#ticklish!Theseus

[i-choose-the-danger]

Creature Comforts

Finally able to post today! Fitting that I get it typed up on Eddie Redmayne's birthday too. 🥰I had this idea in my head after writing my last fic and referring to it in the dialogue, and it kept nagging at me and growing bigger and bigger. It just made sense to turn it into a fic of its own. So this fic is about something that was referenced in this fic, if you want to read that first. Only one big note here - what I've written is based off my own personal headcanon for these characters. We don't really know much about Newt's and Theseus's childhoods. We're still unsure about Theseus's *actual* birthday, but I feel that in 1904 (when I have the fic taking place), Theseus would be finishing his 6th year at Hogwarts and Newt would be seven years old. And for Newt, the way he is and his childhood are personally important to me, so I ask that you be kind and respect that. Everyone has their own headcanons and these are mine. Thank you. <3 I really do love these boys and I hope we get to see more of them together in the next film. Fic below the cut. :)

It was a warm June day in the English countryside. All was quiet in the Scamander home, mostly due to the fact that a very young Newt was home alone with his mother and that his older brother Theseus wouldn't be returning from Hogwarts for the summer until later in the evening. Newt had been spending the day helping his mother with chores around the house.

"Here you are, little Ruffles," Newt announced, walking towards the small hippogriff enclosure in his family's backyard as slowly as possible. He was carrying a bowl almost as big as himself and trying not to spill any water from it. "It's very warm out here and Mummy says you have to... to stay, um... hydrated." He set the bowl down on the ground and bowed before the young hippogriff, quietly waiting. He was nervous, but tried not to tense his muscles. A few seconds later, Ruffles mirrored Newt and bowed its head. Newt sighed in relief and slowly raised a hand, resting his palm on the creature's head and brushing his little fingers back through its feathers as it bent down to drink.

"Wonderful," Newt's mother observed from behind him.

"She let me pet her!" Newt beamed. He had been trying since the hippogriff's birth to gain its trust. His mother had been teaching him about hippogriffs and how important it is to establish such a bond with creatures in one's care.

Newt was only seven years old, too young to yet attend Hogwarts, but interested in all of the creatures his mother cared for and he constantly asked her to teach him anything she could. Newt wasn't like most children his age. He was very quiet and kept to himself. The only time he would open up was when watching his mother care for the hippogriffs she bred or when she was tending her garden. He would often follow her and try to help with anything she would allow.

"She trusts you now. I'm proud of you, sweetheart." Newt's mother carded her fingers through her son's messy auburn curls, lightly patting the top of his head. "I need you to take this basket and feed these to the gnomes over the wall, hmm? Can you do that for me?"

"I can do that, Mummy." Newt picked up a wicker basket full of things his mother had pulled up from her garden and toddled off to the other side of the backyard in a hurry.

"That's my sweet boy," she sighed.

Newt had always enjoyed feeding the gnomes, but never understood what he was feeding them. His mother said that the things she pulled from her garden were called horklumps. They looked like an odd species of mushroom. She said that they weren't important and their only purpose was keeping the gnomes from digging holes throughout the backyard. Newt threw most of them over the wall to a few gnomes who had dug holes behind one of the oak trees, but he stared down at the few horklumps left in the basket. He shuffled one of his feet, digging his heel into the dirt. Mummy doesn't need these. It should be okay if I take a few to my room and look at them, he thought. Newt took the basket of remaining horklumps into the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Mum! I'm home!" Theseus called out as he pulled his trunk through the fence gate into the backyard, a broom in his other hand and a satchel slung over his shoulder.

"You're early, dear! I thought you said the quidditch team was going to get together after you got back to the station."

"That was the plan, but McCoy did poorly on his O.W.L.s and his parents wouldn't let him come out. We didn't feel right being without him."

"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe he should study with you next year for your N.E.W.T.s."

"Speaking of Newts, I thought he would be out here with you. Where is he?"

"I asked him to take all of the horklumps I pulled up and toss them to the gnomes over the wall."

"What on earth for?" Theseus wondered.

"Waste not. If you have the patience and the time, you can learn to coexist with almost any creature." Mrs. Scamander tucked a loose curl of hair behind her ear and continued to till her small garden. "Besides, it keeps those little monsters from digging up my roses. They know they'll get food from me if they stay away."

"He must've gone inside to clean up. Can I leave this with you while I find him?" Theseus lifted the satchel from his shoulder and handled it gently as he held it out towards his mother.

"Is that what we discussed the other day?" Theseus's mother brushed her hands against her apron to remove the dirt from them before holding them out. "Give it here. I'll keep it safe for you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Newt had spent the past hour or so sketching and writing in his notebooks. He was seated on the floor in the center of his bedroom, his legs crossed and his socked feet flexing. Charcoal was smudged on his hands and wrists. A handful of horklumps sat in a pile in front of the child on the floor by one of his knees. They looked like large pink mushrooms, but they were covered in hard black hairs and had root-like tentacles. Newt's mother had told him they were nothing more than weeds in her garden, but he was fascinated with how they grew and his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"You're not a 'shroom," he mumbled to himself. Newt stuck out his tongue and bit down on it lightly as he concentrated on sketching in his notebook. He looked at the tentacles poking out from the bottom of a horklump stalk. "These are little legs like ones on grin-, on grindee... Grindylows." He picked up one of the horklumps he had begun to dissect and held it close to his face. He grazed a finger over the coarse hair of its stalk. "Ow. It feels like brushes." The hard bristles were shedding from the small creature as he touched it. Newt was so focused on jotting down notes in his book that he didn't hear his door open.

"There you are. Didn't you hear me ca-" Theseus looked around the room. There were dissected horklump pieces strewn across the floor with Newt's notebooks. Garden dirt, charcoal, and the horklumps' spiny bristles were on some of Theseus's belongings, including his bed. "What is this mess?!"

"You're home early!" Newt yelped.

"Everything is covered in dirt and hair!" Theseus could feel himself getting more aggravated no matter where he looked.

"I was studying them." Newt blinked hard and looked up at Theseus. "I was going to clean it, soon as I finished!" Newt panicked and scrambled to bring himself into a kneeling position as he closed his sketchbook and threw his charcoal and quill into a small box of art supplies that he kept under his bed.

"And how exactly did you plan on cleaning all of this? Even the most complex scouring charm couldn't get this caked-in dirt out of my sheets!" Theseus tried swatting the dirt off of one of his blankets, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry! I'll clean it all up right now." Newt pressed his palms to his ears, trying to concentrate on where to start cleaning before Theseus could raise his voice again.

"Oh no, wait. Newt..." Theseus's tone was calm. He realized that his knee-jerk reaction was a bit too harsh towards his younger brother and he felt awful for reacting the way he did. "Newt, stop. Come here." Theseus crouched down to the floor and shifted his weight so that he was kneeling to match his brother's height. "It's alright. I'm not angry."

"I don't believe you. Your face is angry. And you were loud," Newt muttered, looking up at his brother through the unruly curls that had fallen in front of his eyes as he cast his head down. He blinked and stared back down at his socks. One of his thumbs clawed absentmindedly at his pants pocket. "I didn't mean to make a mess."

"I know. I'm sorry that I yelled." Theseus held his arms out towards Newt and sighed. "Please, come here," he added, stretching out his fingers. The corners of his mouth turned up as Newt cautiously stepped towards him. Once Newt was within reach, Theseus wrapped him in a tight hug. Newt didn't reciprocate the gesture, but simply stood still with his arms at his sides and let Theseus continue to hold him. "I'm sorry for yelling. I promise that I'm not angry." Theseus heard a small sniffle come from his little brother and his heart sank. He pulled back from the hug and flashed the cheesiest smile he could muster. "My face isn't angry either, see?"

"Not now. It doesn't have the big wrinkles anymore," Newt pointed out, tracing a finger across his brother's forehead.

"Wrinkles?! Hmmph!" Theseus rolled his eyes and let Newt go, crossing his arms. "I know how I can make up for upsetting you. How about I introduce you to a new creature? One I know you've never met before."

"A new one?" Newt's eyes lit up like stars. He pursed his lips and bounced with nervous energy. "You mean it?"

"Mmhmm. It's fun, and it's cuddly, and it's not dangerous, and it loves to make people smile."

"Why haven't I seen it before?" The child was very intrigued, yet cautious.

"Um, er, Mum might have just thought you weren't ready to meet one, but I think it's okay for me to show one to you now."

"Where is it? What is it called? Where did you find it?" Newt kept leaning from side to side, trying to see where his brother might be hiding such a wonderful surprise.

"Oh it's right here." Theseus chuckled to himself as Newt looked around. "It's called... a tickle monster." Theseus bent forward to wrap his arms around his little brother again, but Newt was too quick and jumped back, leaving Theseus to faceplant into the floor with a loud thud. "OOF!"

"Uh-oh!" Newt sprinted out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him, a panicked giggle escaping his lips as he padded down the hallway looking for a place to hide.

"You little... come back here!" Theseus pushed himself to stand and brushed some dust off the knees of his pants. "You can't escape the tickle monster. I know all of your little hiding spots!"

Theseus searched room by room, checking all of the places Newt would hide himself when he needed to be alone or when he was upset. He glanced over at the linen closet in the laundry room and smiled knowingly. Its door was open just the slightest bit. Newt would often tuck himself away in there when playing hide-and-seek with their mother. He'd never close the door all the way because he was still quite uncomfortable in the dark.

"Now where could that little brother of mine be?" Theseus wondered aloud. He pulled open a desk drawer. "Hmm, no. Not here." He shook out a blanket that had been laid over the back of a chair. "Nope." He lifted the cushion from the same chair. "Not under here either. I guess you're too smart for me." Theseus crept by a small cabinet and turned toward the linen closet. With a gentle hand, he grabbed the door, waited, and then flung it wide open. "AHA! Now I've got...you?" His expression fell. The bottom of the closet was empty. "Newt?" Theseus stepped into the closet and bent over to check behind a pile of bed sheets, not hearing the slight squeak of the cabinet door just behind him. Before he could straighten back up, the closet door swung and smacked against his bum, knocking him off balance and face-first into the stack of sheets. He could hear tiny footsteps dashing away. "You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled, his face still smooshed in the sheets.

Theseus doubled back to their bedroom just in case Newt had retreated back to where he felt safest. As he reached the doorway, he heard the staircase creak followed by a small gasp. He continued into the bedroom without turning to look back, knowing that Newt was heading downstairs. Theseus very rarely managed to get his brother to come out of his shell and be playful, so he was in no rush to end this game of hide-and-seek so soon.

"Need to hide. Need to hide," Newt repeated to himself frantically, eyes darting around as he tried to think of a spot that would be safe. He linked his thumbs into the pockets of his pants and pulled on them a few times to calm himself. The feeling of butterflies in his stomach was making him shift his weight back and forth from one leg to the other.

"I'm going to find you, little brother," Theseus called out in a sing-song voice as he started to descend the staircase.

"Oh no!" Newt quietly gasped to himself. He would never make it to the kitchen in time to run out the back door without Theseus seeing him and catching him. Luckily, Newt was thin and agile enough that he was able to quickly duck and dart under the dining table. He peeked out underneath the tablecloth to see Theseus's shoes only a few inches away from his hiding spot. Newt's hands flew to cover his mouth to suppress the sudden nervous urge he had to giggle.

"Brother mine, where could you have gone?" Theseus walked around the dining table and stood still for a moment, noticing a chair slightly out of place. He bent down just enough to be able to see exactly where Newt was hiding. He could have ended this chase right then, but couldn't help dragging the game out just a few minutes longer. "Well, he's too young to apparate, so he couldn't have vanished into thin air. I wonder if he went outside." Theseus headed into the kitchen and hid himself against the door frame to wait.

"Whew," Newt whispered. He carefully crawled over the bottom rungs of the chair in front of him and out from under the table. He had no idea that his brother was watching from the kitchen... or that he was now sneaking up behind him.

"Gotcha!" Theseus crowed, wrapping his arms around Newt's waist and scooping him into the air. Newt was already squirming and giggling before Theseus had even done anything. "And where do you think you're going, hmm? All this wriggly giggly nonsense won't save you from the tickle monster."

"No no no no no! You lied to me! That's... that's not a real creature! It doesn't count!" Newt continued to squirm in his brother's arms in hopes of slipping through and running for cover.

"Oh I can assure you that the tickle monster is very real. If it wasn't, could it do this?" Theseus's arms were long enough that he was able to hold Newt in a hug from behind and have his hands reach Newt's ribs on the opposite sides. The very second his fingers scrunched into Newt's sides, the child squealed and let out the wildest string of giggles Theseus had ever heard in his entire life.

