The surprise birthday party for Queenie had been carefully planned. Tina had arranged for everything, from the decorations to the place settings to the beautiful cake and pastries Jacob had made especially for the party. Jacob had also taken Queenie out to lunch, to give Tina enough time to prepare the apartment for her arrival.
Tina was in the process of setting the table, waving her wand to lay the dishes and silverware exactly as she wanted them, when a pigeon had arrived from MACUSA with a message. It informed her that they had gotten a new lead on one of her cases, and they needed her to come into the office for a few hours. Tina glanced around the room, her eyebrows furrowing in concern as she saw how empty it seemed; no balloons, no banners, no cake or candles, nothing to show that this room was going to host a birthday party in a few hours’ time. Certainly nothing worthy of her cheerful, effervescent sister. She sighed. There was simply no way she could finish this by herself, not to her satisfaction. She grabbed a pen and paper and quickly wrote a message, summoning a pigeon of her own.
Newt, Is there any chance you could come early to the apartment and finish preparing for the party this evening? I got called into work and I can’t get out of it. The cake and pastries need to be transported from Jacob’s bakery and the room needs some decoration. Please let me know if you can help. I’m sorry for the short notice. Love, Tina
No sooner had Newt received the message than he apparated into the apartment. Tina left assured that Newt would do his best to continue to prepare for the party himself.
Finally, Tina returned home, weary from the day’s work and still worried that the party couldn’t possibly be ready in time. She pushed open the door to the apartment, and her eyes widened to take in the flawlessly decorated room.
The cake Jacob had made was a beautiful centerpiece for the table, with dishes full of delicious-looking pastries on either side. There were also bottles of sparkling white and pink wine, adorned with curled ribbon, as well as pastel-colored balloons which floated in the air a foot or so below the ceiling. A banner on the wall glittered with the words Happy Birthday Queenie!, surrounded by smiling pictures of her sister that had been taken during the previous year. Everything was perfect. Newt himself was seated on the couch, tucked away into a corner and nibbling on a lemon pastry.
In her joy, Tina rushed over to sit down beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder and thanking him, telling him what a good job he’d done, telling him she was so pleased. As she thanked Newt and praised him, her hand was absentmindedly rubbing his back, firm strokes up and down accompanying her words. She barely took notice as Newt’s eyes softened and his head tilted back with a soft noise.
The guests began to arrive shortly. At the first knock on the door, Tina patted Newt’s head fondly, then stood and went over to the door to greet her friends. Newt stared after her, feeling something tugging at him, some feeling with no name. Though he was not very sure why, he found himself compelled to follow her across the room, greeting the newly arrived guests with a handshake and an awkward smile.
By the time Jacob and Queenie finally arrived, the mood was already cheerful and festive. Queenie was thrilled, taking in the room with wide eyes and a bright smile. Immediately, she began to mingle with the guests, catching up with one and casually flirting with another. From his place against the wall, Newt observed Tina as she watched Queenie, a smile spreading across her face at her sister’s happiness.
The party was an excellent success. After the last of the guests had gone, Newt found himself in the kitchen assisting Tina and Queenie with cleanup. (Queenie had insisted on helping, “what with all the effort you guys already put in!”) With the help of magic, everything was soon back in its place.
Queenie retired to her bedroom early, leaving Tina and Newt alone in the living room. Tina sat down on the couch, relaxing into the cushions with a tired but satisfied sigh. Newt continued to stand awkwardly until Tina gestured for him to come over. She tapped the cushion beside her. “Come on, come here. You’re allowed to sit on the couch, you know,” she teased.
Newt wandered over and seated himself next to her. He seemed a little weary from all of the social interaction of the party, and he slouched forward, staring down at his clasped hands as they twisted in his lap to expend his nervous energy. Tina rested a hand on top of his to still them, and Newt finally looked up at her, eyes wide and questioning.
Tina met his gaze with a gentle smile. “Newt. I can’t thank you enough. You’ve been so helpful, the party couldn’t have happened without you.” Her tone became lighthearted, teasing. “You’re such a good boy.” Her fingers combed Newt’s unruly hair back behind his ear, and her fingernails grazed lightly over the skin, giving him a little scratch behind the ear before starting to pull her hand away.
