Newt didn't know what was happening. He was still dazed after, well everything.
He sat down in his room, staring out the window at the dull streets of New York. Sounds of cars against the road and people talking filled the air as he pushed open the window. It's not that he didn't like New York, but he needed a familiar place. He needed to clear his head.
He slid his weathered leather case from underneath the bed. He set it on the ground, where he had climbed in with Jacob so long ago.
He opened the door from his work area and started to feed his creatures. He let his mind wander as he worked, going over the past events on his mind.
Well, for starters, he was far happier than he would like to admit that Tina wasn't in a relationship with anyone. Not that it changed anything. At least until today.
He had embarrassed himself so much already. And it was only 12:30 in the afternoon! He hadn't been in control of his words like he usually was. Normally he would do the opposite, keeping his words inside, his thoughts to himself. But he felt so comfortable around her, he would let his guard down around her without even realizing it.
But in her room. They had been so close. He had had to resist the urge to immediately pull her closer, but he still wasn't completely sure how she felt. He had looked to her, and he could tell she had wanted to wait, which was fine by him. He felt utterly blind.
He was just walking back to finish up when he heard, "Wow."
He turned. Tina was standing at the foot of the shed, staring in wonder at the world inside of his case. He felt happy that she was in awe of his creatures. After all, they were his world.
"Newt," she said, walking "You've collected more creatures," she accused. "The place seems bigger, too."
He shrugged, smiling. "Well, the creatures needed some place to grow," he said modestly. "It's grown a lot over the years, adding more to it after every trip I take."
"I can tell." She hesitated, then spoke. "Can I help you? I want to see every part of this place."
His heart expanded.
"Sure," he said, turning around, and she peeked around his shoulder.
"You're feeding the occamies?" Tina exclaimed. "You have to let me help," she demanded, smiling and stepping in front of him. She wanted to help him?
"Well, I guess if you want to," he stammered. She excitedly took the bucket and glanced at him. "Are you going to just stand here, or are you going to give me a tour?"
He gained control of his thoughts. His world was familiar territory.
"Right," he said. "Well, we should start with where the occamies live, and work our way around?" She nodded, beaming.
He glanced at her hand. He took a breath and reached out his, offering it to her. "Ready?" he asked.
She looked down surprised, and then smiled as she took it. Then they broke into a run, dashing through the trees together and disappeared into the forest.
***
Tina couldn't believe how much Newt changed when he talked about his creatures. It was like a whole other side to him. He was so passionate about what he did, and it made her feel partly proud of him, of how much he had accomplished. It was always something she had admired about him from the start, even when she had arrested him.
It seemed like centuries ago since she had seen Newt. But now? After a day, she felt even more safe and comfortable with him than she had ever been.
They came to an abrupt stop from their running. She opened her mouth to ask why they were stopping but Newt put his finger to his lips. She nodded and looked around.
They had stopped at a grove of bamboo trees. They pushed through the leaves, Newt tugging at her hand and enter a circle lined with the bamboo trees, with a small, crystal-blue pond at the center. Next to the pond, a creature that seemed familiar was protectively curled around a nest.
"Newt," Tina whispered. "Is that what I think it is?"
"If you're thinking it's a Niffler, no," Newt murmured. "They are relatives though. They have a lot of similarities, but the main thing that sets them apart is their difference in color."
Newt then turned to look at Tina, who was watching the mother watch the eggs start to crack.
She could feel his gaze on her, and she felt happy that he was looking at her, but really just wanted to see the birth up close. She turned to him, who was already looking at her and quickly turned away as she made eye contact.
"Newt," she said, tugging his arm. "Can we please get closer? I... I really want to see this."
He looked at her, as if seeing her differently. "Absolutely," he said surprised. "Step exactly where I step."
They slowly creeped on the grass, not making a noise until they were about a foot away. The eggs just started to crack, and a small, furry animal came scuttling out of the egg, immediately curling up to its mother. Newt reluctantly let go of her hand, scrambling down notes in his notebook. They sat down in the grass, watching the animals hatch one by one and nestle themselves to their mom.
"What, you haven't recorded this yet?" Tina asked, surprised.
"No, they're a new species I found traveling in Mongolia. Quite rare," he said excitedly. "Nobody knows why they come out white. They're fur eventually changes to a dull silver, but they're still one of the most beautiful creatures I've ever gotten to write about." He glanced at her, and she smiled encouragingly to go on. He didn't. He sat up suddenly, and she did the same.
She looked at him, confused. "Did I do something?"
"I'm really not boring you," Newt demanded.
"Of course not!" she said, smiling. "Being completely truthful, I find this entire world fascinating, Newt. And besides, it's something you're passionate about, and I think it's really inspiring. No ones cares as much as you, and..." she trailed off. He was staring at her in that weird way again.
"Why do you keep staring at me like that?" she asked. She knew it was sort of rude, but she had to know if it was a good or bad thing.
"Like what?" he asked nervously.
She made him nervous? Usually it was the situation, not her as far as she knew. "Like I'm a completely different person or something," she said, embarrassed when she said it out loud.
Fortunately, he seemed embarrassed too. "Well I kind of am, in a way," he admitted. "I guess I just- I didn't realize there was this side of you." He focused his stare at the new hatchlings.
She smiled to herself. "Newt, I-" she started. He looked back at her, and when he realized she was smiling, she saw his shoulders relax.
"You still want to see them up close?" Newt asked.
"Of course," she said, excited. Newt slowly leaned forward towards them. He scooped up two of the creatures and held them in his hands. He nudged Tina, who slid closer so that they were right next to each other and she gently picked one up, and cradled it to her chest. Her eyes softened and she gently caressed its back, and it nuzzled against her fingertips. She laughed, and it happily rested, content. She looked at Newt, who was watching her again. Then the creature fought for his attention, and he focused on making it happy.
"Newt," she said. He immediately looked at her. "Thank you. For everything. This is incredible."
Newt grinned. "I'm glad you love them as much as I do," he said, and seemed to think for a second. Then he leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead.
As she breathed towards him, her creature jumped onto her and she fell back into the grass, laughing. Leave it to a creature to interrupt a moment. But she didn't mind. She had already bonded with it.
"What are you going to call them?" she asked.
"I'm not sure yet. But we can call them whatever we want," he said.
"We?"she noticed. Newt nodded. "I figured you should be able to name your own species one day," he said teasingly.
"I guess, if you insist" she said, sarcastically. He laughed.
She felt genuinely happy, in her favorite place and with Newt. She sighed and stared into the blue sky, as the creatures leaped around the grove.