"Thee-hee-hee-hee-heeseus!" No matter how hard Newt tried to free himself, his brother's arms were too strong. "You and your dumb hugger arms! Let me gohohohohoho!"

"You dirty up the whole bedroom, knock me down in the closet, and now you insult my hugging? That's it." Theseus walked into the den towards the couch, never pausing his attack as Newt continued to squeal and thrash about in protest in his arms. Theseus even blew a few raspberries against the side of Newt's neck, causing the child to squeak and squirm through more laughter. He dropped Newt onto the cushions and sat beside him, allowing them both a minute to catch their breath. Almost immediately, Newt scrambled to roll off the couch to safety. "Oh, no you don't!" Theseus spidered his fingers up Newt's ribcage and under his arms, which Newt immediately clamped down at his sides as he laughed harder. Theseus tried to pull his hands out, but Newt had them pinned in a vice-like grip under his arms. "If you're going to trap the tickle monster here, then it'll just have to claw its way free," Theseus sighed. The elder brother curled his fingers into claw shapes and scratched at the hollows under his captive's arms.

Newt shrieked.

"What in the name of Merlin..." Mrs. Scamander called from the kitchen.

"Mummy! He-he-he-he-he-help!" Newt curled himself into a ball and continued to squeal and laugh as Theseus poked and scribbled his fingers over every vulnerable spot he could find.

"I could hear the commotion from all the way outside. I thought someone was dying," their mother joked.

"I a-ha-ha-ha-ha-ham!" her youngest son shouted through his laughter. At this point, he had completely lost control of his limbs and flailed about on the couch trying to fend off his brother's assault. "He-he-he-he-he's trying to kill meeee!" Another high-pitched squeal left Newt's lips before his laughter started to go silent.

"So dramatic!" Theseus huffed. He gave Newt's ribs a few more quick pokes before helping him sit up and pulling him back against his chest. Newt collapsed into him and let his limbs go limp. "See? Very much alive."

"Barely so," Newt choked out through residual giggles. His chest was still heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He grabbed the hem of his shirt in his fists, rubbing them over his ribs to sooth away the tingly feeling that still lingered. "You're a rubbish big brother," Newt added sternly, even though it was with a smile as he curled back into a ball on his side.

"Ouch!" Theseus put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I did bring home something for you though. I thought you would be old enough to have a pet to take care of so you'd stop destroying our room like the little tornado you are," he added, lightly mussing Newt's hair to emphasize his cyclonic nature.

"If you really did, then where is it?" Newt asked, still resting against Theseus's chest.

"I've got her right here. I kept her safe while you two were playing." Mrs. Scamander put her hands into the large pocket in the front of her apron and cradled something small as she pulled them back out. "She's a puffskein."

Newt's eyes widened like little hazel saucers and he instantly sat upright. His mother was holding what looked like a small ball of blue fur barely bigger than a quidditch snitch.

"She's beauuuutiful. May I hold her?" Newt whispered. He loosely held nervous fists up near his chin and waited for permission.

"If you're very careful. She's just a baby. Cup your hands like this." Mrs. Scamander held out her hands next to Newt's, still cradling the puffskein, and gently urged it to waddle over into his waiting hands. It took a few steps and settled into his palms with a soft coo. He instinctively cupped one hand behind the small creature to keep it from falling. "Just like that. She needs to feel safe."

"Oooooh." Newt held the puffskein against his chest and repeatedly brushed the fingers of his free hand over her fur. "She's so soft."

"She reminded me of that fuzzy blue blanket you hold all the time, so I thought you'd like her." Theseus reached out and scratched the puffskein's head with his index finger.

"She's perfect. Thank you." Newt continued happily petting the puffskein, never looking away from her. He found the continuous touch of her fur brushing the pads of his fingers to be very soothing. "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one yet. I thought you should name her since she's yours now," Theseus replied.

"Hmm..." Newt held his new pet out and looked her over. "She looks like a big blue eye. I'll call her Iris." The puffskein cooed.

"I think she likes it. If you stay still, she likes to perch herself here," Theseus told him. He took Iris into his hands and set her down on one of Newt's shoulders. "Just be careful. She has a long little tongue and if you're not watching, she'll take your bogeys right out of your nose," he whispered, pinching Newt's nose between two of his knuckles.

"Theseus! That's disgusting!" his mother scolded. Newt instantly covered his nose with one of his hands, horrified at the thought.

"It's true though! It's the first place they look if they can't find food," Theseus added.

Iris started to purr, cuddled against Newt's cheek. As the intensity of her purr increased, she started to vibrate and her fur buzzed against his neck. Newt scrunched his shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut as he squeaked out a surprise laugh.

"It looks like you have a new little tickle monster," Theseus joked.

"Noooo! I should send a tickle monster after you," Newt replied, still scrunching his neck. He cupped a hand around Iris and guided her to walk down his chest far enough for him to take her in both hands and hold her in his lap.

"Please. Tickle monsters don't bother me," Theseus replied in a huff.

"I guess your brother never told you about when he first met the tickle monster, hmm?" Mrs. Scamander stood at the end of the couch with her hands on her hips and a knowing smirk.

"Wait, what?" Theseus all of a sudden felt very anxious.

"Uh-oh..." Newt protectively cuddled his new pet and scooted away from his brother on the couch.

"Oh yes. When Theseus was your age, sometimes he would be so rambunctious that the only thing that could tire him out was a visit from the tickle monster." Mrs. Scamander was now standing behind Theseus as Newt giggled to himself watching them with wide eyes.

"Mum, what are you... Mum, NO!" Theseus curled in on himself and tried to shield his sides as his mother proceeded to tickle him to pieces.

Newt had never heard Theseus laugh so hard or seen him lose composure so quickly. He had also never felt more at ease simply sitting there with a new pet to care for and study. At that moment, Newt could think of nothing else he would make him happier.

[fluffyseapancakes]

He’s a Hugger

I saw Crimes of Grindewald twice this week and Theseus being a hugger inspired me to write this little fic. I still suck at writing tickle scenes but hope you enjoy!

________________________

“Magical beasts aren’t a career, they’re a hobby” Theseus Scamander looked down at his younger brother, crossing his arms.

“There are many respected magizoologists out there,” Newt mumbled quietly and looked up in his brother’s eyes. The younger man saw concern and frustration, and maybe some fear in them. Theseus sighed and put a heavy hand on Newt’s shoulder.

“I’m saying this because I love you and I know what’s best for you. You are gifted in many ways but being a magizoologists isn’t one of them,” Theseus almost broke his composure as Newt looked down at his feet, his body shaking slightly like he was holding back his sadness, “you are an auror and that is where your full potential lies.”

“They need me,” Newt gripped onto his briefcase tightly, fighting back the tears that were stinging at his eyes, “it doesn’t matter if I’m not using my gifts, these beasts need me to protect them.”

Theseus squeezed his brother’s shoulder, “and it’s my job as an older brother to protect you.”

“If you want to protect me, then support me,” Newt shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and turned away, “you are my family but the animals are my life. I’m heading to Scandinavia to find some bowtruckles.”

Theseus sighed. As much as he and his brother fought, he always hated them parting ways angry at each other. Their mother heavily favored Theseus and highly disapproved Newt’s passion, so he committed himself in leading his younger brother towards the right path for their family. Even as a child Newt was extremely stubborn and had no regards for rules and authority, he did well at Hogwarts but ran into trouble quite often with his antics and obsession with creatures, and now as an adult he was possibly ruining his life by choosing a career that may get him killed or lead him to a dead end. Theseus knew Newt must train to be an auror like himself to avoid the path to self destruction.

“Come here,” Theseus turned Newt around and gave him a warm hug. That was one major difference between the brothers: Theseus was physically affectionate and never declined a hug while Newt avoided physical contact at all costs and slinked away from embraces.

“You’ve always been a hugger,” Newt mumbled into his brother’s shoulder, his arms glued at his sides.

“You know what else I’ve always been?” Theseus moved his arms down so he was hugging Newt by his sides, “A tickler.” He squeezed his baby brother’s sides, causing him to squeal loudly and collapse on the floor in hysterical giggles. Theseus quickly straddled Newt and wiggled his fingers into his ribs and slowly counted his ribs. Out of all types of physical interactions, tickling was probably one of the only things that Newt didn’t completely mind.

“T-Theseus,” Newt threw his head back and cried with laughter as his brother hit a particularly sensitive spot at the tops of his ribs, “this is childish!”

“I’m just sending my dear brother a warm goodbye,” Theseus’ hands travelled down to his hips and he gently drilled his thumbs into the bones, sending Newt into a ticklish madness. The older man chuckled and mercifully stopped his attack when he saw tears rolling down his brother’s cheeks.

“That was cruel,” Newt gasped out, laying on the floor still giggling from the torture.

“That is love,” Theseus ruffled Newt’s hair endearingly, “and I will support you no matter what.”

[wendimydarling]

How do you think each of Henry’s characters would react to “innocent” neck kisses? 👀

OOOOOKAYYYY. I’ve had this sitting in my ask box for a hot minute, just basking in the glorious daydreams of necking each and every one of these characters. 🥵🥵🥵 Also newsflash: they all like it. Here we goooooooo!

You didn’t ask, but lets start with Hank: 

I think Henry loves it. He’ll tilt his neck to you in a non-verbal request for more, and sigh contentedly as you slowly kiss up and down from his ear to his shoulder. He seems like a foreplay man to me, and it’s been said he’s “gentle rough”... I think this would go into the gentle portion. A slow builder, I’d say.

Oh Stephen. That neck. It needs my lips. 🥵 I’ve already established though that Stephen has a ticklish neck, so he’s gonna probably scrunch up and shy away from you when you kiss him there. You can use hold him still and tease him if you’d like, or you can let him explore your neck instead, he likes both.

Mikey’s a sub. He’ll want you to grab his hair and yank his head back for full access, moaning loudly and whimpering for more. He especially loves it when you make the kisses really noisy and sloppy.

Melot will pull you into a secluded corner, grab you by the back of the hair and return the favor so you’re both necking each other. Intense, private neck session? Yes please!

I can see this happening for Evan after one of his long shifts. He flops into bed and you roll over to snuggle, and your lips find his neck as you’re tucked into his arms. He’ll sigh softly and drift off to sleep at the feeling.

I see you and Charles at a banquet, and you sneak a couple of neck kisses, knowing that’s his favorite spot; it makes him insta-hard. He’ll look at you, raise his eyebrow as if to say “don’t start something you can’t finish”, and later that evening absolutely ravage you until you’re begging for him to stop.

Theseus is shy like Stephen, so he’d probably blush and grin, but enjoy it if you kept it up. It would be a very slow build into more, he’d let you take your time before flipping you over and taking his.

I see Clark as similar to Henry; he loves it. He specifically loves it when you use your tongue to kiss, leaving wet patches and trails all over his sensitive neck. His adam’s apple is fairly sensitive, but you’ll get the most response from the dip beneath it, near his collarbone.

Napoleon. 👏 LOVES. 👏 Necking. 👏 Sucking neck, having his sucked, watching other people get their neck sucked... he loves everything about it. This is one of the reasons why he’s the friendly neighborhood sex freak we all know and love. 

Necking is Syverson’s weakness. You want him to do something? Start sucking on his neck, he’ll be putty in your hands. Especially if you hit that spot just underneath his ear. He’ll be moaning so loud that you’ll both be near to coming just by the necking alone.

August would be caught off guard by it. He likes it, but he’s not used to being on the receiving end of intimate touch, so he’d find a way to flip things so that he can be the one giving.

Walter will let you play for a little while, it’s relaxing to him up to a point. But then he’s gonna switch so that you’re the one receiving, and we’ve well established that Walter is a biter. 

Like Aust, it catches Geralt off-guard when someone pays attention to him in that way. He enjoys it, but he would much rather neck you and inhale your delicious scent.

Ahhhhh necking.... thanks for asking this one love, I very much enjoyed it!! ❤

[tickle-bugs]

Learned Behaviors

Summary: Newt loves all of his creatures, even if they are gold-stealing fiends. He does get annoyed when a particular gold-stealing fiend works with a certain Bowtruckle and the two throw a temper tantrum that Newt simply can’t ignore.

@veryblushylee: Can you write a fic where Newt Scamander gets tickled by his Niffler and Picket? Maybe he’s trying to keep his cool around the others but then breaks down into giggles in front of them.  (Love your fics by the way! It always brightens my day to see a new fic or post!) 💖☺️✌️

Each and every one of Newt’s incredible creatures loved him. It was, in short, the driving motivator for his studies—for his ruthless compassion that inclined others to call him a fool, all over that which they could not hope to understand. 

