The broad sky overhead was currently a canvas filled with endless gray clouds. A slight wind stirred Newt's mop of messy hair, and caused his coat to flare out gently behind him. He, Tina, and Queenie were making their way through the hustle and bustle of the New York streets, heading towards a building in the distance. As they drew closer, the details came into view. The name Kowalski's was printed across the window glass in bold, bronze letters. A sweet, tangy smell wafted into the air around them, and a long line could be seen cutting through he bakery and spilling out onto the street. The threesome took their places at the back of the line, waiting.
Queenie walked up to the window and peered in. "Yup, Jacob's at the counter right now," she told them as she returned. "He should be finishing his shift anytime now."
"And then we can show you around, Newt," Tina added, "New York's a big place."
"I can imagine that." New York was by far the busiest place Newt had ever seen, a drastic contrast from the calmer streets of London. Everywhere he looked, there were people, tourists and citizens alike. The road seemed to contain a never ending stream of automobiles, and shops and streets were simply bursting with people. Newt hoped that other parts of New York weren't this busy. He hated crowds. They made him feel, trapped, pressed in, enclosed.
"Aw, don't worry," Queenie assured, "You'll get used to it."
Newt started. Sometimes he forgot that Queenie was a Legilimens. It was rather unnerving sometimes. Tina glanced at him understandingly. "When we get back to the brownstones, I can lend you my copy of Living with Legilimens, if you'd like," she offered, "Not that there's anything wrong with Legilmens." She shot a hasty, almost apologetic glance at her sister.
"It's okay, Teenie. I know what you're trying to say." Queenie waved a dismissive hand, smiling.
"Yes, thanks, Tina. That would be...uh, a nice read," he said.
"Speaking of reading, I finished your book Newt. I liked it very much."
Blushing faintly at Tina's compliment, he told her, "I'm glad you did. Really." And he was, for some reason. Knowing that he had Tina's support with his book made him feel more confident, and knowing that she liked his book made him feel strangely happy. He glanced at her, happening to catch her eye, and they both turned their heads away quickly, faces flushing.
The line inched forward, and they were now inside the bakery. The smell of breads and pastries was stronger here, making all three of them inhale deeply. Display cases lined the walls, and several were positioned tastefully in the middle of the shop. They were filled with all types of baked goods, mostly Polish, ranging from paczkis to babkas to slask breads. Jacob could be seen behind the front counter, which held the creature-shaped pastries, ringing up change and engaging with his customers. The line crawled forward, and soon they were at the front.
A beaming Jacob greeted them. "Hey, there! My shift will be over in a sec, guys. Well, what'll it be?"
Queenie ordered one of the Occamy shaped pastries, and Tina chose a plain roll. Newt hesitated, not sure of what he wanted. Another thing he hated was ordering his food. To him, it was one of the most stressful things in the world.
Luckily, Jacob helped him out. "I'd recommend the paczki, Newt. The orange zest is just...mmm," he rubbed his thumb and forefinger together.
Newt nodded. "Alright. A paczki, then, please." He couldn't help but feel an immense wave of relief.
As they tried to pay, Jacob stopped them. "No, no, no!", he insisted. "It's on the house."
After much haggling, Newt, Tina, and Queenie gave in reluctantly, mostly because they were holding up the line. Newt bit into his pastry. Jacob was right. The orange zest added a flair of tanginess, and the flavor danced on his tongue. They were all just finishing up when the storage room door swung open, and out came an employee.
Jacob turned around, hearing the noise of the door closing. "Hendry, pal! She's all yours." He took off his apron and hung it up on a hook on the wall. Heading around the counter, he joined the trio. Together, they headed out of the bakery and onto the street. Jacob and Queenie took the lead, leaving Newt and Tina to follow behind, side by side. Thier hands brushed, and both instantly jumped apart. Newt felt his face heating up.
"S-so sorry. That was my fault," he stammered.
Tina was equally red in the face. "No, uh", she cleared her throat briefly, "it's okay."
They continued on, walking slightly further apart they had been before. Queenie and Jacob were taking turns running up a commentary of their surroundings for Newt's tour.
"There's the jewelry shop. They hand-craft everything!"
"Just over there's is an antique store. Wouldn't recommend it, everything in there is overpriced."
"That's the salon, they have the best service!"
"And that's the park..."
