prili found herself with so much time on her hands, it made her uneasy. Her job search was running into dead ends. Her search of all the other medical centers in Waterdeep yielded fruitless. It seemed that Mr. Almas had talked to them and warned them of Prili's tendency to give out free healing. None were willing to hire her on. Her search had then led her to the various other shops. Maybe she would be able to get a job selling food or potions or something of the like. Not being able to use the degree she earned was saddening, but it would just be a temporary thing until she could manage to save up enough money to open her own medical center and truly provide people with the help and care they need. These pursuits, too, ended up unsuccessful.

After hours of asking around for employment and a short break to buy a few coppers worth of lunch, Prili was starting to feel really disheartened. She sat on a bench idly chewing her bland loaf of bread when she overheard some chatter. A pair of teens were idling waiting for an unoccupied carriage to roll by.

“Yeah,” said the taller of the two, “You can make 100 gold in a night if you go down the Yawning Portal’s Well. It’s a bottomless pit of treasure and adventure! All you have to do is make sure you’ve got enough money to pay for the return trip back up, but finding 2 gold pieces isn’t that hard when you consider how much you’ll pull from the ancient rooms.”

“Okay… but a lot of people don’t come back. There’s probably a lot of bones down there..” his friend said.

“Bones-shmones”, the taller one said with a shrug, “They just weren’t strong enough. Unlike us.” With this his lips curled into a smirk. 

They continued their back and forth for a little while, discussing things like what they would do with the money, which pretty girls they would date when emerging victorious, and the like. Finally however, their carriage arrived and the boys were whisked away.

Prili thought about the boys’ conversation long after they had left. She didn't feel particularly comfortable with earning money through adventuring. It involved a lot of risking one's life for petty things like "glory" and "thrill". In the several years that Prili had been a healer, she had seen her fair share of what seeking glory and thrill leads to. However, being destitute wasn't a particularly attractive option either. She finished her crust of bread and stood up. Surely it wasn't a bad idea to check out the bar and see if it would be something she could consider.

---

The Yawning Portal was packed tight with all sorts of adventurers. For Prili it reminded her of her college years when adventurers would come in for cheap healing in exchange for being guinea pigs for aspiring clerics. The scent of spilled drinks and skipped bathing clung to the air and scrunched up Prili's nose. She wondered for a moment where the infamous well was, but through the legs of the packed patrons, she saw that it was actually smack dab in the center of the barroom. Prili prickled, her immediate thoughts concerning the dangers of having so many people packed around a bottomless well to the unknown. 

"C'mon! Let me down there!" someone said, "I want to be remembered!"

"Ha!" came a response, "As if you'd ever do anything worth remembering Geralt, back off, you went down a week ago and came back up sniveling!"

That started a heated argument, but opened up a few spaces at the bar. Prili climbed her way up one of the barstools and tiredly placed a copper piece on the bar. 

"Could I please get a light ale?" she asked.

The bartender wordlessly snatched up the copper piece and produced a small tankard of ale. Prili sipped the foam for just a moment before drinking deeply. Truth be told, she was really stressed out and feeling very alone in the world. Even her old boss couldn't stand her. If she could just afford to start her own hospital... 

The ale in her system emboldened her, and Prili sat up straighter in her seat.

"Excuse me!" she called once again to the barkeep, "Who do I inquire with to go down the well?"

The bartender took a few minutes to answer--it was quite busy--but finally he meandered his way over to where Prili was seated.

"That would be me, little lady," he said looking pointedly down at her, "and I don't let just anyone go down neither. Do you have a partner or group you could go down with?"

Prili deflated just a little, but still answered, "W-well no. I don't really have anyone. I-I heard there was just a small fee to come back up?"

"No single adventurers," the barman said with a huff, "I'm sick of people not coming back out. Come back when you've got someone to watch your back down in those catacombs."

Prili sighed and took another swig of her ale. So much for that hope. She would have to find a way to get money elsewhere. She started considering farm labor when she was interrupted by a voice.

"Excuse me, miss?" a gravelly voice said just behind her.

"Hmm?" Prili spun around and found the source of the noise. In front of her stood a very tall, very muscular orcish woman. She wore her hair cropped short and all along one arm were very intricate looking tattoos that seemed to move and shift depending on the angle you viewed it. She was at the same time intimidating as well as beautiful.

"Ah, I heard you were wanting to go down the Yawning Portal... but didn't have anyone to go with," she continued. 

Prili, always a fool and slow to pick up on subtle cues looked a little dejected.

"Yeah... I wasn't aware of the rule when I came in, but what can you do?"

The orc woman shifted around and looked down.

"Me too," she said, "I, ah, was wondering..." she trailed off a bit, trying to muster either courage or the proper phrasing.

It was at this moment that Prili finally realized what was going on, and her eyes lit up.

"Would you want to go down with me?" she asked with a hopeful smile. 

The woman nodded sheepishly, "If you would have me... I can carry my own, I just need someone so that Durnan will let me go down."

So that was his name. Prili glanced over at the barkeep and grinned. She finished off her ale and held a hand up.

"Excuse me! Mr. Durnan, sir!" she called, nearly forgetting her manners. 

"Ah, the small one again, I thought I said-"

"I know! I found a partner!" she said excitedly, gesturing towards her new orc friend. 

"Well, the beefy one from earlier," Durnan remarked, "Alright, fine. I'll go get the paperwork."

After he disappeared into the room behind the bar, Prili glanced over at her new friend.

"Paperwork?"

The woman nodded, "Durnan doesn't want liability should you not come back out. Wives and parents have come here with a vengeance before.."

Prili nodded, it made sense. She had to deal with her fair share of angry loved ones in the heartbreaking moments where someone could not be saved. 

The papers placed in front of them were covered in tiny printed letters, so small in some places Prili couldn't really read. 

"So," she said as she signed her name, "When we're ready to come back up..." 

Durnan nodded, "Put two gold in the bucket at the bottom and give it a yank, I'll take the gold and lower the bucket back down to lift you up."

Prili nodded, absently fingering the gold pieces that she had brought with her in her pockets. Once the papers were signed, Durnan announced their descent into the Yawning Portal and the tavern erupted in cheers. It was all so loud that Prili felt a little disoriented. The crowds parted to let Prili and her partner through. 

The orc woman put a foot in the bucket and held onto the rope, she reached out an arm to offer to Prili. Prili took it and was scooped effortlessly into the woman's arms. She felt her face flush, she hadn't been lifted like this in years, and then it was a result of the teasing in college. 

Durnan gave the two a nod and started lowering the rope into the well. Soon the cacophony of the tavern faded away and gave way to the quiet dripping of the well. Prili looked around, feeling like she had maybe acted too rashly. She glanced over at her partner and something occurred to her.

"I'm sorry..." she said, "I never asked your name... You can call me Prili if you like!"

The woman thought about it for a moment before answering, "Agga. My friends call me Agga."

[ouatimaginesnetwork]

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

ATTENTION: THIS IS NOT A ONCE UPON A TIME FIC! BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULDN’T READ IT! IT IS A NEWT SCAMANDER! X READER! 

Summary: You moved to New York for the love of you life, who left you. A year later someone you thought you’d never see again walks into your life. Newt Scamander.

PSA- This has been my baby for the past month, please please please tell me what you think!

~Hannah Banana :) 

15,224 words

Your alarm blares in your ear, pulling you out of your nightmares. “I’m up,” you grumble, slapping the snooze button. You yawn and swing your legs over the foot of the bed, standing up. As you go about your usual morning routine, you can’t help but think about the dream you had. It was about him again, about Peter. Everyday your mind always wondered why he left you. You completely relocated for your love, moving to America, but apparently it wasn’t enough for him. It didn’t matter that it’d been a year, the pain was still fresh in your chest. You pull on your work clothes, and slip your badge in your waistband. Grabbing your coffee and keys, you walk out the door.

10 minutes later you arrive at work. “Morning (y/n),” your coworker Stephanie says cheerfully. “Morning Steph,” you yawn back at her. “What do we have today on the agenda?” you add. “Well a no-maj reported a gnome in their yard, we have to go collect them and perform the selective obliviate charm. The gnomes are getting bad in these parts,” she tells you. “Very well, and what will we do with said gnomes?” you ask her, dreading the answer. “Well, we’ll have to kill them,” she tells you. “No! I won’t do it! We’re supposed to be the department of care of magical creatures, I’d say killing it isn’t caring for it,” you argue. “Believe me I don’t want to kill it either, but we don’t have much of a choice, Seraphina is strict with her rules. Magic is out of control in America and we must suppress it as much as we can, lest the no-maj’s find out,” she replies. You sarcastically chuckle, “I never thought I’d see the day when wizards would hide from muggles. This is insane.” You shake your head. Your co-worker nods in agreement, “I know it is, but I’m just following orders.” “Well it’s about time you stopped following orders,” you grit through your teeth, marching out the door. “Where are you going?” she yells after you. “To talk to madame president,” you say, slamming the door behind you.

You find yourself taking the elevator up to the higher employees offices. You saw people standing guard, outside her office, but you march right past them. “Hey you can’t go in there!” one of the guards shouts at you. You ignore him and swing the door open, slamming it against the wall. “What is the meaning of this?” Seraphina asks incredibly. “Madame president you can’t keep ordering us to kill these creatures. It won’t help, it will only hurt their numbers, please, you’ve got to stop,” you beg. “(L/n) I don’t need this right now, I’ve got much bigger fish to fry. You have orders and you will follow them. Now leave,” she waves you out the door. “Madame president you can’t do this! This isn’t how the ministry of magic treats animals!” She turns sharply towards you, “Well this isn’t the ministry of magic, (y/n), you knew that when you moved here. We do things differently here, if you don’t like it, then leave.” “Regardless, no animal should be treated this way, please!” you raise your voice. She waves in two guards and says, “I’ve had enough of you today (l/n), go home.” “No please!” you shout at her as her guards throw you out onto the street. “Go home stupid girl, the magical congress of the united states is no place for you. Either oblige or next time Madame president will fire you,” they say slamming the door behind you. You hit the pavement hard, on your knees. “I don’t want to work here, believe me, but I don’t have a choice,” you grumble under your breath. You trudge back to your apartment, and fall into a restless sleep.

The next day

You have the pleasure of Madame President greeting you at the door personally that day. “I trust there will be no issues today (l/n)?” she asks you. “No Madame president,” you let your head drop. You march to your office that you share with Stephanie and begin the days work. Around lunch time there’s a big commotion in the hallway and you peek your head out, to see what’s wrong. “Tina?” you see her familiar form standing in the doorway. “(Y/n), I heard what happened yesterday. You need to be careful or you’ll get fired just like I was,” she tells you. “I think I can take care of myself thanks. Besides, I’m not willing to sacrifice my morale values for this job,” you scoff. “Only trying to warn you,” she raises her hands up in surrender. “What’s going on?” you ask, referring to the commotion outside. “Dunno, but I’m gonna find out,” she smirks at you, and walks away. “Man she bothers me,” you grumble to yourself.

The next day you see him, being escorted through the building in a haste by Tina. His eyes pass over you and he stops, it’s as if he almost recognizes you, but not quite. He stares into your (e/c) eyes deeply, as if asking where he knows you from. His eyebrows raise in confusion.You turn away from him, hiding your face, and Tina yanks his arm, dragging him back along. “Is that Newt Scamander?” Stephanie asks, an awe in her voice. “Wouldn’t know,” you reply. It’s then that Madame President walks into your office. “(L/n), there was a niffler sighting by the bank. You’re on it. But I can assure you, if you don’t take the niffler out, if need be, you’ll be in a heap of trouble.” You nod and follow her out the door.

5 minutes later you’re inside the bank and you see him again. He’s searching frantically for his creature no doubt. His eyes pass over you once again, but this time he looks displeased as he spies your MACUSA badge. You turn to walk over to him, but that’s when you see a muggle holding an egg, an occamy egg. “Shit,” you curse under your breath. “Hey mister! I think your egg is hatching!” the muggle shouts at him. Newt draws him towards where he is, and dissapparates. “Fuck,” you dissapparate after them, no doubt to the safe where the niffler is.

You find yourself in the basement of the bank and search frantically for Newt. “Mr. Scamander!” you look around, but he’s nowhere to be found. “Damnit!” you shout, dissapparating back to your office.

“Well?” you find Seraphina anxiously waiting for you. “He got away,” you gasp. “But it wasn’t my fault,” you add quickly. Her face glowers and she says, “Very well, there’s been several more cases of creatures on the loose. Find them, find them!” she shouts and storms out. You groan and turn to Stephanie, “Where’s the case file?” She hands it to you. You flick through it and stop on the page that shows the Jarvey. “I suppose I’ll start with him. But you’re joking if you think I’m turning him into that crazy lady,” you mutter and walk out, heading towards central park. The creature liked wooded areas, so you figured you’d start there.

When you get to Central Park, you see the ferret’s trails leading into a grove of evergreen’s. “Got you,” you smirk to yourself. “Oh really?” you whip around to see who replied, but no one was there except the Jarvey. “Excuse me?” you ask to no one in particular. “You heard me, god are you deaf?” the Jarvey looks up at you. “You, you, you can talk?” you babble. “Of course I can talk do you do your research?” the Jarvey laughs at you. “Well, I’m sorry, but you’re causing a ruckus for the no-maj’s. So I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with me,” you approach the creature slowly. “I don’t think so,” the ferret runs into the trees just as you try to leap onto him. He’s too fast and your body hits the ground covered with pine needles, the air whooshing out of your chest. “Ughhh,” you get up and dust yourself off, running in the direction of the trees. “Come here you little rascal,” you shout and search the ground frantically for his tracks. Since your eyes are glued to the ground, you don’t see the figure ahead running straight towards you. He hits you with an almighty, “Oomph,” and you both fall smashing to the ground. “What the hell!” you yell. The man lays on top of you, and looks down at you. It was Newt. “Get off of me Newt,” you push him off. “Apologizes, but do we know each other? I recognized you immediately, as soon as I saw you,” he offers his hand, and picks you up off the ground. “Of course we know each other, or did you really forget? We went to Hogwarts together. Remember? We were both studying to be magizoologists.” “Ah yes of course, (y/n) is it? I haven’t seen you since…” his voice trails off. “Since you were expelled?” you finish his statement awkwardly. “Yes since I was expelled,” he sighs. “Well, what are we doing standing here, we need to find the Jarvey,” you tell him, trudging further into the trees. He follows behind you saying, “We? What we? I don’t believe I asked you for your help (y/n).” You scoff, “Well it sure looks like you could use it, I nearly caught that Jarvey before you barged into me.” He chuckles, “Aren’t you a ray of sunshine.” “Shut up!” “Excuse me?” he asks at your outburst. “I said shut up, I can here the Jarvey crawling around, but not over your loud voice,” you repeat. That shuts him up. Scuffling comes from inside a tree. You walk towards it and pin point the branch where the animal is no doubt hiding. When your sure you dive your hands into the thicket and pull the squealing creature out. “Get off of me filthy witch,” it yells at you. “You got a place for him,” you ask Newt. He nods, pulling out his suitcase. He opens it and quickly shoves the creature inside. “Huh, what a nice home,” you say sarcastically. “It is! I live in there too from time to time. Now it was nice to see you again (y/n) but I��m afraid I must get back to finding my creatures,” he turns to walk away but you stop him. “Not so fast. I’m coming with you,” you state. “Why on earth would you do that?” he asks back in turn. “I’m coming with you because you don’t know New York like I do, I know the terrain, you need my help. Besides, you got me into this mess, now the president is threatening to fire me if I don’t round up these creatures, that’s right, MACUSA knows you’re here. So you’re gonna need someone on the inside to help you out. I need to save my job,” you tell him. He looks stunned and replies with, “Alright. Let’s go.” So you follow Newt out of central park.

“Where are we going,” you ask him after about ten minutes of walking. “Tina Goldstein’s. Perhaps you know her? She used to be an auror for your government. She’s also helping me get my creatures back.” You groan at the mention of her name. “What’s wrong?” Newt asks. “That girl, Tina. We don’t exactly get along,” you tell him.  “Why am I not surprised,” he replies. “She got fired, you have to wonder why,” you tell him. “Well that’s not my business. I’m just lucky that she’s agreed to help me, now I have two people on the inside at my aide,” he says. “Yea, I’m not sure I’d call it that, you have two people, one who was fired, and one about to be fired,” you shoot back. “Well, let’s go save your job then,” Newt says, stopping in front of an apartment building. “We’re here,” he whispers. Next thing you know, Tina is opening the door and rushing the two of you up the stairs before her land lord can see. “God Tina slow down,” you growl at her as she pushes you through the door. “Didn’t know you were bringing this one,” Tina throws at Newt. He just shrugs cluelessly. “In here,” Tina shows you into the only spare bedroom. “Newt and Jacob already took the beds, (y/n) I can grab you a sleeping mat,” she states. “Why would I stay here?” you ask in turn. “Because after you didn’t bring the Jarvey back, Madame president found out, and she’s just waiting on your doorstep to fire you,” she replies. “Very well then,” you sit down in the only chair in the room. A minute later Tina comes back with the sleeping mat, a pillow and blanket. You thank her, begrudgingly, and follow her out to the kitchen for dinner. “(Y/n), this is my sister Queenie,” she introduces you. “Hello,” you go to shake her hand but she pulls you into a hug. “She’s quite the sweet lady ain’t she,” Jacob says from the corner, clearly smitten with her. You laugh. “Alright we got a delicious dinner coming, if I do say so myself, so please go ahead and take a seat,” Queenie says, motioning to the kitchen table. You take a seat, careful not to sit next to Tina. Newt plants himself between the two of you. Queenie approaches the table with a gigantic roast chicken, served with mashed potatoes and green beans. “Wow Queenie, you’re quite the talented cook,” you compliment her. In your mind you’re wondering how someone so sweet could be related to someone so annoying. “(Y/n)!” Queenie scolds your thought, “My sister is too sweet.” Your cheeks flush and look down at your plate, finishing your dinner in silence.

When you finish dinner, Newt immediately gets in his suitcase for the rest of the night, checking on his animals. He said not to follow, but of course you do anyway. Awe overtakes you as soon as you step into his case. There were dozens of separated habitats, each filled with hundreds of different animals. It was beautiful, all of it, but the first thing to catch your eye was the thunderbird sauntering about. “He’s gorgeous,” you whisper into the hot desert air, as you step into his habitat. The bird whips around, looking at you. “Hey, hi,” you hold your hand out, showing that you mean no harm. The bird approaches you cautiously. You bow your head showing your respect. The bird judges you, deciding on whether or not he likes you. He decides he does and places his head in your hands, letting you pet him. “Thanks,” you tell him. You stand petting the bird for a while, until he’s completely leaning onto you. You chuckle, “Alright alright, I can sit down, that way you can sit in my lap.” You move to sit down in the grass and the giant bird lays his entire upper body in your lap. You continue to pet him, and he lets out a soft coo. You’re so content, just to sit there, stroking his soft fur, that you don’t even here him come up. “(Y/n)?” Newt’s voice calls out rather softly. You lightly turn your head and motion for him to come here, as the thunderbird has fallen asleep in your lap. He sits down next to you in the grass. After a beat of silence you ask him, “What is it?” “Oh nothing,” he quickly replies, “It’s just I haven’t seen Frank take a liking to anybody except me.” You lightly laugh, “Frank. That’s a good name for him.” Newt gulps and nods. “What’s the matter?” you ask him, turning to look him in the eyes. He looks down at the ground and sighs, “I’m just worried about them. They’re out there all frightened, amidst the most horrible creatures on this planet.” “Oh and what might that be,” you question his strong judgement. “Humans,” he states, gritting his teeth. “Man, someone must’ve really done a number on you,” you tell him. “Whatever do you mean?” he asks you. “Well, just that. I would’ve said the exact same thing a year ago, but you learn to move past a bad breakup, Newt,” you reply. “How did you know?” he whispers. “Because I know what a broken heart looks like, I’ve had it done to me too, and now I have no where to go because of it, so believe me I get it. But it’ll fade,” you whisper back. “Sure it will. It’s been ten years,” he says quietly. “Give it time,” you state. After a pause he says, “What do you mean you have no where else to go?” “I moved here for my love, and after a month, he left me for someone else.” You let your sentence hang in the air. His breath is taken away by your statement. “(Y/n) I’m,”- you cut his apology off, “I know.” He gulps and looks down. “Well I think that’s enough personal talk for the day, if you’d allow me, I’d very much like to stay here with Frank,” you tell him. “That’d be fine, I don’t think he’d let you up now anyways. Goodnight (y/n),” he stands up. “Goodnight Newt,” you reply softly. He returns to his shack, and you lay back against the hill, snuggling up, the majestic bird acting as a blanket. Your eyes begin to droop, and the last thing you see before you fall asleep is Newt watching you from afar.

The next morning you’re awakened by the sunlight peeking through your eyelids. “Mmmhh morning Frank,” you yawn. You stretch your legs and walk around his habitat. When you turn to leave, he whines. “Don’t worry I’ll be back,” you laugh, patting his nose before you leave, making your way through the suitcase, back into the bedroom. When you emerge you find everyone already bustling about, Queenie making breakfast. “Hiya sweetie, like a shower? We got towels already in there, and some of your clothes were sent here last night,” Queenie greets you. “Okay,” you nod. When you climb into the shower/tub, you turn on the steaming water, letting it run over your tired, sore body. As you wash and condition your hair, you think about what Newt said, about humans. “Perhaps it was true, but not of all humans,” you thought. You climb out of the shower and wrap a towel around you, scurrying into the bedroom to find your clothes. You decide to put on your blue skirt and blazer and are slipping on your black flats when Tina comes into the room. “(Y/n), can we talk for a moment?” she asks you. You nod. “It’s just, well, I know we don’t get along much, but we must! I don’t want you to lose your job and I’d very much like mine back. So can we just agree to set aside our differences for now?” she asks. You sigh, “I would like that Tina, but right now there is one thing standing in my way. See I know you like to do everything by the book, and that’s the problem Tina. Madame president, she wants to do away with all these animals, so are you telling me that in order to get your job back you would be willing to kill them?” “Of course not! But it’s not that simple, we must do some things by the book,”- you cut her off, “We can’t. If we do, we condemn us all, including those animals.” She huffs, “We shall see. In the mean time, I hope you can agree to be civil.” You smirk and say, “We shall see.” She rolls her eyes and walks out of the room.

