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Newt paced nervously through the basement. Several creatures called out to him, but he was so distracted that he didn’t hear them. Jacob watched him from the staircase, part worried and part amused.
“Hey, uh, Newt buddy? You all right down there?”
Newt started, spinning round to face him with a flush. “Oh, Jacob. I didn’t see you there. Well – truthfully, I don’t think I am okay,” his friend murmured, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
Jacob took the few flights of stairs down, coming to stand in front of the magizoologist.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s not necessarily wrong...Honestly, it’s the rightest thing to happen in a while...”
“Newt, you’re talking in riddles, man, just tell me what’s going on!” Jacob chuckled.
“Right...I – I asked Tina out to dinner. And she said yes,” Newt explained, a fond smile on his lips as he thought about the woman in question. Jacob clapped him on the shoulder enthusiastically.
“Hey, that’s great, man! So why're you down here trying to wear a hole in the floor?”
Newt twisted his fingers into the seam of his trousers, ducking his head awkwardly. “It’s just that so much has happened already and I don’t want to mess up our first date...And I’m well, me? I feel like I’m bound to do or say something that will make Tina not want to date me. I mean, there’s so much that can go wrong, Jacob!”
The shorter man resisted the urge to smack his friend. “Newt, come on man. It’s Tina! If she hasn’t gotten turned off of you yet, then I doubt it’ll happen,” he said patiently, “I know, we’ll get Theseus down here, he’ll know exactly how to help you out!”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea –“
“Nah, don’t worry, pal! It’ll be fine!”
XXX
“You’ve got to be joking. I’m not wearing that, Thes.”
His older brother rolled his eyes. “Yes, you are. You want to show Tina that you’re interested and fully committed to seeing this thing through? Then you’ve got to dress like you mean it. You can’t show up in your ill-fitting, mismatched suit, Newton. At least show her that you wanted to look nice for her this evening. Besides, I’ve booked you a reservation at one of the nicest wizarding restaurants in London, so you can’t show up looking like something a Kneazle dragged in,” Theseus lectured, floating the well-cut charcoal grey tuxedo over to where Newt sat at his desk.
Newt turned to Jacob. “Well, what do you think?”
His friend shrugged. “I can’t really argue with his logic, pal. I mean, you should show Tina that she can be proud to be on your arm for the night. Ladies do like a man who keeps himself neat and tidy.”
“And definitely not smelling like dragon dung,” Theseus chimed in.
Newt shot him a glare from under his fringe. “I don’t even have a dragon,” he pouted.
“Don’t nitpick, Newt. Now, you’re going to go take a wash, dress in this lovely suit, and when you come back, we’re going to do something about that head of yours,” Theseus steered him towards the stairs, the suit following behind him.
Newt huffed. “You’re acting as if I don’t know anything about personal hygiene, Thes.”
“Well, I’d believe that if you didn’t smell so terrible,” he shot back with a smirk, “Just remember, you asked for help, little brother!”
XXX
Newt fidgeted with his shirt, fussing first with his bowtie and then his cufflinks. He resisted the urge to pace his living room as he waited for Tina to appear. She didn’t keep him waiting much longer, however, and his head snapped up the moment he spotted her at the top of the stairs.
She stood there shyly, dressed in a sleeveless midnight blue dress that had subtle overlays of lace and beading. It shimmered as she walked down the stairs, making him think of the hundreds of stars in the night sky and drawing his attention to the way the fabric slipped and clung faithfully to her curves. Her lips were painted in a shade that reminded him of garnets, the colour deep and rich against her pale skin. Finally, she stood in front of him, a small smile on her face.
“Hi,” she breathed.
“Tina...you look –“
She blushed. “Nagini helped. I wasn’t too sure what to wear. And well, Queenie was always the one who dressed me up like this so I don’t really have any experience in the matter...”
Newt’s heart ached as he saw her face fall, the straight line of her teeth biting into her bottom lip. He squeezed her hand gently, reassuringly, and she looked up with a grateful smile.
“You look breath-taking, Tina,” he finished, unable to resist reaching out to touch the soft curl of her hair where it lay against her jaw.
“Thanks,” she murmured, pink filling her cheeks. Her gaze swept over him and when she met his eyes once more she wore a polite mask. “You look – nice – as well.”
Newt ran his hand against his heavily pomaded hair. The curls were, for once, neatly slicked back and not obscuring his face. He resisted the urge to rake his fingers through it, only Theseus' warnings about trying to look nice for the girl you were courting stopped him. “Shall we then?” Newt gestured to the door, quickly summoning her coat and helping her into it.
Tina smiled sunnily at him, once more twining their fingers together as they made their way out of his home.
XXX
It was going horribly.
They’d arrived at the restaurant without much fanfare, the maître d’ taking their coats and showing them to their table. It was a much, much fancier place than he was used to, and he could practically feel the many eyes of society’s upper crust on him.