Suddenly, the loud, thrumming noise of running foots sounded behind them. He whipped around just as a silver blur flashed past them, followed by two men chasing furiously after it, with their wands out. It was a Demiguise. And in the brief moment that it had passed by, Newt had spotted that it was hurt. It didn't take a genius to connect the two pieces. Without giving it a second thought, he raced after them, pulling out his wand out on the way.
"Newt!" Tina cried. He heard her give chase after him, followed shortly by Queenie and Jacob. "Newt! What in the name of Deliverance Dane are you doing?!"
He looked around to find her right beside him, matching his pace step for step. She had also drawn her wand, and was now gripping it tightly. "They're going to hunt the Demiguise down for an Invisibility Cloak!", he panted, nodding at the two men who were far in front of them. They would never catch up to them at this rate.
Tina seemed to have read his mind. "Newt, if anyone sees us..."
He didn't hear the rest of her sentence, for he had already Apparated. Tina groaned irratably and followed him with a faint pop. They were now directly behind the two men. The Demiguise veered into an alleyway, and they all followed. One of the men glanced behind, and spotted Newt and Tina. He raised his wand shot a spell at Newt, which he deflected. "Petrificus Totalus!", Newt shouted. The man ducked, but not quick enough. Newt's spell caught him in the shoulder, and he fell to the ground, frozen.
Tina was dueling with the other man. Just as Newt was about to help her, she sent a Stunning Spell flying out of her wand and it hit the other man straight on the chest. Newt watched as he keeled over backwards and hit the ground. She turned on the heel to face him, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but he a shushing gesture. The Demiguise was more important right now.
Newt looked around wildly for the Demiguise, and spotted a shimmering outline just in time. "It's turned itself invisible," he whispered to Tina, "now, the key is to approach it slowly. We need to show it that we're not going to hurt it."
Tina nodded. Suddenly, Queenie and Jacob Apparated right next to her, Jacob gripping Queenie's arm as she had taken him by Side-Along Apparition. "Oh thank goodness!" Queenie breathed as she saw them, "We thought–". She broke off as Newt put a warning finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet.
Spotting a pile of crates, he crept toward it, guessing that was where the Demiguise was currently hiding. Tina followed deftly behind. He could see nothing behind the crates. So it's still invisible, he thought. Slowly and carefully, he reached out a hand, letting it hover in midair for a several long moments. A shimmer appeared again in the air, and the Demiguise revealed itself cautiously. It stared at Newt with weary, brown eyes. Newt heard a shocked gasp from Tina behind him, echoed by Jacob and Queenie. And it was understanble why. A long gash ran down the Demiguise's side, blood trickling from the wound, staining its silver fur red.
Tina approached the Demiguise with steady, careful movements. "Poor thing," he heard her murmur. Newt's heart, too, clenched for the poor creature. It angered him too see the harm people would do just to satisfy their own selfish desires. Remembering the two men, he spun around, but Jacob and Queenie had already taken care of that business. They'd been bound and gagged, and Queenie stood there looking rather pleased with herself. Assured, he turned back to face the Demiguise.
Tina looked at him, her eyes pained, then sparkling with rage. "I swear," she growled, "that I will personally see to it that these two turn out dead!" She pointed her wand threateningly at the two men in the ground, and their eyes widened. They both started speak desperately, but their words were muffled through the cloth that was tied around their mouths. Tina glared at them furiously, and as she opened her wand to cast a hex, Newt placed a warning hand on her shoulder, and shook his head. The gesture surprised both of them. For a moment she looked as if she could hex him, too, but then her gaze softened and she sighed. "I just want to see that they get what they deserve," she muttered.
"They will. Believe me," Newt said, casting a cold glance at the men.
He returned his attention to the Demiguise, which had lowered itself into a sitting position. The wound was clearly hurting it. Crouching down in front of it, he raised his wand, preparing to heal the Demiguise to the best of his abilities. But before he could do anything, Tina shouldered him aside. "Let me. I can do it better."
She ran her wand tip over the wound, and the Demiguise shivered slightly. Where her wand had been, the wound had healed cleanly, not even leaving a scar. The blood was no longer there, either.
As Newt watched her reach out a hand to the Demiguise, stoking it softly, a warm, aching tingle spread from a place deep inside his chest, to the tips of his fingers. His mind felt clearer than it had ever been, and he suddenly realized. He realized what all the previously unknown feelings he'd experienced around Tina meant. He realized why he couldn't act like himself around her. He realized that he had begun to. Fall. In. Love.