You stand in front of the mirror, putting on some light makeup and curling your hair with your wand. When the smell of Queenie’s delicious breakfast overtakes you, you declare that you’re finished and walk into the kitchen ready to eat. “My my don’t we look gorgeous,” Queenie says. “Jacob thinks so too,” she adds, reading his mind. He responds by blushing. “So, where are we off to today?” you ask, sitting down to eat. Newt shoves a bite in his mouth and says between chews, “I was thinking that we’d go looking for the swooping evil.” “Okay, where do we start?” you ask him. “Well he likes dark spaces, so maybe we check the subways?” he suggests. “Sounds like a plan,” you reply. So the five of you exit the apartment, and head down to the subways.

After about an hour of searching, Newt slumps against a brick wall outside and slides down. “It’s like he could be anywhere on earth by now. How am I ever supposed to find him?” he asks bewildered. “Hey, we’ll find them, don’t worry,” you offer a hand to pull him back up and keep searching. He takes it and the search continues.

Suddenly there’s a scuffle around the next alleyway and you quickly round the corner to see the murtlap, yet another escaped animal from Newt’s case. “Newt!” you called out for him. “What is it?” he comes into view. He gasps when he sees his murtlap attacking the muggle, Jacob. “Jacob!” you gasp and run over to him. There was a nasty bite mark on the side of his neck. “Newt, we have to get him help,” you stare at him gravely. Newt nods and swoops up the murtlap, shoving it into his suitcase. “Come on Jacob, let’s get you back,” you pick up the slumped over man, grab Newt’s hand, and dissapparate back to the Goldstein’s apartment.

As soon as you get back you lay Jacob down on his bed. “Newt hand me my wand,” you say quietly. He places it in your palm and you wave your wand over the wound, healing it. “You’ll be alright Jacob, just get some rest,” you gently lay him back on the bed to rest. You back out of the room and quietly close the door. When you turn to walk back to the kitchen, Newt stops you and grabs your arm. “(Y/n), wait.” “Yes?” you turn around. “I.. um.. thank you, for acting so quick under pressure. I, I fear Jacob wouldn’t be alive without your help,” he stares at the ground. “Well, um, you are welcome,” you nod.

At dinner Tina attempts to reason with you. “(Y/n), some things must be done by the book, don’t you see what a danger these creatures are?” “Now wait just a minute,” Newt attempts to interrupt. “Tina we just can’t do that. It’s cruel, inhumane. I won’t let you,” you respond. “I agree it’s not ideal, but we don’t have a choice, it’s the only way I’ll get my job back,” she attempts to reason with you. “Well I don’t care enough about my job to do things this way,” you reply. “Perhaps there’s another solution,” Newt chimes in. “We shall certainly see. Now enough bickering it’s supper time,” Queenie comes strolling into the kitchen with a piping hot plate of meatloaf. “Thank you Queenie this all looks delicious,” you smile at her. Dinner is a quiet affair, as there’s not much to talk about. When you finish, you decide to retire to the bedroom. Getting up from the table you glance at Newt and ask, “Would it be alright if I spent some more time with Frank?” He looks up at you surprised, a smile forming on his face. “Of course it’s alright love.” “Thanks,” you nod and exit into the other room.

When you arrive in the other room, you quickly swing open the case and run into Frank’s habitat. “Hey buddy,” you smile and sit down next to him, beginning to pat him. You feel relief and all of your worries begin to fade away as you stare at the beautiful surroundings. Sleep soon overtakes you and Frank lays his wing over you, protecting you and shielding you from view.

Newt’s pov

He finished his dinner and quickly rushed off to his suitcase, anxious to see how Frank was reacting to that peculiar girl. He excused himself and quickly climbed down the ladder. It was late, and she was already asleep, the vision was a dream. Underneath the sparkling stars and midnight blue sky she slept. The meadow was a deep emerald green below her and the stars shined like a halo surrounding her. She laid with her hands resting on her stomach, her peaceful slumber depicted on her face. Of course, she was hidden from view. He rounded the corner and saw Frank’s wing splayed out above her, protecting her. He was stunned, shocking his thoughts into silence. The only thing that came through in his head was how beautiful she was. Her (h/c) hair splayed around her and even though her eyes were closed, he could just imagine those (e/c) eyes sparkling like the sun. Her skin was pale, shining in the moonlight and her supple skin was gorgeous. What was so strikingly beautiful about this peculiar girl was that she was not like any other girl he had ever seen before. She wasn’t a skinny, conventional female, she was a rounded, curvy, compassionate woman. (Y/n) was a marvel to him, the thought itself shocked him, he’d never thought about her this way before.

Regular pov

The sun shone through your eyelids and you slowly peaked your eyes open. Frank’s wing was still above you, but you could hear other birds chirping as the creatures began to wake. “Morning (y/n),” Newt chuckled. You nearly jumped out of your skin, As you sat up, you saw Newt standing over you. “What are you doing here? How long have I been asleep?” you babble. “Not long, I just figured you’d want to get some breakfast. After all Queenie is the best cook around,” he continues to laugh. He offers you a hand and pulls you up. You dust off your skirt and follow him up back into the Goldstein’s apartment. During breakfast, it’s hard to concentrate on your meal, on account of Newt never taking his eye off of you. “Newt is something wrong?” Tina asks him. “What? Oh no, everything’s fine,” he babbles, pulling his eyes away from you. You look down, blushing, avoiding his gaze. “So where do we look next?” Tina asks. “Well, I could actually help with that,” Queenie butts in. “Do go on?” Newt implores her. “Alright well there’s a club, and a goblin I know owns it. Rumor is that he grabbed some of those creatures and we’ll have to get to the speak easy tonight. Around 9, but it’s not the quaintest of places. We’ll have to get all dolled up and such,” Queenie says much too excitedly. “Well I suppose we should prepare,” you add, exiting the kitchen.

4 hours later

You stood in the bedroom, curling your hair with your wand. “I think I’ve found you the perfect thing,” Queenie announces, coming strolling into the room. You gasped, staring up at the beautiful dress she held in front of you. It was a flapper dress, navy with a black and blue overlay of beads, strings of them hanging down at knee length. “Queenie it’s perfect!” you tell her. “I thought as such,” she smirks and hands the dress over to you. You put the dress on and it hugs your curves in just the right way. “Beautiful,” Queenie adds. You smile sheepishly. You turn back to the mirror and continue to curl your hair. It falls in delicate waves, framing your face in just the right way. With just a touch of blush, mascara, and lip rouge you were ready to go. When you exited the bedroom Newt stopped in the middle of his conversation with Tina and stared at you, mouth agape. Queenie giggles behind you and says, “Newt thinks you look good too.” He glares at her for reading his mind, but nods, confirming her statement. “Well, thanks Newt,” you smile to yourself, looking at the ground and brushing your hair behind your ear. “Shall we go?” Tina asks everyone. You nod, grabbing hands and dissapparate.

When you arrive at the club it’s extremely evident that the stakes are high. The tension in the air is palpable and almost everyone stares at the newcomers that had come through the door: you. A song begins and Queenie hisses in your ear, “Go dance, blend in. Jacob and I will do the same. Tina, go look for clues, and the goblin.” You nod and gulp deeply as Newt reaches his hand out and offers it to you. The music begins and it’s a slow, jazzy piece. He places his hand on your waist and intertwines his fingers with yours in your other hand. You take a sharp breath. He smiles into your eyes and says, “You know you do look lovely.” You look down and smile in response. Watching your feet, careful not to stumble, Newt removes his hand from yours and pulls your chin up, saying, “Are you really that afraid to look at me?” “No,” you whisper back. The song continues and you almost immediately stumble. “Sorry,” your face  goes red. He chuckles lightly, “Don’t worry about it.” The song slows and Newt lightly pulls you into him, and you rest your head on his chest. As you sway back and forth, you feel a sense of calm wash over you. It was short lived. Out of the corner of your eye you can quickly see Tina getting into a heated argument with the goblin owner. Newt is lost in the music so you pull back and whisper, “Newt look.” He turns his head and panic flashes across his eyes. “Come on,” he pulls you by the hand to over where Tina is causing trouble. Queenie and Jacob quickly follow. “What’s going on here?” you ask Tina and the goblin. “This ex-government employee is trying to swindle me into telling her where some creatures are. This is my club, and that ain’t gonna happen. At least not without some sort of exchange of sorts,” he snarks at you. “Oh really, and what exactly would you require?” you reply back equally as sarcastic. He looks at Newt and smirks, “That,” he says pointing to Pickett. Newt’s face drops. “Absolutely not,” he shields Pickett from the goblin. “Newt,” Tina and you say at the same time. You walk up to him and hold your hand out for Pickett. “We’ll get him back I promise,” you console him. A tear manages to escape from his eye and he slowly hands him over. You turn around and reluctantly hand him over. “Now, give us the information we need,” you snarl at him. He narrows his eyes and says, “They’ve all hidden themselves away in the city. Rumors are the Occamy has taken nest up in the macy’s on 5th. Your Erumpent has been spotted up in Central Park. That’s all I know.” You’re about to respond when there’s a scuttling and 3 aurors burst through the door, including Percival Graves. “Well, time to go,” Tina grabs Queenie and Jacob’s hands and dissapparates. You turn towards the goblin and yank Pickett out of his hand, smiling the fakest smile ever, and say “Thank you very much.” Pickett in one hand, Newt pulls you into him and you dissapparate back to the Goldstein’s apartment.

You reappear in the kitchen and see Queenie, Tina and Jacob sitting around the table. Newt finally lets go of you and you turn to him smiling. “I believe he belongs to you,” you say pulling Pickett out from behind your back. Relief floods over his face. “Thanks,” he says gratefully. “Well we have a starting point for tomorrow. As for me, I think I’m going to go to sleep,” Tina gets up and walks to her bedroom. Everyone else follows.

It’s the middle of the night and you begin to toss and turn. You hadn’t danced like that with someone since Peter, your former lover. It was like you were right back there.

Flashback

You emerged from the bathroom, dressed in white. The strapless, chiffon gown clung to your curves, yet flowed down your body. “Oh my (y/n) you look gorgeous,” Peter smiles at you as you emerge. “Do you really like it?” you look down, blushing. “It’s beautiful,” he says, taking your hands in his. “Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see a bride before the wedding? We aren’t even getting married, not for 3 months anyway,” you chuckle. “(Y/n), darling, We’ve waited long enough, you moved here for me. I think we’ve faced all the bad luck we’re going to ever face,” he pulls you into his arms, where you feel protected, safe. You wrap your arms around his waist, smushing your face into his chest. Behind your back, Peter waves his wand, and your favorite song plays on the record player. “Dance with me?” he whispers in your ear. You smile up at him, taking his hand in yours and placing your other on his shoulder. As you sway across the floor, you both sigh in contentment. “I never thought that I’d get this life,” you say softly into his chest. Peter looks down at you and says, “Darling why would you think that?” “You know as well as I that I’ve not had the easiest path to where I am today. I’m just glad I found you,” you reply. “Me too,” he smiles. You lean back into him and your two forms dance into one as you make your way barefoot across the wooden floor of your apartment. When the song ends, the two of you continue to dance, dancing till dawn.

The dream remained in your head, that wonderful moment of peace, when you danced with the one you loved. But then the horror of it all comes crashing back, him leaving you for another woman, you desperately trying to get him back, everything came crashing back. You woke up sobbing, and screaming. “No, don’t leave!” you cried half asleep. Queenie comes bursting into the room. “Oh (Y/n) wake up, wake up! It was just a dream,” she shakes you awake. Tears stain your face as you look up to see Queenie, Newt, and Jacob standing over you. When you’ve awakened Queenie gasps, seeing your thoughts. She drops the mug in her hand and it shatters across the floor. The pieces bounce against the hardwood, echoing in your mind as you sit there, dumb struck.“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, pulling you into a hug. You begin to sob into her shoulder, knowing she must have seen your thoughts. “It was horrible, it was like it was happening all over again,” you whisper. “I know I know,” she says stroking your hair. You open your tear stained eyes and look up to see Newt’s emerald green ones staring back at your own. His face is filled with despair, watching you in pain. He raises his eyebrows at you, asking you with his expression what could’ve hurt you. You look at him, sadness filling your features, too scared to reply. “Why don’t you go take a shower,” Queenie pulls you up off the ground. You nod slowly, and emerge into the bathroom. The last thing you see before shutting the door is Newt, who looks as if he desperately wants to follow you, to make sure you are alright.

When you step out of the shower, you find a set of clothes on the toilet seat. You slip on the black cotton dress and the big gray cardigan to go with it. The colors reflected your mood. As soon as you’d barely opened the door, Newt was standing in the doorway, demanding to know what was wrong. “(Y/n) what’s going on? Please tell me,” he begs you. “I can’t,“ you look down, avoiding his gaze. You turn to walk past him, but he grabs your arm. “Please,” he asks again. “It’s too painful, please Newt, let it be,” you say, the sobs escaping you. You turn to try and leave again, but he yanks you back. “I just, I don’t want to see you in pain,” he chokes up. You look up at him and your lip quivers. “I, I’m sorry,” you yank your arm out of his grip and walk into the bedroom. Newt’s face falls, defeated, and he turns to walk back into the kitchen.

The next day

You didn’t sleep at all last night, instead choosing to stay up and walk around Newt’s case. In the morning he came and found you. “(Y/n),” he lets your name hang in the air. You turn around and see him standing there, cautiously approaching you. You sigh, “Newt would you please let it go.” “I can’t. I saw your face, I saw how hurt you were, you’re my…. friend. I don’t want to see you hurt, tell me,” he walks closer. “No. Please go,” your voice grows cold as he pushes you further. “(Y/n) please,” he once again grabs you by the arm. “Stop! Just let me be! I don’t want to talk about it!” you snap at him. He’s taken back by your outburst, and removes his hand from your arm. “Alright, I shall let you be,” he says, backing away. His face stayed with you though, he looked hurt. You yelled at him, but all he wanted to do was help you. And you wouldn’t even let him.

Three days later

Newt had barely spoken five words to you, only when he had to, when it had to do with his creatures and that was it. He was hurt, you could tell, you pushed him away. The guilt was eating away at you. You decided today would be the day you would apologize. He was in his suitcase, almost scarfing down his dinner just to get to it. You finished shortly after and followed him down into his case.

When you got down there, you smiled to yourself, he was sitting on his work bench, nose pressed in a book, while he wrote down his research with his other hand. He had no clue you were even there. His brows were furrowed in concentration and his tongue stuck just slightly out as he wrote his work. “Newt?” you call to him. He raises his head, tearing himself away from his work. “(Y/n), he states. “Can I come in?” you ask tentatively. “It appears you already have,” he says somewhat sarcastically. “Suppose I deserved that,” you say walking over to him. You pull another stool over to where he sits and look him in the eyes for a rare occasion. “Newt, I just, I wanted to apologize. For how I snapped at you. You were just trying to be my… friend, and I pushed you away. I’m sorry Newt. And I know that an apology isn’t enough so I figured I owe you an explanation,” you pause. “Alright,” he nods. “Well, it’s just dancing with you, that night, at the club, it reminded me of my past relationship. His name was Peter, and we were to be wed. You see, that night, it was eerily like another night that I shared with him. And so I dreamt of that night, of a time when I was truly, truly, happy. Before he left me. Where we danced barefoot across the wooden floor. And when I woke, it all just came flooding back to me. How he left me for another woman. How he stood up our wedding, telling me I was not enough for him and that I never would be,” you pause as tears push through your eyes and continue, “And that’s why it was so hard for me. Because when I’m reminded of him, well, it’s hard to forget about that time in my life. How I was never enough, how I was nothing. And that’s why I didn’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Newt, you were just trying to help,” you sob. All the while you explain, he stares at you with his shiny green eyes, they grow wider with every word. And when you cry, he does too. Just for a moment. You finish looking down, but he pulls your chin up to look at him. “Thank you (y/n), thank you for trusting me with that. I’m so sorry, truly. But you aren’t nothing, you were never nothing. You are one of the kindest, most compassionate people I’ve known in my life. Even at Hogwarts, you were, you always have been.” You shrug off his words, but he continues, “Darling you’re a goddess. And once you know what that truly means, I pray for anyone who tries to hurt you.” His words leave you dumbstruck. “Do you really mean that?” you ask quietly. He smiles for the first time in a while and says, “Every word. It is the plain and simple truth.” You laugh, but it comes out as half a sob. No one had ever thought so much of you. So you said as much. “No one’s ever said anything so kind about me.” “Well they should,” Newt replies immediately. “Why do you care so much?” you find the words falling out of your mouth, too late to take them back. He smiles to himself and shakes his head. “Honestly, I don’t know. There’s just, there’s something about you (y/n), something wonderful,” he trails off, looking down. This time it’s your turn to pull his chin up to look at you. “Newt,” you say barely louder than a whisper. As if the clouds had parted, it all became clear in Newt’s head, his feelings about you. Before you had time to process any of it, Newt leans forward on his stool and lightly presses his lips to yours. There was electricity, just like your first kiss with Peter, but this was different. You felt safe, you knew you could trust him. You leaned in more and Newt responds by placing his hands on your cheeks. When you pull away, you lean your cheek into his hand, bringing your other hand to linger on your lips, where he had kissed you. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have”- you cut Newt off by pulling him closer, kissing him again. This time it’s your turn to run your hands through his hair, those cinnamon curls. Your hands find each other behind his neck and your legs push against one another as the stools are now so close together. His hands find themselves on your shoulders, relaxing you. He brushes the hair away from your face and his piercing eyes stare into your (e/c) ones. “See I told you. A goddess,” he mumbles. You blush more and take his hands in yours. For a while you sit there in peace, but soon enough you blurt out, “What does this mean?” Newt smiles at your excitement and says, “I don’t know what this means (y/n), but I know that I care deeply about you, and would never ever hurt you.” “Good enough for me,” you smirk at him. The clock strikes seven and you soon realize that it’s Newt’s time to check on all the animals. “Come on,” you hold out your hand for him, and gesture to outside. He takes your hand in his and the two of you stroll in the moonlight of each habitat, checking on his creatures.

When you emerge from the suitcase, Queenie and Tina stand in the doorway, waiting for you two. Queenie immediately smiles, reading both of your thoughts. “You kissed,” she exclaims with excitement. Both of you blush profusely and stare at the ground. “You did?” Tina asks. You look up at her and nod. “Well, I’m happy for you,” she says, reluctantly. “I know it’s hard to be happy for me Tina, given our rivalry, but that means a lot,” you reply. She smiles at you for the first time since forever. Newt interrupts, “Now we can check central park tomorrow for the erumpent. I’m sure he’s still there.” “Sounds like a plan,” Tina nods. It grew late and the 5 of you decided to go to sleep. As you curled up on the ground Newt walks over and says, “Are you sure you don’t want me to sleep on the floor?” “I’m sure,” you smile, but there was a worry behind your eyes. “What is it?” he asks you. “I just, I haven’t sleep since that dream,” you admit. “Well I’m right here, if you need anything, please wake me,” he urges. “I will,” you squeeze his hand. “Well, goodnight then (y/n),” he says, kissing the top of your hand. “Goodnight,” you say peacefully.

Flashback

It was supposed to be a surprise, the proposal. But you found out about it. It was an accident, but you already suspected. Peter never liked to cook, yet he insisted on cooking you dinner tonight. And now you knew why. He just cleared your plates, so you knew it was coming. “Peter?” you call into the kitchen. He emerges with a candle and a cupcake. “Happy birthday darling,” he smiles at you. “Thank you,” you take it from him, but instead of blowing out the candle you set it on the table. “Darling what’s the matter? Don’t you like cupcakes?” he asks. You gulp and say, “Peter I know. I know you’re going to propose.” He just laughs, “Of course you do.” “I’m sorry, really,” you add. He pulls the box out of his pocket and motions for you to sit down. “I guess it won’t be much of a surprise then,” he says kneeling down in front of you. “(Y/n) I love you, with all of my heart. And I want you, forever, for the rest of our lives. I promise I’ll never leave you, I promise I will love and cherish you forever. You’re everything. So (y/n) will you marry me?” he asks. Tears come to your eyes as you hold out your hand giddy. “Of course I’ll marry you,” you laugh and cry. He slips the ring on your finger, and you stand up, wrapping yourself around him. He kisses your head and looks at you. “It’s you and me, the rest of our lives,” he smiles. “Forever and ever,” you agree.

Your eyes blink open and you feel the tears automatically come. “God why?” you breath into the night. You reluctantly sit up from your mat and look around for Newt. He’s fast asleep in the bed on your right. You feel bad waking him, but you knew that he would get mad if you didn’t. You sit on the edge of his bed and brush his red curls away from his face. “Newt?” you whisper. His eyes slowly blink open, bringing him back from whatever dream he was in. “(Y/n)? Are you alright?” he asks you, sitting up. You shake your head no, knowing if you tried to speak you’d end up sobbing. He understands, and silently opens up his arms. You fall into his chest, the silent sobs wracking your chest. He strokes your head with his hand, and whispers, “Shhh, it’s okay. Everything will be okay I promise.” You nod into his chest. After a few minutes he looks in your eyes and says, “Do you wanna talk about it?” “It was the proposal,” you sob, “He promised not to leave but he did.” “(Y/n) look at me,” he wipes the tears from underneath your eyes. “I may not have known you for long, but I’m not going anywhere that you’re not coming with me,” he states with sincerity. “Okay?” he reassures you. “Okay,” you nod, sniffling. He smiles and says, “See? All better now.” He kisses your forehead and rests his against yours. After a few minutes he breathes, “What would help you to sleep easier?” Your cheeks turn pink as you say, “Sleeping here.” Referring to the bed. “Alright,” he nods, gulping nervously. He adjusts the covers so that you can climb under them. You climb under them and turn so you’re facing Newt. “Thank you,” you whisper. He responds by lightly kissing you. The two of you fall asleep staring into each other’s eyes, without a word.