All of his creatures, regardless of how dangerous they were, were capable of love. Not all of them were particularly cuddly—in fact, most of them weren’t—but they all had their unique ways of displaying that love. A Swooping Evil wouldn’t give you a kiss, but it would defend you until it’s last breath, considering you to be one of its own. Occamies were highly territorial but always appreciated being provided safe places to care for their young. 

Sometimes, though, that love could be a nuisance. 

“Hey! That is not yours!” Newt made a grab for his Niffler and missed, nearly crashing head-first into the wall. The creature chittered joyously at him, bouncing across work tables and slipping between other creatures milling about.

The Niffler’s love language was larceny, and though it could be endearing, he was rather tired of having things stolen on his behalf. Especially things that were already his. 

Normally he’d let the rascal take his belongings, knowing they’d mysteriously appear in a pile on his desk within a few hours, but he had a very important meeting soon and he needed his pocket watch to keep himself on schedule. 

“Get back here!” He swiped at the Niffler and it squeaked, burrowing into a crowd of Grindylows. When Newt thundered towards them they squawked and vanished in a puff of feathers, leaving behind the tiny thief. 

“Caught you. Are you going to cough up my watch?” He dangled the creature by its leg, unable to resist a fond smile. The Niffler shook its head fervently, shuffling the shiny watch into its pouch.

“How about...now?” He gave it a little tickle and it chittered at him, twisting away from his fingers. The watch slid out of the pouch and Newt caught it, tucking it safely into his coat pocket. 

“You can play with my things later. I’m going to miss dinner.” Newt gave the Niffler a fond scratch on the head and started walking towards the entrance to his case. 

That is, until something raced up his leg and into his coat.

Newt squeaked and jumped, trying to grab at the tiny, furry lump racing around his torso. Little giggles and huffs escaped him as twitched around. 

“H-Hey now, get out of there!” Newt nearly caught it, but the Niffler made a hairpin turn on his ribs that made him yelp. Something fluttery passed under his arm and the Niffler quickly followed, chasing the light tickle with desperate, scrabbling paws. When the flutter passed over his neck and the Niffler swan dived off of his shoulder and back into his coat, Newt recognized the quiet peeps of his favorite Bowtruckle.

He felt the Niffler tugging at his watch pocket and he covered it with his hand, using the other to grab the creature around its middle. 

“Enough of this. You can’t throw a fit when you don’t get your way.” He huffed, giving it his best stern look. 

The Niffler blinked at him before shimmying along the bottom of his arm and down his side. He stumbled back into his desk and tried to grab the Niffler again, but it curved his grasp to take another pass at his watch. A gentle tickle found his ear and Newt reached for it, very familiar with Pickett’s shenanigans, but the Niffler took that opportunity to latch onto the watch and start tugging on it.

They were helping each other, he realized, and something warm bloomed inside of his chest. If only the results weren’t so catastrophically ticklish. He made a mental note to look into their cooperation when he wasn’t giggling his way to an early grave.

“Newt?”

“T-Tina!” He’d never been happier to see her lovely face. Jacob and Queenie trailed behind her, arm in arm, and Newt’s cheeks flared pink.

“Told you he got lost down here. He forgot about dinner.” Jacob sighed, though it wasn’t unkind. 

“No, he didn’t forget. He was just-” Queenie squinted, concentrating on the giggling mind before her.

“Distracted!” Newt squealed, using every ounce of his strength not to flail too wildly. He felt a curious scribble at his stomach and he covered his face to muffle a wheeze. Merlin, that felt purposeful. 

“Why are you so...twitchy? Are you okay?” Tina took a careful step forward. 

“Just got a bit of a situation, but everything’s under—ahaha, stop that—c-control!” He grabbed at his elbows to prevent any slapping, especially when Pickett slid down his sleeves and started wiggling his tiny fingers over Newt’s wrist. That spot was supposed to remain secret—only Theseus and their mother knew about it—but Pickett had apparently picked up on the way Newt would flinch when a quill passed too close to his hand. He was a smart little thing. 

“Aww, they’re tickling him!” Queenie cooed with a smile. Jacob and Tina stared at each other, having a quick silent conversation, before turning to Queenie. 

“Who is?” Jacob squinted at Newt. 

“His creatures! The...Pickett and the Niffler!” She announced cheerily. She wiggled her fingers at Newt, as if he wasn’t already occupied, and he whined at the sight of her nails. 

“The bowtruckle?” Tina asked.

“No, no it’s the Pickett.” Queenie furrowed her brow.

“That’s his Bowtruckle’s name. Newt, can we help?” Tina approached him slowly, not really hiding her amusement. 

“G-Grab the Niffler!” He managed to get out, barely restraining a squeal when the creature dug its evil hind paws directly into his hip bone. Tina rushed and caught his elbow before his legs could give out, laughing quietly at his predicament. 

Seemingly understanding that its romp was coming to an end, the Niffler squeaked in panic, running faster than it already was to avoid potential capture. Tina made a few grabs for it but her hands collided with Newt’s stomach and not the creature. 

“Is it really that bad?” Jacob chuckled, watching him double over. Tina murmured something to him but he could hardly hear her over his own laughter. 

“Please! I don’t want to hurt him!”

“Gotcha!” Tina grabbed the Niffler with two hands, locking her fingers over and under its arms to keep it from wriggling out of her hands. She very carefully passed it to Newt.

“Thank you.” Newt sighed, staring at the Niffler like a mother tired of her toddler’s antics.  He set the creature down and it scampered away. 

“Does that happen often?” Tina bit her lip on a grin.

“Well, erm, occasionally.” Newt’s eyes darted from her face to the floor, but his smile did all the talking for him. 

“I am confident that I speak for everyone present when I say that was adorable.” Queenie giggled, poking at Tina’s shoulder. Tina turned red and slapped her arm.

“Thanks. That’s very kind of you.” Newt shuffled his feet. Pickett popped out of Newt’s collar, announcing his presence with a quiet peep, and Newt offered him a finger to hop on. Pickett hung from his finger and swung. Quiet chirps of delight rose from the Bowtruckle and Newt chuckled at him. 

“Since you don’t mind a good laugh, we won’t deprive you of one in the future.” Queenie winked, laughing out loud at the flabbergasted look on his face.

“Stop reading my mind, Queenie.” Newt groaned and tried to glare at her. One wiggle of her eyebrows and he was already surrendering. 

“I’m reading your face, sweetpea. Now, everyone upstairs! I worked hard on that dinner and I won’t let it go cold.” She clapped her hands with a grin, and the four of them exited Newt’s case in much better humour than they’d entered. 

[kuro-gossips]

Affections

For @silverynight - Merry Christmas, sweetie! <3 I hope I did them justice, it’s my first time writing anything for Fantastic Beasts.

Five times when Gellert, Theseus, Albus, and Percival show just how besotted they are with the British magizoologist, no matter who the audience is, and once where Newt demonstrates his love for them.

1. Theseus

Newt comes to visit him at his office in the Ministry of Magic on the rare occasion he is in the area. It's been weeks too long since Newt has even set foot in England and Theseus has missed him dearly. Some of the Aurors under his jurisdiction are milling around, filing papers, finishing reports, and discussing active cases.

The opening door disrupts the calm din of the working area and in stumbles none other than his younger brother. Instantly, Theseus is up on his feet, strides over with a sense of urgency, and is hurriedly peppering kisses all over Newt’s charming youthful face, at which he giggles at the ticklish feeling. The other employees of the Ministry attempt to not stare at their boss showering affection on the shorter male. One of the new female Aurors squeaks when the elder Scamander lands a solid one right on Newt’s lips, but is immediately hushed by the others, who remind her that this kind of relationship is common amongst purebloods.

Theseus has no shame and drapes himself all over his curly-haired boyfriend, a content smile sweeping lazily across his features. “I’ve missed you so, so much, Artemis.”

Newt flushes underneath the other’s intense ogling and ducks his gaze out of pure habit. Regardless, his face shows nothing but happiness, his freckles seemingly dancing across his cheeks as his lips curl upwards.

2. Albus

Albus is mid-sentence, teaching a class when a knock on the wooden door reverberates throughout the room. He pauses his lecture, scratching his bearded chin, silently questioning who would interrupt him during class time as he walks over to greet whomever is standing outside. All the students, dressed in the Hogwarts’ robes with their respective house badges emblazoned on their left side, turn to peer at what their professor is doing, necks craning in an effort to see.

“Hullo, Professor Dumbledore.” The male’s tenor voice is soft, but it carries through the space. “I know I’m probably, um, interrupting your lecture, aren’t I? Terribly sorry for that…”

Beyond Dumbledore’s tall and muscular form, the teenagers aren’t able to see much of the mysterious man, but some of them catch glimpses of a mop of curly, reddish hair, a peacock blue peacoat, and a raggedy tan suitcase.

“Ah, Newt!” The sharper students swear their teacher’s eyes shine brighter (had they actually had line of sight of his face) at the other man’s presence. They can taste the sweetness and fondness imbued in the utterance of the younger’s name. He waves off the redhead's concerns and continues, “No trouble whatsoever, Newt. I always have time for you, love.”

That's when the whispering starts when they hear the term of endearment:

Professor Dumbledore has a significant other?

What kind of name is ‘Newt?’

… I would've thought he preferred the fairer sex…

“Oh, well, I could always come back in a bit, you know, once you're done.” Newt stammers out, flushing as if he knows the entire fourth year of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws are staring at him, and maybe he can tell.

“No, no, no, come in, take a seat, the class is almost finished anyway.”

“Well, if you- if you don’t mind then.”

A tall, lanky male with a boyishly charming face is ushered through the entrance and onto a Conjured plush armchair in the back. The adolescents rush to return to normal behaviour and positions, trying to not be obvious that they were eavesdropping on their professor’s conversation, but when Dumbledore’s eyes twinkle furiously, they know they’ve been caught red-handed. Some of their ears are glowing like Muggle Christmas lights at the tips.

The class continues as if nothing has happened, but the wizard lecturing seems to be standing straighter and speaking in a more grandiose manner, like he wants to impress someone. To his credit, there are no further interruptions from the younger blue-eyed man sitting behind the rows of students, a pleasant, albeit lazy, smile gracing his features, but the children themselves cannot stop gossiping. Dumbledore doesn't have it in his heart to dissuade their curiosity, especially in front of his beloved, who holds such a trait above most people. There is the faint buzzing of secrets being traded between individuals and most can't help but glance back to the curly-haired man.

The bell chimes, echoing throughout the school, indicating that it is time to change classes. Newt rises from his seat and approaches the front of the room, stopping in front of the teacher's desk. A couple of students linger as long as possible, but they can feel weak compelling magic being cast, forcing them to leave. Before the doors shut completely, a small group see Albus pulling on the lapels of the vibrant blue coat and sliding his lips over the full ones of the other man, who reciprocates wholeheartedly.

“It really has been too long, since you've visited, Newt.” Even beyond the wooden slabs as barriers, light laughter can be heard down the hallways.

3. Gellert

Gellert has just finished occupying their new hideout in Paris, after excusing the Muggle family from their property (alive and well, thankfully, if Newt were around to say anything). He writes a concise and anonymous note with directions to here, sending it out with a nondescript owl to the magizoologist. His closest associates stare inquisitively at his actions, but don't dare ask. He is not known for using such mundane channels of communication.

Only a couple of hours have passed and to Grindelwald's surprise, there is a familiar pattern of knocking at the house's doors. It's a code that is exclusively shared between Newt and himself. The sound is hushed, just barely enough for the Dark Lord to hear, but the house is utterly silent, so it travels to the ears of his subordinates as well. Vinda appears near the front entrance; however, before she is able to check who is there, her Lord has already invited the person in. To her surprise, it's none other than Newt Scamander because she recognizes the man's face as the one that had been plastered all over the newspapers across North America and Europe.

“My Lord?” Her eyes are wide in disbelief. Grindelwald casually dismisses her with a glance, but she is rooted in her spot. He may have just rolled his eyes.

“Vinda, meet Newt, my beau if you must know.” His mismatched eyes narrow at her, challenging her to voice any undue thoughts she was harbouring. The magizoologist can't help but redden at his words; he can't get used to whenever any of his boyfriends publicly claim him as theirs. Without further ado, he leans down, tenderly cupping the other's heavily freckled cheek, and passionately kisses him. Newt doesn't fight, doesn't try to bite off the platinum blonde's wicked tongue, but instead kisses back.

