His Only || Newt Scamander

The Zepholine

Have you ever noticed how graceful a bird flies?

The way they effortlessly glide upon the wind, how their wings somehow manage to keep them afloat, or how their wide eyes reflect the freedom of the open air before them.

The beautiful white golden owl soared onward, allowing the growing sunlight to flash at her silvery feathers. Anna admired the skill of the bird, watching it flap against the natural inclination to fall.

This vessel of airborne autonomy held the truth. The truth that her sisters needed.

"How long will it take to get there?" she muttered, folding her arms tightly across her stomach.

Newt flickered his gaze from the open living room window to her strained face, "Two to three days if she went nonstop. Perhaps longer if she finds a ship she can rest on." He inched his way closer to put an arm around her shoulders.

She hardly noticed the slight hesitance in his actions, though she took no offense to it. A natural quirk of Newt's was to be cautious and quiet in what he did.

"Will they forgive me?"

"As quickly as I did," he stated in return, squeezing her close and watching the pinprick of the owl disappearing from view. "It was all a misunderstanding – you did nothing wrong."

She huffed and sunk back into his arm, "Now all that's left to do is find the bastard that's been manipulating all of us."

Newt sighed, taking in her fresh scent, and wrapped his other arm around her for a hug, "There's nothing we can do about it now."

"Whoever this person is clearly wants to ruin my life!" she said hotly, "I cannot simply ignore the problem when they could strike again at any time."

"Worrying only means you suffer twice."

"You're such a hypocrite," she muttered, moving her head to rest under his chin.

His chuckle turned into a slight cough, holding her close and relishing the feeling, "Perhaps... but you're a special case."

"And the person trying to destroy all of my relationships isn't?" she heard him sigh above her and knew he was probably reliving the feeling of that worry.

"Come, love..." She adored when he casually slipped the nickname without realizing it. "You – you know I care for you. You remember the state I was in – I even had the audacity to neglect my sickly creatures living just a floor beneath me."

He pulled her away to face her directly; Anna's hands immediately twisted back into folded arms on top her stomach. Newt couldn't help but force his eyes to look at the ground, subconsciously starting to sway with nerves.

"Worrying didn't double my suffering... m-my life had become – just that."

Anna gazed at his saddened face, recalling the memories of how he looked before she took him home. His hair in untamable knots, clothes ripped and ruffled, hands shaking and freckles pale. Now she was grateful to see some rosiness enter his cheeks, even if the dark circles still plagued his eyes and his lips remained a bit pale.

"I am here to care for you now," she stated, putting a hand to the side of his face to make him look at her. "To get back to how things are supposed to be."

The corners of his mouth began to lift in a makeshift smile as his hand went to match hers at his cheek. "Exactly, meaning it's about time w-we get along."

"With what?" She moved away to the kitchen where she was treating some of Newt's particularly stained work clothes.

He trailed in behind her, feeling a Kneazle or two come slip past his ankles, "With saving imprisoned and injured creatures."