You wake up to light peeking through your eyelids. You squint open your eyes to find your position changed. You were now facing away from Newt and his arms were wrapped protectively around you, your legs scrunched up into your chest. His chin rested on your shoulder, he was still fast asleep. Before you can even think about moving, Queenie walks in and smirks at the two of you. “My my, what have we here?” she jokes. Newt’s eyes blink open and he quickly sits up, pulling you with him. “Queenie, um, what it is, is”- she cuts him off. “Oh it’s alright darling, I already know,” she smirks. Newt still blushes. “Breakfast time you two,” she says as she walks back to the kitchen. When she’s gone Newt says, “Alright love?” You nod, “I slept soundly.” “I’m glad,” he says getting up, but pausing to plant a kiss on your cheek.

After breakfast the five of you decide to take the search to central park, to find the erumpent. “Are you sure the goblin wasn’t tricking you?” you ask Tina. Before she can respond Newt says, “It makes sense, the environment in central park, it’s perfect for him.” “Okay,” you nod. You all grab hands and dissapparate.

You reappear near the pond in central park. You all stare around, searching for any sign of him. “There!” you point up by the bridge and see the erumpent prancing around. “Come on, we need to use someone as bait,” Newt says as he pushes Jacob foreword. Jacob’s eyes widen in fear. “It’ll be fine,” you tell him. Soon enough you find yourself standing on the bridge, watching with Queenie and Tina. Jacob stands in the middle of the frozen pond, with armor on. “Oy! Over here!” he calls. The erumpent charges towards him, but Newt jumps out right in front of him. He sways his legs back and forth. “What is he doing?” Tina asks incredulously. You chuckle, realizing what he is doing. “He’s doing a mating dance, attracting the erumpent so he can capture him,” you snort, laughing. Newt continues to back towards Jacob, all the while completing the dance. He completes it with shaking his butt at the erumpent. The creature charges and Newt turns around, waving his wand, snapping his fingers, and sucking the creature up into his suitcase.

Newt and Jacob approach the three of you on the bridge and you look down at your feet, breaking into a fit of laughter. “(Y/n)? What is it?” Newt puts a hand on your arm, concerned. You look up at him and snort with laughter. “I’m sorry,” you wheeze between giggles, “It’s just that mating dance. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” Newt immediately goes bright red, which makes you feel bad for laughing. “I’m sorry for laughing, I just couldn’t help it,” you quickly say, wrapping your arms around him. “It’s alright,  I suppose,” he says into your hair, hugging you back. “Thank you,” you say planting a kiss on his cheek.

When you arrive back into the apartment, Queenie starts to make dinner, and you and Newt enter the case, checking on the erumpent. You find him back in his habitat, safe and sound. “Right where he should be,” Newt lets out a breath. “Yes he is,” you reply, taking his hand. “What now?” you ask him. He smirks, pulling you into him and planting a kiss right on your lips. You’re taken by surprise, but after a pause you wrap your arms around his neck and his hands find their way to your waist. You slide your tongue across Newt’s teeth and you can tell it takes him by surprise. After a brief hesitation, his tongue entwines with yours, tasting as sweet as ever. He pauses, pulling away. “(Y/n), I’ve just realized, we haven’t been on a proper date,” he tells you. “I suppose we haven’t,” you smile. “But I think all these walks around the case might count,” you add. “I suppose they do,” he smiles back. “Shall we see if dinner’s ready?” you ask him. He nods. You take his hand and the two of you climb up the ladder and exit the case.

There’s an air of contentment at dinner. After all, there was just one more creature to find. Though you suspected Newt would want to stick around just like you did to take care of Mary Lou Barebone. When you finish taking care of the animals, Newt doesn’t even hesitate when he pulls up the covers for you to crawl in next to him. He automatically wraps his arms protectively around you, and you pull his hand up to your lips, planting a sweet kiss on it. “Goodnight Newt,” you yawn. “Goodnight (y/n),” he whispers in your ear.

The next morning you roll over to feel around for Newt, but he’s not there. “Newt?” you call out for him. He steps in the doorway and smiles at your sleepy form. “Breakfast is ready,” he beams. “Mmmkay,” you say sleepily, flipping the covers off of you. You change into one of your day dresses, it was green cotton. Taking your gray cardigan off of the chair, you walk into the kitchen. Sitting down you say, “So where is the occamy hiding?” “Macy’s, been lots of sightings,” Tina replies. “Well we should get to it,” you say back. “After a solid breakfast,” Queenie chimes in.

After breakfast you dissapparate into macy’s. It’s dim and dank, nearly the entire store being abandoned after the obscurial attacks. Newt sees fallen feathers. “Come on,” he motions, following the trail. It leads you upstairs and you find the occamy nesting in a storage room. “He’s gigantic, how do we get him in the case,” you ask incredulously. “He shrinks down to the size of his pray,” Newt responds, “Now I just need to find a bug.” You all begin to search the ground. Just then, the occamy begins to awake. “Uh oh, Mr. Scamander,” Jacob starts. Newt motions for him to be quiet. Newt approaches the creature and whispers, “Keep looking.” You pull his arm back and say softly, “Newt be careful.” He nods. He attempts to soothe the creature while the other four of you search for any sort of insect. “Found one,” you quietly chime picking up a cockroach. You walk slowly over to Newt, but it’s too late, the Occamy already saw it. “Newt catch!” you shout throwing the bug at him. He holds a teapot in one hand, but catches it with the other, stuffing it in the teapot. At the same moment the Occamy jumps into the air and hurls its humongous body at the teapot. Mid-air the creature zaps and is shrunk as he dives into the teapot after his prey. Newt takes his suitcase and throws the teapot in there, shutting it closed. “Thank god,” Tina whispers into the air. You nod fervently. Tina suddenly grabs Newt by the arm and says, “I’m sorry Mr. Scamander, but the president must know.” Before you know it, she’s dissapparated with Newt and his suitcase back to MACUSA. “Newt, NO!” you shout. Queenie attempts to console you, “It’ll be okay, he’ll be back.” “No. I’m getting him back, now!” you reply, dissapparating.

You reappear in your office, luckily no one is there. You cautiously open the door and wander down the hallway. “Newt?” you whisper, searching frantically for him. “Newt!” you call again. You round the corner and that’s when you see him, in handcuffs, as well as Tina, being pulled away by Percival Graves. “Shit,” you mutter under your breath. Queenie and Jacob appear beside you and Queenie says, “I know where he’s taking them.” “Come on then,” you reply. Queenie nods and cautiously leads you down the hallway.

“I’m sorry Newt,” Tina sobs as they’re pushed into the pristine white room. Newt sighs, “Tina, did you know this would happen? (Y/n) needs me. If I die now, I would surely doom her to never trusting another soul again. We need to get out of this.” Tina replies, “I don’t think we can,” as Percival pushes her down in a white chair. “Sweet dreams,” he says sinisterly and he slams the door shut. One of his aides comes forward and extracts memories from both Tina and Newt, throwing them into the pool of black liquid beneath. Then she too exits. “Newt what’s…” Tina trails off as her own memory entrances her. Newt looks down to his and smiles to see the image reflected back at him. It was (y/n), kissing him the night before. How he ached for the pain he would cause her, when he was gone. He wanted to escape, but the sight of her, her smooth (h/c) hair, glowing skin, sparkling (e/c) eyes, he was bewitched by her figure.

Outside of the door you stood with Queenie. There was an eery air that washed over you, emanating from that room. “Queenie what is this place?” you ask her. “A death chamber,” she breathes back. You gasp, “We have to save them!”

Newt’s pov

The chair sunk lower and lower, but he had no idea. He was enthralled by the vision of her, standing with him. The way she caressed his cheek. The way they danced across the floor, all of it was heaven. The black liquid began to bubble up across the bottom of the chair and soon he would be dead. Suddenly, as if by a miracle, the door swings open, ricocheting off of the wall. The noise made him look up and he saw her standing before him in real life. His senses came back to him and he realized if he didn’t get out now, he would never see this beautiful girl again.

Regular pov

You kicked open the door and there he was, cinnamon curls and all, sinking to his certain death. “Newt!” you shrieked. Before your mind could comprehend what your body was doing, you apparrated right into his lap. Pulling him into your chest, you dissapparated immediately back to the doorway just as the black ooze bubbled up over the chair. Tina, who had come to her senses, was now standing on the top of her chair, crying out for help. You leave Newt in the doorway and dissapparate, grabbing her, and apparating back to where the rest stood. “Okay?” you ask her. She nods. “Thank you,” she mumbles. Once she said this you turn to Newt and throw yourself into his arms. He barely has time to catch you. Before you know what’s happening you find yourself sobbing heavily into his chest. “I thought that I was going to lose you,” you hiccup. “Shhh, shh, you’ll never lose me,” he wraps his arms tightly around you. You continue to sob silently into his chest and he kisses the top of your head. There’s a scuttle down the hallway and Queenie says, “We better get out of here.” You nod and the five of you travel back to the apartment.

Back at the apartment, Newt holds you close to him, never letting go. “How about we go somewhere more private? I need to make sure you’re okay,” Newt says to you. You nod and he takes your hand, leading you down into the case. Newt sits on a stool and you follow suit. He begins, “(Y/n) I’m so sorry. The memory, the sight of you, it put me in a trance, as I’m sure was the point, and I should’ve been stronger. If I left you, I can’t even imagine what effect that would have had on you.” “I’m just glad I was able to get to you in time,” you sniffle. “Yes. Me too. Thank you, for saving me,” Newt chuckles. You half laugh, half cry in response. “(Y/n), I, well, we haven’t been together for long, but I feel like you’ve been what’s missing,” he admits. You look up at him and smile for the first time in hours. “Me too,” you reply. He presses his forehead to yours and says, “Don’t ever change.” You smirk back under his gaze. “Only for you,” you whisper. You both get off of your stools and wander back upstairs for dinner.

After dinner you all converse around the kitchen table, planning on how to help Credence. “It’s his adoptive mother. She’s ruining him, tormenting him. We have to get him free,” Tina pleads. “We will,” you reassure her. “How?” she asks. “We need to get him away from her. That’s what is causing his transformations,” Newt replies. “I don’t know how we would. She’s got him locked up under her thumb. That’s how I got demoted in the first place, trying to help him,” Tina admits. “We’ll save him,” Newt reassures her. “I think we should plan this one out a little more. Obscurials can be dangerous and we don’t want him to get hurt,” you add. Everyone nods. “So tomorrow we go after him?” Newt asks. “Yes. Agreed,” Tina responds.

The next day was senator Shaw’s campaign. But there was an incident. An obscurial swept through the building, killing Henry Shaw Senior. Newt and his creatures, they had a reputation at this point. And that’s how Madame President knew to come after you. “This obscurial, is causing too much damage to the city. It must be destroyed,” she yells at you. “He’s just a boy,” Tina argues. “Silence Goldstein,” the president shrugs her off. “Madame President please,” you beg her. She sighs, “You have one hour to try to take care of him in your own way. After that, I send in Graves.” You nod and she dissapparates.

“Hurry,” you shout over your shoulder, descending into the subway station. “He must be down here,” you say aloud. When you all emerge into the tunnel, you see him standing there, Credence. “Credence,” you hold out your hands to show you mean no harm. “Stay back,” he cries. “We don’t want to hurt you, we want to help you,” Newt says walking up beside you. “Please Credence, let us help,” Tina adds. He cautiously approaches. You can see the end of this destruction in sight, but that’s when Graves appears. “Credence no!” the auror shouts, standing between you and Credence. “Credence it’s okay, you can do this,” you cry. Graves turns to you with a satanic smirk on his face. “Ah (y/n), I figured you’d be here. And it’s a good thing you are. See I got awful tired of Mr. Scamander here always winning. Everyone said he had no weaknesses. But I think I found one,” he narrows his eyes towards you. “What do you want with her? She did nothing to you,” Newt steps forward and places a protective hand in front of you. “On the contrary. She rescued you. And you, Mr. Scamander, you’re ruining my plans. See I have big plans for the wizarding world,” he moves closer. “But you’re already an auror, what more could you want?” Tina steps forward, questioning him. “Ah you see that’s where you are wrong Ms. Goldstein,” he laughs. Newt’s eyes pop and he realizes who Graves actually is. “Revelio,” Newt says as soft as a whisper. Graves stands there and lets the spell wash over him. When his disguise is gone, he’s revealed in all of his horrible glory; Gellert Grindevald. “No,” Tina whispers in horror. “Yes it’s true. And I think I got here just in time. Wouldn’t want the president ruining my plans. See Newt, you are gonna give up these creatures to me and you’re gonna give up your fight,” he dissapparates. He reappears directly behind you and whispers, “Or (y/n) dies.” Grindevald yanks your arm, pulls you into him, and the two of you dissapparate. “NO!” Newt reaches for you, but it’s too late. You were already gone.

You reappear in a dark, dank room. “Where are we?” you ask aloud. It’s pitch black, so you’re not sure where his voice comes from when he says, “Somewhere no one will find you.” “What do you want from me?” you attempt to say in your bravest voice. “It’s not what I want from you. It’s what I need from Newt,” he chuckles. “What?” you ask. “Newt has interfered with my recruiting for far too long now. And besides that, I’ve seen the damage his creatures can do. I need that for my dark forces,” he tells you. Fear slips down your body like a cold gush of water. “He’ll stop you, you know. He’ll never give up his creatures for me. They mean too much to him,” you say, trying to convince yourself it’s the truth. “You’re wrong (y/n). Newt would do anything for love,” he laughs at you. The L- word makes you shake with worry. Did Newt really love you? You’d known each other for all of a week. But that didn’t matter to you, you felt like you’d known him a whole lifetime. “You can keep me here. He won’t come. He knows better than that,” you state. “Oh does he?” Grindevald makes you doubt yourself. “Just to be sure, however, I may need to make you look worse for the wear,” he sneers. You hear footsteps and back further into your corner. The steps grow closer and the fear inside you heightens. Suddenly an arm is yanking you towards him. You can hear the cling of metal and before you process what is happening, he cuts into your flesh, causing blood to spurt out of your arm. “That ought to cause enough damage,” his hot breath speaks in your ear. You realize he must have hit a vein, because the blood feels like it is gushing out of you. Soon enough, you grow dizzy, and slump to the ground, against a wall. “What did you do?” your voice comes out fuzzy. “Oh that, I may have struck a vein or two. Don’t worry, you won’t die. Not yet. I need you looking at death’s door to get that boyfriend of yours to come rescue you,” he replies. “He’s not… we’re not…” you don’t even finish your sentence before you black out.

Meanwhile back at the subway station..

“We have to get her back! Where would he have taken her?” Newt paces angrily. Queenie attempts to calm him, but he shoves her off. “Newt, don’t you realize why he did this? He wants to make you trade your creatures for (y/n),” Tina tells him. “Then that’s what I’ll do,” Newt says without a second thought. “What? After we went through all that trouble to get them back? Are you crazy?” Tina asks him as if he is joking. He turns to her, “No. I’m thinking about (y/n), which makes one of us. None of you three seem to even care that he’s probably taunting and torturing her right now. I don’t care. She’s more important.” Suddenly Queenie gasps. “What?” Newt turns to her. “You love her,” Queenie states with awe, even the thought surprised her. Newt ponders the thought for a split second before saying, “If you read my mind then yes, you know it’s true. I love her. And I’m not about to let her die.”

Your eyes flicker open, the florescent light burning through them. You try to sit up, but gasp when you feel a stabbing pain in your arm. You found your arm wrapped up with a bandage, but it was already red with fresh blood. Grindevald walks into view. “Glad to see you awake. I have a job for you. It’s been nearly three hours. We need to send Mr. Scamander a message. So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to send him a message with my patronus. And you’re going to tell him the deal, give me his animals, or I’ll kill you. On your feet,” he yanks you up by your hair. You screech in pain. He throws you against the wall and hisses, “Do it!” He waves his wand and you begin. “Newt,” you cry. “Newt I’m being held captive by Grindevald. He says you have to bring him your case and hand it over or, or,” you pause, refusing to give that ultimatum to your sweet heart. “Crucio!” he shouts, pushing you over the edge. “Agggh!” you writhe in pain. “Newt bring him your case or he’ll kill me,” you grit between the pain. Grindevald strolls into view and says, “Mr. Scamander. You have one hour.”

Back at the subway station

They stand in a circle plotting on how to rescue you. That’s when Madame President walks in. “Mr. Scamander, I trust you took care of Credence?” Newt looks up, “Actually no. We have a much, much, bigger problem at hand.” Seraphina rolls her eyes and says, “Oh really and what could that be? Another excuse?” “No! Graves isn’t who he says he is. He’s Gellert Gridevald. And he kidnapped (y/n), he’s torturing her!” Tina shouts. Seraphina’s eyes nearly jump out of her head. “Oh dear,” her voice trails off. Suddenly the white wisp of a patronus comes floating down to right above their heads. It flashes into a video, a video of you. Your image comes into view and your voice comes across in the end. “Bring your case or he’ll kill me,” the reflection of you states. “You have one hour,” comes Grindevald’s voice. The patronus fades out and Newt nearly snaps his wand in half out of anger. “We have to get her back, now! If you won’t help me, I’ll do it myself,” he yells dissapparating. He thought of you, and as a result, he appears to where you are.

You sit chained against some unknown brick wall. The bandage on your arm reeked of infection. In the perhaps hour or two since you sent the message, he had been non stop torturing you, repeatedly using the crucio curse. Your body was slumped over, defeated, as you fade in and out of consciousness. Tears escape your eyes, dripping onto the concrete. He blasts you with another curse and you thrash in agony. Your body falls to the ground from your seated position, your head smacking the concrete. You can feel your skull open and fresh blood pour out. “This is it. I never even got to tell him I love him,” you sob. Suddenly, as if you had wished it, his form appears in front of you.

Newt’s pov

As he dissapparated, he kept his thoughts on her. Guilt ate away at his insides, he should of protected her more. This was all his fault. And now, because of it, she might die. His body twisted and turned through the air, apparrating, while he tried to think of her when she was happy, when they first shared a moment, that night at the speak easy, when they danced. He loved that memory, but he hated the fact that it later caused her pain that night. His body came screeching to a halt. He opened his eyes and there she was. The sight broke his heart, tore it to smithereens. She laid on the hard, cold, concrete floor. Her (h/c) hair was splayed out around her, but a pool of blood was leaking out around her beneath it. Her legs were twisted up against her, as if she was trying to block out some of the pain. A small drip of blood leaked out of her lip. The sight made him want to cry, cursing himself yet again for letting this happen to her. As soon as he arrived he could smell the stench from her arm and knew it must be infected, shortening the time she had left right now. Her tiny, frail voice called out to him, “Newt?”

Regular pov

He appeared like a miracle and you felt a tiny bit of hope spring up inside you. Your small voice croaked out, “Newt?” Needing to be sure, you were worried you were hallucinating. He immediately came to your side, pulling you into his lap. “You came for me,” you smiled, reaching up and caressing his chin with the back of your hand. Tears fell from his eyes onto your cheeks. “Of course I did,” he whimpered. “(Y/n), I’m so so sorry, this is all my fault,” he continued. “Hey,” you press your finger to his lips, “Don’t say that. I’ll be,“ you pause in pain, “I’ll be okay. And if I’m not, I’ll just be glad that we got the time we did together.” “Don’t say that. You’ll be okay,” he says, now openly weeping. “No, she won’t,” Grindevald comes strolling into view. You pull Newt’s face down near yours and say, “You can’t let him have the case. Whatever will happen to me will happen, but your creatures, you can’t let him use them for evil.” Newt looks at you sadly. “But I can’t live without you,” he admits. You cry at the unspoken love this man has for you. “And I you, but we have to think about the greater good,” you sob. Suddenly, rushing to your aide, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob come bursting into the room. Queenie visibly winces when she sees the pain you’re in. Feeling your pain and how severe it is she shouts, “Newt, you need to get her help now, or she will surely die.” Newt nods fervently. He pulls you into him, preparing to dissapparate, but you push against his chest, “No. We need to stay and help.” “(Y/n), you are so good, so pure, but if we stay, you will die. I cannot live with myself if you’re dead,” he whimpers. You burrow into his chest and prepare to dissapparate in your condition. The feeling never comes. Instead you feel yourself being ripped away from your love. “No!” you cry in pain. Grindevald took you, stood you up, and held a knife to your throat. “Ganging up on me? Now that’s just plain not fair. Shame,” he jokes with your life in his hands. The knife drags across your throat, grazing your skin, producing dribbles of blood. “Don’t hurt her,” Newt stands up, grabbing his case. “You can take them. You can take everything I have but for the love of god, don’t hurt her,” he continues. “Hand over the case Mr. Scamander,” Grindevald motions for it. Newt slides it over. As soon as he does Grindevald throws you across the room and you fall into Newt’s arms, barely able to stand on your own. “I think I can say with confidence, that it is too late for her,” he chuckles. Newt stares at him with loathing in his eyes. “I will find you,” Newt growls at him. “And I will destroy you.” Suddenly, as if from the heavens, the president appears. “I think we can arrange that Newt,” she states. She casts a simple stunning charm, but it hits Grindevald as he is taken by surprise. They handcuff him and yank the case out of his hands. “Tina take it,” Newt says, gesturing to the case. “I need to get her help,” Newt says. At this point you had passed out in his arms, and your blood was covering his chest. Tina catches the case and Newt brushes your hair out of your face, whispering to your unconscious form, “You’ll be okay. Please be okay.” He pulls you into him and dissapparates you into the hospital.