The French woman cannot excuse herself fast enough.

4. Percival

Percival is in the middle of working a particularly tough case, dealing with some vile witch who enjoys torturing rich, obnoxious No-Maj men and then stringing their bodies up in public places. He can feel a migraine coming on as he analyzes the details presented in the papers strewed across his desk. A memo paper scurries across the oak surface in the form of an origami mouse and he plucks it up to read. The handwriting belongs to MACUSA’s President, Seraphina Picquery, who has requested a meeting for updates on the current investigation with whomever is assigned to it. The team consists of Percival himself, the older Goldstein sister, and another Senior Auror, Fontaine. So as he makes his way to Madam Picquery’s office, Graves takes a short detour to the area where the rest of his department is located to grab the other two.

The Director barges through doors, shocking the workers bustling and chatting around the department space. To his own surprise, he sees a very familiar visage attached to a lean body situated on the couch next to Tina’s desk. Percival needs a moment to compose himself and school his face back to neutral; he doesn’t remember Newt mentioning in any of their correspondences that he would be visiting New York any time soon.

“Mr. Scamander, I didn’t know you were in town.” Graves drawls, a dark eyebrow hinging upwards. The magizoologist shoots up from his seat, clearly not expecting the appearance of his dark-haired lover.

“Oh, um, Mr. G-Graves!” Newt exclaims in a higher pitched voice than his regular tone. It’s obvious the other man is nervous for a reason he cannot fathom. He dismisses the thought because he is required at Picquery’s immediately.

“Goldstein, Fontaine, come. We’ve been summoned.”

“Oh, Mr. Graves, sir, Newt was just here to-” Tina begins, but Percival cuts her off with a glare. The brunette flounders a bit before hurrying to gather her notes about the case and follow after him. “Sorry, Newt, do you mind just waiting here for a bit? I’m sure the meeting won’t take too long.”

They only have Picquery’s attention for a few scant minutes because she is an extremely busy woman, but it’s a series of high profile incidents and she needs to make a strong public presence known. Just as the President is excusing them, she begins speaking again, “Oh, and Percival. I forgot to mention that MACUSA has just extended an offer to Newt Scamander for a consulting position here.”

Percival almost whips around to stare at her declaration, instead he turns around slowly because he is known for nothing if not his complete self-control, “I’m sorry, what?”

“Mr. Scamander will be joining you and your team on all cases involving magical beasts in any form. I expect you to make him feel welcomed, am I understood? We require not only his expertise on this subject matter, but it will also alleviate some of the political tension between England and America, following last year’s fiasco with Grindelwald.” Picquery’s tone is stern and leaves no room for arguments, not that Percival really has any complaints about seeing the British man more.

“Understood, Madam Picquery.” He gives her a brief nod and leaves with his subordinates.

When he arrives at Tina and Fontaine’s office space, he marched straight for the curly-haired male, who is awkwardly waiting around, fidgeting with his case. Percival quickly gathers the other in a powerful hug, as everyone in the immediate area resembles a fish out of water with gaping mouths and eyes.

He asks as he pulls back from the embrace, “You little bugger, you. Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be working here?”

Tina watches as those dark brown eyes soften and how the weight seemingly lifts off of his shoulders. She has never seen her boss behave this way, but at the same time, if it were anyone to influence it, it would be Newt.

“Er, well, surprise?” Green eyes glint with amusement and his mouth tilts upward in a half smirk.

To further the occupants of the room’s bewilderment, their previously thought unflappable superior swoops in to press his lips against their charming magizoologist’s.

Suddenly, everything makes sense to the elder Goldstein sister and a small smile creeps up onto her face.

5. In Private

It’s one of the rare times that the five of them can actually convene and they intend to make the most of their time together. A quiet weekend away in the isolated region of Grindelwald’s Nurmengard headquarters is exactly what they all needed after such stressful months of work. Gellert, Percival, Theseus, and Albus all arrive earlier than Newt and the latter can barely get his entire body through the front door, before he is being shoved up against the nearest wall and pampered with affection. His suitcase clatters against the ground as Newt's grip slackens.

Grindelwald, who hasn’t seen the youngest in the longest time of the four, immediately occupies his lips, tongue sweeping against Newt’s bottom lip, seeking permission. He is granted access without an ounce of hesitation, a happy moan emitting from their redheaded lover. Theseus is hovering nearby, raking his hand through those wild curls and presses gentle kisses to wherever he can get to. Albus and Percival stand off to the side, but still in close proximity, patiently waiting their turn. As soon as Grindelwald’s stockier build moves out of the way, the Hogwarts professor is carting him off to their bedroom in strong arms. Newt squeaks and lightly protests, but he knows he can’t win in this situation -- he doesn’t want to either, really.

They take turns stripping him of a piece of clothing at a time, slowly, graciously. It’s far from his first time spent with them, but Newt still shys away from their prying eyes and wandering hands. He is self-conscious of the numerous scars and deformities littering his freckled skin. His boyfriends take it in stride, used to this habit, and stretch his limbs out for more of his creamy skin. There are lips and delicate touches from many, many fingers along the ridges of raised skin, the sensation is ticklish and giggles escape his full lips, uncontrollably.

“Newt, you are so beautiful.” Albus mutters, pushing back from his position where he is kissing the other’s shoulder, and gazes lovingly into those expressive green eyes.

Percival follows up with, “We know you are insecure about your body, but rest assured, it makes you even more appealing to us.”

Newt couldn’t be happier as he pulls each of his lover’s down for a peck.

“I love you all.”

“And us, you, liebling.” Grindelwald fondly coos.

+1 Newt

Newt is not good with publicly showing affection, or even in private, if he is being wholly honest with himself. Even if he loves these four goofballs with all his heart, he has trouble expressing himself freely, but they adore him for his quirkiness and accept it with open arms. They’ve done so much for him and he doesn’t know how to begin to repay their kindness.

The five of them have never explicitly discussed family plans, but he remembers them mentioning adopting children in passing. Newt is curious and seeks something more special than a simple adoption -- he wants their first child to be a meaningful step in their relationship. So he conducts plenty of research and finally, he stumbles upon something in the recesses of Grindelwald’s expansive library.

He waits until Christmas, mere weeks away, when they are exchanging presents and gifts them each with an envelope containing a small piece of parchment. They look on in confusion at it, not able to make sense of anything written on it, but he breaks out in an affectionate grin, wide and unyielding.

“It’s a list of ingredients.” All of their gazes turn towards him and he holds their attention completely, eager to hear what he has to say, “It’s ingredients to a potion that will allow me to bear a child.”

The sight before him is comical, to say the least, and Newt lets his laughter rip out of him at these men who are usually perfectly composed.

“What I’m saying is, I want us to have a child or children of our own. The best part of this potion is that it allows us to combine all of our magical signatures to conceive a child. This way, he or she will truly be all of ours-” Before he can finish explaining, he finds himself at the bottom of a dog pile of heavy men. Gellert and Percival are staring at his belly longingly, imagining it swollen with a baby. Theseus can’t stop praising his genius and showering love over his face. Albus has a devious look on his face that says he wants to start trying conceiving as soon as possible and Newt is all too willing.

[implicatedbyprophecy]

leta and theseus

@magicalmusesandwheretofindthem

           SEND ME A SHIP and i’ll tell you:        

who wakes up first in the morning: Theseus I imagine but, Leta isn’t long after him

who’s the first to fall asleep at night: Leta probably

what they playfully tease each other over: Height differences! Always teasing about height difference

what they do when the other’s having a bad day: Comfort as best as they can, offer cuddles and just listen to each other

how they say ‘i’m sorry’ after arguments: A little kiss and a hug

which one’s more ticklish: Leta. But she doesn’t make it known and she threatens to kill Theseus if he tickles her

their favourite rainy day activities: Reading together, an indoor picnic

how they surprise each other: Little presents now and then

their most sickening shows of public affection: When she pulls him down by his lapels to kiss him

[wemadeemcocoa]

Theseus x Queenie - ship meme

SEND ME A SHIP and i’ll tell you:

who wakes up first in the morning: Queenie, she has a very extensive morning routine. (And in our verse a baby to take care of)

who’s the first to fall asleep at night: Queenie,Theseus often has some work or something going on

what they playfully tease each other over: Theseus will tease Queenie when a bit of dinner ends up on her clothes or something, always lightly. And Queenie will tease him lightly about working too much.

what they do when the other’s having a bad day: Queenie makes Theseus his favorite food, and then brings him a cup of cocoa and snuggles with him on the couch, just giving him soft physical affection. Theseus takes her outside, walks with her, holds her hand. And at the end of the night, holds her close, cuddling her in bed.

how they say ‘i’m sorry’ after arguments: Queenie’s go to is usually food. And telling him. Theseus uses his words, and pulls her close for a hug.

which one’s more ticklish: Queenie. She hates it.

their favourite rainy day activities: Snuggling on the couch with books.

how they surprise each other: Theseus makes a plan when he’s at work and comes home with it, maybe flowers or a small something. Queenie will show up at work with lunch, fix a hole in his clothes when he doesn’t want to ask.

their most sickening shows of public affection: Their kisses probably. Just because they also press their foreheads together. Also the fun they have in his office...that poor desk xD

[i-choose-the-danger]

Brothers After All

It's finally finished! I fell in love with The Secrets of Dumbledore the first time I saw it and I couldn't get enough of the dynamic between Newt and Theseus. With this film, we really saw them as brothers. Working together, bonding, so perfect. There are a few FB fics out there from this community, and mostly with Newt, but I rarely see Theseus involved in the fics at all and NEVER as the one teasing his sweet little brother. After the dvd of The Secrets of Dumbledore was released and I saw the deleted scenes, I about lost my whole mind. There is a beautiful scene that takes place with Newt and Theseus in Newt's apartment with the qilin. I was absolutely furious that it was deleted and I need MORE. This fic that I wrote is actually an extension of that very scene. Seeing it is what got the idea brewing in my brain. I just wanted to see Newt and Theseus show some more of that brotherly bond that we finally saw with this recent film. I adore them, I adore Eddie and Callum, and I just hope that you enjoy the fic.

Author's note: The fic starts with a whole write-out of the actual deleted scene itself, dialogue included. I didn't alter a single word of that. If you've not seen the deleted footage, then hopefully I've described it well enough for you to get an idea of it. I wanted to write out what I felt was happening beyond the dialogue. So everything from the beginning up to the line "We are brothers after all, Newt," is taken right from that scene. That belongs to the writers, the director, and the actors. Everything after that is all from my head. If you love it, then please heart it and share it and leave feedback. If you don't like it... then be respectful and keep scrolling. Fic starts below the cut. :)

Newt startled awake. His sensitive ears were well-trained to pick up on even the slightest of cries from his creatures and he knew that he'd heard one of them in distress. He felt completely disoriented and could barely open his eyes in the sunlight. The jolt of pain he felt in his right hand kickstarted a flood of memories to rush back to him - traveling to Kweilin, finding the qilin, the birth of the twins, Credence, the waterfall, the wyvern, that's how he ended up here. Newt had traveled back home with the qilin fawn he was able to save and brought her down into one of the basement habitats that he had prepared for her. He had only laid down for a moment in a hammock. I don't remember falling asleep. How long has it been? What time is it? Ow... Newt bolted upright and looked down at his throbbing hand. He'd poorly bandaged his injury before laying down and blood was starting to seep through the material.

Newt looked around the bamboo clusters of the habitat and realized he was alone. He was still disoriented due to lack of sleep, but his worry for the qilin was all he needed to help him focus. As he made his way closer to the steps leading up to his apartment, Newt heard the qilin again along with a noise that sounded familiar but was one he couldn't yet identify. By the time he'd climbed the stairs to the hallway, he heard someone speaking and started to panic that the qilin was in danger until he peeked around the corner to see his own brother sitting on the bed. Theseus was cradling the fawn in his arms and rocking her like a parent would to soothe an infant child.

"Alright, alright. Huh? Alright. Hmm?" Theseus clicked his tongue calmly and continued to rock the qilin in his arms. Feeling that he was being watched, he glanced up to see a very confused and disheveled Newt staring at him from the hallway. "I don't know what got into her. I thought I had gotten her good and settled and then... Hmm?" He looked over his little brother and took note of the bloody bandages around his injured hand. "That's a nasty scrape then. And by the looks of it, it needs changing." Newt didn't even respond, still trying to process the scene before him. Theseus cradled the qilin more firmly in his arms to keep his balance as he stood. "Alright, alright, alright, hmm?"