“I think that’s Newt Scamander! You know, the famous author?” came a hushed whisper from one table as they passed. Newt flushed. The last thing he wanted was for his newfound fame to ruin his date with Tina. She didn’t seem to pay it any mind though, confidently forging ahead to their table. He scrambled to pull out her chair for her, earning him a few curious glances that made his face burn even more.
Finally, they were settled, and Newt tugged on his bowtie self-consciously. Was it just him, or was this place just a little two warm? He felt as though he were sweating through the many, many layers of clothing on his body.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Tina’s soft voice drew him out of his thoughts and he felt himself flush in embarrassment once more. “Yes, so sorry. I’m fine,” he smiled, though he had the feeling it looked more like a very unconvincing grimace. The waiter appeared with a fine bottle of elvish wine, offering a smile before taking their food order.
Newt cleared his throat and gulped his wine a little faster than necessary, hoping the alcohol would calm him down. Tina frowned at him.
“Are you sure everything is okay, Newt? Did something happen today? Are all the creatures okay?” she asked, leaning forward in concern.
Newt’s heart constricted. She was so generous and giving – she was a giver, just as Queenie had said he needed. She was so perfect and – and what if he wasn’t good enough for her?
In fact, he could pretty much guarantee that he wasn’t good enough for her, he thought with a slump of his shoulders. He was awkward and often quiet, and he preferred the company of his creatures to most humans. Hell, he didn’t even know how to get through one date with the girl he fancied.
Tina – she deserved someone who was strong and confident like her, someone who understood her and –
“Newt? You’re really scaring me now,” Tina interrupted his raging thoughts, reaching across the table to clasp his hand with hers. She squeezed gently, hoping to bring him out of his daze, but instead Newt started so badly that his knees hit the table, rattling their dinnerware and tipping Tina’s wine glass over. He watched in horror as the red liquid splashed into her lap, no doubt staining her lovely dress.
Tina gasped and he blanched, scrambling to her side to dab up the liquid with his dinner napkin. Oh, this was horrible. He couldn’t even look her in the face now, he thought with shame.
“Newt, hey, it’s okay, it’s fine,” she murmured, mumbling a quick spell and reverting her dress to its previous spotless state, “We do have magic, after all!” It was a joke, but it fell flat and he continued to stare at the table desolately.
Finally, Tina sighed. “It’s me, isn’t it? You don’t have to say it, Newt, you’ve been acting weird with me all night. I just kind of wish you’d told me you didn’t want to go on this date anymore instead of ignoring me,” she whispered, and he was alarmed to see tears gathering in her eyes. “I’ll see you back at the flat, I guess.”
With that she rose from the table quietly, making her way back through the restaurant and collecting her coat while he stared at her with wide eyes. When she made her way through the door, Newt seemed to start into motion, frantically throwing a handful of galleons on the table and rushing to follow her. He cursed softly when all he was met with was the soft crack of her disapparating.
With a turn of his heel, Newt was back in his flat, which was eerily quiet. He huffed and wrenched the silly white bowtie from his neck, finally raking his fingers through his hair and mussing it from the ridiculous style it had been forced into by Theseus. Newt sighed softly and turned for the basement stairs. It would probably be best to just leave her alone for now.
XXX
Tina emerged from her room some twenty minutes later, eyes puffy and wearing her most comfortable pair of pyjamas – the little zebras always made her feel a little better and reminded her of the time Queenie had charmed them to run across the fabric. Her mood fell even further when she thought about her sister and she shuffled off to the kitchen, in search of something loaded with chocolate and some of the Firewhisky that Newt kept hidden in his pantry.
What she found instead, however, was both Theseus and Jacob talking over cups of tea and some pastries that the rotund baker had no doubt whipped up sometime earlier.
Jacob frowned. “You’re home.”
“Yeah? And?” she snapped, sitting at the table with a huff and biting into a chocolate croissant a little more viciously than necessary.
“No, I just meant – did it not go well then?” he prodded.
Tina frowned. Part of her wanted to tell him to shove off and quit sticking his nose in her love life (she mentally snorted; what love life?) but then Jacob was Newt’s friend and a man, surely he could shed some light on his odd behaviour tonight?
She sighed softly. “It started out really great,” she murmured, “But then he started acting so weird when we got to the restaurant. I thought maybe he was just a little nervous but he wouldn't talk at all, y'know? And then his clothes! I mean, don't get me wrong, he did look really nice in the suit, but what was up with his hair? He didn't look like himself at all.” She'd continued talking, unaware that the two men say across from her had blanched, now resembling the colour of sheets.
They watched as she took another bite of croissant and then threw her hands up in exasperation. “I mean, how do you go from telling a girl that she has eyes like a salamander to not even speaking two words to her?”
Theseus choked on his tea. “I'm sorry, wait. You actually liked that compliment?!”
She frowned. “Well, yeah!” she blushed lightly, seeming to remember that Newt’s brother was listening to how keenly she was spilling her feelings for him.
Theseus groaned and smacked himself in the face. “Jacob, we’ve made a horrible mistake,” he said exasperatedly. “We forgot to take into account that she might actually like Newt’s more...eccentric tendencies.”