You fade in and out of consciousness, but can make out that you’re on a gurney, being rushed into the emergency department at the wizarding hospital. Your eyes blink open and you look up to see Newt running beside you. You grab his hand and he looks down at you in surprise. Intertwining your fingers, you tell him, “I love you.” You don’t have a chance to hear his response, as you begin to fade back out of consciousness. The last thing you hear before the world goes black is, “She’s lost too much blood, it’ll be a miracle if we can save her.”

3 days later

You wake up to find yourself in a hospital bed. Trying to shoot up, you immediately cry out in pain, and lay back down. When you look to your right, you can see multiple bags of blood tied up to your IV, being transferred into your body. Your eyes glance to the left and you see Newt asleep in a chair next to your bed. His hand rests on the edge of the bed, as if it was just holding yours. You grab his hand and squeeze it. His eyes slowly open, unsure if he dreamed your reaction. When he sees that you are indeed awake he whispers, “(Y/n)?” You nod, smiling, a tear coming to your eye. Newt immediately sobs, “They said you might never wake up. But you did, you did and you’re here.” He plants kisses all over your hands. Newt looks into your eyes and you open your mouth to speak, but find your throat on fire. You point to a glass of water and Newt brings it to you. After downing the whole thing you take a breath and say, “I’m okay.” He laughs at your simple statement and says, “You are. You’re gonna be just fine.” “Thanks to you,” you add. Newt argues, “Because of me, you almost died.” You shake your head no. “Because of you, I am alive, but not just alive, I am thriving,” you state, staring into his forest green eyes. He gulps, struggling to accept your response. His eyes light up as he remembers the last thing you said to him. “(Y/n),” he gasps, “(Y/n) I love you too.” You smirk. “I thought as much,” you joke. Newt laughs at how you’re already back to joking with him. “When do I get to go home?” you ask. Newt chuckles, “Not so fast. You’re gonna be in here, for a few weeks. But that’s okay, I’m gonna stay here with you. I’ll update you on everything that happened since your surgery.” “Surgery?” you ask. Newt nods, “Your skull was so broken up, they had to reform it.” “Oh,” you breath, feeling the back of your head with your hand. All the hair was shaven off the back, just for the surgery. “I’m bald,” you half laugh, half cry. “I can fix that,” Newt laughs. With a wave of his wand, your familiar (h/c) locks return. “They said it’ll take three weeks of recovery,” he tells you. “Okay. That’s easy compared to what I just went through,” you reply. “I’m sure it is,” Newt says. “Can I get you anything?” he asks you. “Just you,” you say sincerely, opening the covers for him to crawl in next to you. He gets up, and that’s when you see it, the bandage on his arm. “Newt what happened?” you gasp. He looks at you and realizes you don’t know. “How do you think you got the blood you needed?” Newt states. The answer hits you and you immediately cry, yet again. “You gave that much blood for me?” you cry softly. “Of course I did. For you, I would do anything,” Newt states as if it is the simplest fact in the world. You lean over just enough to kiss him on the lips, placing each hand on his cheeks. He kisses you back, now sitting on your hospital bed, propping himself up on his elbows. “I love you Newt Scamander,” you cry. “I love you too (y/n) (l/n),” he presses his forehead to yours and kisses you yet again. The kiss has both of your tears intermingled in it and it tastes salty sweet. “Now, let’s get some sleep,” he says, removing his lips from yours. You nod and lay down. He lays down beside you and wraps both arms protectively around you. You place your hands on top of his and your legs intertwine in a pile of blankets. For the first time in nearly a week, the two of you fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

You wake up and turn over to look at Newt. He’s sleeping soundly and you peck his face all over with kisses, waking him up. “(Y/n) stop,” he laughs as you attack him with more kisses. “I’m sorry, I just can’t believe we can finally be together, in peace,” you say between kisses. “Me too, darling, me too. But they said recovery won’t be easy,” he tells you. “Doesn’t matter. I can do anything with you,” you state simply. “I hope so,” he smiles. A nurse walks in and says, “Alright (y/n) now’s the time where we’re gonna test various skills of yours. Because the injury to your head effected your brain, we want to make sure it’s functioning properly. It’s going to be like any other test you would normally take in school. If you’ll just come with me.” You get up and Newt follows. “I’m sorry Mr. Scamander, you cannot come with,” the nurse holds her arm up. He frowns and says, “Alright I’ll see you later then lovely. You can do this,” he says, planting a sweet kiss to your forehead.

The recovery was the hardest. They gave you tests of all sorts, from math, to science, to history, nearly everything. “I can’t do this anymore,” you throw your pencil down. “Alright. You may go,” the nurse pulls the test from your desk. Your head is pounding, you definitely exceeded your capacity for concentrating. You walk down the hallway and anxiously rush into your hospital room. “Newt sits with his work spread all over the table. You pause outside the door, smiling at his concentration. You lightly knock, “Hey.” He nearly jumps up and says, “(Y/n) darling are you feeling any better?” You sigh and walk over sitting on the arm of his chair. “It was terrible, it’s so hard to concentrate,” you sigh. He puts his arm around you and brushes the back of your head. “I know, I had a feeling it would be. You don’t need to concentrate though. I had an idea,” he looks at you excitedly. “What is it?” you ask. “Well…. I was thinking since I still need to finish my book, that maybe you could do the illustrations? I remember you saying you like to draw and that way you can contribute,” he says hurriedly. Your face lights up at his suggestion. “Newt that is a fantastic idea! You’re the best,” you say as you plant a sloppy kiss on his lips. He chuckles, “I’m glad you like it.” He continues to kiss you, making you weak. “As much as I’d love to keep kissing you, I think I need to get some sleep,” you tell him. He nods and pulls you into the hospital bed with him. Your head rests on his chest with his arm underneath you. You curl into his side and hold his other hand. “Sweet dreams princess,” he mutters in your ear. You snuggle into him more and fall asleep.

The three weeks of recovery are rough, as you adjust to your new, lower brain capacity. But Newt was right, with your concentration levels dwindling, your drawing flourished, actually becoming something to be proud of. Over the time you where in the hospital, you had already begun illustrations for the book. On the last day, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob came to visit you. “(Y/n)!” Queenie shouts rushing over to give you a hug. You laugh and hug her back, dropping the suitcase in your hands. “Thanks for coming you guys,” you tell them. “It’s our pleasure, we’re just glad you’re alright,” Tina says genuinely. “And I have some good news. Madame President has offered you the position of auror, should you choose to accept it we would work together,” she adds. You smile sadly. “Tina that’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you, but I can’t be a part from Newt, not now that I’m alive and well. I’m going to travel with him, and do the illustrations for the book. But I’m really proud of you,” you tell her. She smiles, “Thank you. I think that’s wonderful, I’m so glad you two found each other.” You blush and Newt’s hand finds yours. “So what will you do? Since you get to leave?” Jacob asks. You shrug, “I guess we’ll go back to my apartment for a little while, but I don’t care where we are, as long as I’m with him.” “Well, keep in touch, okay?” Queenie says. “Will do,” you smile and hug her. When you’re done saying goodbye to everyone, you grab Newt’s hand and bring him back to your apartment.

You arrive in your living room. You hadn’t been back here in over a month, but it was just the same way you left it. “So this is my place,” you say sheepishly. Newt grins. It reflected who you were so much. There were plants covering almost the entire space and the walls were white, with a bright yellow couch in the center of the room. “I love it,” he beams. “Really?” you ask. “Really,” he turns to you, taking your hands in his and staring into your eyes. “So what now?” you ask. “Now, now we get to be together,” he replies simply. You turn to him and drop the suitcase in your hands, grabbing the collar of his jacket and smashing your lips to his. His eyes open wide in surprise, but they quickly close. He brings his hands up to your cheeks and caresses them with his gentle touch. Still grabbing his collar, you let your tongue dance across the inside of his mouth. His hands wind themselves into your hair and he tugs at it, causing you to open your mouth more, allowing him to slip his tongue in. His hands find your lower back and he pulls you closer to him. This time it’s your turn for your fingers to get tangled in his cinnamon red hair. His hands pressed against your back, send shock waves through your body. You were very aware that this time, for the first time, the kiss wasn’t sweet, it was passionate and full of heat. Newt pulls away for the first time and breathes in your ear, “I’m so happy I found you (y/n).” After that he finds the sweet spot behind your ear and kisses the skin there. Your hands tighten in his hair, letting him know that what he’s doing feels good. You can feel his lips form into a smile as he licks down your neck. “N-n-newt,” you stutter under his touch, getting awfully squirmy. He removes his tongue from your skin and smiles, planting a sweet kiss on your nose. “Come now, we should get some rest,” he pulls you towards what he assumes is the bedroom. “Alright, but if we go in there, I don’t think it’s rest we’ll be getting,” you walk in front of him, swaying your hips in just the right way. He runs in after you like a giddy school boy and says, “Oh really?” You turn and press him against the door, “Really,” you whisper right against his face. He smiles and scoops you up, laying you down on the bed. He shakes off his coat and comes over to you. “Are you sure, (y/n),” he asks. You smile, “I’m sure. I love you Newt.” That’s all the answer he needs. He surprisingly presses your arms above your head and kisses you all over your body, sending you reeling. “God, Newt!” you shriek, tugging on his hair, pulling him into you more. The rest is a blur of sweaty, hot, bodies, melting into one as Newt shows you just how much he loves you.

The next morning you wake up in a tangled pile of skin. The sun shines brightly through your window. “Morning Newt,” you plant a kiss to his bare chest. “Morning lovely,” he smiles at you, running his fingers through your hair. “Shall I make us some breakfast?” you ask him, starting to get up. “Not yet, don’t leave,” his arm snakes around your waist and he pulls you back into him. “Newt!” you laugh out loud at his actions. “I just can’t get enough of you,” he says kissing your shoulders. You turn to face him and say, “I cannot believe how lucky I am.” “I’m the one who’s lucky,” he returns. You blush. You nuzzle your face into his bare chest and he holds you against him for a while. “What next,” you say after the silence. “I don’t know. I want to take Frank to Arizona. That’s the reason I came here in the first place,” he replies. “Well I think we can make that happen,” you tell him.

Hours later, you’re dressed and ready to go. “Shall we?” you offer your arm to Newt. He takes it, and you dissapparate.

Appearing in the center of a desert, you stare around in awe. “Where are we?” “The grand canyon,” Newt breaths it in. You grip his hand tightly. “Will he like it here?” you whisper. “I know he will,” Newt assures you. He briefly lets go of your hand so he can bend down and open the case. Reaching down, he motions for Frank to emerge. He does, slowly, but surely. The majestic bird looks around. Smiling beneath his beak, he prances around the rocky terrain. He pauses, and comes back to you. “Hi Frank,” you smile and pet his beak. The bird coos into your shoulder. A tear manages to slip from your eyes. “Good luck buddy,” you tell him. Frank pecks you on the cheek and walks over to Newt. Newt’s a mess at this point, having to say goodbye to one of his favorite creatures. “You be good now Frank,” he murmurs, hugging the creature with all his might. Frank soars off over the two of you, and creates a light rain in tribute to your parting. “He’ll be so happy. I know it Newt,” you come over to your love and put your arms around him. “I know, I know,” Newt mumbles, placing his head into your neck. You pull his cheeks into your hands, “I love you Newt Scamander.” “I love you too (y/n),” he presses a kiss on your nose. You stand, watching Frank fly off. After a while, you say, “What shall we do next my love?” “Anything you want,” he replies. You smile, leaning into him, and you dissapparate.

The End.

[davidcarner]

Chuck vs Truffaut Industries Ch 9, Get What you Need

A/N: *peaks from around the protective barrier I've built* Oh, hey, you're back. No one really stormed the castle, so it appears we're all good. Chuck and Sarah have moved past what happened (it's me, you knew they would), we learned Stephen may not be at fault, and Mary sucks at time-management. (What if she'd left something on the stove when she left? Goodness gracious.) So Truffaut is up and running, but it seems to have very few employees. It's okay, I have ideas. Chuck is about one thing, family, and families are messy.

Today's music was released way back in 1969, but don't worry, you don't need an 8 track and you know the song. (You guys do know what an 8 track is…right…never mind.) This song by the Rolling Stones, You Can't Always Get What You Want sums up this entire story. Ch 9, Get What You Need…You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you find you get what you need…

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, I don't really like cherry red soda, but I love the Stones.

"They seriously started a band?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, Jeffster, and Chuck, they are God awful," Morgan said. "Neither one can sing, and that keytaur….I mean I love the 80s but give me a break."

"How's Anna?" Chuck asked, thankful he was out of that place.

"Scary…hot….scary hot…but scary," Morgan said, thinking.

"Still wearing the nerd herd uniform the way she wants?"

"Oh, yeah," Morgan said, grinning and lost in thought. Chuck shook his head, and watched the video again. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he figured he ought to appear to give it a shot.

"Do you want me to take him back to the zoo?" Casey asked, coming into Chuck's office.

"Nice to see you too, John." Morgan said pleasantly. "Enjoying your new job as a secretary? You should be a bouncer or something, it more fits your skill set."

"You should be a garden gnome," the big man grumbled.

"Well, should I give you two some alone time, or do you just want to go out on a date?" Chuck said. Casey growled.

"I came in here to find out if anyone made any progress on the break-in," Casey replied.

"Well, I haven't and I don't know if Sarah has or not," Chuck said.

"Why don't you go ask her?" Casey asked. "We're missing something, no one is that good."

"I'm not asking her because she's talking to her mother," Chuck replied. "And, you're right, there is no sign of anything."

"Does she know you're out here with your boyfriend mixing your chocolate and peanut butter?" Casey asked.

"That does sound delicious," Morgan said. "What does that even mean though?" Chuck shrugged. "Casey, what type of sandwich would you want if you were stuck on a deserted island?" Casey turned and left. "He always does that." Morgan turned to Chuck. "I thought you were a partner in the company."

"I am, but those two started it, so I'm trying to stay out of their way," Chuck said. Morgan looked at him, and shook his head, disappointed.

"Charles Irving Bartowski," Morgan began. Chuck looked at Morgan in shock.

"Ellie?" he asked. Morgan waved his hand.

"Focus, Chuck," Morgan said, annoyed. "You are going to take in the profits of your position without doing any of the work." Chuck thought for a second.

"Okay, 1, I never thought of it like that, and now I feel bad, but 2, don't you do that at the Buy More?" Chuck asked.

"Chuck, it's the Buy More," Morgan replied as if that explained everything. Chuck nodded and got up to go talk to Sarah. "Go ahead, if you don't care, I'm going to watch this while you're gone." Chuck shrugged. "So what am I looking for?"

"Anything that will explain how they got in with no one realizing it until it was too late," Chuck said.

"Really?" Morgan asked. "Because it's pretty obvious." Chuck turned to him. Casey stuck his head around the corner.

"There is no way a bearded gnome can figure this out and I can't," Casey said.

"Bet me," Morgan countered.

"What's the stakes?" Casey asked.

"If I'm right, I get a job here, a place to live in Simi Valley, and a date," Morgan said.

"If you lose, you never come in here again," Casey said grinning.

"Deal," Morgan said.

"Deal," Casey said, reaching out his hand his eyes gleaming. They shook on it.

"Not to be a party pooper, but Casey, you don't have that authority," Chuck reminded him.

"Fine, let's go tell you girlfriend and throw out the gnome," Casey said, as happy as they've ever seen him.

"I really don't think he likes me," Morgan said.

"He didn't choke you this time," Chuck pointed out.

"There's that," Morgan said, brightening. They walked to the conference room, where Sarah waved them all in. Casey told Sarah the bet.

"Okay, if you can figure it out, I'll get you the job, but the housing-" she began, and then the screen popped on.

"Oh good, you're all here," Beckman said. Chuck didn't look happy. "Listen, Mr. Bartowski we can sort out our disagreements later, this is about the safety of your friend." Chuck nodded, Morgan looked concerned. "We are very concerned about Stephen contacting Mr. Grimes, and given what he did to Chuck and Sarah, we fear he might escalate things."

"General, do you mean physical harm, because my father wouldn't do that," Chuck said.

"Chuck," Beckman said as gently as she could. "After talking to your mother about what we think is going on, I need to ask you a question, and you to answer seriously, did you ever think your father would keep you away from your daughter?" The look on Chuck's face gave the answer. "I'm sorry, I know that sounds harsh, but he seems to be escalating. I want Mr. Grimes there with you, and I'm thinking about assigning Casey as his permanent security."

"General," Casey began. "Hold on just a minute, I'm already watching four people." Beckman nodded. "Is this guy really worth it?"

"I figure out what happened at the break in, and you haven't," Morgan retorted. Beckman leaned forward.

"Really," Beckman said. "I'd love to hear what you think, because we need this solved quickly to find the information taken." Morgan looked at Chuck.

"He and Casey kinda made a bet, General, but Casey promised things he couldn't deliver on," Chuck explained. Beckman frowned.

"Whatever the major said, I will honor," Beckman replied.

"The problem is, General, if Morgan is wrong he's not allowed to come back in the doors here," Chuck said.

"That's not happening, I need Mr. Grimes there, and not in Burbank," Beckman said. Casey groaned and Morgan rubbed his hands together.

"Great, I'm playing with house money," Morgan said. "The fight was staged." Beckman lifted an eyebrow. "The fight between the security guy and the robber, watch it again, it's staged. I know my Kung-Fu movies." Casey stared at Morgan. Sarah, grinning played back the video and Morgan pointed everything out.

"Well done, Mr. Grimes!" Beckman said. "We'll have the security guard picked up, and find out where his accomplices are. Now, what were your terms?"

"A place to live here in Simi Valley," he began.

"Done, the Major has a duplex, Morgan can move into the other side," Beckman said. Casey groaned.

"A job here," Morgan said.

"Doing what?" Sarah asked. "I'm not saying no, just what would you do?"

"We can't play video games like we do every night, Buddy," Chuck said.

"Wait," Sarah said. "You are who Chuck plays?" Morgan nodded. "General, Morgan is an amazing strategist."

"I have my moments," Morgan said proudly. "And I find the best sub-$10 cuisine in Burbank, I'm sure I can do the same here."

"Done," Beckman said. "Mrs. Walker, you and I can work out his compensation." Sarah nodded.

"I also want a date," Morgan said. Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "Not with any of you," he quickly added.

"Looks like you missed your chance, Bartowski," Casey muttered.

"You sound a little jealous," Chuck retorted. Sarah stood there, thinking.

"I have an idea," she said. Morgan smiled.

"I trust you," Morgan said. Sarah smiled at him. "Now, I'm going to go get my stuff to move in, if that's alright."

"Sarah, attach a tracking watch to him, and show him how to use it," Beckman said. "I don't like sending you alone, but I just don't have the resources right now." She scanned some paperwork and looked up, catching Sarah's eye. "There is a government agent in California though…let me work on something. Good job team!" And, with that, she cut off.

"Team?" Chuck asked. Sarah shrugged.

"She is one of our biggest customers as far as money is concerned," Sarah said. Chuck looked a little upset.

"And I nearly blew it yesterday," he said. Sarah shook her head.

"I don't care if you did," Sarah said.

"Chuck, you're family," Emma said. Chuck gave them a sad smile. They heard Molly on the baby monitor.

"I'll go, let you all do some real work," and with that Chuck was gone. Sarah knew this whole mess was still bothering him. It wasn't going to affect them anymore, but it was still bothering him.

}o{

Morgan had loaded the Nerd Herder, he had to figure out how to get it back to Burbank before he was reported for stealing it, and thought he would bring some sizzilin' shrimp to his new co-workers. He was walking to his car when he heard a commotion. He turned and a beautiful red-headed woman was running toward him, being chased by men. Morgan quickly opened the door, and started the car.

"Get in," he yelled, she seemed to take a second to weigh her choices, but she dove in the car and he took off. "Morgan Grimes," he said.

"Huh?" the woman answered.

"It's my name, Morgan Grimes," he replied.

"Oh, Carina," she said. "Thanks for the save."

"Where to?" Morgan asked. "And what did you do, stiff them the tip on some egg rolls?" Carina just stared at him.

"Sure, let's go with that," she said. "Unless you know anyone with access to the federal government agency, I'm not sure."

"I do, but it's in Simi Valley," he answered. Carina just stared at him.

"Blonde lady, blue eyes, tall?" Carina asked.

"Yeah, Sarah!" he exclaimed. "You know her?"

"Probably," Carina said.

"Oh, you may know her as Jenny," Morgan said. Carina looked at him. "That's who she was when Chuck met her."

"Chuck? Chuck Babinski?" she asked. "Wait, so you're Martin?"

"No, I'm Morgan, and he's Chuck Bartowski," Morgan explained.

"Same thing," she said, as she sat back. "Let's go there."

"It's a bit of a drive," he said, and gave her a quick glance. "So, what type of sandwich would you want if you were on a deserted island?"

}o{

"Hey, what's wrong?" Sarah asked, watching Chuck hold Molly in his office. He was sitting in one the chairs facing the back of his monitors like he was a client.

"I feel a little useless," he said.

"Chuck, why?"

"Listen, I get it, I did something good with Verbanski, but what else am I good for?" he asked. "Morgan figured out things I couldn't, he even pointed out I wasn't doing my part as an owner."

"Well, he's right," Sarah said. Chuck looked at her, and she gave him, a "well, you said it" look. "Listen, I can't do a thing you did with those computer programs. You've turned this business into a profit machine, and take away our government contracts because of my contacts, you are the only reason we make money. We each have a specialty, but there's something else you have that the rest of us don't. You care. Chuck, you're a part of this, it's up to you to decide how much you want to be a part." Chuck sat there nodding.