"So, in my case..." Newt finally stepped into the room, realizing that he wouldn't be able to argue against Theseus redressing his wound. "Next to the dittany, there's a blue bottle with some crushed yerba leaves." Newt practically collapsed his achy body into a chair and watched his brother lay the qilin down on a folded blanket at the foot of his bed. A flash of green caught his eye and he turned his head to see Pickett resting on the arm of the small rust-colored sofa beside his chair. "Pick, morning. You alright?" The bowtruckle cooed and chirped in response, holding up a matching bandaged hand and wrist, and looked over at the other man who was carrying Newt's suitcase to a nearby end table. Newt felt a twinge of anxiety as Theseus eyed him. Any second now, he expected a lecture on danger and responsibility and secrets.

"You know, I was trying to recall the last time that I was here." Theseus opened the suitcase and peered down into a seemingly endless length of shelves inside a wooden shed. It reminded him of the shed their father had when they were children. He bent over and ducked his head into the case to reach the bottle of herbs that Newt needed. It was right where Newt said it would be, and thankfully on a shelf near the top. "Let's take a look, shall we?" he asked after grabbing a roll of bandages with some tape and locking the case closed. With a flick of his wand, Theseus opened the curtains to the single window beside the bed, allowing the room to be flooded with enough light for him to see better. The qilin trilled happily as a few stray sunbeams bathed her in their warmth. Theseus knelt down beside Newt and carefully unwrapped the bandages that were haphazardly woven around his hand. He didn't know what had caused the wound, but it looked angry. He couldn't imagine how painful it must've been or how his brother wasn't even showing a reaction to the pain. "Well that's coming along brilliantly, huh?" he joked. Newt huffed nervously and looked away. Theseus unraveled the rest of the blood-soaked bandage and placed it on the end table in a small pile. "Do you want the leaves here?" he asked, shaking the bottle a little before pulling the stopper from it with his teeth. Newt only nodded, still looking away. Theseus took a firm grip of his brother's hand and peppered the contents of the bottle over the wound. It made an awful searing sound as the skin smoked and healed. Theseus could feel his brother's hand shake in pain. "Enough?" He didn't want to let go until he felt the hand stopped shaking. Or was it his own hand that was shaking now?

"Mmhmm. Yeah." Newt tried to keep his voice calm, but his hand was throbbing as the powder dissolved through his wound. It only took a moment or two for the pain to subside as he watched his skin knit itself back together and his brother start to wrap his hand with a clean bandage. "So exactly how is it that you came to be here?" Theseus had never been one to visit Newt unannounced, or at all really. This visit definitely had a purpose.

"Dumbledore suggested that I pop by and look in on you. Very mysterious about it too. I don't suppose you'd like to tell me what you two are up to, huh?" He reached over to the end table to grab the roll of tape and waited for an answer that never came. "No, of course you don't."

"Well, you know how Dumbledore is..." Newt mumbled. He still didn't want to look up at his brother. He had seen what he called Theseus’s ‘disappointment face’ more than enough.

"Full of secrets... like you," Theseus replied, looking directly at Newt. He taped up the edge of the bandage to keep it from unraveling. Pickett tried to get his attention to get a new bandage for himself as well, but Theseus was too preoccupied with what his brother had gotten himself into to realize it. "She's a qilin isn't she?"

"No, she's not." Newt was definitely too quick and unconvincing with his response. He couldn't say the words to his brother's face either, which made the statement even less convincing.

"I believe she is.”

"She's not."

"She is." Theseus smirked out of frustration. He knew he was right but couldn't figure out why Newt wasn't telling the truth.

"She's n-..." Newt just couldn't do it. He couldn't lie to his own brother. He finally looked up and locked eyes with Theseus, almost frightened of what would happen once he admitted the truth. A sigh. "She is," left his lips in a choked whisper.

"She is. What are you doing with a qilin, Newt? Hmm? Or is she another one of your secrets?" Theseus shook his head. He couldn't believe that Newt brought a qilin back to his home. Actually, he could, but he couldn't figure out why he would want to do something this dangerous given the upcoming election and Grindelwald still on the loose and most likely trying to rig it in some way.

"Yes, and you mustn't tell anyone that you've seen her." Newt could feel his heart pounding. This was not a conversation that he wanted to have right now.  "I'm quite serious, Theseus."

"Alright." Theseus shrugged and stayed knelt in front of Newt, unsure of how to respond to this information.  

"Just out of interest, how did you get her to settle?" Newt asked, pointing towards the fawn.

"I uh..." Theseus peered over his shoulder and back at Newt. He didn't expect the question but lying about what he did would be pointless. "I sang to her."

"Y-, but wh-, sa-, excuse me?" Newt was convinced that he was overtired, or that he'd hit his head too hard when he hit the water after falling from the cliff in China, or that maybe Theseus had misspoke. There was no way that he had correctly heard what his brother just said.

"You know that song that Mum used to sing? The one about the muggle that fell down a well?" Theseus cringed. Newt was staring wide-eyed at him as if he'd just grown an extra head. Maybe it had been too long and Newt couldn't remember the song. So he started to sing. "There was an old muggle who fell down a well..." He waited. A moment later, he watched the realization show on Newt's face.

"But along came a witch who did do him a spell," Newt sang back. And then both men continued in unison.

"When the muggle awoke he said dear woman do tell, is it Heaven I'm in or have I gone straight to-"

A loud trill from the qilin interrupted the melody and Theseus turned around to see what had happened. The fawn seemed very enthused by the tune.

"Come to think of it, that might have been one of Dad's old drinking songs," Theseus offered, trying to diffuse the moment.

"Oh that's remarkable!" Newt sat up straight in the chair and watched the fawn continue to happily roll around on the blanket. "See, they rarely consent to human contact, you know. Unless they sense an affinity, and-"

"And she senses an affinity with you, does she?" Theseus interjected, looking back at his brother.

"Yes." Newt bit his lip and looked back between Theseus and the qilin, settling on looking at his brother and giving a stern stare to say that he was proud of having such a bond.

"Well, there you have it. We are brothers after all, Newt." Theseus went silent and tried to take in everything that had just happened. He still didn't know where Newt had been, how he got injured, what he was doing with a qilin, or what crazy scheme Dumbledore had roped him into carrying out. His little brother was far too trusting and it worried him.

"I didn't know you were questioning it." Newt pushed his elbows against the armrests of the chair and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking down at his lap.

"Truth be told, I was beginning to wonder." Theseus glanced back at the fawn again and quirked a brow. Pickett made a small chirp and tapped gently at the elder brother's arm. Theseus turned back around and looked over the little bowtruckle, who was holding out its bandaged wrist. Newt had done his best to wrap it, but having only one uninjured hand himself it needed to be redone. Theseus didn't mind. He missed being able to take care of his little brother. "Hmm," he sighed, carefully ripping a thin strip off of another clean bandage. "Is there any creature you don't have some kind of affinity with?"

"I believe anyone can have that with any creature if they had the knowledge and desire to understand them better and were trustworthy." Newt dropped his hands onto his lap and brushed his thumb over the bandages across his opposite palm, holding the hand tighter as the touch stung. He kept his head down, but his eyes stayed focused on his brother and Pickett. Theseus was concentrating on rewrapping the bowtruckle's wrist as gently as possible without causing further discomfort. "Pickett trusts you. That says a lot. He wouldn't let just anyone near him."

"Contrary to what you may have thought, I do pay attention to what you do, Newt. There you go, little man." Pickett expressed a few small chirps as Theseus tied off the end of the bandage around his twiggy wrist. "I always have," he added quietly, looking back at his brother.

"You've never actually shown an interest til now, though." Newt's reply was soft, said more aloud to himself than with a purpose for Theseus to hear it. His boots scuffed against each other as his anxiety made his legs too restless to stay still, the scraping sound being the only thing cutting through the awkward silence that had now taken over the room.

"Now that I think of it," Theseus noted as he stood and stretched his legs. He grabbed the bottle of medicinal leaves and the roll of bandages before turning to take them back to Newt's suitcase. "I remember only one creature you ever truly disliked."

"Hmm?" Newt's brow furrowed. There were creatures that frightened him as they were fierce and dangerous, ones that tested his patience like his young nifflers, even ones that perplexed him as he'd not yet studied them enough to fully understand them... but he couldn't think of a single creature he'd ever come across that he outright disliked, unless some humans counted. "What do you mean?"

"It was when you were little," Theseus muttered before pulling his head back out of the suitcase and closing its locks. He stared at the floor for a moment and huffed a laugh to himself at childhood memories that were coming to him. He noticed the confused expression Newt wore as he walked back towards him. "You used to run from it all the time. I guess I wouldn't really call it a creature." He stood in front of Newt and smirked. With a hushed tone and clawed hands lazily held in front of himself, he added, "It was more of a monster."

"Oh no." Newt shuddered and sunk back into his chair as far as he could. That last word clued him in to exactly what Theseus was talking about. The qilin was staring back and forth between the brothers, obviously sensing Newt's tension.

"Ahh, you do remember now, don't you?" Theseus asked. He strutted around behind Newt and rested folded arms over the back of Newt's chair, which startled the man sitting in it. "Why so jumpy?" Pickett squeaked out what sounded to Theseus like an inquisitive uh-oh, not that he understood bowtruckle language.

"I'm not." Newt hugged his left arm around his waist and clamped its hand under his right arm. "That doesn't bother me anymore."

"I remember that one time Mum asked you to clear the horklumps out of her garden."  Theseus shook his head, sighing as he looked to the ceiling. "For whatever reason, you brought them into our room."

"She wanted me to feed them to the gnomes," Newt interjected.

"But you just had to-" Theseus shrugged a hand up in agitation trying to find the right words "-be you. Their little bristles were everywhere."

"I was studying them. They sprout so quickly. I was curious how they grew." Newt hugged his waist a bit tighter and sunk lower in his chair remembering how the rest of this story unfolded.

"Everywhere, Newt! I was so frustrated that I didn't know what to do with you."

"I think you overreacted." Newt kept looking from side to side, all of a sudden sensing that his brother was about to do something he'd not done since they were children and he was far too exhausted to defend himself. "You came home early and I didn't have the chance to clean everything up."

"Oh, so it’s my fault, was it? You were so quick. I chased you through every room and you almost got away. Mum could hear your giggling from the other side of the house, especially when I got you right here." Theseus's hands darted out around the sides of the chair and gave one quick squeeze to Newt's ribs.

"Oi!" Newt practically jumped out of his own skin. A forced smile was tugging at his lips.

"Now you've lied to me twice in one day," Theseus pointed out, slightly amused. The qilin was now standing up on all fours and eyeing both brothers cautiously. Pickett chirped at Theseus and hid his small eyes behind a tangle of twiggy fingers. "Once again, I find myself so frustrated that I don't know what to do with you."

"Theseus, don't." Newt's warning would have been taken more seriously if it hadn't been coupled with a small hiccup of nervous laughter.

"Don't what?"

"Tic-hmmph." Newt immediately pursed his lips as he caught himself about to be tricked into asking for something he really didn't want.

"Not falling for that anymore, huh?" Theseus sighed and shrugged. "Oh well." His hands snaked around the chair again and latched onto his brother's sides, fingers wiggling in between ribs.

"Ahaha, no! Theseus, ple-he-he-he-hease." Newt could barely string two thoughts together as he squirmed in his chair trying to block his brother's hands. He summoned whatever energy he could to keep from laughing. He heard the qilin cooing from the other side of the room. "This is ridi-hi-hi-hiculous. You're going to get her riled up again!"

"I don't know about that." Theseus looked up at the qilin, who was comfortably nestled on a folded blanket and sunning herself while watching the brothers. "I think she's pretty well-settled, aren't you, hmm?" he asked. The fawn trilled softly in response and laid down on her side. "See? Perfectly content. I rather think she likes your laughter. And her well-being is your priority, I would say. So technically I'm helping."

Theseus went to poke his brother again, but Newt scrambled out of the chair to try to save what was left of his dignity before he could attack. Newt felt another wave of exhaustion take over after only three steps and needed to steady himself against the arm of the small sofa in front of the fireplace as he slumped onto its seat. Theseus sat beside him and looked him over to make sure he hadn't caused Newt any serious distress.

"Rubbish. You're awful." Newt held his injured hand across his body up near his opposite shoulder and rested against the side of the sofa. A few stray giggles were still escaping him as he tried to catch his breath. "I thought you took an oath as an auror against torture." He cast a sideways glance at his brother.

