Tina stood up as she heard a heavy thump followed by a groan come from the direction of Newt's room. She hurried toward it, worried. "Newt, are you okay?" she called out.
There was a series of rapid shuffling sounds, and he said hastily, "I'm fine! Don't come in!"
Tina personally thought that Newt did not sound fine at all, and hesitated before peering around his opened door. Her eyebrows lifted when she spotted Newt sprawled on the floor. A drawer on his desk had been knocked out, and the papers and belongings were strewn haphazardly across the floor.
Hoppy was standing innocently beside all this, and he meowed softly when he saw Tina. She sighed, not taking his act for one second. Newt had shoved himself to his feet and was now crouching on the floor, hastlily gathering up a specific pile of papers.
"Hoppy giving you trouble?" Tina asked, amused.
"It seems so," Newt said busily, still trying to retrieve his papers.
"Here, let me help," she offered, bending down.
"No!" he snapped, them drew back, looking guilty.
Tina froze and stared at him, shocked at his sharp tone. Then she backed away, feeling as though she had overstepped her importance. She was just about to apologize when Newt cut her off.
"I'm sorry," he said, looking abashed. "It's just – these are embarrassing..."
Tina glanced at the papers that were clutched against his chest. She hadn't meant to pry, but a bent corner of parchment revealed her own familiar and neat handwriting, and she gasped. She would recognize her handwriting anywhere, but even more, she would recognize those words anywhere.
They were her letters to Newt. Every single one of them. She had pored over what to say when she wrote them, wondering if she was being too friendly or familiar, and she was sure she had come on too strong. But here they were, cradled gingerly in Newt's arms.
Newt stared at her, his eyes widening with embarrassment and anxiety. "I – um...I collected the letters from you. They were – they were nice," he finished lamely, stammering through his whole sentence.
Tina glanced from the letters to Newt's flushed face. "I don't mind," she replied shyly, though she was still thoroughly surprised at the sight of the parchment.
"You...you don't?" Newt asked disbelievingly.
Tina thought that his hold on her letters loosened, and his whole frame seemed to sag with relief. He blinked nervously at her, and visibly gulped. "I really don't mind," she assured.
In fact, on the other hand, she felt quite honored. She'd never have thought that her letters meant enough to Newt for him to keep them. Her head reeled at the thought, but she couldn't stop a thrilled grin from unfurling across her face.
"Your letters really were quite comforting at times," Newt admitted, his ears burning. He inadvertently dropped his gaze dropped his gaze to the floor, clearing his throat shyly. "I liked them."
Tina blushed, but she felt her heart racing with joy. "I kept your letters, too," she whispered quietly.
Newt's eyes snapped up to meet hers, surprise shining in them. "You did?" he asked.
"I did."
"Oh."
Newt looked as equally taken aback as she felt, though a smile of his own spread across his features, and it seemed to illuminate his freckles. As Tina watched him grin, the smile on her face grew brighter.
"So I guess we're even," she said.
"Yes," Newt agreed, chuckling. "I guess we are."
Feeling that it was okay for him to accept her help now, Tina pulled out her wand and waved it at the fallen dresser, sending it back into its rightful slot. Newt got up and carefully placed his stack of letter inside, taking care not to crease the edges.
Hoppy was still sitting in the middle of the floor, blinking up at Newt and Tina with wide green eyes. He was the troublemaker of the group, but he always seemed so innocent and adorable afterwards that it was nearly impossible to get mad at him.
"Hoppy tripped me on my way over to my desk," Newt explained, sweeping an exasperated arm at the Kneazle.
"I thought so," Tina laughed. "You aren't the type to trip over your own feet."
"Yes, people usually just trip over me," he grinned. "The first time I ever met Jacob was when he tripped over my case in front of the bank."
"And the first time I met you was when you bumped into me when I was standing in front of the Second Salemers' meeting," she added, remembering their first encounter.
"And you were holding a hot dog," he reminisced, shaking his head.
They had no further time to dwell in the past, for Hoppy suddenly decided to stand up and shoot across the room to leap onto Newt's bed, where Mr. Nibbles was resting. Before either of them could stop him, the Kneazle dragged the scruffy teddy bear by its ear, bounding back across the room in a yellow blur with it, and plunked it straight into a cup of coffee that was sitting on Newt's desk.
The teddy bear floated sadly upside down in the mug, it's body bobbing from the force. Newt gasped and rushed across the room to fish his precious bear out of the coffee, but it was already too late. Mr. Nibble's head was already soaked through with the drink, and it drooped with the weight.
Hoppy was now sitting composedly at the foot of the bed, tail wrapped around his paws and blinking curiously up at them. Tina sighed and shook her head helplessly before heading to Newt's side.
She could tell he was distraught and even slightly angry at Hoppy, but she also knew that he could never bring himself to yell at his beasts. Mr. Nibbles dangled limply from the Magizoologist's hands, dripping with coffee. Its already brown fur was a shade darker around the head, and it smelled strongly of coffee beans.
"I can't believe it," Newt groaned, clearly upset.
No matter how much he protested that he had no attachment to his teddy bear, Tina knew he was really quite fond of it. She looked at the sodden mass of fur, and bit her lip.
"Let's go wash it right away," she suggested, trying to make Newt feel better. "Maybe we can get it out."
