Work Text:
You let out a soft groan as you awoke for the umpteenth time that night. Rubbing at your tired eyes, you slowly sat up, the thin bedsheet falling from your shoulders and pooling around your waist. Moonlight flooded the room in its eerie blue glow, illuminating its beige walls and oak flooring. You must’ve forgotten to close the curtains before you laid your head to rest. Turning, you glared at the offending fabric, as though it itself had woken you up. A sigh passed your lips. It’s not like you would’ve gotten much sleep regardless--with how bad your sleeping habits had been as of late, it was a miracle you even got a couple hours of sleep.
Glancing over at the bed across from yours, you bit your lip. Newt laid peacefully asleep, oblivious to your consciousness. Pushing your hair out of your face, you gently swung your legs over the side of the bed, shivering when your bare feet grazed the cold wooden floors. You were staying in one of the more dingy hotels, but you didn’t have much of a choice if you wanted to protect the case from anyone with bad intentions. Your eyes trailed the room, landing on the clock on the wall. Its hands were pointing at the four, making you sigh. Slowly, you stood from your bed, the rush of cool air raising goosebumps along your arms and legs. You looked down at where Newt slept, your heart racing just a little faster. An urge to push his tousled hair out of his face passed through you, but you ultimately stopped yourself from doing so in case you woke him up. You stayed there for a moment longer, admiring Newt, before you started to feel like a creep.
Tip-toeing toward the case, you made one last glance toward your partner before you quietly flipped the latches. Careful not to make any loud noises, you quietly climbed down the ladder. Closing the case behind you, you hopped onto the floor of the shed. You much preferred staying inside the case than any hotel, but you didn’t want to leave the case outside unattended.
Stretching your arms, you winced when you felt your back crack. The hotel mattress wasn’t the most comfortable and left you with an achy back and a sore neck in the morning. How Newt slept as peacefully as he did, you had no idea. You walked out toward the small enclosures Newt had made for the creatures, the dirt beneath your bare feet sifting beneath your weight. You hadn’t grabbed your shoes before you came down, but you could easily shower later on, so you didn’t mind the dirt.
As you stepped further into the world Newt kept all in his case, you felt more at peace. Dirt turned to grass beneath your feet, the cool sensation making you even colder than you had been before. You suddenly regretted wearing shorts to bed. Venturing toward the Occamy nest, you gently lowered yourself to your knees. The babies were asleep, allowing you to bask in their presence quietly. The mother looked at you with a sense of paranoia before she too rested her eyes.
Honestly, when you had first joined Newt on his adventures, many of his creatures didn’t like you. Newt blamed it on the fact that you were an unfamiliar face and told you not to take it to heart, but you spent hours upon hours trying to familiarize yourself with the creatures. Many scars riddled your body, much to Newt’s disdain, proof of your valiant efforts to get closer and more acquainted with the creatures.
Despite your efforts, it took you a very long time to get close to the Occamies specifically. With their brash and aggressive nature, it made it difficult for you to even get near them at first. Even after being around for several months, some of the babies had yet to like your presence. Though, they at least tolerate you now.
Unknowingly, one of the Occamies had woken up. One of the newborns peered up at you as you fiddled with the hem of your sleeve, staring up at the faux sky. It let out a quiet cry, as though it knew its’ brothers and sisters were asleep. The sound easily caught your attention. Looking down, you sucked in a breath when you met eyes with the baby Occamy. Even after seeing them all day, and despite them disliking you, you couldn’t help but marvel in their beauty. Its blue scales shimmered underneath the lighting, and its round eyes glimmered just the same.
“You’re amazing,” you hushed, leaning forward to rest your chin on the palm of your hand, “do you know that?” The baby tilted its head at you, eyeing you carefully. “I know you don’t like me that much, but I like you all a lot. I hope one day you’ll grow to like me too.” You smiled at the Occamy, a smile that was cut short with a yawn.
As you moved to stand up again, perhaps to try and sleep in the shed, the Occamy slithered toward you, making you freeze. Slowly, you sat back down, resting on your heels as you kept eye contact with the Occamy. You couldn’t help but grin when it slid atop your hand and around your arm when you reached out. You held your arm out high, letting the baby wrap itself around you.
“Making friends, I see.”
The sudden voice made you jump, and the Occamy was quick to unwrap itself from your arm and make its way back into the nest. Quickly turning around, you sighed in relief when you saw Newt standing a few metres away from you, a small smile gracing his features. “You scared me,” you hissed, trying not to be too loud, “I didn’t even hear you come down.”