"Sorry," Chuck began, but stopped.

"What?"

"No, it's just an excuse," Chuck said. "Starting now, I'm going to be a part, but if I do too much tell me to back off."

"If you were going to say your life's been flipped upside down, you'd be right, and I don't think that's as much as of an excuse but an adjustment," Sarah said, winking. "Now come on, we've got work to do, and I need you, as a part owner to look at some things. They walked up front as Morgan entered and Carina was behind him.

"Hey, Sarah, this is Carina and she needs some help," Morgan said.

"Carina is it?" Sarah said smiling. She walked up to Carina, studied her, grinned, and hugged her.

"Miller," Carina said, returning the hug. "I'm glad you got out."

"Walker," Sarah told her. "I'm glad I got out." The two broke the hug and Carina saw Chuck holding Molly.

"Wow, she's gotten big," Carina said. "Nice boy toy," she whispered.

"Chuck, this is Carina, an old friend," Sarah said. Chuck raised an eyebrow, but said, nothing, knowing he'd get he'd get the full story later.

"Wait, baby daddy, Chuck?" Carina asked.

"I really don't like that term," Chuck said. Sarah shrugged.

"It's not an untrue statement," she said.

"You keep being the sassy one," Chuck said grinning.

"You two are sickening," Carina said. Sarah stuck her tongue out at Carina. Carina shook her head. "You are absolutely domesticated, and you love it." Sarah nodded.

"Oh, what fresh hell is this," Casey growled.

"Miss me, John?" Carina asked. Casey growled and walked away.

"They know each other?" Chuck asked, the whole group following Carina following Casey.

"Long story, I'll tell you later," she said.

"Casey, seriously I need to check in," Carina said. Casey turned, gave her a look, grunted, and took her into the conference room along with everyone else. Beckman came on the screen.

"Agent Miller, thank God you okay," Beckman said. "Last we heard the Triad was on your trail.

"Wait, those were Triad?" Morgan said.

"Yeah, Marty, why did you think I jumped in your car with you?" Carina asked.

"The beard," Morgan admitted.

"It is an impressive beard, my friend," Chuck admitted. "What did you think was going on?

"I thought she had stiffed someone a tip," Morgan admitted. Chuck just blinked and shook his head. Sarah had her head buried in Chuck's arm laughing.

"Agent Miller," Beckman said, really enjoying what she was about to do. "The DEA has two choices with you so badly compromised right now. They can put you in the office and have you do nothing but paperwork-"

"I'll take the other, whatever it is," Carina said, cutting in. Beckman smiled.

"Or, you can move in with Mr. Grimes for both of your protection," Beckman said. Chuck tried so hard not to laugh. Sarah was crying from laughing so hard, and Casey was even chuckling.

"Uh, General, that's a bad idea, the Triad are looking for me," Carina said.

"Not in Simi Valley, and certainly not in Morgan Grime's half of a duplex," Beckman said. "Plus with the Major living right beside you, he can keep an eye out if something should happen. These are your choices Agent Miller. DEA desk, or temporary assignment to the DEA where you could sometimes, possibly do assignments." Carina looked at Morgan.

"General," Casey said. "It might be even better if you made Carina Mr. Grime's cover girl friend." Carina glared daggers at Casey.

"This is for Prague, isn't it?" she said. Casey just shrugged.

"That's not a bad idea," Beckman said. "Sarah, can you find something for Carina to do at Truffaut, you won't actually have to pay her."

"She does have a certain, skill set," Casey said, laughing.

"Casey, that's a bit low," Chuck said. Sarah beamed at Chuck.

"Agent Miller, regardless of the crude was it has been put, Major Casey is right," Beckman said. Carina sighed.

"How much cover goes into the cover?" Carina asked.

"Not as much as you usually give," Beckman responded. Sarah's eyebrows about shot up off of her head. "But as usual, what you and Mr. Grimes decide to do, that's your business.

"Okay, I'll date Marty," Carina said.

"Good," Beckman replied. "Mr. Bartowski, Mrs. Walker, would you be so kind as to help them get into their role by going on a double date tonight. I do believe we owe Mr. Grimes a date."

}o{

As Chuck and Sarah got to the restaurant, Sarah got a text. She read it, looked at Chuck, and then pulled him in for a time-stopping kiss.

"What's was that for, national emergency?" he asked, when his brain rebooted.

"No, that kiss was I love you, thank you for being my boyfriend, baby daddy," she smiled as Chuck gave her a look. "And, to hope you know whatever she says in there tonight, I'm not that person in anymore." Chuck smiled at her.

"Sarah, I've been told by enough people what kind of changes you went through after you met me, I don't care about before that," Chuck said, sincerely. "I love you." Sarah smiled, but she looked worried.

"How about in a few days we either have Ellie over, or go to her house and have her tell you all the embarrassing stories in the world about me," Chuck said. Sarah grinned, but there were tears.

"Chuck, dad was in prison, and I had to do things for the CIA, any means necessary," she said. Chuck looked upset. "See, this is why I don't talk about the past much."

"I'm going to kill Graham, to make you use yourself like that-" Chuck was angry, but Sarah laid a hand on his arm, to try to calm him and cut him off.

"Listen, I had to stop people, by killing them, not bang half the football team," she said, trying to make a joke. "Too soon?"

"You made a joke about that right after I met you, how would now be too soon?" Chuck asked, the anger abating. "Sarah, were they bad guys…or girls, I don't want to be sexist…should that be women instead of girls." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Chuck, bad people," she said. "And some men I had to seduce, which meant lead them on, let them have what they thought would be a good time, and then…" Chuck nodded.

"You did it to save innocents, at the cost of your own innocence," he said. Sarah stared at him.

"Damn," she whispered.

"What, did I say something wrong?" he asked, very confused.

"Just when I think I can't love you more, you say something like that. Something so understanding, and exactly what I needed to hear," she said. "We need to stop by Large Mart on the way home." With that, she swallowed, steadied herself, and began to lead him inside.

"Why would we need…Oh," he said, understanding hitting him. "We have a full box." She just gave him a look, and it finally dawned on him. "Oh, boy."

}o{

Sarah was humming happily, working on business expenses when Carian barged in.

"Is something wrong with me?" she asked. Sarah gave her the once over.

"Nothing physically, mentally we don't have that kind of time," Sarah answered. Carina was still upset and not taking the bait. Sarah sat back, arms crossed, curious. "Sit," she said, nodding toward the chair across from her. Carina hesitated, shut the door, drawing an eyebrow raise from Sarah, and sit down.

"He slept on the couch last night," Carina said. Sarah unfolded her arms, and leaned forward on her desk. "He was an absolute gentleman."

"Those guys exist you know," Sarah said.

"I need to go back to the DEA," Carina said. "I'll just stay on the desk, I can't do this, Sarah," she said.

"Who will protect him?" Sarah asked. Carina looked at her. "You are shook to your core," she said. "Morgan Grimes rescued you without wanting a thing, he took you to dinner, treated you like a princess, refused to take advantage of the situation, and you, Carina, are feeling things you don't know how to handle."

"Blondie, you don't understand…" Carina began lost for words. Sarah just smiled.

"Oh, I don't?" she asked, picking up a picture of Chuck and Molly. Carina looked at it, turning pale. "You are scared to death. You enjoy your life, you really do, and that's great, you should, but you've got the taste of something else, and while you don't want to want it, a small piece of you, is attracted to it in a way you've never felt. So, Carina Miller, are you gonna face it, or run, and leave 'Marty' all alone."

"I called him Morgan last night, and you know what he said?" Carina asked. Sarah shook her head. "He looked kinda disappointed, and I asked why, and he told me, 'Me being Marty, that's kinda our thing,' and he walked off."

"Now tell me how it ends," Sarah said. Carina blushed and Sarah nearly fell out of her seat.

"I said, 'I'm sorry Marty, it just slipped, you know being all these different places, it won't happen again.'" Carina couldn't even look Sarah in the eye.

"Is it the beard?" Sarah asked, grinning.

"No!" Carina said forcefully. She was quiet for a second. "I do like it though." A knock on the door paused their conversation, they saw it was Chuck and Sarah signaled him to come in.

"Sorry to intrude, but we have a potential client," Chuck said. "They have a potential infiltration they'd like us to do for them to check their security," he said, wincing.

"What?" Sarah asked, worried.

"Morgan, heard the whole thing, saw the blueprints, and thinks he knows a way in, but it would take someone with a certain skill set," he said.

"Me," Carina said, grinning. Chuck nodded.

"Okay, I'll talk to them," Sarah said. "If we agree, you and Casey do the infiltration and take Morgan on coms with you since he knows the plan." Carina nodded, got up, and headed outside.

"Did it work?" Chuck asked grinning.

"Did what work?" she asked, amused. What were those two up to?

"Operation RESPECT," Chuck said, the smile covering his face. "Reject Each Sexual PredicamEnt Carina Tries."

"Are you allowed to use two letters in the same word?" Sarah asked, laughing. Chuck shrugged.

"It's all Morgan's idea, I'm just helping him," Chuck said.

"You do know Carina is…" Sarah trailed off.

"A human being that deserves to be loved just like anyone else?" Chuck offered. Sarah smiled, got up, walked out her door, and as Chuck turned to join her, she swatted his backside. "Gotta stop by Large Mart tonight."

"AGAIN?"

}o{

"Did it work?" Morgan asked, sticking his head into Chuck's office. Chuck shook his head, smiling.

"They were talking about something pretty seriously, when I walked in, Buddy," Chuck said. "They want to take you on coms." Morgan fist pumped upon hearing that. "Are you ready for this?"

"I'll just take ANOTHER cold shower," Morgan said. Chuck gave him a look. "Dude, do you know the look she gave me, when I told her no. She gave me puppy dog eyes, and then came and sat on the couch with me."

"Morgan," Chuck said, warning him.

"Then, she stretched a leg over me," he paused, lost in thought. "They are so long," he said, in awe.

"Morgan," Chuck said, his voice getting louder.

"Then she straddle me, and whispered into my ear about how she'd make me think my name actually was Marty," Morgan said, his eyes far away.

"MORGAN!" Chuck yelled bringing Morgan back to Earth.

"Sorry," Morgan said. "There's been a lot of cold showers the past 24 hours dude, I think part of my brain is frozen." Chuck nodded.

"I understand," Chuck said.

"I get now why you wanted Jenny back so much," Morgan said, his eyes glazing over again. Chuck put his hand over his face. He picked up his phone and sent a text. A few minutes later, Casey came in, with a bucket of water, and poured it over Morgan's head.

"AHHH!" he yelled. Casey grunted at Chuck, nodded and walked off. "Thanks, Buddy." Morgan said, and headed out of his office. Sarah stuck her head in, a confused look on her face.

"Thinking about Carina?" she asked. Chuck nodded. "What do you say you and I take our girl to lunch?"

"That's the best idea I've heard today," Chuck said, grinning.

A/N: Next time, dinner with Ellie, bring your ear plugs…You just might find, you get what you need… Take care, see you soon

DC

[talesofthestarlightroyals-blog]

Black Star Saga - Chapter 5: Part 3: The Deal

Time Frame: Easter 2k17

“The lawn gnomes are making what?” Sirius stared in disbelief at Lucky as she relayed what she had found at the Animated’s base. His expression was confusing, as if he was trying to figure out if he should groan or laugh. “Made, Sirius,” Lucky corrected. “There is a catapult prepped to send Diedrich’s eggs right over the town wall. The star shook his head, "Well that is one way to mess with your opponents.” “I think it might be more than that,” she replied. “In all honesty, I think they are trying to run Gaians out of Barton.” He paused, gazing at her searchingly. “That’s a pretty extreme conclusion? I mean, they’re just a bunch of bad eggs.” “They’re huge eggs. And they reek without the shell cracked. Just one normal egg gone bad can send a person running for the hills. These guys are collecting as many eggs as they can. It would take a long time to clean it up, and that’s even if its SAFE to clean up.” He still didn’t look convinced. “I didn’t say it was the smartest idea out there, but they learn from mimicking mankind. Catapults are meant to get dangerous things up and over walls. Big boulders and rotten eggs might not look all that different to a learning species.” “Alright, alright,” he conceded. “But why wouldn’t it be safe? Sure it stinks, but it’s nothing a little- ok a lot of soap won’t clean up.” Lucky shook her head, “Honestly, if it was just the smell, I think Gaia could handle it. They've handled gods, alien attacks, dragons, and just about everything else this world has thrown at them. If anything, I would feel sorry for the gnomes when the Gaians found out where the rotten eggs came from." She frowned, giving Sirius a moment to let this sink in before continuing. "But I don’t think the gnomes are considering another factor. Diedrich is a grunny.” She crossed her arms, thinking aloud, “Sure he’s annoying, but his kind originally were known for infecting Gaians with a virus that turned them into zombies. Diedrich has never bitten anyone to my knowledge, but there’s certainly a few things off with him. He’s got to be a carrier. What if he passed those down in his eggs? At the very least the ones hit will be infected.” Sirius nodded, “Right, so we don’t want that.” “Not at all.”  “And I suppose the guard is out of the question?” he mused. “Those gnomes will see them and either attack or launch the catapult.” “Taking on the guard I wouldn’t mind. I planned on telling them at first,” she replied. “It’s the chance of a launched catapult that’s the problem. With that in mind, they might do the same for any Gaian. Leon has sent quite a few locals over that way since they arrived.”

"I guess it's up to us then," he mused. She nodded.

Neither spoke for a bit, both in their own thoughts as they examined the small pile of loot that Sirius had gained by taking out fluffs with golf balls. He managed to get his hand on a couple rings, a handful of gold, and small pile of charge orbs, along with a multitude of leaves and sticks. Lucky picked up the rings and examined the symbols. One was fire rain, the other fleet foot. It would help them take out some gnomes and stay ahead of them, but unless they found a way to round them up, there was no way they would be able to take them all out before one of them launched the catapult. What they needed was a way to distract the gnomes as a whole. But they wouldn’t be able to do that as they were…the pair looked too much like Gaians-like threats. They needed something that could get close, unnoticed. Or, something that the gnomes would notice, but not consider a threat. Something harmless. Something they wouldn’t bat an eye at until too late.  Sirius turned his gaze from the loot to the quiet redhead. He watched her for a few moments, then decided to break the silence. “You know…if you have some idea that might help us out, I’m all ears.” “I bet you are,” she replied.  “So,” he started, “what’s on your mind?” “What’s on my mind?” she repeated. Lucky frowned, turning her full attention to the star. “What’s on my mind is what has gotten into you?” The star blinked. “I don’t follow.” “Don’t give me that. First you comment about me stopping the gnomes with something other than a ring. Then you suggest I try to get in the mindset of the enemy. Now you want me to actually formulate some sort of plan of attack? Don’t you think the prince has enough on his plate without having to explain to the council why I am violating the contract again?” “It’s because he has a lot on his plate that I’m seeing if you actually can violate the contract.” Lucky paused. The playful air and feigned ignorance were gone from the star’s eyes. He was focused, knowledgeable, calculating, inquisitive. She let him speak. “For all my years, nothing like these black dwarfs has ever been seen. As far as the council and kingdom are concerned, that means they are something that has never existed. Even you said they are something that should not exist.” “They shouldn’t, but what does that have to do with the contract?” she asked, frowning. “Aside from my violating it in the first place, that is?” Sirius ran a hand through his wild bangs, “Well, the whole point of the contract was that the council feared your connection to her. I think they feared you were actually still working for her, or at the very least being used.” “Oh dear! Why would they think that?” she sarcastically deadpanned. The redhead herself questioned if she was being used by that person back then. She still did today. “Yes, and despite the council having some justification for that fear, having you ignore this asset you have is doing us more harm than good,” he held her gaze firmly. “You can figure these guys out. You can get in their heads, figure out who they are, where they came from, and why they’re attacking not just their own kind, but their own royal family. If you don’t have the resources to stop them, you can get them! You’ve already proved that.” “With Nefiriam and Arron,” she realized aloud, starting to see where the star was getting at. “But Sirius, the implication has never been that my skills are the problem. It’s that if I embrace this past, these teachings, I might…” He nodded. “How about this, then?” he suggested, “We will consider this catapult problem a test. You come up with a plan to stop those gnomes and we’ll carry it out. I'll keep an eye on you and make sure nothing is amiss. If you pass, you will have the giants on your side. With us and the royal family backing you, the council can’t punish you more for violating the contract. They might even be more willing to negotiate the current situation.” “And what if I don’t pass?” she asked. “Then what would you do?” Sirius thought about that. “If you fail, and I deem you are too much of a threat to the kingdom, I will stop you personally.” “I think you would have done that, conditions or no,” she replied. “Then you can trust my word.” He extended his hand. “So, do we have a deal?” Lucky looked at the outstretched hand for a moment, debating. Then, she grasped it in a firm shake. “Deal.” Sirius grinned. “Great! Now you just need to come up with a plan!” "I hope you don't go back on your end of the bargain, Sirius," she spoke, holding his gaze firmly. "Because I already have one."

[hannah-mic]

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Summary: You moved to New York for the love of you life, who left you. A year later someone you thought you’d never see again walks into your life. Newt Scamander.

PSA- This has been my baby the past month! Please tell me what you think!

15,224 words

Your alarm blares in your ear, pulling you out of your nightmares. “I’m up,” you grumble, slapping the snooze button. You yawn and swing your legs over the foot of the bed, standing up. As you go about your usual morning routine, you can’t help but think about the dream you had. It was about him again, about Peter. Everyday your mind always wondered why he left you. You completely relocated for your love, moving to America, but apparently it wasn’t enough for him. It didn’t matter that it’d been a year, the pain was still fresh in your chest. You pull on your work clothes, and slip your badge in your waistband. Grabbing your coffee and keys, you walk out the door.

10 minutes later you arrive at work. “Morning (y/n),” your coworker Stephanie says cheerfully. “Morning Steph,” you yawn back at her. “What do we have today on the agenda?” you add. “Well a no-maj reported a gnome in their yard, we have to go collect them and perform the selective obliviate charm. The gnomes are getting bad in these parts,” she tells you. “Very well, and what will we do with said gnomes?” you ask her, dreading the answer. “Well, we’ll have to kill them,” she tells you. “No! I won’t do it! We’re supposed to be the department of care of magical creatures, I’d say killing it isn’t caring for it,” you argue. “Believe me I don’t want to kill it either, but we don’t have much of a choice, Seraphina is strict with her rules. Magic is out of control in America and we must suppress it as much as we can, lest the no-maj’s find out,” she replies. You sarcastically chuckle, “I never thought I’d see the day when wizards would hide from muggles. This is insane.” You shake your head. Your co-worker nods in agreement, “I know it is, but I’m just following orders.” “Well it’s about time you stopped following orders,” you grit through your teeth, marching out the door. “Where are you going?” she yells after you. “To talk to madame president,” you say, slamming the door behind you.

You find yourself taking the elevator up to the higher employees offices. You saw people standing guard, outside her office, but you march right past them. “Hey you can’t go in there!” one of the guards shouts at you. You ignore him and swing the door open, slamming it against the wall. “What is the meaning of this?” Seraphina asks incredibly. “Madame president you can’t keep ordering us to kill these creatures. It won’t help, it will only hurt their numbers, please, you’ve got to stop,” you beg. “(L/n) I don’t need this right now, I’ve got much bigger fish to fry. You have orders and you will follow them. Now leave,” she waves you out the door. “Madame president you can’t do this! This isn’t how the ministry of magic treats animals!” She turns sharply towards you, “Well this isn’t the ministry of magic, (y/n), you knew that when you moved here. We do things differently here, if you don’t like it, then leave.” “Regardless, no animal should be treated this way, please!” you raise your voice. She waves in two guards and says, “I've had enough of you today (l/n), go home.” “No please!” you shout at her as her guards throw you out onto the street. “Go home stupid girl, the magical congress of the united states is no place for you. Either oblige or next time Madame president will fire you,” they say slamming the door behind you. You hit the pavement hard, on your knees. “I don’t want to work here, believe me, but I don’t have a choice,” you grumble under your breath. You trudge back to your apartment, and fall into a restless sleep.

The next day

You have the pleasure of Madame President greeting you at the door personally that day. “I trust there will be no issues today (l/n)?” she asks you. “No Madame president,” you let your head drop. You march to your office that you share with Stephanie and begin the days work. Around lunch time there’s a big commotion in the hallway and you peek your head out, to see what's wrong. “Tina?” you see her familiar form standing in the doorway. “(Y/n), I heard what happened yesterday. You need to be careful or you’ll get fired just like I was,” she tells you. “I think I can take care of myself thanks. Besides, I’m not willing to sacrifice my morale values for this job,” you scoff. “Only trying to warn you,” she raises her hands up in surrender. “What’s going on?” you ask, referring to the commotion outside. “Dunno, but I’m gonna find out,” she smirks at you, and walks away. “Man she bothers me,” you grumble to yourself.

The next day you see him, being escorted through the building in a haste by Tina. His eyes pass over you and he stops, it’s as if he almost recognizes you, but not quite. He stares into your (e/c) eyes deeply, as if asking where he knows you from. His eyebrows raise in confusion.You turn away from him, hiding your face, and Tina yanks his arm, dragging him back along. “Is that Newt Scamander?” Stephanie asks, an awe in her voice. “Wouldn’t know,” you reply. It’s then that Madame President walks into your office. “(L/n), there was a niffler sighting by the bank. You’re on it. But I can assure you, if you don’t take the niffler out, if need be, you’ll be in a heap of trouble.” You nod and follow her out the door.

5 minutes later you’re inside the bank and you see him again. He’s searching frantically for his creature no doubt. His eyes pass over you once again, but this time he looks displeased as he spies your MACUSA badge. You turn to walk over to him, but that’s when you see a muggle holding an egg, an occamy egg. “Shit,” you curse under your breath. “Hey mister! I think your egg is hatching!” the muggle shouts at him. Newt draws him towards where he is, and dissapparates. “Fuck,” you dissapparate after them, no doubt to the safe where the niffler is.