"True, but I'm not here as an auror on Ministry business. I'm here as a worried older brother who needs to take out his frustrations." Theseus gripped one of Newt's legs just above the knee and gave it a few quick squeezes, causing the magizoologist to squeak and release a frantic string of snorts and giggles. "That spot still gets you when you're tired. So much has changed and yet so much stays the same." 

"Thes... Thehehe... Theseus!" Newt had tried to put an authoritative growl in his voice, but it failed to come through as it mixed with the gentle laughter pouring from the sleepy grin he wore. The qilin sat up attentively on Newt's bed, her tail swishing back and forth with excitement as she continued to watch the brothers interact. A moment later, Pickett came toddling across the back of the sofa squeaking happily. The mischievous creature brushed the fingers of its uninjured hand over the nape of Newt's neck. "No! Don't you start!"

"Oh, I forgot all about how you'd squirm if Mum got you there when she'd cut your hair." Theseus reached out and fluttered his fingers across the same spot Pickett had touched, eliciting a snort from his brother whose shoulders were scrunching into his ears. "Besides, a little laughter'll do you some good."

"How is this goo-hoo-hood for ME?!" Newt squealed in response to a hand spidering over his ribs again.  Newt brought his knees up and tried to twist himself into a protective ball. "Come on, I'm injured!" he added in between restless laughs as he held his bandaged hand away.

"They say laughter is the best medicine, don't they?" Theseus joked, continuing to poke around his brother's ribs.

"Theseus-s-s-s-s, this isn't funny! Merlin's be-he-he-heeeard!" Newt's voice had gone hoarse from laughter. He was in a fetal position, his reddened face buried in his arms over the arms of the sofa. His nerves were already over-sensitive due to his exhaustion, but the constant scratching and poking and wriggling against his most ticklish spots was quickly diminishing his sanity. "I can't. No more."

"Alright, I think you've had enough." Theseus sat against the other arm of the sofa and held his hands up to let Newt know he was stopping his torture. "You're completely knackered. Get yourself cleaned up and get some proper sleep in your bed for a bit instead of downstairs."

"But I have to meet with Dumbledore to-"

"Sleep, Newt. And then we can go see Dumbledore. I'll tell him we'll be a while."

"We?" Newt sat up properly and rubbed the heel of his uninjured hand over each eye to clear away the tears from laughing and to rid them of the sleepiness he was feeling. "I don't understand."

"He asked me to check on you... and then go back with you to talk to him about whatever it is that involves her I imagine."

"But what about-"

"I'll stay here. I don't mind watching her," Theseus explained before Newt could protest further.  He stood and pointed in the direction of Newt's bathroom with the sternest expression he could muster. "Now, go. Get out of those muddy clothes, clean up, and get some sleep... or we can go for round two."

"No! No, no. Alright." Newt realized that he was defeated in this argument. He was far too tired to argue and knew that Theseus was right anyway. There was also no way he would live through another round of tickling. With what little energy Newt could summon, he pushed himself up from the sofa and shuffled past his brother towards the bathroom. "Thank you," he mumbled quietly, before shutting the bathroom door behind him. About twenty or so minutes later, he re-entered the room in a pair of blue, white, and tan striped pajama bottoms and a matching buttoned shirt. He was no longer caked in dirt, but bruising on his face, collarbone, and feet were starting to show against his pale freckled skin. Theseus was standing by the window looking out at the street below and pulling the curtain closed. "I don't need to sleep long," Newt announced. The statement was far less convincing than intended due to the massive yawn that accompanied it.

"If not for yourself, do it for her. You can't take proper care of her if you don't take care of yourself first. Honestly, you don't always have to take the difficult route, you know."

"Sleeping is the difficult route," Newt said amid a heavy yawn. He slid under the blankets on his bed, careful not to push against the qilin who was still sitting at the bottom of it. Newt slowly turned onto his side and dropped his head onto his pillow with yet another yawn.

"Now don't worry about her," Theseus assured. He grabbed the newspaper from the end table and folded it down to stick into the pocket of his jacket he'd thrown over the arm of the sofa. "I can take her downstairs to wherever you had her roaming around so you can get some peace and quiet, hmm?" Theseus waited for a response but heard nothing. "Newt?" He looked over his shoulder, letting out a sigh as his eyes fell to Newt. The magizoologist had fallen fast asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Theseus would have picked up the qilin and left the room, but she was already nestled up against Newt's hip and yawning herself. "Or I could just sit right here and babysit you both to make sure you get some sleep," Theseus added to himself. He yanked the newspaper free from his jacket pocket and carefully unfolded it before sitting down on the sofa. Noticing the qilin cuddle herself further against Newt, he took up his wand from the other arm of the couch and flicked his wrist while aiming it at the fireplace. A small flame grew and flickered over the logs. The room began to warm up in its glow almost immediately. Pickett hopped down onto the seat beside Theseus and held his hands out toward the fire to warm himself. The young bowtruckle voiced a few chirps and squeaks. "You can say that again, little man," Theseus replied, not even knowing what was said. He sighed and opened his newspaper, settling in to watch over his little brother.

[auroargraves]

Thesival!

Who said “I love you” first — It happened in the middle of a battle — the enemy was closing in to where Theseus and Percival stood; with their wands out, and adrenaline shooting through their system. Their hearts beating wildly as they took a deep breath. When the first offensive spell penetrated the carefully crafted barrier, Theseus glanced at Percival who was already looking at him.When the soldiers raised their wands and shouted for victory; Theseus roared, “I love you, Percy! So don’t you die without me!”

Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background— it’s Theseus because he’s a sap and it’s a selfie of Percival doing the duck-face; his lips pouting perfectly, red and kissable and Theseus always, always shows off his phone background to everyone because he thinks his boyfriend is adorable.

Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror— Percival does it and usually the messages are crude; “You have big ass but they’re mine.” “Can’t wait to suck your cock down my throat when you come back from work.”

Who buys the other cheesy gifts— They both do because they are both nerds and Percy actually bought a very ugly ashtray in the shape of beer mug because Theseus loves his beers too much. And Theseus gave Percy a necklace with heart-shaped pendant and inside there’s a photo of him looking pensive and demure. “It’s for when you miss me too much.”

Who initiated the first kissTheseus and he was sly about it. He actually stood behind Percival and bent over so that his face was next to Percival’s cheek and then he called Percy’s name and when the man turned his face to the side, Theseus planted a quick one before he sprinted off, laughing happily as Percival run after him to give a proper kiss.

Who kisses the other awake in the morning— Theseus because he just loves how soft and pliant Percy is in the morning. Even when he grumbles about bad breath, Percy still accepts his kisses.

Who starts tickle fights— Percival because while Theseus looks so tough and rough around the edges, he is very sensitive and ticklish and it’s the only time Theseus begs for Percival to have mercy.

Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower— Percival Graves with his mussed up hair, and soft expression — voice rough from sleep as his shirt was pulled down to his shoulder; exposing hard nipple. Theseus doesn’t even stand a chance.

Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch— Theseus because whilst he’s a workaholic, he also loves to eat so he will come prepared with ice cream waffle because he knows Percy needs his sugar fix.

Who was nervous and shy on the first date— They both were since they’ve been friends for so long and this is something new, holding hands and walking side to side and kissing!

Who kills/takes out the spiders— no one does because they are both scaredy cats that they end up having to call Newt to do it for them as they both stand in the corner of the room, hugging each other.

Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk— Theseus Scamander! Esp. when Percy arrives to the pub to take him home and Theseus just goes, “HERE HE IS! MY HUSBAND! MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE!” to the crowds inside the pub and Percy tries very hard to usher Theseus out but his husband is handsy.

[clarencebells]

Would You Like To Stay Forever?

The Other Slytherin (Series)

Masterlist

Newt Scamander x Reader

Summary: You ask Newt an important question.

It had been a few weeks now and you’ve played with the idea for a while. You’ve tried to convince yourself that it was the right thing to do, especially since Newt kept coming back. Now some of your neighbors, who’d seen this young man come and go every day without fail, had suspected you and Newt were in a relationship and even congratulated you on your new ‘boyfriend’. However, they were completely mistaken. 

The only reason Newt kept coming back to your flat every day was because of your Demiguise, Dougal. Dougal was just a baby, and Newt, who had never seen such a creature before, was completely enamored. He’d been coming frequently to study the baby Demiguise and had become quite attached to him. As every day passed with Newt coming to visit, it became harder and harder to get him to leave, which brought you to your current dilemma. 

Newt was over at your flat again and as always he went straight for Dougal’s nest, cooing at the infant ape-like creature. You watched him as he tried to entertain the Demiguise but Dougal was only interested in studying the man’s freckles. Newt laughed as Dougal touched his neck, you could only assume Newt was ticklish there.

Hearing Newt laugh and seeing him smile at the little ape only made your resolve to ask him stronger and you finally came to a decision. 

“Scamander.” You called, approaching slowly as you didn’t want to make him too uncomfortable by being so close.

“Yes?” He turned towards you as he picked up Dougal and cradled him in his arms.

“Why don’t you stay?” You asked him, feeling slightly nervous as you fiddled with your fingers.

“For dinner? Oh, I really can’t, but thank you…again, for asking.” Newt replied, bowing his head as he refused. You’d been asking him to stay for dinner for a few days now, ever since you’d learned that he hardly ever ate once he got home from work. He merely bought whatever was available to him either on his way to work or when he was on his lunch break.

You sighed, slightly in frustration and hearing this made Newt tuck his head down further, he always felt bad for disappointing you.

“I didn’t mean for dinner.” You corrected.

Curious, Newt looked back up at you. “What? Then what did you mean?”

You gave another sigh as you tried to bring up the courage to ask him again, you never did like repeating yourself. “I meant, why don’t you stay here. In this flat. With m– ah, us. With us.”

Newt eyes widened in surprise at your question, he would have never even entertained the idea of staying with you, especially after Leta. Quite honestly, the only reason he ever really came to see you was because you had Dougal. Newt was silent for a moment and you waited patiently for his answer. 

“May I think about it?” Newt asked.

You tried to hide your disappointment and embarrassment for even asking in the first place. Of course he wouldn’t want to live with you, you two hardly knew each other. “Yes. Yes, of course. You don’t really have to if you don’t want–”

“I really just want to think about it.” Newt interrupted you. He wasn’t refusing, he just…wasn’t sure yet.

“Right.” You sighed and turned back to the kitchen where you busied yourself with making dinner. 

Newt watched you walk away and again he was left with the feeling of guilt. You had been nothing but kind to him these past weeks, however, he just wasn’t ready to get close to anyone yet. Well, any human anyways, he thought as he looked down at Dougal who was looking between you and Newt, giving a small hum. 

“I’ve gone and mucked things up again haven’t I, Dougal?” Newt gave a weak smile, in which Dougal only responded by pinching his cheek.

A week passed and you had yet to get a visit from Newt. It worried you and his absence even got the attention of your neighbors who’d taken to asking after him. You worried that perhaps it was because of what you’d asked him and perhaps his recent absence was his answer. If it was, then you decided not to let it bother you. You gave it a try and that was best you do. However, you still worried about the Hufflepuff and had even swallowed your pride to ask about him from his brother, Theseus, your co-worker. According to him, Newt was doing fine, although he did take a few days off of work to ‘settle’ a few things, but other than that, Newt didn’t elaborate much else.

“Ugh.” You groaned, growing frustrated with yourself for worrying over someone who wasn’t even technically your friend. The only thing that you even had in common with him when you were in Hogwarts was Leta. You shook your head, determined not to think about either of them as you continued to give Dougal his bath.

Dougal had tipped over the potion you were working on and now he was covered in green goo. Needless to say, the Demiguise was very displeased that you had made him take a bath, the smell of the soap hurt his nose and the water was cold. 

“Stop fussing, Dougal. I know it’s bad, but it’s the only way to get that potion off you.” You tried to steady him with one hand, but it was no use, he simply refused to remain still, splashing the water and around and completely soaking you. You were growing irritated by the minute and the ringing of your doorbell only managed to raise your ire. “Ugh! This day can’t get any worse.” 

You picked up Dougal and cradled him on your hip as you walked to your door and answered it. You were surprised to see none other than Newt standing at your door carrying two suitcases with him.

He gave you a quick smile and a “Hello,” as a greeting.

“Uh…Hello.” You replied, a bit dumbstruck and confused. “Why are you–”

“Oh! Um…I suppose I really should have called you before I did any of this but um, I’ve come to accept your offer.” Newt replied quickly before you could even ask your question.

“My offer…?” You asked, still in a state of shock.