“I could tell,” he chuckled as he made his way toward you. He stared for a few seconds, making you flush under his gaze. Realizing this, he was quick to look away, clearing his throat. “It looks like the Occamies are finally warming up to you.”
You smiled at the declaration. “I’m definitely not as close as you are with them, but they don’t want to bite my head off anymore,” you joked, scratching the back of your neck. “I’m making progress.” You held your head high, proud of yourself.
Newt smiled fondly at you, a smile that sent your heart rate racing. “You are.” His voice had a wispy nature to it, making your knees buckle at just how benevolent his demeanour was.
“Why are you up this late?” you asked, clearing your throat. You looked to him with a concerned gaze. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
When he didn’t answer, you became consumed with nervousness. You could never last too long under his stare. Newt had the most beautiful eyes you had ever seen, and you never knew what to do when those blue-green orbs turned their attention to you. Newt himself was breathtaking, though he refused to see it himself, and his mere presence was enough to make you weak in the knees. You pulled at your sleeves so they’d cover your hands, a nervous habit you found yourself doing more and more often around Newt.
“You’re… You’re beautiful,” Newt breathed, his surprising statement sending you into a state of shock. Those two words were enough to leave you speechless, gaping like a fish out of water. Words refused to come to you, and any sentence you managed to string together wouldn’t come out. Turning a brilliant red, Newt ducked his head. “Sorry,” he rushed quietly, “that was, that was very sudden.”
You could only nod in response, unable to speak.
“It’s just,” he glanced up at you through his lashes before looking away again. “Before, with the Occamy, you just… looked absolutely ethereal. Something about, about the smile on your face and the way the light caught in your hair, it reminded me of something the Niffler would steal.” If possible, he turned redder at his words, and he covered his face with his hand.
You couldn’t help but grin, your entire body shaking in joy. “Something the Niffler would steal?” you repeated, your voice coming out much smaller than you had anticipated.
Newt nodded. “Something shiny,” he looked back at you, “something beautiful.”
Mustering up every ounce of courage in your body, you took a few steps toward him. You could practically see the uncertainty in his eyes, not to mention the way he froze up with each step you took. “Well,” you mumbled, your voice still quivering from the pent-up emotions within you, “I happen to think you’re beautiful too, Mr Scamander.” Swallowing thickly, you met his eyes, “Quite so.”
A heavy silence settled upon the two of you, neither breaking eye contact. It felt like your heart was stuck in your throat, the feeling only accelerating when his eyes darted down to your lips. A shaky breath left your mouth as he started to lean towards you, his eyes searching yours for permission. When you nodded, he leaned closer. His breath fanned across your cheeks, a rush of longing coursing through your veins. Your eyes fluttered closed, your hands gently resting atop Newt’s chest. You could feel his proximity, his warmth as he moved closer and closer.
One of the Occamies screeched, causing the two of you to jump apart. With flushed cheeks, you darted your eyes to the Occamy nest, where all of them were awake and staring back at you. Clearing your throat, you glanced to Newt with a sheepish smile. “I think they’re hungry,” you commented, your voice barely above a whisper.
“It would seem like it.”
Despite his agreement, neither of you moved to get the Occamy food. You couldn’t take your eyes off of each other, the fact that you had nearly kissed still looming over your heads. Coughing, Newt forced a smile. “I should, I should go get their food.”
You nodded with a grin, clasping your hands behind your back. “You should.”
Newt bowed his head for a second before turning on his heel and walking away. He only took a few steps before he stopped completely. You watched as he stood there for a second, only to swallow thickly when he turned back around and walked toward you with a newfound confidence.
You weren’t prepared when he softly pulled you toward him by the wrist, pulling you flush against his body as he leaned down. A quiet gasp left you as his lips pressed against yours in a soft, gentle kiss. You easily relaxed into it, your eyes closing, wrapping your arms around his waist as he moved to cup your face. His lips were slightly chapped, but you couldn’t care less at the moment. You started to smile against his lips, causing him to break the short-lived kiss.
He rested his forehead against yours, looking at you with a tender smile. “I’ve wanted to do that since you joined me,” he confessed, brushing a stray strand of hair out of your face. “Sorry if it was sudden.” Newt bit his lip sheepishly, his cheeks just as red as they had been before.
You shook your head, fighting back a grin. “I don’t mind sudden.”