You find yourself in the basement of the bank and search frantically for Newt. “Mr. Scamander!” you look around, but he’s nowhere to be found. “Damnit!” you shout, dissapparating back to your office.

“Well?” you find Seraphina anxiously waiting for you. “He got away,” you gasp. “But it wasn’t my fault,” you add quickly. Her face glowers and she says, “Very well, there's been several more cases of creatures on the loose. Find them, find them!” she shouts and storms out. You groan and turn to Stephanie, “Where’s the case file?” She hands it to you. You flick through it and stop on the page that shows the Jarvey. “I suppose I’ll start with him. But you’re joking if you think I’m turning him into that crazy lady,” you mutter and walk out, heading towards central park. The creature liked wooded areas, so you figured you’d start there.

When you get to Central Park, you see the ferret’s trails leading into a grove of evergreen’s. “Got you,” you smirk to yourself. “Oh really?” you whip around to see who replied, but no one was there except the Jarvey. “Excuse me?” you ask to no one in particular. “You heard me, god are you deaf?” the Jarvey looks up at you. “You, you, you can talk?” you babble. “Of course I can talk do you do your research?” the Jarvey laughs at you. “Well, I’m sorry, but you’re causing a ruckus for the no-maj’s. So I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with me,” you approach the creature slowly. “I don't think so,” the ferret runs into the trees just as you try to leap onto him. He’s too fast and your body hits the ground covered with pine needles, the air whooshing out of your chest. “Ughhh,” you get up and dust yourself off, running in the direction of the trees. “Come here you little rascal,” you shout and search the ground frantically for his tracks. Since your eyes are glued to the ground, you don’t see the figure ahead running straight towards you. He hits you with an almighty, “Oomph,” and you both fall smashing to the ground. “What the hell!” you yell. The man lays on top of you, and looks down at you. It was Newt. “Get off of me Newt,” you push him off. “Apologizes, but do we know each other? I recognized you immediately, as soon as I saw you,” he offers his hand, and picks you up off the ground. “Of course we know each other, or did you really forget? We went to Hogwarts together. Remember? We were both studying to be magizoologists.” “Ah yes of course, (y/n) is it? I haven’t seen you since…” his voice trails off. “Since you were expelled?” you finish his statement awkwardly. “Yes since I was expelled,” he sighs. “Well, what are we doing standing here, we need to find the Jarvey,” you tell him, trudging further into the trees. He follows behind you saying, “We? What we? I don’t believe I asked you for your help (y/n).” You scoff, “Well it sure looks like you could use it, I nearly caught that Jarvey before you barged into me.” He chuckles, “Aren't you a ray of sunshine.” “Shut up!” “Excuse me?” he asks at your outburst. “I said shut up, I can here the Jarvey crawling around, but not over your loud voice,” you repeat. That shuts him up. Scuffling comes from inside a tree. You walk towards it and pin point the branch where the animal is no doubt hiding. When your sure you dive your hands into the thicket and pull the squealing creature out. “Get off of me filthy witch,” it yells at you. “You got a place for him,” you ask Newt. He nods, pulling out his suitcase. He opens it and quickly shoves the creature inside. “Huh, what a nice home,” you say sarcastically. “It is! I live in there too from time to time. Now it was nice to see you again (y/n) but I’m afraid I must get back to finding my creatures,” he turns to walk away but you stop him. “Not so fast. I’m coming with you,” you state. “Why on earth would you do that?” he asks back in turn. “I’m coming with you because you don’t know New York like I do, I know the terrain, you need my help. Besides, you got me into this mess, now the president is threatening to fire me if I don’t round up these creatures, that’s right, MACUSA knows you’re here. So you’re gonna need someone on the inside to help you out. I need to save my job,” you tell him. He looks stunned and replies with, “Alright. Let’s go.” So you follow Newt out of central park.

“Where are we going,” you ask him after about ten minutes of walking. “Tina Goldstein’s. Perhaps you know her? She used to be an auror for your government. She’s also helping me get my creatures back.” You groan at the mention of her name. “What’s wrong?” Newt asks. “That girl, Tina. We don’t exactly get along,” you tell him.  “Why am I not surprised,” he replies. “She got fired, you have to wonder why,” you tell him. “Well that’s not my business. I’m just lucky that she’s agreed to help me, now I have two people on the inside at my aide,” he says. “Yea, I’m not sure I’d call it that, you have two people, one who was fired, and one about to be fired,” you shoot back. “Well, let’s go save your job then,” Newt says, stopping in front of an apartment building. “We’re here,” he whispers. Next thing you know, Tina is opening the door and rushing the two of you up the stairs before her land lord can see. “God Tina slow down,” you growl at her as she pushes you through the door. “Didn’t know you were bringing this one,” Tina throws at Newt. He just shrugs cluelessly. “In here,” Tina shows you into the only spare bedroom. “Newt and Jacob already took the beds, (y/n) I can grab you a sleeping mat,” she states. “Why would I stay here?” you ask in turn. “Because after you didn’t bring the Jarvey back, Madame president found out, and she’s just waiting on your doorstep to fire you,” she replies. “Very well then,” you sit down in the only chair in the room. A minute later Tina comes back with the sleeping mat, a pillow and blanket. You thank her, begrudgingly, and follow her out to the kitchen for dinner. “(Y/n), this is my sister Queenie,” she introduces you. “Hello,” you go to shake her hand but she pulls you into a hug. “She’s quite the sweet lady ain’t she,” Jacob says from the corner, clearly smitten with her. You laugh. “Alright we got a delicious dinner coming, if I do say so myself, so please go ahead and take a seat,” Queenie says, motioning to the kitchen table. You take a seat, careful not to sit next to Tina. Newt plants himself between the two of you. Queenie approaches the table with a gigantic roast chicken, served with mashed potatoes and green beans. “Wow Queenie, you’re quite the talented cook,” you compliment her. In your mind you’re wondering how someone so sweet could be related to someone so annoying. “(Y/n)!” Queenie scolds your thought, “My sister is too sweet.” Your cheeks flush and look down at your plate, finishing your dinner in silence.

When you finish dinner, Newt immediately gets in his suitcase for the rest of the night, checking on his animals. He said not to follow, but of course you do anyway. Awe overtakes you as soon as you step into his case. There were dozens of separated habitats, each filled with hundreds of different animals. It was beautiful, all of it, but the first thing to catch your eye was the thunderbird sauntering about. “He’s gorgeous,” you whisper into the hot desert air, as you step into his habitat. The bird whips around, looking at you. “Hey, hi,” you hold your hand out, showing that you mean no harm. The bird approaches you cautiously. You bow your head showing your respect. The bird judges you, deciding on whether or not he likes you. He decides he does and places his head in your hands, letting you pet him. “Thanks,” you tell him. You stand petting the bird for a while, until he’s completely leaning onto you. You chuckle, “Alright alright, I can sit down, that way you can sit in my lap.” You move to sit down in the grass and the giant bird lays his entire upper body in your lap. You continue to pet him, and he lets out a soft coo. You’re so content, just to sit there, stroking his soft fur, that you don’t even here him come up. “(Y/n)?” Newt’s voice calls out rather softly. You lightly turn your head and motion for him to come here, as the thunderbird has fallen asleep in your lap. He sits down next to you in the grass. After a beat of silence you ask him, “What is it?” “Oh nothing,” he quickly replies, “It’s just I haven’t seen Frank take a liking to anybody except me.” You lightly laugh, “Frank. That’s a good name for him.” Newt gulps and nods. “What’s the matter?” you ask him, turning to look him in the eyes. He looks down at the ground and sighs, “I’m just worried about them. They’re out there all frightened, amidst the most horrible creatures on this planet.” “Oh and what might that be,” you question his strong judgement. “Humans,” he states, gritting his teeth. “Man, someone must’ve really done a number on you,” you tell him. “Whatever do you mean?” he asks you. “Well, just that. I would’ve said the exact same thing a year ago, but you learn to move past a bad breakup, Newt,” you reply. “How did you know?” he whispers. “Because I know what a broken heart looks like, I’ve had it done to me too, and now I have no where to go because of it, so believe me I get it. But it’ll fade,” you whisper back. “Sure it will. It’s been ten years,” he says quietly. “Give it time,” you state. After a pause he says, “What do you mean you have no where else to go?” “I moved here for my love, and after a month, he left me for someone else.” You let your sentence hang in the air. His breath is taken away by your statement. “(Y/n) I’m,”- you cut his apology off, “I know.” He gulps and looks down. “Well I think that’s enough personal talk for the day, if you’d allow me, I’d very much like to stay here with Frank,” you tell him. “That’d be fine, I don’t think he’d let you up now anyways. Goodnight (y/n),” he stands up. “Goodnight Newt,” you reply softly. He returns to his shack, and you lay back against the hill, snuggling up, the majestic bird acting as a blanket. Your eyes begin to droop, and the last thing you see before you fall asleep is Newt watching you from afar.

The next morning you’re awakened by the sunlight peeking through your eyelids. “Mmmhh morning Frank,” you yawn. You stretch your legs and walk around his habitat. When you turn to leave, he whines. “Don’t worry I’ll be back,” you laugh, patting his nose before you leave, making your way through the suitcase, back into the bedroom. When you emerge you find everyone already bustling about, Queenie making breakfast. “Hiya sweetie, like a shower? We got towels already in there, and some of your clothes were sent here last night,” Queenie greets you. “Okay,” you nod. When you climb into the shower/tub, you turn on the steaming water, letting it run over your tired, sore body. As you wash and condition your hair, you think about what Newt said, about humans. “Perhaps it was true, but not of all humans,” you thought. You climb out of the shower and wrap a towel around you, scurrying into the bedroom to find your clothes. You decide to put on your blue skirt and blazer and are slipping on your black flats when Tina comes into the room. “(Y/n), can we talk for a moment?” she asks you. You nod. “It’s just, well, I know we don’t get along much, but we must! I don’t want you to lose your job and I’d very much like mine back. So can we just agree to set aside our differences for now?” she asks. You sigh, “I would like that Tina, but right now there is one thing standing in my way. See I know you like to do everything by the book, and that’s the problem Tina. Madame president, she wants to do away with all these animals, so are you telling me that in order to get your job back you would be willing to kill them?” “Of course not! But it’s not that simple, we must do some things by the book,”- you cut her off, “We can’t. If we do, we condemn us all, including those animals.” She huffs, “We shall see. In the mean time, I hope you can agree to be civil.” You smirk and say, “We shall see.” She rolls her eyes and walks out of the room.

You stand in front of the mirror, putting on some light makeup and curling your hair with your wand. When the smell of Queenie’s delicious breakfast overtakes you, you declare that you’re finished and walk into the kitchen ready to eat. “My my don’t we look gorgeous,” Queenie says. “Jacob thinks so too,” she adds, reading his mind. He responds by blushing. “So, where are we off to today?” you ask, sitting down to eat. Newt shoves a bite in his mouth and says between chews, “I was thinking that we’d go looking for the swooping evil.” “Okay, where do we start?” you ask him. “Well he likes dark spaces, so maybe we check the subways?” he suggests. “Sounds like a plan,” you reply. So the five of you exit the apartment, and head down to the subways.

After about an hour of searching, Newt slumps against a brick wall outside and slides down. “It’s like he could be anywhere on earth by now. How am I ever supposed to find him?” he asks bewildered. “Hey, we’ll find them, don’t worry,” you offer a hand to pull him back up and keep searching. He takes it and the search continues.

Suddenly there’s a scuffle around the next alleyway and you quickly round the corner to see the murtlap, yet another escaped animal from Newt’s case. “Newt!” you called out for him. “What is it?” he comes into view. He gasps when he sees his murtlap attacking the muggle, Jacob. “Jacob!” you gasp and run over to him. There was a nasty bite mark on the side of his neck. “Newt, we have to get him help,” you stare at him gravely. Newt nods and swoops up the murtlap, shoving it into his suitcase. “Come on Jacob, let’s get you back,” you pick up the slumped over man, grab Newt’s hand, and dissapparate back to the Goldstein’s apartment.

As soon as you get back you lay Jacob down on his bed. “Newt hand me my wand,” you say quietly. He places it in your palm and you wave your wand over the wound, healing it. “You’ll be alright Jacob, just get some rest,” you gently lay him back on the bed to rest. You back out of the room and quietly close the door. When you turn to walk back to the kitchen, Newt stops you and grabs your arm. “(Y/n), wait.” “Yes?” you turn around. “I.. um.. thank you, for acting so quick under pressure. I, I fear Jacob wouldn’t be alive without your help,” he stares at the ground. “Well, um, you are welcome,” you nod.

At dinner Tina attempts to reason with you. “(Y/n), some things must be done by the book, don’t you see what a danger these creatures are?” “Now wait just a minute,” Newt attempts to interrupt. “Tina we just can’t do that. It’s cruel, inhumane. I won’t let you,” you respond. “I agree it’s not ideal, but we don’t have a choice, it’s the only way I’ll get my job back,” she attempts to reason with you. “Well I don’t care enough about my job to do things this way,” you reply. “Perhaps there’s another solution,” Newt chimes in. “We shall certainly see. Now enough bickering it’s supper time,” Queenie comes strolling into the kitchen with a piping hot plate of meatloaf. “Thank you Queenie this all looks delicious,” you smile at her. Dinner is a quiet affair, as there’s not much to talk about. When you finish, you decide to retire to the bedroom. Getting up from the table you glance at Newt and ask, “Would it be alright if I spent some more time with Frank?” He looks up at you surprised, a smile forming on his face. “Of course it’s alright love.” “Thanks,” you nod and exit into the other room.

When you arrive in the other room, you quickly swing open the case and run into Frank’s habitat. “Hey buddy,” you smile and sit down next to him, beginning to pat him. You feel relief and all of your worries begin to fade away as you stare at the beautiful surroundings. Sleep soon overtakes you and Frank lays his wing over you, protecting you and shielding you from view.

Newt's pov

He finished his dinner and quickly rushed off to his suitcase, anxious to see how Frank was reacting to that peculiar girl. He excused himself and quickly climbed down the ladder. It was late, and she was already asleep, the vision was a dream. Underneath the sparkling stars and midnight blue sky she slept. The meadow was a deep emerald green below her and the stars shined like a halo surrounding her. She laid with her hands resting on her stomach, her peaceful slumber depicted on her face. Of course, she was hidden from view. He rounded the corner and saw Frank’s wing splayed out above her, protecting her. He was stunned, shocking his thoughts into silence. The only thing that came through in his head was how beautiful she was. Her (h/c) hair splayed around her and even though her eyes were closed, he could just imagine those (e/c) eyes sparkling like the sun. Her skin was pale, shining in the moonlight and her supple skin was gorgeous. What was so strikingly beautiful about this peculiar girl was that she was not like any other girl he had ever seen before. She wasn’t a skinny, conventional female, she was a rounded, curvy, compassionate woman. (Y/n) was a marvel to him, the thought itself shocked him, he’d never thought about her this way before.

Regular pov

The sun shone through your eyelids and you slowly peaked your eyes open. Frank's wing was still above you, but you could hear other birds chirping as the creatures began to wake. “Morning (y/n),” Newt chuckled. You nearly jumped out of your skin, As you sat up, you saw Newt standing over you. “What are you doing here? How long have I been asleep?” you babble. “Not long, I just figured you’d want to get some breakfast. After all Queenie is the best cook around,” he continues to laugh. He offers you a hand and pulls you up. You dust off your skirt and follow him up back into the Goldstein’s apartment. During breakfast, it’s hard to concentrate on your meal, on account of Newt never taking his eye off of you. “Newt is something wrong?” Tina asks him. “What? Oh no, everything’s fine,” he babbles, pulling his eyes away from you. You look down, blushing, avoiding his gaze. “So where do we look next?” Tina asks. “Well, I could actually help with that,” Queenie butts in. “Do go on?” Newt implores her. “Alright well there’s a club, and a goblin I know owns it. Rumor is that he grabbed some of those creatures and we’ll have to get to the speak easy tonight. Around 9, but it's not the quaintest of places. We’ll have to get all dolled up and such,” Queenie says much too excitedly. “Well I suppose we should prepare,” you add, exiting the kitchen.

4 hours later

You stood in the bedroom, curling your hair with your wand. “I think I've found you the perfect thing,” Queenie announces, coming strolling into the room. You gasped, staring up at the beautiful dress she held in front of you. It was a flapper dress, navy with a black and blue overlay of beads, strings of them hanging down at knee length. “Queenie it’s perfect!” you tell her. “I thought as such,” she smirks and hands the dress over to you. You put the dress on and it hugs your curves in just the right way. “Beautiful,” Queenie adds. You smile sheepishly. You turn back to the mirror and continue to curl your hair. It falls in delicate waves, framing your face in just the right way. With just a touch of blush, mascara, and lip rouge you were ready to go. When you exited the bedroom Newt stopped in the middle of his conversation with Tina and stared at you, mouth agape. Queenie giggles behind you and says, “Newt thinks you look good too.” He glares at her for reading his mind, but nods, confirming her statement. “Well, thanks Newt,” you smile to yourself, looking at the ground and brushing your hair behind your ear. “Shall we go?” Tina asks everyone. You nod, grabbing hands and dissapparate.

When you arrive at the club it’s extremely evident that the stakes are high. The tension in the air is palpable and almost everyone stares at the newcomers that had come through the door: you. A song begins and Queenie hisses in your ear, “Go dance, blend in. Jacob and I will do the same. Tina, go look for clues, and the goblin.” You nod and gulp deeply as Newt reaches his hand out and offers it to you. The music begins and it’s a slow, jazzy piece. He places his hand on your waist and intertwines his fingers with yours in your other hand. You take a sharp breath. He smiles into your eyes and says, “You know you do look lovely.” You look down and smile in response. Watching your feet, careful not to stumble, Newt removes his hand from yours and pulls your chin up, saying, “Are you really that afraid to look at me?” “No,” you whisper back. The song continues and you almost immediately stumble. “Sorry,” your face  goes red. He chuckles lightly, “Don’t worry about it.” The song slows and Newt lightly pulls you into him, and you rest your head on his chest. As you sway back and forth, you feel a sense of calm wash over you. It was short lived. Out of the corner of your eye you can quickly see Tina getting into a heated argument with the goblin owner. Newt is lost in the music so you pull back and whisper, “Newt look.” He turns his head and panic flashes across his eyes. “Come on,” he pulls you by the hand to over where Tina is causing trouble. Queenie and Jacob quickly follow. “What’s going on here?” you ask Tina and the goblin. “This ex-government employee is trying to swindle me into telling her where some creatures are. This is my club, and that ain’t gonna happen. At least not without some sort of exchange of sorts,” he snarks at you. “Oh really, and what exactly would you require?” you reply back equally as sarcastic. He looks at Newt and smirks, “That,” he says pointing to Pickett. Newt’s face drops. “Absolutely not,” he shields Pickett from the goblin. “Newt,” Tina and you say at the same time. You walk up to him and hold your hand out for Pickett. “We’ll get him back I promise,” you console him. A tear manages to escape from his eye and he slowly hands him over. You turn around and reluctantly hand him over. “Now, give us the information we need,” you snarl at him. He narrows his eyes and says, “They’ve all hidden themselves away in the city. Rumors are the Occamy has taken nest up in the macy’s on 5th. Your Erumpent has been spotted up in Central Park. That’s all I know.” You’re about to respond when there’s a scuttling and 3 aurors burst through the door, including Percival Graves. “Well, time to go,” Tina grabs Queenie and Jacob’s hands and dissapparates. You turn towards the goblin and yank Pickett out of his hand, smiling the fakest smile ever, and say “Thank you very much.” Pickett in one hand, Newt pulls you into him and you dissapparate back to the Goldstein’s apartment.

You reappear in the kitchen and see Queenie, Tina and Jacob sitting around the table. Newt finally lets go of you and you turn to him smiling. “I believe he belongs to you,” you say pulling Pickett out from behind your back. Relief floods over his face. “Thanks,” he says gratefully. “Well we have a starting point for tomorrow. As for me, I think I’m going to go to sleep,” Tina gets up and walks to her bedroom. Everyone else follows.

It’s the middle of the night and you begin to toss and turn. You hadn’t danced like that with someone since Peter, your former lover. It was like you were right back there.

Flashback

You emerged from the bathroom, dressed in white. The strapless, chiffon gown clung to your curves, yet flowed down your body. “Oh my (y/n) you look gorgeous,” Peter smiles at you as you emerge. “Do you really like it?” you look down, blushing. “It’s beautiful,” he says, taking your hands in his. “Don’t you know it’s bad luck to see a bride before the wedding? We aren’t even getting married, not for 3 months anyway,” you chuckle. “(Y/n), darling, We’ve waited long enough, you moved here for me. I think we’ve faced all the bad luck we’re going to ever face,” he pulls you into his arms, where you feel protected, safe. You wrap your arms around his waist, smushing your face into his chest. Behind your back, Peter waves his wand, and your favorite song plays on the record player. “Dance with me?” he whispers in your ear. You smile up at him, taking his hand in yours and placing your other on his shoulder. As you sway across the floor, you both sigh in contentment. “I never thought that I’d get this life,” you say softly into his chest. Peter looks down at you and says, “Darling why would you think that?” “You know as well as I that I’ve not had the easiest path to where I am today. I’m just glad I found you,” you reply. “Me too,” he smiles. You lean back into him and your two forms dance into one as you make your way barefoot across the wooden floor of your apartment. When the song ends, the two of you continue to dance, dancing till dawn.