“Yes…it’s still open, isn’t it?”

“Well…”

“Oh no, I’m late again, aren’t I?”

“Well…no, but…”

“Is it really too late?”

“Scamander…”

“…because I’ve just had a very unpleasant row with my former landlord…”

“Scamander…”

“…and I don’t think he’ll be wanting me back anytime soon…”

“Scamander…”

“…and I would really prefer not to bother my brothe–”

“NEWT!”

Newt immediately fell silent, curling his lips inwards and blowing out his cheeks as an attempt to stop further words from escaping his lips. He’d never witness you raise your voice before, he was a bit shocked.

You sighed, relieved that you could finally get a word in. Calmly, you instructed him as you stepped aside to let him in, “I was going to say, that you can take the room down the hall to your right, just next to Dougal’s nursery.”

Newt gave you a beaming smile as he carried his suitcases and entered the flat, going straight to his room to unpack and make himself at home.

Extra/Bonus:

“By the way…”

“What is it Scamander?”

“Um…uh…y-your shirt…”

“Hm…? AHH! DON’T LOOK! IT’S RUDE TO STARE!”

A/N: Finally! OMG! How do fanfiction writers tolerate this? This was murder to write! My brain is mush. There are so many things I wanted to add but then it’s already so long ugh. Anyways the real purpose of this was because

  @sinuhmyn-apple 

is/was apparently moving today/yesterday and I just kinda got inspired to write this. I dunno, my plot bunnies like to be all over the place.

Edit: OH! AND GOOD LUCK ON YOUR MOVING, SIN!

[i-choose-the-danger]

Work in progress...

________

"Come to think of it," Theseus noted as he stood and stretched his legs. He grabbed the bottle of medicinal leaves and the roll of bandages before turning to bring them back to Newt's suitcase. "I think there's only one creature you ever truly disliked."

"Hmm?" Newt's brow furrowed. There were creatures that frightened him as they were fierce and dangerous, ones that tested his patience like his young nifflers, even ones that perplexed him as he'd not yet studied them enough to fully understand them... but he couldn't think of a single creature he'd ever come across that he outright disliked, unless some humans counted. "What do you mean?"

"It was when you were little," Theseus muttered before pulling his head back out of the suitcase and closing its locks. He stared at the floor for a moment and laughed to himself at childhood memories that he was remembering. He noticed the confused expression Newt wore as he walked back towards him. "You used to run from it all the time. I guess I wouldn't really call it a creature." He stood in front of Newt and smirked. With a hushed tone and clawed hands lazily held in front of himself, he added, "It was more of a monster."

________

Oh yeah, Scamander brothers shenanigans are incoming. Some time this week. Maybe even tonight. 😊

[i-choose-the-danger]

I don't know if you do the ask meme that's going around about characters but I'd love to know your answers for it about Newt. 🥰🥺It's the one that starts with "on a scale of 1-10..."

I haven't done them, but I've definitely seen them! I don't mind doing it for you. :) I tend not to post headcanons because I've had people argue them... which makes no sense, right? Ah well, let's see how this goes.

on a scale of 1-10, how ticklish are they? - I'm going to go with a solid 8

where is their most ticklish spot(s)? - I'd say his ribs. People tend to be subconsciously protective of their worst spot and Newt's mannerisms give me the impression that he's keen to press his arms to his sides a lot.

which spots are they not ticklish? - Not? I know a lot of people have sensitive palms. Given Newt's job, I feel like his hands would be rough and even calloused. So I don't think he'd be sensitive there at all. Just about everywhere else is fair game though.

what is their laugh like? - It depends... if he's tired he can have quiet sleepy giggles, if something brushes a spot when he's not expecting it, he'll squeak or squeal in surprise, or if you get him really good and you're lucky you'll get to hear the most beautiful angelic bright laughter you've ever heard in your life

do they enjoy tickling? if yes, is it a fun platonic/familial thing, or kinky thing to them, or can it be both depending on the circumstance? - He doesn't mind it if it's light and/or from his creatures. It's a platonic/bonding thing, but nothing kinky ever. Newt's not like that. If it's a situation like his brother playfully attacking him for too long he might get panicky from being overstimulated, but Theseus knows his limits and will stop before things get out of hand.

are they more often a lee or ler, generally? - Majority of the time, definitely a lee. Newt has no problem being a ler with his creatures, but he's not the one to really initiate that with people.

who is someone in their life that they tickle often? - Teddy, obviously. I mean did you see the devilish smirk he had doing that to him in the bank vault? Clearly that wasn't the first time lol.

who is someone in their life that they get tickled by often? - Theseus definitely got him a lot when they were very young. Now though? I'm willing to bet at least half the creatures he cares for know about that particular vulnerability. After he and Tina finally get together (I swear if we don't get to see that on film, I will RIOT) she's definitely been known to sneak some tickles in from time to time. In that situation, Newt might reciprocate but it would take quite a while for him to be comfortable enough to be the one to initiate.

does the word “tickle” or any variation of embarrass them? - I'm not sure that's the right word. Newt strikes me as the kind of person to get flustered by the word if someone's using it specifically to tease and Newt would have that Pavlov response of starting to laugh. I wouldn't say he's embarrassed by the word though.

are they embarrassed about their ticklishness, and do they try to deny/hide it? - Nah, I don't think so. Newt understands that it's a perfectly normal bodily function. He doesn't try to hide it, but he certainly doesn't go willingly offering up the information either lol.

would gentle tickling or rough tickling affect them more? - Ugh, being rough with it is no fun. That just makes it uncomfortable or even painful. Newt is a gentle person, so you have to be gentle.

is there a specific spot that they enjoy being tickled, either exclusively or more than other spots? what is it? - I'm not sure if "enjoy" is the right word here either, but certain light touches that tickle enough to cause a chill but not make him laugh feel somewhat soothing to him. Mostly along his back. We know his back is supposed to have a bunch of scars from different animals (I'm still mad about that deleted scene/idea never seeing the light of day...) so having a gentle touch there is a welcomed contrast to touches that have caused pain.

is there a spot that they can’t stand to be tickled, either because it’s just too sensitive, or it’s uncomfortable/painful/etc? what is it? - Merlin save you if you manage to drill his hip bones, you could be injured and entitled to compensation. If Newt gets overstimulated, that becomes a death spot and he can't handle it for more than two seconds.

would they ever purposefully bug a friend/partner/sibling into tickling them, and if so, how would they go about it? - Like I said before, he doesn't willfully share that he's ticklish, so I don't think he'd purposely try to initiate it.

does teasing affect them? - Oh 100% yes. Start teasing him before you attack him and watch him blush so hard his freckles disappear. He'll get flustered and try to hold back smiling.

I hope that was okay and that that was the list you were looking for, anon! 😁

[scamanderishredmayniac]

This is soooo cute!!! I really loved this. A very well written piece. That was very fun to read.

Creature Comforts

Finally able to post today! Fitting that I get it typed up on Eddie Redmayne's birthday too. 🥰I had this idea in my head after writing my last fic and referring to it in the dialogue, and it kept nagging at me and growing bigger and bigger. It just made sense to turn it into a fic of its own. So this fic is about something that was referenced in this fic, if you want to read that first. Only one big note here - what I've written is based off my own personal headcanon for these characters. We don't really know much about Newt's and Theseus's childhoods. We're still unsure about Theseus's *actual* birthday, but I feel that in 1904 (when I have the fic taking place), Theseus would be finishing his 6th year at Hogwarts and Newt would be seven years old. And for Newt, the way he is and his childhood are personally important to me, so I ask that you be kind and respect that. Everyone has their own headcanons and these are mine. Thank you. <3 I really do love these boys and I hope we get to see more of them together in the next film. Fic below the cut. :)

It was a warm June day in the English countryside. All was quiet in the Scamander home, mostly due to the fact that a very young Newt was home alone with his mother and that his older brother Theseus wouldn't be returning from Hogwarts for the summer until later in the evening. Newt had been spending the day helping his mother with chores around the house.

"Here you are, little Ruffles," Newt announced, walking towards the small hippogriff enclosure in his family's backyard as slowly as possible. He was carrying a bowl almost as big as himself and trying not to spill any water from it. "It's very warm out here and Mummy says you have to... to stay, um... hydrated." He set the bowl down on the ground and bowed before the young hippogriff, quietly waiting. He was nervous, but tried not to tense his muscles. A few seconds later, Ruffles mirrored Newt and bowed its head. Newt sighed in relief and slowly raised a hand, resting his palm on the creature's head and brushing his little fingers back through its feathers as it bent down to drink.

"Wonderful," Newt's mother observed from behind him.

"She let me pet her!" Newt beamed. He had been trying since the hippogriff's birth to gain its trust. His mother had been teaching him about hippogriffs and how important it is to establish such a bond with creatures in one's care.

Newt was only seven years old, too young to yet attend Hogwarts, but interested in all of the creatures his mother cared for and he constantly asked her to teach him anything she could. Newt wasn't like most children his age. He was very quiet and kept to himself. The only time he would open up was when watching his mother care for the hippogriffs she bred or when she was tending her garden. He would often follow her and try to help with anything she would allow.

"She trusts you now. I'm proud of you, sweetheart." Newt's mother carded her fingers through her son's messy auburn curls, lightly patting the top of his head. "I need you to take this basket and feed these to the gnomes over the wall, hmm? Can you do that for me?"

"I can do that, Mummy." Newt picked up a wicker basket full of things his mother had pulled up from her garden and toddled off to the other side of the backyard in a hurry.

"That's my sweet boy," she sighed.

Newt had always enjoyed feeding the gnomes, but never understood what he was feeding them. His mother said that the things she pulled from her garden were called horklumps. They looked like an odd species of mushroom. She said that they weren't important and their only purpose was keeping the gnomes from digging holes throughout the backyard. Newt threw most of them over the wall to a few gnomes who had dug holes behind one of the oak trees, but he stared down at the few horklumps left in the basket. He shuffled one of his feet, digging his heel into the dirt. Mummy doesn't need these. It should be okay if I take a few to my room and look at them, he thought. Newt took the basket of remaining horklumps into the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Mum! I'm home!" Theseus called out as he pulled his trunk through the fence gate into the backyard, a broom in his other hand and a satchel slung over his shoulder.

"You're early, dear! I thought you said the quidditch team was going to get together after you got back to the station."

"That was the plan, but McCoy did poorly on his O.W.L.s and his parents wouldn't let him come out. We didn't feel right being without him."

"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe he should study with you next year for your N.E.W.T.s."

"Speaking of Newts, I thought he would be out here with you. Where is he?"

"I asked him to take all of the horklumps I pulled up and toss them to the gnomes over the wall."

"What on earth for?" Theseus wondered.

"Waste not. If you have the patience and the time, you can learn to coexist with almost any creature." Mrs. Scamander tucked a loose curl of hair behind her ear and continued to till her small garden. "Besides, it keeps those little monsters from digging up my roses. They know they'll get food from me if they stay away."

"He must've gone inside to clean up. Can I leave this with you while I find him?" Theseus lifted the satchel from his shoulder and handled it gently as he held it out towards his mother.

"Is that what we discussed the other day?" Theseus's mother brushed her hands against her apron to remove the dirt from them before holding them out. "Give it here. I'll keep it safe for you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Newt had spent the past hour or so sketching and writing in his notebooks. He was seated on the floor in the center of his bedroom, his legs crossed and his socked feet flexing. Charcoal was smudged on his hands and wrists. A handful of horklumps sat in a pile in front of the child on the floor by one of his knees. They looked like large pink mushrooms, but they were covered in hard black hairs and had root-like tentacles. Newt's mother had told him they were nothing more than weeds in her garden, but he was fascinated with how they grew and his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"You're not a 'shroom," he mumbled to himself. Newt stuck out his tongue and bit down on it lightly as he concentrated on sketching in his notebook. He looked at the tentacles poking out from the bottom of a horklump stalk. "These are little legs like ones on grin-, on grindee... Grindylows." He picked up one of the horklumps he had begun to dissect and held it close to his face. He grazed a finger over the coarse hair of its stalk. "Ow. It feels like brushes." The hard bristles were shedding from the small creature as he touched it. Newt was so focused on jotting down notes in his book that he didn't hear his door open.

"There you are. Didn't you hear me ca-" Theseus looked around the room. There were dissected horklump pieces strewn across the floor with Newt's notebooks. Garden dirt, charcoal, and the horklumps' spiny bristles were on some of Theseus's belongings, including his bed. "What is this mess?!"

"You're home early!" Newt yelped.