Tina’s frown deepened. “Hang on, you two are behind this?!”
They had the good grace to look ashamed. Jacob spoke first. “Newt – he was pretty balled up about taking you out. He wanted everything to go so smoothly and we – maybe told him that he needed to put in a bit more effort for you? You know, like actually clean himself up a bit?”
Her face was thunderous. “I – I can't believe you two knuckleheads!” she exploded, “So let me get this straight: not only did you try to make him into something that he isn’t, you also got in his head about how he should and shouldn’t behave tonight, am I right?”
Jacob shifted uncomfortably but nodded, hanging his head.
Tina grabbed up the plate of pastries with a huff, “Be glad I left my wand in my room, otherwise I’d hex you two into the next century!” With that, she stomped off, heading for the basement stairs.
Theseus glanced at the man next to him. “I can’t believe that there’s a woman actually flattered by Newt telling her that her eyes remind him of a slimy beast.”
Jacob snorted. “Well, I can tell you that that is definitely the last time I try to play matchmaker from now on.”
“Too right, my good man.”
XXX
Tina padded down the stairs quietly, plate of pastries in one hand, bottle of Firewhisky in the other. It was quiet in Newt’s menagerie, most of the creatures bedded down for the night. Even so, she couldn’t seem to find him on any of the levels. The Niffler scurried up to her and she carefully juggled her things so that she could scoop him up.
“Hey there, you little troublemaker,” she sighed fondly, “you wouldn't happen to know where Newt is, would you?”
He chittered happily, curling up against her chest and Tina couldn’t help the soft smile that grew on her face. Finally, he looked over to where his case lay open on the floor. Of course, he would be in the case. Even in his own home, he felt the need to hide away, and not just from the many people he was now hosting, no, he was hiding from her. The thought twisted the knife in her chest a little deeper. He’d been nervous all night about trying to impress her, but instead she’d accused him of not caring for her at all. Mercy Lewis, she was a jerk.
She dropped the Niffler into the pocket of her housecoat. He chittered but curled up in contentment and Tina manoeuvred the case’s stairs a little gracelessly but made it into the shed in one piece. She surveyed the habitats in search of him, finally finding him sitting on the large rock in Frank’s old enclosure.
His head snapped up when he heard her footsteps, and Tina ached when she saw that there were dried tear tracks on his face.
“Hi,” she breathed. “Packzi?” she held up the pastries in a hopeful offering.
Newt scrubbed at his cheeks roughly, dropping his head to hide behind his ruffled hair.
“Tina, what are you doing here?”
She bit her lip and set the plate down, carefully climbing up onto the rock next to him.
“I talked to Jacob and Theseus,” she started, stroking her fingers through the Niffler's fur when he poked his head out of her pocket curiously. “They told me that it's their fault you were acting so strange tonight.”
He snorted. “I'm always strange,” he said self-deprecatingly, “Or have you forgotten?”
Tina frowned. “Yes, you’re strange. But that's just Newt-strange. That's...endearing and kinda cute. Newt-strange is rambling about a new creature that you've encountered or getting excited when you discover new uses for Murtlap essence of the way you interact with Pickett or Dougal or even this little troublemaker,” she tickled the Niffler for good measure, “And I – I like that Newt. I like the Newt with his messy hair and colourful coats and unconventional compliments.”
His gaze snapped up to meet hers. “R-Really?” he swallowed against the dry lump in his throat.
“Yeah, really. Newt, you don’t have to change anything about yourself to try to impress me. I like you just as you are,” at this she reached over and twined their fingers together. “And I'm sorry for accusing you of not caring about me tonight.”
Newt glanced at her shyly, a small smile now dancing on his lips. “I like you just as you are too,” he murmured, “Even when you try to arrest me.”
She laughed in delight, and his smile widened. He loved the sound of her laugh.
“It was definitely the most interesting time I’d had in a while, discounting the fact that we nearly got executed,” she smiled, taking in the way that the artificial sun burnished his skin into a golden brown and his hair into a wild, auburn nest.
Newt flushed lightly under her gaze but felt buoyed by her earlier words, enough to ask for the one thing he’d been thinking about for ages now.
“Tina? May I – erm – may I kiss you?”
It was her turn to blush now, but her smile widened into a grin. “I’d like that,” she whispered, “Very much.”
He was probably grinning like an idiot as he carefully cupped her cheeks and lowered his mouth to hers. It was chaste and sweet, though neither of them seemed inclined to end it. Tina made a protesting little noise at the back of her throat when he finally pulled away as his lungs were screaming for oxygen. Newt pressed his forehead into hers and breathed steadily, one hand now carding through her dark locks.
“Newt?” she spoke after what seemed an eternity, “Will you promise me something?”
“Anything.”
“The next time your brother tries to give you love advice when it comes to me, will you please hex him?”
He laughed in delight. “Definitely. I think that’s something I’ll take absolute pleasure in doing.”
Tina grinned. “Good. Kiss me again?”
“Always.”