The dream remained in your head, that wonderful moment of peace, when you danced with the one you loved. But then the horror of it all comes crashing back, him leaving you for another woman, you desperately trying to get him back, everything came crashing back. You woke up sobbing, and screaming. “No, don’t leave!” you cried half asleep. Queenie comes bursting into the room. “Oh (Y/n) wake up, wake up! It was just a dream,” she shakes you awake. Tears stain your face as you look up to see Queenie, Newt, and Jacob standing over you. When you’ve awakened Queenie gasps, seeing your thoughts. She drops the mug in her hand and it shatters across the floor. The pieces bounce against the hardwood, echoing in your mind as you sit there, dumb struck.“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, pulling you into a hug. You begin to sob into her shoulder, knowing she must have seen your thoughts. “It was horrible, it was like it was happening all over again,” you whisper. “I know I know,” she says stroking your hair. You open your tear stained eyes and look up to see Newt’s emerald green ones staring back at your own. His face is filled with despair, watching you in pain. He raises his eyebrows at you, asking you with his expression what could’ve hurt you. You look at him, sadness filling your features, too scared to reply. “Why don’t you go take a shower,” Queenie pulls you up off the ground. You nod slowly, and emerge into the bathroom. The last thing you see before shutting the door is Newt, who looks as if he desperately wants to follow you, to make sure you are alright.

When you step out of the shower, you find a set of clothes on the toilet seat. You slip on the black cotton dress and the big gray cardigan to go with it. The colors reflected your mood. As soon as you’d barely opened the door, Newt was standing in the doorway, demanding to know what was wrong. “(Y/n) what’s going on? Please tell me,” he begs you. “I can’t," you look down, avoiding his gaze. You turn to walk past him, but he grabs your arm. “Please,” he asks again. “It's too painful, please Newt, let it be,” you say, the sobs escaping you. You turn to try and leave again, but he yanks you back. “I just, I don’t want to see you in pain,” he chokes up. You look up at him and your lip quivers. “I, I’m sorry,” you yank your arm out of his grip and walk into the bedroom. Newt’s face falls, defeated, and he turns to walk back into the kitchen.

The next day

You didn’t sleep at all last night, instead choosing to stay up and walk around Newt’s case. In the morning he came and found you. “(Y/n),” he lets your name hang in the air. You turn around and see him standing there, cautiously approaching you. You sigh, “Newt would you please let it go.” “I can’t. I saw your face, I saw how hurt you were, you’re my…. friend. I don’t want to see you hurt, tell me,” he walks closer. “No. Please go,” your voice grows cold as he pushes you further. “(Y/n) please,” he once again grabs you by the arm. “Stop! Just let me be! I don’t want to talk about it!” you snap at him. He’s taken back by your outburst, and removes his hand from your arm. “Alright, I shall let you be,” he says, backing away. His face stayed with you though, he looked hurt. You yelled at him, but all he wanted to do was help you. And you wouldn’t even let him.

Three days later

Newt had barely spoken five words to you, only when he had to, when it had to do with his creatures and that was it. He was hurt, you could tell, you pushed him away. The guilt was eating away at you. You decided today would be the day you would apologize. He was in his suitcase, almost scarfing down his dinner just to get to it. You finished shortly after and followed him down into his case.

When you got down there, you smiled to yourself, he was sitting on his work bench, nose pressed in a book, while he wrote down his research with his other hand. He had no clue you were even there. His brows were furrowed in concentration and his tongue stuck just slightly out as he wrote his work. “Newt?” you call to him. He raises his head, tearing himself away from his work. “(Y/n), he states. “Can I come in?” you ask tentatively. “It appears you already have,” he says somewhat sarcastically. “Suppose I deserved that,” you say walking over to him. You pull another stool over to where he sits and look him in the eyes for a rare occasion. “Newt, I just, I wanted to apologize. For how I snapped at you. You were just trying to be my… friend, and I pushed you away. I’m sorry Newt. And I know that an apology isn’t enough so I figured I owe you an explanation,” you pause. “Alright,” he nods. “Well, it’s just dancing with you, that night, at the club, it reminded me of my past relationship. His name was Peter, and we were to be wed. You see, that night, it was eerily like another night that I shared with him. And so I dreamt of that night, of a time when I was truly, truly, happy. Before he left me. Where we danced barefoot across the wooden floor. And when I woke, it all just came flooding back to me. How he left me for another woman. How he stood up our wedding, telling me I was not enough for him and that I never would be,” you pause as tears push through your eyes and continue, “And that’s why it was so hard for me. Because when I’m reminded of him, well, it’s hard to forget about that time in my life. How I was never enough, how I was nothing. And that’s why I didn’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Newt, you were just trying to help,” you sob. All the while you explain, he stares at you with his shiny green eyes, they grow wider with every word. And when you cry, he does too. Just for a moment. You finish looking down, but he pulls your chin up to look at him. “Thank you (y/n), thank you for trusting me with that. I’m so sorry, truly. But you aren’t nothing, you were never nothing. You are one of the kindest, most compassionate people I’ve known in my life. Even at Hogwarts, you were, you always have been.” You shrug off his words, but he continues, “Darling you’re a goddess. And once you know what that truly means, I pray for anyone who tries to hurt you.” His words leave you dumbstruck. “Do you really mean that?” you ask quietly. He smiles for the first time in a while and says, “Every word. It is the plain and simple truth.” You laugh, but it comes out as half a sob. No one had ever thought so much of you. So you said as much. “No one’s ever said anything so kind about me.” “Well they should,” Newt replies immediately. “Why do you care so much?” you find the words falling out of your mouth, too late to take them back. He smiles to himself and shakes his head. “Honestly, I don’t know. There’s just, there’s something about you (y/n), something wonderful,” he trails off, looking down. This time it’s your turn to pull his chin up to look at you. “Newt,” you say barely louder than a whisper. As if the clouds had parted, it all became clear in Newt’s head, his feelings about you. Before you had time to process any of it, Newt leans forward on his stool and lightly presses his lips to yours. There was electricity, just like your first kiss with Peter, but this was different. You felt safe, you knew you could trust him. You leaned in more and Newt responds by placing his hands on your cheeks. When you pull away, you lean your cheek into his hand, bringing your other hand to linger on your lips, where he had kissed you. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have”- you cut Newt off by pulling him closer, kissing him again. This time it’s your turn to run your hands through his hair, those cinnamon curls. Your hands find each other behind his neck and your legs push against one another as the stools are now so close together. His hands find themselves on your shoulders, relaxing you. He brushes the hair away from your face and his piercing eyes stare into your (e/c) ones. “See I told you. A goddess,” he mumbles. You blush more and take his hands in yours. For a while you sit there in peace, but soon enough you blurt out, “What does this mean?” Newt smiles at your excitement and says, “I don’t know what this means (y/n), but I know that I care deeply about you, and would never ever hurt you.” “Good enough for me,” you smirk at him. The clock strikes seven and you soon realize that it’s Newt’s time to check on all the animals. “Come on,” you hold out your hand for him, and gesture to outside. He takes your hand in his and the two of you stroll in the moonlight of each habitat, checking on his creatures.

When you emerge from the suitcase, Queenie and Tina stand in the doorway, waiting for you two. Queenie immediately smiles, reading both of your thoughts. “You kissed,” she exclaims with excitement. Both of you blush profusely and stare at the ground. “You did?” Tina asks. You look up at her and nod. “Well, I’m happy for you,” she says, reluctantly. “I know it’s hard to be happy for me Tina, given our rivalry, but that means a lot,” you reply. She smiles at you for the first time since forever. Newt interrupts, “Now we can check central park tomorrow for the erumpent. I’m sure he’s still there.” “Sounds like a plan,” Tina nods. It grew late and the 5 of you decided to go to sleep. As you curled up on the ground Newt walks over and says, “Are you sure you don’t want me to sleep on the floor?” “I’m sure,” you smile, but there was a worry behind your eyes. “What is it?” he asks you. “I just, I haven’t sleep since that dream,” you admit. “Well I’m right here, if you need anything, please wake me,” he urges. “I will,” you squeeze his hand. “Well, goodnight then (y/n),” he says, kissing the top of your hand. “Goodnight,” you say peacefully.

Flashback

It was supposed to be a surprise, the proposal. But you found out about it. It was an accident, but you already suspected. Peter never liked to cook, yet he insisted on cooking you dinner tonight. And now you knew why. He just cleared your plates, so you knew it was coming. “Peter?” you call into the kitchen. He emerges with a candle and a cupcake. “Happy birthday darling,” he smiles at you. “Thank you,” you take it from him, but instead of blowing out the candle you set it on the table. “Darling what’s the matter? Don’t you like cupcakes?” he asks. You gulp and say, “Peter I know. I know you’re going to propose.” He just laughs, “Of course you do.” “I'm sorry, really,” you add. He pulls the box out of his pocket and motions for you to sit down. “I guess it won’t be much of a surprise then,” he says kneeling down in front of you. “(Y/n) I love you, with all of my heart. And I want you, forever, for the rest of our lives. I promise I’ll never leave you, I promise I will love and cherish you forever. You’re everything. So (y/n) will you marry me?” he asks. Tears come to your eyes as you hold out your hand giddy. “Of course I’ll marry you,” you laugh and cry. He slips the ring on your finger, and you stand up, wrapping yourself around him. He kisses your head and looks at you. “It’s you and me, the rest of our lives,” he smiles. “Forever and ever,” you agree.

Your eyes blink open and you feel the tears automatically come. “God why?” you breath into the night. You reluctantly sit up from your mat and look around for Newt. He’s fast asleep in the bed on your right. You feel bad waking him, but you knew that he would get mad if you didn’t. You sit on the edge of his bed and brush his red curls away from his face. “Newt?” you whisper. His eyes slowly blink open, bringing him back from whatever dream he was in. “(Y/n)? Are you alright?” he asks you, sitting up. You shake your head no, knowing if you tried to speak you’d end up sobbing. He understands, and silently opens up his arms. You fall into his chest, the silent sobs wracking your chest. He strokes your head with his hand, and whispers, “Shhh, it's okay. Everything will be okay I promise.” You nod into his chest. After a few minutes he looks in your eyes and says, “Do you wanna talk about it?” “It was the proposal,” you sob, “He promised not to leave but he did.” “(Y/n) look at me,” he wipes the tears from underneath your eyes. “I may not have known you for long, but I’m not going anywhere that you’re not coming with me,” he states with sincerity. “Okay?” he reassures you. “Okay,” you nod, sniffling. He smiles and says, “See? All better now.” He kisses your forehead and rests his against yours. After a few minutes he breathes, “What would help you to sleep easier?” Your cheeks turn pink as you say, “Sleeping here.” Referring to the bed. “Alright,” he nods, gulping nervously. He adjusts the covers so that you can climb under them. You climb under them and turn so you’re facing Newt. “Thank you,” you whisper. He responds by lightly kissing you. The two of you fall asleep staring into each other’s eyes, without a word.

You wake up to light peeking through your eyelids. You squint open your eyes to find your position changed. You were now facing away from Newt and his arms were wrapped protectively around you, your legs scrunched up into your chest. His chin rested on your shoulder, he was still fast asleep. Before you can even think about moving, Queenie walks in and smirks at the two of you. “My my, what have we here?” she jokes. Newt’s eyes blink open and he quickly sits up, pulling you with him. “Queenie, um, what it is, is”- she cuts him off. “Oh it’s alright darling, I already know,” she smirks. Newt still blushes. “Breakfast time you two,” she says as she walks back to the kitchen. When she’s gone Newt says, “Alright love?” You nod, “I slept soundly.” “I’m glad,” he says getting up, but pausing to plant a kiss on your cheek.

After breakfast the five of you decide to take the search to central park, to find the erumpent. “Are you sure the goblin wasn’t tricking you?” you ask Tina. Before she can respond Newt says, “It makes sense, the environment in central park, it’s perfect for him.” “Okay,” you nod. You all grab hands and dissapparate.

You reappear near the pond in central park. You all stare around, searching for any sign of him. “There!” you point up by the bridge and see the erumpent prancing around. “Come on, we need to use someone as bait,” Newt says as he pushes Jacob foreword. Jacob’s eyes widen in fear. “It’ll be fine,” you tell him. Soon enough you find yourself standing on the bridge, watching with Queenie and Tina. Jacob stands in the middle of the frozen pond, with armor on. “Oy! Over here!” he calls. The erumpent charges towards him, but Newt jumps out right in front of him. He sways his legs back and forth. “What is he doing?” Tina asks incredulously. You chuckle, realizing what he is doing. “He’s doing a mating dance, attracting the erumpent so he can capture him,” you snort, laughing. Newt continues to back towards Jacob, all the while completing the dance. He completes it with shaking his butt at the erumpent. The creature charges and Newt turns around, waving his wand, snapping his fingers, and sucking the creature up into his suitcase.

Newt and Jacob approach the three of you on the bridge and you look down at your feet, breaking into a fit of laughter. “(Y/n)? What is it?” Newt puts a hand on your arm, concerned. You look up at him and snort with laughter. “I’m sorry,” you wheeze between giggles, “It’s just that mating dance. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” Newt immediately goes bright red, which makes you feel bad for laughing. “I’m sorry for laughing, I just couldn’t help it,” you quickly say, wrapping your arms around him. “It’s alright,  I suppose,” he says into your hair, hugging you back. “Thank you,” you say planting a kiss on his cheek.

When you arrive back into the apartment, Queenie starts to make dinner, and you and Newt enter the case, checking on the erumpent. You find him back in his habitat, safe and sound. “Right where he should be,” Newt lets out a breath. “Yes he is,” you reply, taking his hand. “What now?” you ask him. He smirks, pulling you into him and planting a kiss right on your lips. You’re taken by surprise, but after a pause you wrap your arms around his neck and his hands find their way to your waist. You slide your tongue across Newt’s teeth and you can tell it takes him by surprise. After a brief hesitation, his tongue entwines with yours, tasting as sweet as ever. He pauses, pulling away. “(Y/n), I’ve just realized, we haven’t been on a proper date,” he tells you. “I suppose we haven’t,” you smile. “But I think all these walks around the case might count,” you add. “I suppose they do,” he smiles back. “Shall we see if dinner’s ready?” you ask him. He nods. You take his hand and the two of you climb up the ladder and exit the case.

There’s an air of contentment at dinner. After all, there was just one more creature to find. Though you suspected Newt would want to stick around just like you did to take care of Mary Lou Barebone. When you finish taking care of the animals, Newt doesn’t even hesitate when he pulls up the covers for you to crawl in next to him. He automatically wraps his arms protectively around you, and you pull his hand up to your lips, planting a sweet kiss on it. “Goodnight Newt,” you yawn. “Goodnight (y/n),” he whispers in your ear.

The next morning you roll over to feel around for Newt, but he’s not there. “Newt?” you call out for him. He steps in the doorway and smiles at your sleepy form. “Breakfast is ready,” he beams. “Mmmkay,” you say sleepily, flipping the covers off of you. You change into one of your day dresses, it was green cotton. Taking your gray cardigan off of the chair, you walk into the kitchen. Sitting down you say, “So where is the occamy hiding?” “Macy’s, been lots of sightings,” Tina replies. “Well we should get to it,” you say back. “After a solid breakfast,” Queenie chimes in.

After breakfast you dissapparate into macy’s. It’s dim and dank, nearly the entire store being abandoned after the obscurial attacks. Newt sees fallen feathers. “Come on,” he motions, following the trail. It leads you upstairs and you find the occamy nesting in a storage room. “He’s gigantic, how do we get him in the case,” you ask incredulously. “He shrinks down to the size of his pray,” Newt responds, “Now I just need to find a bug.” You all begin to search the ground. Just then, the occamy begins to awake. “Uh oh, Mr. Scamander,” Jacob starts. Newt motions for him to be quiet. Newt approaches the creature and whispers, “Keep looking.” You pull his arm back and say softly, “Newt be careful.” He nods. He attempts to soothe the creature while the other four of you search for any sort of insect. “Found one,” you quietly chime picking up a cockroach. You walk slowly over to Newt, but it’s too late, the Occamy already saw it. “Newt catch!” you shout throwing the bug at him. He holds a teapot in one hand, but catches it with the other, stuffing it in the teapot. At the same moment the Occamy jumps into the air and hurls its humongous body at the teapot. Mid-air the creature zaps and is shrunk as he dives into the teapot after his prey. Newt takes his suitcase and throws the teapot in there, shutting it closed. “Thank god,” Tina whispers into the air. You nod fervently. Tina suddenly grabs Newt by the arm and says, “I’m sorry Mr. Scamander, but the president must know.” Before you know it, she’s dissapparated with Newt and his suitcase back to MACUSA. “Newt, NO!” you shout. Queenie attempts to console you, “It’ll be okay, he’ll be back.” “No. I’m getting him back, now!” you reply, dissapparating.

You reappear in your office, luckily no one is there. You cautiously open the door and wander down the hallway. “Newt?” you whisper, searching frantically for him. “Newt!” you call again. You round the corner and that’s when you see him, in handcuffs, as well as Tina, being pulled away by Percival Graves. “Shit,” you mutter under your breath. Queenie and Jacob appear beside you and Queenie says, “I know where he’s taking them.” “Come on then,” you reply. Queenie nods and cautiously leads you down the hallway.

“I’m sorry Newt,” Tina sobs as they’re pushed into the pristine white room. Newt sighs, “Tina, did you know this would happen? (Y/n) needs me. If I die now, I would surely doom her to never trusting another soul again. We need to get out of this.” Tina replies, “I don’t think we can,” as Percival pushes her down in a white chair. “Sweet dreams,” he says sinisterly and he slams the door shut. One of his aides comes forward and extracts memories from both Tina and Newt, throwing them into the pool of black liquid beneath. Then she too exits. “Newt what’s…” Tina trails off as her own memory entrances her. Newt looks down to his and smiles to see the image reflected back at him. It was (y/n), kissing him the night before. How he ached for the pain he would cause her, when he was gone. He wanted to escape, but the sight of her, her smooth (h/c) hair, glowing skin, sparkling (e/c) eyes, he was bewitched by her figure.

Outside of the door you stood with Queenie. There was an eery air that washed over you, emanating from that room. “Queenie what is this place?” you ask her. “A death chamber,” she breathes back. You gasp, “We have to save them!”

Newt’s pov

The chair sunk lower and lower, but he had no idea. He was enthralled by the vision of her, standing with him. The way she caressed his cheek. The way they danced across the floor, all of it was heaven. The black liquid began to bubble up across the bottom of the chair and soon he would be dead. Suddenly, as if by a miracle, the door swings open, ricocheting off of the wall. The noise made him look up and he saw her standing before him in real life. His senses came back to him and he realized if he didn’t get out now, he would never see this beautiful girl again.

Regular pov

You kicked open the door and there he was, cinnamon curls and all, sinking to his certain death. “Newt!” you shrieked. Before your mind could comprehend what your body was doing, you apparrated right into his lap. Pulling him into your chest, you dissapparated immediately back to the doorway just as the black ooze bubbled up over the chair. Tina, who had come to her senses, was now standing on the top of her chair, crying out for help. You leave Newt in the doorway and dissapparate, grabbing her, and apparating back to where the rest stood. “Okay?” you ask her. She nods. “Thank you,” she mumbles. Once she said this you turn to Newt and throw yourself into his arms. He barely has time to catch you. Before you know what’s happening you find yourself sobbing heavily into his chest. “I thought that I was going to lose you,” you hiccup. “Shhh, shh, you’ll never lose me,” he wraps his arms tightly around you. You continue to sob silently into his chest and he kisses the top of your head. There’s a scuttle down the hallway and Queenie says, “We better get out of here.” You nod and the five of you travel back to the apartment.

Back at the apartment, Newt holds you close to him, never letting go. “How about we go somewhere more private? I need to make sure you’re okay,” Newt says to you. You nod and he takes your hand, leading you down into the case. Newt sits on a stool and you follow suit. He begins, “(Y/n) I’m so sorry. The memory, the sight of you, it put me in a trance, as I’m sure was the point, and I should’ve been stronger. If I left you, I can’t even imagine what effect that would have had on you.” “I’m just glad I was able to get to you in time,” you sniffle. “Yes. Me too. Thank you, for saving me,” Newt chuckles. You half laugh, half cry in response. “(Y/n), I, well, we haven’t been together for long, but I feel like you’ve been what’s missing,” he admits. You look up at him and smile for the first time in hours. “Me too,” you reply. He presses his forehead to yours and says, “Don’t ever change.” You smirk back under his gaze. “Only for you,” you whisper. You both get off of your stools and wander back upstairs for dinner.

After dinner you all converse around the kitchen table, planning on how to help Credence. “It’s his adoptive mother. She’s ruining him, tormenting him. We have to get him free,” Tina pleads. “We will,” you reassure her. “How?” she asks. “We need to get him away from her. That’s what is causing his transformations,” Newt replies. “I don’t know how we would. She’s got him locked up under her thumb. That’s how I got demoted in the first place, trying to help him,” Tina admits. “We’ll save him,” Newt reassures her. “I think we should plan this one out a little more. Obscurials can be dangerous and we don’t want him to get hurt,” you add. Everyone nods. “So tomorrow we go after him?” Newt asks. “Yes. Agreed,” Tina responds.

The next day was senator Shaw’s campaign. But there was an incident. An obscurial swept through the building, killing Henry Shaw Senior. Newt and his creatures, they had a reputation at this point. And that’s how Madame President knew to come after you. “This obscurial, is causing too much damage to the city. It must be destroyed,” she yells at you. “He’s just a boy,” Tina argues. “Silence Goldstein,” the president shrugs her off. “Madame President please,” you beg her. She sighs, “You have one hour to try to take care of him in your own way. After that, I send in Graves.” You nod and she dissapparates.

