Crescendo: A Fantastic Beasts Newtina Fanfiction

Chapter 27

       Newt dipped his quill into the inkwell and finished up his chapter on Werewolves. Deciding that he had done enough for the day, the Englishman sat back in his chair and gazed absentmindedly out the slightly foggy window. It was still snowing, although not as hard. A light layer of gray slush blanketed the roads and sidewalks, and the tree branches had a thin column of fresh white snow balanced precariously on them. The sight of the snowy trees reminded him of Christmas.

       Christmas...It would be nice to spend it here, in New York. With Tina.

       Newt had told Tina that he would be staying in New York for a while longer after the wedding was over, but he wasn't enitrely sure how she would feel if he extended his stay until the holidays. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure if the Goldsteins celebrated Christmas. He sighed and rubbed his temple, annoyed with himself. I'm not usually so indecisive. 

       In his mind, there were only two ways this could go. Either Tina would be thrilled he was staying, or she would be irratitated that he wanted to overstay his welcome, but she'd try to mask it. Deciding that he was getting no where with this, and that he had nothing to lose, he stood up from his seat and left his room to find Tina. 

       Walking down the hallway, he peered into the kitchen, but there was only Queenie in there, humming softly to herself and making tea. Newt moved on to the living room, but it was empty there, too. The only place left that Tina could be was in her bedroom. Well, other than the loo, that is. And if she was in there, then he didn't particularly feel like bothering her. 

       Newt approached Tina's bedroom door, and hesitated before knocking shortly on it twice. 

       "Come in!"

       Newt cracked open the door to see Tina bent over an enormous stack of paperwork at her desk. With a thrill of pleasure, he realized that she was indeed using the white-gold Thunderbird feather he had given her. She turned around and didn't look surprised to see Newt. 

       "I knew it was you," she said, smiling slightly. "Queenie never knocks."

       Newt laughed a bit, although it sounded forced. He squashed down his nervousness and made himself look Tina squarely in the eye. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, and so he snapped it shut again. For the sake of Merlin, Newt!

       Tina furrowed her brow, and concerned frown lining her face. "Newt, what's wrong?"

       He cleared his throat. "Nothing's wrong," he said quickly. "I just had to ask you something." 

       I really should have thought this out before I came in here, Newt thought regretfully. He was usually very straightforward, and got right to the point.

       Tina cocked her head questioningly to the side, encouraging him to go on. 

       Newt paused, then blurted out, "I've been thinking, and I've decided that I'd like to stay in New York over Christmas, and perhaps even New Years too, if I may?"

       Tina looked surprised for a split second, then her face broke into a radiant smile. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, happiness singing in her voice.

       Newt let out a relieved stream of breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Looking into her beaming face, he couldn't help but smile back, feeling a rush of excitement and joy course through him. 

       "You do celebrate Christmas, right?" Newt asked.

       "Uh-huh,  it's one of our favorite holidays!" Tina replied, brown eyes gleaming. She paused, then added, "I'm really glad you're staying, Newt."