Newt stared at Mr. Nibbles for a second longer before trudging to the bathroom. Tina followed him, and plugged the bathtub while he twisted the knobs so that water gushed out from the faucet. They waited until it was halfway full, Newt fidgeting anxiously all the while.
Once there was enough water, he desperately dunked the bear headfirst into the tub, and watched apprehensively as it sank heavily to the bottom. He didn't seem to know what to do now, and looked helplessly to Tina.
The American witch smiled to herself and shook her head slightly. Newt was obviously not accustomed to washing things by hand, nor being domestic. Tina reached in and scooped up Mr. Nibbles, returning him to the surface. She scrubbed at the stain on his face for a few minutes.
"It's not working," Newt muttered, rubbing his nose nervously.
"We need soap," Tina replied confidently. "Don't worry, Newt. I'll get Mr. Nibbles stainless and caffeine-free if it's the last thing I do."
Newt snatched up a bar of soap on the sink and handed it to Tina. She scrubbed the bear furiously with it, her arm dashing back and forth repeatedly. At first, nothing happened, but then the brown stain on Mr. Nibbles gradually began to fade away.
"See?" Tina said, showing the bear to Newt. "He's getting better already."
"Thanks," Newt said, sighing. "You know, you should have become a Healer, with all this remedying you can do."
Tina laughed at his ridiculous yet adorable words. "Washing a stain out of a teddy bear doesn't count as remedying. And besides, I'm fine with being an Auror."
"Yes, I suppose so," he smiled. "And we've always got my mother, who was apparently a Healer who specialized in banana-and-kale-cupcake-deprivation-itis."
Tina giggled again, and forced herself to return her attention back to Mr. Nibbles. After rubbing at his face with water and soap for a while more, his fur was eventually back to a creamy brown colour, though now heavy with bath water.
"Here you go," Tina said brightly, handing him the bear.
Newt took Mr. Nibbles and held him out at arms length, studying him. He sighed, relieved, when he saw that all the coffee was indeed gone. "Thanks," he said again, grinning.
"Uh-huh," Tina nodded, secretly amused by the way he cared for his bear so much.
Newt's gaze danced between her and Mr. Nibbles for a second, then a mischievous grin flitted across his face. Tina took a step back, wary, but happily so. Before she had time to ask him what he was up to, he lifted Mr. Nibbles and whacked her around the head with him, leaving her hair and forehead dripping with water.
Tina's jaw dropped open with shock, but she quickly recovered and scooped up a handful of water to throw at Newt's face. He ducked, and it hit the wall behind them instead. Not discouraged, she splashed him with more soapy water, and this time he was doused right in the face with it.
Newt spluttered and coughed wildly, hacking up bubbles. He laughed and grabbed Mr. Nibbles, swatting at Tina with him. The bear hit hear shoulder and left a wet streak against her sleeve.
"How dare you," Tina gasped in mock-disbelief.
"Oh, I certainly do dare, Miss Goldstein," Newt teased.
Setting the bear down, he collected a handful of water and tossed it at Tina. She dodged, and the glittering droplets flew through the air and landed on the floor instead.
"You'd better not!" she warned, shaking a finger at him.
Tina shot a grin at Newt and smacked her hand down on the water in the bathtub. A wave of water rised up and doused both of them in a downpour. She hadn't intended to splash herself, and flicked the water from her hands at Newt's streaming face.
"Okay, that's enough!" Newt surrendered, shaking his head to rid his mop of hair from all the water.
"I always win when it comes to these things," Tina said triumphantly. "Remember the rain and the snowball fight?"
"How could I forget?" he snorted.
Tina shook some more droplets of water at Newt, then straightened up. Her clothes were drenched and plastered to her body, and he looked no different. Poor Mr. Nibbles, who had been caught in the middle of their war, was also sodden. Newt picked him up and wrung out his shirt
Tina rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up. Newt noticed that she was shivering and frowned. "Come with me," he beckoned.
Together they left the bathroom, which was now dotted with puddles of foamy water. Newt walked down the hall and stopped at a closet, pulling out two fluffy white towels. He sidled up behind Tina, draping one of the towels over her shoulders before wrapping himself up in the other.
Tina smiled at his thoughtfulness and tugged the edges around herself. She was already beginning to feel warmer, and not just from the towel. She knew it was partly because of Newt, and huffed softly to herself, feeling strangely tingly.
"Better?" Newt asked.
"Tons," she replied.
Newt grinned lopsidedly. "That's good to hear."
They walked into the living room and settled onto the couch together, with Mr. Nibbles sitting in the little space between them. The window in front of the couch was illuminated by the setting sun. The fiery orb was slowly descending down the sky, sending streaks of pink and orange through the fading blue.
Tina shifted closer to Newt and rested her head on his shoulder. She glanced uncertainly at him, but was encouraged when a soft smile appeared on his lips. He swung his arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer. Tina sighed contentedly and curled up on the couch while nestling into Newt's wiry frame.
"I could get used to this," Newt remarked quietly.
Tina stared out the window, then her gaze trailed to Newt. The dusk was reflected in his brilliant green eyes, lighting them up like a flame. His face was relaxed and happy, and gentle smile played on his features. Tina comfortably snuggled further into him, and buried her nose into his neck, inhaling his scent. Her hand found his, and she smiled warmly.
"I could, too," she murmured. "I really could."