“Hurry,” you shout over your shoulder, descending into the subway station. “He must be down here,” you say aloud. When you all emerge into the tunnel, you see him standing there, Credence. “Credence,” you hold out your hands to show you mean no harm. “Stay back,” he cries. “We don’t want to hurt you, we want to help you,” Newt says walking up beside you. “Please Credence, let us help,” Tina adds. He cautiously approaches. You can see the end of this destruction in sight, but that’s when Graves appears. “Credence no!” the auror shouts, standing between you and Credence. “Credence it’s okay, you can do this,” you cry. Graves turns to you with a satanic smirk on his face. “Ah (y/n), I figured you’d be here. And it’s a good thing you are. See I got awful tired of Mr. Scamander here always winning. Everyone said he had no weaknesses. But I think I found one,” he narrows his eyes towards you. “What do you want with her? She did nothing to you,” Newt steps forward and places a protective hand in front of you. “On the contrary. She rescued you. And you, Mr. Scamander, you’re ruining my plans. See I have big plans for the wizarding world,” he moves closer. “But you’re already an auror, what more could you want?” Tina steps forward, questioning him. “Ah you see that’s where you are wrong Ms. Goldstein,” he laughs. Newt’s eyes pop and he realizes who Graves actually is. “Revelio,” Newt says as soft as a whisper. Graves stands there and lets the spell wash over him. When his disguise is gone, he’s revealed in all of his horrible glory; Gellert Grindevald. “No,” Tina whispers in horror. “Yes it’s true. And I think I got here just in time. Wouldn’t want the president ruining my plans. See Newt, you are gonna give up these creatures to me and you’re gonna give up your fight,” he dissapparates. He reappears directly behind you and whispers, “Or (y/n) dies.” Grindevald yanks your arm, pulls you into him, and the two of you dissapparate. “NO!” Newt reaches for you, but it’s too late. You were already gone.

You reappear in a dark, dank room. “Where are we?" you ask aloud. It’s pitch black, so you’re not sure where his voice comes from when he says, “Somewhere no one will find you.” “What do you want from me?” you attempt to say in your bravest voice. “It’s not what I want from you. It’s what I need from Newt,” he chuckles. “What?” you ask. “Newt has interfered with my recruiting for far too long now. And besides that, I’ve seen the damage his creatures can do. I need that for my dark forces,” he tells you. Fear slips down your body like a cold gush of water. “He’ll stop you, you know. He’ll never give up his creatures for me. They mean too much to him,” you say, trying to convince yourself it’s the truth. “You’re wrong (y/n). Newt would do anything for love,” he laughs at you. The L- word makes you shake with worry. Did Newt really love you? You’d known each other for all of a week. But that didn’t matter to you, you felt like you’d known him a whole lifetime. “You can keep me here. He won’t come. He knows better than that,” you state. “Oh does he?” Grindevald makes you doubt yourself. “Just to be sure, however, I may need to make you look worse for the wear,” he sneers. You hear footsteps and back further into your corner. The steps grow closer and the fear inside you heightens. Suddenly an arm is yanking you towards him. You can hear the cling of metal and before you process what is happening, he cuts into your flesh, causing blood to spurt out of your arm. “That ought to cause enough damage,” his hot breath speaks in your ear. You realize he must have hit a vein, because the blood feels like it is gushing out of you. Soon enough, you grow dizzy, and slump to the ground, against a wall. “What did you do?” your voice comes out fuzzy. “Oh that, I may have struck a vein or two. Don’t worry, you won’t die. Not yet. I need you looking at death’s door to get that boyfriend of yours to come rescue you,” he replies. “He’s not… we’re not…” you don’t even finish your sentence before you black out.

Meanwhile back at the subway station..

“We have to get her back! Where would he have taken her?” Newt paces angrily. Queenie attempts to calm him, but he shoves her off. “Newt, don’t you realize why he did this? He wants to make you trade your creatures for (y/n),” Tina tells him. “Then that’s what I’ll do,” Newt says without a second thought. “What? After we went through all that trouble to get them back? Are you crazy?” Tina asks him as if he is joking. He turns to her, “No. I’m thinking about (y/n), which makes one of us. None of you three seem to even care that he’s probably taunting and torturing her right now. I don’t care. She’s more important.” Suddenly Queenie gasps. “What?” Newt turns to her. “You love her,” Queenie states with awe, even the thought surprised her. Newt ponders the thought for a split second before saying, “If you read my mind then yes, you know it’s true. I love her. And I’m not about to let her die.”

Your eyes flicker open, the florescent light burning through them. You try to sit up, but gasp when you feel a stabbing pain in your arm. You found your arm wrapped up with a bandage, but it was already red with fresh blood. Grindevald walks into view. “Glad to see you awake. I have a job for you. It's been nearly three hours. We need to send Mr. Scamander a message. So here's what’s going to happen. I’m going to send him a message with my patronus. And you’re going to tell him the deal, give me his animals, or I’ll kill you. On your feet,” he yanks you up by your hair. You screech in pain. He throws you against the wall and hisses, “Do it!” He waves his wand and you begin. “Newt,” you cry. “Newt I’m being held captive by Grindevald. He says you have to bring him your case and hand it over or, or,” you pause, refusing to give that ultimatum to your sweet heart. “Crucio!” he shouts, pushing you over the edge. “Agggh!” you writhe in pain. “Newt bring him your case or he’ll kill me,” you grit between the pain. Grindevald strolls into view and says, “Mr. Scamander. You have one hour.”

Back at the subway station

They stand in a circle plotting on how to rescue you. That’s when Madame President walks in. “Mr. Scamander, I trust you took care of Credence?” Newt looks up, “Actually no. We have a much, much, bigger problem at hand.” Seraphina rolls her eyes and says, “Oh really and what could that be? Another excuse?” “No! Graves isn’t who he says he is. He's Gellert Gridevald. And he kidnapped (y/n), he's torturing her!” Tina shouts. Seraphina’s eyes nearly jump out of her head. “Oh dear,” her voice trails off. Suddenly the white wisp of a patronus comes floating down to right above their heads. It flashes into a video, a video of you. Your image comes into view and your voice comes across in the end. “Bring your case or he’ll kill me,” the reflection of you states. “You have one hour,” comes Grindevald’s voice. The patronus fades out and Newt nearly snaps his wand in half out of anger. “We have to get her back, now! If you won’t help me, I’ll do it myself,” he yells dissapparating. He thought of you, and as a result, he appears to where you are.

You sit chained against some unknown brick wall. The bandage on your arm reeked of infection. In the perhaps hour or two since you sent the message, he had been non stop torturing you, repeatedly using the crucio curse. Your body was slumped over, defeated, as you fade in and out of consciousness. Tears escape your eyes, dripping onto the concrete. He blasts you with another curse and you thrash in agony. Your body falls to the ground from your seated position, your head smacking the concrete. You can feel your skull open and fresh blood pour out. “This is it. I never even got to tell him I love him,” you sob. Suddenly, as if you had wished it, his form appears in front of you.

Newt’s pov

As he dissapparated, he kept his thoughts on her. Guilt ate away at his insides, he should of protected her more. This was all his fault. And now, because of it, she might die. His body twisted and turned through the air, apparrating, while he tried to think of her when she was happy, when they first shared a moment, that night at the speak easy, when they danced. He loved that memory, but he hated the fact that it later caused her pain that night. His body came screeching to a halt. He opened his eyes and there she was. The sight broke his heart, tore it to smithereens. She laid on the hard, cold, concrete floor. Her (h/c) hair was splayed out around her, but a pool of blood was leaking out around her beneath it. Her legs were twisted up against her, as if she was trying to block out some of the pain. A small drip of blood leaked out of her lip. The sight made him want to cry, cursing himself yet again for letting this happen to her. As soon as he arrived he could smell the stench from her arm and knew it must be infected, shortening the time she had left right now. Her tiny, frail voice called out to him, “Newt?”

Regular pov

He appeared like a miracle and you felt a tiny bit of hope spring up inside you. Your small voice croaked out, “Newt?” Needing to be sure, you were worried you were hallucinating. He immediately came to your side, pulling you into his lap. “You came for me,” you smiled, reaching up and caressing his chin with the back of your hand. Tears fell from his eyes onto your cheeks. “Of course I did,” he whimpered. “(Y/n), I’m so so sorry, this is all my fault,” he continued. “Hey,” you press your finger to his lips, “Don’t say that. I’ll be," you pause in pain, “I’ll be okay. And if I’m not, I’ll just be glad that we got the time we did together.” “Don’t say that. You’ll be okay,” he says, now openly weeping. “No, she won’t,” Grindevald comes strolling into view. You pull Newt’s face down near yours and say, “You can’t let him have the case. Whatever will happen to me will happen, but your creatures, you can’t let him use them for evil.” Newt looks at you sadly. “But I can’t live without you,” he admits. You cry at the unspoken love this man has for you. “And I you, but we have to think about the greater good,” you sob. Suddenly, rushing to your aide, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob come bursting into the room. Queenie visibly winces when she sees the pain you’re in. Feeling your pain and how severe it is she shouts, “Newt, you need to get her help now, or she will surely die.” Newt nods fervently. He pulls you into him, preparing to dissapparate, but you push against his chest, “No. We need to stay and help.” “(Y/n), you are so good, so pure, but if we stay, you will die. I cannot live with myself if you’re dead,” he whimpers. You burrow into his chest and prepare to dissapparate in your condition. The feeling never comes. Instead you feel yourself being ripped away from your love. “No!” you cry in pain. Grindevald took you, stood you up, and held a knife to your throat. “Ganging up on me? Now that’s just plain not fair. Shame,” he jokes with your life in his hands. The knife drags across your throat, grazing your skin, producing dribbles of blood. “Don’t hurt her,” Newt stands up, grabbing his case. “You can take them. You can take everything I have but for the love of god, don’t hurt her,” he continues. “Hand over the case Mr. Scamander,” Grindevald motions for it. Newt slides it over. As soon as he does Grindevald throws you across the room and you fall into Newt’s arms, barely able to stand on your own. “I think I can say with confidence, that it is too late for her,” he chuckles. Newt stares at him with loathing in his eyes. “I will find you,” Newt growls at him. “And I will destroy you.” Suddenly, as if from the heavens, the president appears. “I think we can arrange that Newt,” she states. She casts a simple stunning charm, but it hits Grindevald as he is taken by surprise. They handcuff him and yank the case out of his hands. “Tina take it,” Newt says, gesturing to the case. “I need to get her help,” Newt says. At this point you had passed out in his arms, and your blood was covering his chest. Tina catches the case and Newt brushes your hair out of your face, whispering to your unconscious form, “You’ll be okay. Please be okay.” He pulls you into him and dissapparates you into the hospital.

You fade in and out of consciousness, but can make out that you’re on a gurney, being rushed into the emergency department at the wizarding hospital. Your eyes blink open and you look up to see Newt running beside you. You grab his hand and he looks down at you in surprise. Intertwining your fingers, you tell him, “I love you.” You don’t have a chance to hear his response, as you begin to fade back out of consciousness. The last thing you hear before the world goes black is, “She’s lost too much blood, it’ll be a miracle if we can save her.”

3 days later

You wake up to find yourself in a hospital bed. Trying to shoot up, you immediately cry out in pain, and lay back down. When you look to your right, you can see multiple bags of blood tied up to your IV, being transferred into your body. Your eyes glance to the left and you see Newt asleep in a chair next to your bed. His hand rests on the edge of the bed, as if it was just holding yours. You grab his hand and squeeze it. His eyes slowly open, unsure if he dreamed your reaction. When he sees that you are indeed awake he whispers, “(Y/n)?” You nod, smiling, a tear coming to your eye. Newt immediately sobs, “They said you might never wake up. But you did, you did and you’re here.” He plants kisses all over your hands. Newt looks into your eyes and you open your mouth to speak, but find your throat on fire. You point to a glass of water and Newt brings it to you. After downing the whole thing you take a breath and say, “I’m okay.” He laughs at your simple statement and says, “You are. You’re gonna be just fine.” “Thanks to you,” you add. Newt argues, “Because of me, you almost died.” You shake your head no. “Because of you, I am alive, but not just alive, I am thriving,” you state, staring into his forest green eyes. He gulps, struggling to accept your response. His eyes light up as he remembers the last thing you said to him. “(Y/n),” he gasps, “(Y/n) I love you too.” You smirk. “I thought as much,” you joke. Newt laughs at how you’re already back to joking with him. “When do I get to go home?” you ask. Newt chuckles, “Not so fast. You’re gonna be in here, for a few weeks. But that’s okay, I’m gonna stay here with you. I’ll update you on everything that happened since your surgery.” “Surgery?” you ask. Newt nods, “Your skull was so broken up, they had to reform it." “Oh,” you breath, feeling the back of your head with your hand. All the hair was shaven off the back, just for the surgery. “I’m bald,” you half laugh, half cry. “I can fix that,” Newt laughs. With a wave of his wand, your familiar (h/c) locks return. “They said it’ll take three weeks of recovery,” he tells you. “Okay. That’s easy compared to what I just went through,” you reply. “I’m sure it is,” Newt says. “Can I get you anything?” he asks you. “Just you,” you say sincerely, opening the covers for him to crawl in next to you. He gets up, and that’s when you see it, the bandage on his arm. “Newt what happened?” you gasp. He looks at you and realizes you don’t know. “How do you think you got the blood you needed?” Newt states. The answer hits you and you immediately cry, yet again. “You gave that much blood for me?” you cry softly. “Of course I did. For you, I would do anything,” Newt states as if it is the simplest fact in the world. You lean over just enough to kiss him on the lips, placing each hand on his cheeks. He kisses you back, now sitting on your hospital bed, propping himself up on his elbows. “I love you Newt Scamander,” you cry. “I love you too (y/n) (l/n),” he presses his forehead to yours and kisses you yet again. The kiss has both of your tears intermingled in it and it tastes salty sweet. “Now, let’s get some sleep,” he says, removing his lips from yours. You nod and lay down. He lays down beside you and wraps both arms protectively around you. You place your hands on top of his and your legs intertwine in a pile of blankets. For the first time in nearly a week, the two of you fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

You wake up and turn over to look at Newt. He’s sleeping soundly and you peck his face all over with kisses, waking him up. “(Y/n) stop,” he laughs as you attack him with more kisses. “I’m sorry, I just can’t believe we can finally be together, in peace,” you say between kisses. “Me too, darling, me too. But they said recovery won’t be easy,” he tells you. “Doesn’t matter. I can do anything with you,” you state simply. “I hope so,” he smiles. A nurse walks in and says, “Alright (y/n) now’s the time where we’re gonna test various skills of yours. Because the injury to your head effected your brain, we want to make sure it’s functioning properly. It’s going to be like any other test you would normally take in school. If you’ll just come with me.” You get up and Newt follows. “I'm sorry Mr. Scamander, you cannot come with,” the nurse holds her arm up. He frowns and says, “Alright I’ll see you later then lovely. You can do this,” he says, planting a sweet kiss to your forehead.

The recovery was the hardest. They gave you tests of all sorts, from math, to science, to history, nearly everything. “I can’t do this anymore,” you throw your pencil down. “Alright. You may go,” the nurse pulls the test from your desk. Your head is pounding, you definitely exceeded your capacity for concentrating. You walk down the hallway and anxiously rush into your hospital room. “Newt sits with his work spread all over the table. You pause outside the door, smiling at his concentration. You lightly knock, “Hey.” He nearly jumps up and says, “(Y/n) darling are you feeling any better?” You sigh and walk over sitting on the arm of his chair. “It was terrible, it’s so hard to concentrate,” you sigh. He puts his arm around you and brushes the back of your head. “I know, I had a feeling it would be. You don’t need to concentrate though. I had an idea,” he looks at you excitedly. “What is it?” you ask. “Well…. I was thinking since I still need to finish my book, that maybe you could do the illustrations? I remember you saying you like to draw and that way you can contribute,” he says hurriedly. Your face lights up at his suggestion. “Newt that is a fantastic idea! You’re the best,” you say as you plant a sloppy kiss on his lips. He chuckles, “I’m glad you like it.” He continues to kiss you, making you weak. “As much as I’d love to keep kissing you, I think I need to get some sleep,” you tell him. He nods and pulls you into the hospital bed with him. Your head rests on his chest with his arm underneath you. You curl into his side and hold his other hand. “Sweet dreams princess,” he mutters in your ear. You snuggle into him more and fall asleep.

The three weeks of recovery are rough, as you adjust to your new, lower brain capacity. But Newt was right, with your concentration levels dwindling, your drawing flourished, actually becoming something to be proud of. Over the time you where in the hospital, you had already begun illustrations for the book. On the last day, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob came to visit you. “(Y/n)!” Queenie shouts rushing over to give you a hug. You laugh and hug her back, dropping the suitcase in your hands. “Thanks for coming you guys,” you tell them. “It’s our pleasure, we’re just glad you’re alright,” Tina says genuinely. “And I have some good news. Madame President has offered you the position of auror, should you choose to accept it we would work together,” she adds. You smile sadly. “Tina that’s wonderful, I’m so happy for you, but I can’t be a part from Newt, not now that I’m alive and well. I’m going to travel with him, and do the illustrations for the book. But I’m really proud of you,” you tell her. She smiles, “Thank you. I think that’s wonderful, I’m so glad you two found each other.” You blush and Newt’s hand finds yours. “So what will you do? Since you get to leave?” Jacob asks. You shrug, “I guess we’ll go back to my apartment for a little while, but I don’t care where we are, as long as I’m with him.” “Well, keep in touch, okay?” Queenie says. “Will do,” you smile and hug her. When you’re done saying goodbye to everyone, you grab Newt’s hand and bring him back to your apartment.

You arrive in your living room. You hadn’t been back here in over a month, but it was just the same way you left it. “So this is my place,” you say sheepishly. Newt grins. It reflected who you were so much. There were plants covering almost the entire space and the walls were white, with a bright yellow couch in the center of the room. “I love it,” he beams. “Really?” you ask. “Really,” he turns to you, taking your hands in his and staring into your eyes. “So what now?” you ask. “Now, now we get to be together,” he replies simply. You turn to him and drop the suitcase in your hands, grabbing the collar of his jacket and smashing your lips to his. His eyes open wide in surprise, but they quickly close. He brings his hands up to your cheeks and caresses them with his gentle touch. Still grabbing his collar, you let your tongue dance across the inside of his mouth. His hands wind themselves into your hair and he tugs at it, causing you to open your mouth more, allowing him to slip his tongue in. His hands find your lower back and he pulls you closer to him. This time it’s your turn for your fingers to get tangled in his cinnamon red hair. His hands pressed against your back, send shock waves through your body. You were very aware that this time, for the first time, the kiss wasn’t sweet, it was passionate and full of heat. Newt pulls away for the first time and breathes in your ear, “I’m so happy I found you (y/n).” After that he finds the sweet spot behind your ear and kisses the skin there. Your hands tighten in his hair, letting him know that what he’s doing feels good. You can feel his lips form into a smile as he licks down your neck. “N-n-newt,” you stutter under his touch, getting awfully squirmy. He removes his tongue from your skin and smiles, planting a sweet kiss on your nose. “Come now, we should get some rest,” he pulls you towards what he assumes is the bedroom. “Alright, but if we go in there, I don’t think it’s rest we’ll be getting,” you walk in front of him, swaying your hips in just the right way. He runs in after you like a giddy school boy and says, “Oh really?” You turn and press him against the door, “Really,” you whisper right against his face. He smiles and scoops you up, laying you down on the bed. He shakes off his coat and comes over to you. “Are you sure, (y/n),” he asks. You smile, “I’m sure. I love you Newt.” That’s all the answer he needs. He surprisingly presses your arms above your head and kisses you all over your body, sending you reeling. “God, Newt!” you shriek, tugging on his hair, pulling him into you more. The rest is a blur of sweaty, hot, bodies, melting into one as Newt shows you just how much he loves you.

The next morning you wake up in a tangled pile of skin. The sun shines brightly through your window. “Morning Newt,” you plant a kiss to his bare chest. “Morning lovely,” he smiles at you, running his fingers through your hair. “Shall I make us some breakfast?” you ask him, starting to get up. “Not yet, don’t leave,” his arm snakes around your waist and he pulls you back into him. “Newt!” you laugh out loud at his actions. “I just can’t get enough of you,” he says kissing your shoulders. You turn to face him and say, “I cannot believe how lucky I am.” “I’m the one who’s lucky,” he returns. You blush. You nuzzle your face into his bare chest and he holds you against him for a while. “What next,” you say after the silence. “I don’t know. I want to take Frank to Arizona. That’s the reason I came here in the first place,” he replies. “Well I think we can make that happen,” you tell him.

Hours later, you’re dressed and ready to go. “Shall we?” you offer your arm to Newt. He takes it, and you dissapparate.

Appearing in the center of a desert, you stare around in awe. “Where are we?” “The grand canyon,” Newt breaths it in. You grip his hand tightly. “Will he like it here?” you whisper. “I know he will,” Newt assures you. He briefly lets go of your hand so he can bend down and open the case. Reaching down, he motions for Frank to emerge. He does, slowly, but surely. The majestic bird looks around. Smiling beneath his beak, he prances around the rocky terrain. He pauses, and comes back to you. “Hi Frank,” you smile and pet his beak. The bird coos into your shoulder. A tear manages to slip from your eyes. “Good luck buddy,” you tell him. Frank pecks you on the cheek and walks over to Newt. Newt’s a mess at this point, having to say goodbye to one of his favorite creatures. “You be good now Frank,” he murmurs, hugging the creature with all his might. Frank soars off over the two of you, and creates a light rain in tribute to your parting. “He’ll be so happy. I know it Newt,” you come over to your love and put your arms around him. “I know, I know,” Newt mumbles, placing his head into your neck. You pull his cheeks into your hands, “I love you Newt Scamander.” “I love you too (y/n),” he presses a kiss on your nose. You stand, watching Frank fly off. After a while, you say, “What shall we do next my love?” “Anything you want,” he replies. You smile, leaning into him, and you dissapparate.

The End.