Crescendo: A Fantastic Beasts Newtina Fanfiction

Chapter 42

       Tina was jolted awake by the sound of a loud sneeze. Her eyes snapped open. She was sleeping on the couch in the living room, since Newt's apartment only had one bedroom. He'd offered it to her, but Tina had declined, knowing that he needed his own space to be alone. So now she slept on the couch, and was currently cocooned in one of Newt's blankets, as she had left her own at home. Sleepy amusement cross her mind as she realized that only a few days ago, it had been the Magizoologist in this position, waking up from after he got drunk.

       Newt was standing in the living room, elbow raised and eyes squinted as he sneezed again, the sound reverberating through the still morning air. Tina groggily sat up, wrapping the blanket around herself to stay warm. He sneezed once more, and it somewhat resembled the honking of geese.

       "Make a wish," Tina yawned sleepily.

       Newt blinked. "Sorry. I didn't realize I woke you," he apologized. "Make a wish?"

       "It's okay," she replied as she leaned against the couch. "Yeah, you know, make a wish. If you sneeze three times in a row, you get to make a wish."

       Newt looked puzzled. "Is that some sort of American thing?" he asked, knitting his eyebrows together.

       "Probably," she laughed.

       Newt came over to sit on the couch beside her, and she lifted the edge of her blanket up, inviting him to share the warmth. He hesitated before scooting closer to her, and she draped it over them both. Tina, who was still sleepy, leaned against his shoulder before starting to close her eyes again. Then, she realized something wasn't right. 

       The Englishman felt unusually hot beside her, despite the chilly morning temperature. Tina frowned as he sneezed again, ducking away from her to muffle the sound in his elbow. 

       "Newt, do you have a cold?" she asked, concerned.

       Newt's eyes widened innocently. "Course not," he answered far too quickly.

       Tina raised her eyebrows, and darted out a hand to feel his forehead before he could protest, meanwhile sweeping his unruly hair out of the way. Just as she had suspected, his skin was burning up beneath her palm. 

       "All right," she decided firmly, now wide awake. She got up from the couch, the blanket falling off her shoulders, and grabbed Newt's arm, pulling him up too. "Off to bed with you."

       "Tina, I'm fine," he sniffed.

       The brunette glared skeptically at him. "If you're sniffling while you say that, than I don't think so," she said waspishly.

       "Really, it's nothing!" Newt protested.

       Tina snorted and placed her hands on her hips, pinning him down with a narrowed, steely glare. To her satisfaction, he cowered slightly and bent his head, not looking at her. "It's something when I say it is. Now, to bed!" she snapped commandingly.

       Newt stood rooted to the spot, still not meeting her stony gaze. With a sigh of irritation, she roughly gripped his arm and dragged him away, marching purposefully toward his bedroom. Tina threw open his door, much like Queenie tended to do, and deposited him onto his bed. He landed with a heavy 'oof', and a string of worry squirmed in Tina's stomach, wondering if she had been to forceful.

       "You okay?" she asked.

       "Yeah," Newt mumbled. "But frankly, I still think you're worrying over nothing."