“If logic doesn’t stop him, the limits of his body will.”
“You would think,” Tina said with an amused look. “Listen, I know you’ve got things to take care of back at MACUSA. I think Queenie and I can handle it from here, if you…”
“That’s quite alright,” Graves interrupted her, holding up a hand. “I’ll stay for a while longer.”
Tina’s smile widened. “That’s…kind of you, Mr. Graves.”
“It took two of us to wrestle him back to the bed when he thought his precious Jarveys might have an itching problem. You think you and Queenie could keep him down if something actually goes awry?”
“…point taken,” Tina muttered, and then there was a loud chittering sound somewhere behind her, and she sighed. “That’ll be the occamys again. I’ll be back in a bit. I honestly don’t know how he keeps up with all this.”
Graves turned his attention back to Newt as she left, who was still shivering almost visibly when he reached over to check his temperature again. Graves vaguely knew that this was a good sign, that it meant the worst was probably over, but the worry still set deep in him and left him unnerved.
He didn’t even realize how hungry he was until Queenie brought them all lunch, and they sat down in the small room together to eat while watching over their recovering patient. Graves knew more about the cultures of Merfolk in Scotland versus the ones in the Mediterranean and the mating habits of Erumpants than he’d ever cared to know, but there wasn’t much else to do while Newt was still unconscious.
And it was actually kind of interesting stuff to read- not that he would ever admit to that out loud. He didn’t need to anyway, not with Queenie reading his damn mind at every turn.
It was at the tail end of their meal that Newt started to wake up again. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times, though he managed a weak smile when he saw Tina and Queenie.
“Tina,” he said, his voice still weak and shaky. “I was…on my way to meet you, I s-swear.”
“I know. This is, uh…probably kind of my fault,” she replied, earning a raised eyebrow from Graves and a confused look from Newt. “My Aurors must have spooked those traffickers. They wouldn’t have been moving the creatures so recklessly if we’d been more careful.”
Newt’s expression fell. “They have others…?” he asked, and Graves shot Tina a look that warned her to shut up before she said anything else to upset the ill wizard.
“Not many,” she amended quickly. “And we’ll find them.”
“Here, Newt,” Queenie said, stepping to the bedside with a bowl of soup. “You need your strength. Try and eat a little.”
Newt didn’t look thrilled at the prospect of eating, but Queenie wasn’t taking no for an answer, obviously. Graves helped him sit up against the headboard and made sure he didn’t drop the bowl as he sipped carefully at the hot soup.
“How are my creatures?” he asked between sips, and Tina laughed.
“They miss their mummy. I’ve been doing my best, but…I’m not you,” she said, and Newt managed a smile.
“T-Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this for me,” he said, making the briefest of eye contact with her. She seemed about to speak when suddenly there was a dull knocking sound from above- and it took a moment for Graves to place it. Someone must be knocking on the lid of the case.
“Where did you put the case?” he asked her, and she shrugged.
“My office in MACUSA. In case we were needed,” she said, getting up and going to see who was knocking. Meanwhile, Newt had gone quite a bit paler and wide-eyed, and not from sickness; Graves didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking.
“It’s alright, Newt,” he said, touching the man’s arm to get his attention. “No one’s going to take your creatures, alright? You’ve done too much for us for them to even consider it. Despite the…highly illegal nature of the contents of this case.”
That didn’t seem to calm Newt much. Of course, having read the report of what happened- having his creatures taken, and then being nearly executed- Graves wasn’t surprised in the least.
“They’re really not dangerous,” Newt stuttered, and for once he made eye contact with Graves, those green eyes desperate and terrified. “They’re not, I swear.”
Fill: Would You Stay 3b/?
“If logic doesn’t stop him, the limits of his body will.”
“You would think,” Tina said with an amused look. “Listen, I know you’ve got things to take care of back at MACUSA. I think Queenie and I can handle it from here, if you…”
“That’s quite alright,” Graves interrupted her, holding up a hand. “I’ll stay for a while longer.”
Tina’s smile widened. “That’s…kind of you, Mr. Graves.”
“It took two of us to wrestle him back to the bed when he thought his precious Jarveys might have an itching problem. You think you and Queenie could keep him down if something actually goes awry?”
“…point taken,” Tina muttered, and then there was a loud chittering sound somewhere behind her, and she sighed. “That’ll be the occamys again. I’ll be back in a bit. I honestly don’t know how he keeps up with all this.”
Graves turned his attention back to Newt as she left, who was still shivering almost visibly when he reached over to check his temperature again. Graves vaguely knew that this was a good sign, that it meant the worst was probably over, but the worry still set deep in him and left him unnerved.
He didn’t even realize how hungry he was until Queenie brought them all lunch, and they sat down in the small room together to eat while watching over their recovering patient. Graves knew more about the cultures of Merfolk in Scotland versus the ones in the Mediterranean and the mating habits of Erumpants than he’d ever cared to know, but there wasn’t much else to do while Newt was still unconscious.
And it was actually kind of interesting stuff to read- not that he would ever admit to that out loud. He didn’t need to anyway, not with Queenie reading his damn mind at every turn.
It was at the tail end of their meal that Newt started to wake up again. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times, though he managed a weak smile when he saw Tina and Queenie.
“Tina,” he said, his voice still weak and shaky. “I was…on my way to meet you, I s-swear.”
“I know. This is, uh…probably kind of my fault,” she replied, earning a raised eyebrow from Graves and a confused look from Newt. “My Aurors must have spooked those traffickers. They wouldn’t have been moving the creatures so recklessly if we’d been more careful.”
Newt’s expression fell. “They have others…?” he asked, and Graves shot Tina a look that warned her to shut up before she said anything else to upset the ill wizard.
“Not many,” she amended quickly. “And we’ll find them.”
“Here, Newt,” Queenie said, stepping to the bedside with a bowl of soup. “You need your strength. Try and eat a little.”
Newt didn’t look thrilled at the prospect of eating, but Queenie wasn’t taking no for an answer, obviously. Graves helped him sit up against the headboard and made sure he didn’t drop the bowl as he sipped carefully at the hot soup.
“How are my creatures?” he asked between sips, and Tina laughed.
“They miss their mummy. I’ve been doing my best, but…I’m not you,” she said, and Newt managed a smile.
“T-Thank you. I really appreciate you doing this for me,” he said, making the briefest of eye contact with her. She seemed about to speak when suddenly there was a dull knocking sound from above- and it took a moment for Graves to place it. Someone must be knocking on the lid of the case.
“Where did you put the case?” he asked her, and she shrugged.
“My office in MACUSA. In case we were needed,” she said, getting up and going to see who was knocking. Meanwhile, Newt had gone quite a bit paler and wide-eyed, and not from sickness; Graves didn’t need to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking.
“It’s alright, Newt,” he said, touching the man’s arm to get his attention. “No one’s going to take your creatures, alright? You’ve done too much for us for them to even consider it. Despite the…highly illegal nature of the contents of this case.”
That didn’t seem to calm Newt much. Of course, having read the report of what happened- having his creatures taken, and then being nearly executed- Graves wasn’t surprised in the least.
“They’re really not dangerous,” Newt stuttered, and for once he made eye contact with Graves, those green eyes desperate and terrified. “They’re not, I swear.”