"Everything is covered in dirt and hair!" Theseus could feel himself getting more aggravated no matter where he looked.

"I was studying them. I was going to clean it, soon as I finished!" Newt panicked and scrambled to bring himself into a kneeling position as he closed his sketchbook and threw his charcoal and quill into a small box of art supplies that he kept under his bed.

"And how exactly did you plan on cleaning all of this? Even the most complex scouring charm couldn't get this caked-in dirt out of my sheets!" Theseus tried swatting the dirt off of one of his blankets, but to no avail.

"I'm sorry! I'll clean it all up right now." Newt pressed his palms to his ears, trying to concentrate on where to start cleaning before Theseus could raise his voice again.

"Oh no, wait. Newt..." Theseus's tone was calm. He realized that his knee-jerk reaction was a bit too harsh towards his younger brother and he felt awful for reacting the way he did. "Newt, stop. Come here." Theseus crouched down to the floor and shifted his weight so that he was kneeling to match his brother's height. "It's alright. I'm not angry."

"I don't believe you. Your face is angry. And you were loud," Newt muttered, looking up at his brother through the unruly curls that had fallen in front of his eyes as he cast his head down. One of his thumbs clawed absentmindedly at his pants pocket. "I didn't mean to make a mess."

"I know. I'm sorry that I yelled." Theseus held his arms out towards Newt and sighed. "Please, come here," he added, stretching out his fingers. The corners of his mouth turned up as Newt cautiously stepped towards him. Once Newt was within reach, Theseus wrapped him in a tight hug. Newt didn't reciprocate the gesture, but simply stood still with his arms at his sides and let Theseus continue to hold him. "I'm sorry for yelling. I promise that I'm not angry." Theseus heard a small sniffle come from his little brother and his heart sank. He pulled back from the hug and flashed the cheesiest smile he could muster. "My face isn't angry either, see?"

"Not now. It doesn't have the big wrinkles anymore," Newt pointed out, tracing a finger across his brother's forehead.

"Wrinkles?! Hmmph!" Theseus rolled his eyes and let Newt go, crossing his arms. "I know how I can make up for upsetting you. How about I introduce you to a new creature? One I know you've never met before."

"A new one?" Newt's eyes lit up like stars. He pursed his lips and bounced with nervous energy. "You mean it?"

"Mmhmm. It's fun, and it's cuddly, and it's not dangerous, and it loves to make people smile."

"Why haven't I seen it before?" The child was very intrigued, yet cautious.

"Um, er, Mum might have just thought you weren't ready to meet one, but I think it's okay for me to show one to you now."

"Where is it? What is it called? Where did you find it?" Newt kept leaning from side to side, trying to see where his brother might be hiding such a wonderful surprise.

"Oh it's right here." Theseus chuckled to himself as Newt looked around. "It's called... a tickle monster." Theseus bent forward to wrap his arms around his little brother again, but Newt was too quick and jumped back, leaving Theseus to faceplant into the floor with a loud thud. "OOF!"

"Uh-oh!" Newt sprinted out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him, a panicked giggle escaping his lips as he padded down the hallway looking for a place to hide.

"You little... come back here!" Theseus pushed himself to stand and brushed some dust off the knees of his pants. "You can't escape the tickle monster. I know all of your little hiding spots!"

Theseus searched room by room, checking all of the places Newt would hide himself when he needed to be alone or when he was upset. He glanced over at the linen closet in the laundry room and smiled knowingly. Its door was open just the slightest bit. Newt would often tuck himself away in there when playing hide-and-seek with their mother. He'd never close the door all the way because he was still quite uncomfortable in the dark.

"Now where could that little brother of mine be?" Theseus wondered aloud. He pulled open a desk drawer. "Hmm, no. Not here." He shook out a blanket that had been laid over the back of a chair. "Nope." He lifted the cushion from the same chair. "Not under here either. I guess you're too smart for me." Theseus crept by a small cabinet and turned toward the linen closet. With a gentle hand, he grabbed the door, waited, and then flung it wide open. "AHA! Now I've got...you?" His expression fell. The bottom of the closet was empty. "Newt?" Theseus stepped into the closet and bent over to check behind a pile of bed sheets, not hearing the slight squeak of the cabinet door just behind him. Before he could straighten back up, the closet door swung and smacked against his bum, knocking him off balance and face-first into the stack of sheets. He could hear tiny footsteps dashing away. "You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled, his face still smooshed in the sheets.

Theseus doubled back to their bedroom just in case Newt had retreated back to where he felt safest. As he reached the doorway, he heard the staircase creak followed by a small gasp. He continued into the bedroom without turning to look back, knowing that Newt was heading downstairs. Theseus very rarely managed to get his brother to come out of his shell and be playful, so he was in no rush to end this game of hide-and-seek so soon.

"Need to hide. Need to hide," Newt repeated to himself frantically, eyes darting around as he tried to think of a spot that would be safe. He linked his thumbs into the pockets of his pants and pulled on them a few times to calm himself. The feeling of butterflies in his stomach was making him shift his weight back and forth from one leg to the other.

"I'm going to find you, little brother," Theseus called out in a sing-song voice as he started to descend the staircase.

"Oh no!" Newt quietly gasped to himself. He would never make it to the kitchen in time to run out the back door without Theseus seeing him and catching him. Luckily, Newt was thin and agile enough that he was able to quickly duck and dart under the dining table. He peeked out underneath the tablecloth to see Theseus's shoes only a few inches away from his hiding spot. Newt's hands flew to cover his mouth to suppress the sudden nervous urge he had to giggle.

"Brother mine, where could you have gone?" Theseus walked around the dining table and stood still for a moment, noticing a chair slightly out of place. He bent down just enough to be able to see exactly where Newt was hiding. He could have ended this chase right then, but couldn't help dragging the game out just a few minutes longer. "Well, he's too young to apparate, so he couldn't have vanished into thin air. I wonder if he went outside." Theseus headed into the kitchen and hid himself against the door frame to wait.

"Whew," Newt whispered. He carefully crawled over the bottom rungs of the chair in front of him and out from under the table. He had no idea that his brother was watching from the kitchen... or that he was now sneaking up behind him.

"Gotcha!" Theseus crowed, wrapping his arms around Newt's waist and scooping him into the air. Newt was already squirming and giggling before Theseus had even done anything. "And where do you think you're going, hmm? All this wriggly giggly nonsense won't save you from the tickle monster."

"No no no no no! You lied to me! That's... that's not a real creature! It doesn't count!" Newt continued to squirm in his brother's arms in hopes of slipping through and running for cover.

"Oh I can assure you that the tickle monster is very real. If it wasn't, could it do this?" Theseus's arms were long enough that he was able to hold Newt in a hug from behind and have his hands reach Newt's ribs on the opposite sides. The very second his fingers scrunched into Newt's sides, the child squealed and let out the wildest string of giggles Theseus had ever heard in his entire life.

"Thee-hee-hee-hee-heeseus!" No matter how hard Newt tried to free himself, his brother's arms were too strong. "You and your dumb hugger arms! Let me gohohohohoho!"

"You dirty up the whole bedroom, knock me down in the closet, and now you insult my hugging? That's it." Theseus walked into the den towards the couch, never pausing his attack as Newt continued to squeal and thrash about in protest in his arms. Theseus even blew a few raspberries against the side of Newt's neck, causing the child to squeak and squirm through more laughter. He dropped Newt onto the cushions and sat beside him, allowing them both a minute to catch their breath. Almost immediately, Newt scrambled to roll off the couch to safety. "Oh, no you don't!" Theseus spidered his fingers up Newt's ribcage and under his arms, which Newt immediately clamped down at his sides as he laughed harder. Theseus tried to pull his hands out, but Newt had them pinned in a vice-like grip under his arms. "If you're going to trap the tickle monster here, then it'll just have to claw its way free," Theseus sighed. The elder brother curled his fingers into claw shapes and scratched at the hollows under his captive's arms.

Newt shrieked.

"What in the name of Merlin..." Mrs. Scamander called from the kitchen.

"Mummy! He-he-he-he-he-help!" Newt curled himself into a ball and continued to squeal and laugh as Theseus poked and scribbled his fingers over every vulnerable spot he could find.

"I could hear the commotion from all the way outside. I thought someone was dying," their mother joked.

"I a-ha-ha-ha-ha-ham!" her youngest son shouted through his laughter. At this point, he had completely lost control of his limbs and flailed about on the couch trying to fend off his brother's assault. "He-he-he-he-he's trying to kill meeee!" Another high-pitched squeal left Newt's lips before his laughter started to go silent.

"So dramatic!" Theseus huffed. He gave Newt's ribs a few more quick pokes before helping him sit up and pulling him back against his chest. Newt collapsed into him and let his limbs go limp. "See? Very much alive."

"Barely so," Newt choked out through residual giggles. His chest was still heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He grabbed the hem of his shirt in his fists, rubbing them over his ribs to sooth away the tingly feeling that still lingered. "You're a rubbish big brother," Newt added sternly, even though it was with a smile as he curled back into a ball on his side.

"Ouch!" Theseus put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I did bring home something for you though. I thought you would be old enough to have a pet to take care of so you'd stop destroying our room like the little tornado you are," he added, lightly mussing Newt's hair to emphasize his cyclonic nature.

"If you really did, then where is it?" Newt asked, still resting against Theseus's chest.

"I've got her right here. I kept her safe while you two were playing." Mrs. Scamander put her hands into the large pocket in the front of her apron and cradled something small as she pulled them back out. "She's a puffskein."

Newt's eyes widened like little hazel saucers and he instantly sat upright. His mother was holding what looked like a small ball of blue fur barely bigger than a quidditch snitch.

"She's beauuuutiful. May I hold her?" Newt whispered. He loosely held nervous fists up near his chin and waited for permission.

"If you're very careful. She's just a baby. Cup your hands like this." Mrs. Scamander held out her hands next to Newt's, still cradling the puffskein, and gently urged it to waddle over into his waiting hands. It took a few steps and settled into his palms with a soft coo. He instinctively cupped one hand behind the small creature to keep it from falling. "Just like that. She needs to feel safe."

"Oooooh." Newt held the puffskein against his chest and repeatedly brushed the fingers of his free hand over her fur. "She's so soft."

"She reminded me of that fuzzy blue blanket you hold all the time, so I thought you'd like her." Theseus reached out and scratched Iris's head with his index finger.

"She's perfect. Thank you." Newt continued happily petting the puffskein, never looking away from her. He found the continuous touch of her fur brushing the pads of his fingers to be very soothing. "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one yet. I thought you should name her since she's yours now," Theseus replied.

"Hmm..." Newt held his new pet out and looked her over. "She looks like a big blue eye. I'll call her Iris." The puffskein cooed.

"I think she likes it. If you stay still, she likes to perch herself here," Theseus told him. He took Iris into his hands and set her down on one of Newt's shoulders. "Just be careful. She has a long little tongue and if you're not watching, she'll take your bogeys right out of your nose," he whispered, pinching Newt's nose between two of his knuckles.

"Theseus! That's disgusting!" his mother scolded. Newt instantly covered his nose with one of his hands, horrified at the thought.

"It's true though! It's the first place they look if they can't find food," Theseus added.

Iris started to purr, cuddled against Newt's cheek. As the intensity of her purr increased, she started to vibrate and her fur buzzed against his neck. Newt scrunched his shoulder and squeezed his eyes shut as he squeaked out a surprise laugh.

"It looks like you have a new little tickle monster," Theseus joked.

"Noooo! I should send a tickle monster after you," Newt replied, still scrunching his neck. He cupped a hand around Iris and guided her to walk down his chest far enough for him to take her in both hands and hold her in his lap.

"Please. Tickle monsters don't bother me," Theseus replied in a huff.

"I guess your brother never told you about when he first met the tickle monster, hmm?" Mrs. Scamander stood at the end of the couch with her hands on her hips and a knowing smirk.

"Wait, what?" Theseus all of a sudden felt very anxious.

"Uh-oh..." Newt protectively cuddled his new pet and scooted away from his brother on the couch.

"Oh yes. When Theseus was your age, sometimes he would be so rambunctious that the only thing that could tire him out was a visit from the tickle monster." Mrs. Scamander was now standing behind Theseus as Newt giggled to himself watching them with wide eyes.

"Mum, what are you... Mum, NO!" Theseus curled in on himself and tried to shield his sides as his mother proceeded to tickle him to pieces.

Newt had never heard Theseus laugh so hard or seen him lose composure so quickly. He had also never felt more at ease simply sitting there with a new pet to care for and study. At that moment, Newt could think of nothing else he would make him happier.