But Newt leaned into her touch, brushing his head against her hand. Tina watched as the look on his face changed, a relaxed and happy smile spreading across his features. Indulging him, Tina scratched his head again, ruffling his hair with a softness in her eyes. She loved when he felt he could let go of himself like this, loved that he could be so playful and honest with her.
As Tina played with his hair, Newt’s eyes closed and a soft, pleased noise rose from the back of his throat. It sounded almost like a purr. His head turned and he nuzzled the side of his face against her hand. He seemed so peaceful.
Tina laughed, happy to see Newt so at ease. She pressed the back of her hand against his cheek, praising him softly. “Yes, what a good boy. Look at you.” Her fingers brushed across his cheek to stroke his hair, this time petting the top of Newt’s head.
The purring noise came again, and Newt tilted his head to rub it against his shoulder, his eyes closing in contentment. He had stopped wringing his hands, his fingers instead splayed across the couch cushion in the narrow space between them as he leaned toward Tina.
She couldn’t say how, but the noise Newt was making immediately endeared itself to Tina, almost as if she had heard it before in some pleasant memory. Her hand moved back down to scratch the side of Newt’s head where it pressed against his shoulder. Newt leaned into the scratches and hummed, a blithe smile on his face.
Tina was beginning to realize that this was more than simple whimsy to Newt. The look on his face was something she’d never seen before, carefree and relaxed. She had seen bits and pieces of it when he was playing with his creatures, tussling, tickling, growling; meeting them at their own level. She had always thought of it as a sort of maternal instinct--was she allowed to call it that?--that he was playing as a parent might with their human children. But this was something else. Perhaps it wasn’t a human sort of playfulness at all.
Tina’s hand began to stroke slowly from the top of Newt’s head, along his neck, and down his back. Newt pressed happily into her touch. Now Tina was talking to him, low and gentle.
“Newt, is this something that you like?”
Newt seemed as if he were slowly coming back to himself, though he was clearly still contented. It started with his eyes, his gaze becoming just a bit sharper. In response to Tina’s question, he dipped his head and hummed.
Tina nodded, her voice still subdued. “Is it something you’d want to do again? More on purpose next time?” Before Newt could think she was judging him, she added, “I really liked seeing you so happy.”
A twitch of Newt’s head, and he seemed to focus still more. His words were slow and rough, as if his throat needed a minute to remember how to produce human speech. “Y-yes. Yes, I would. If you would.”
Tina smiled. “Of course I would.” She nudged his shoulder, “My good boy deserves some more attention, after all.”
Newt looked down at his lap again, blushing. But the sweet, flustered smile on his face was enough for Tina.
FILL - Tina/Newt animal play [1/2?]
Tina was in the process of setting the table, waving her wand to lay the dishes and silverware exactly as she wanted them, when a pigeon had arrived from MACUSA with a message. It informed her that they had gotten a new lead on one of her cases, and they needed her to come into the office for a few hours. Tina glanced around the room, her eyebrows furrowing in concern as she saw how empty it seemed; no balloons, no banners, no cake or candles, nothing to show that this room was going to host a birthday party in a few hours’ time. Certainly nothing worthy of her cheerful, effervescent sister. She sighed. There was simply no way she could finish this by herself, not to her satisfaction. She grabbed a pen and paper and quickly wrote a message, summoning a pigeon of her own.
Newt,
Is there any chance you could come early to the apartment and finish preparing for the party this evening? I got called into work and I can’t get out of it. The cake and pastries need to be transported from Jacob’s bakery and the room needs some decoration. Please let me know if you can help. I’m sorry for the short notice.
Love, Tina
No sooner had Newt received the message than he apparated into the apartment. Tina left assured that Newt would do his best to continue to prepare for the party himself.
Finally, Tina returned home, weary from the day’s work and still worried that the party couldn’t possibly be ready in time. She pushed open the door to the apartment, and her eyes widened to take in the flawlessly decorated room.
The cake Jacob had made was a beautiful centerpiece for the table, with dishes full of delicious-looking pastries on either side. There were also bottles of sparkling white and pink wine, adorned with curled ribbon, as well as pastel-colored balloons which floated in the air a foot or so below the ceiling. A banner on the wall glittered with the words Happy Birthday Queenie!, surrounded by smiling pictures of her sister that had been taken during the previous year. Everything was perfect. Newt himself was seated on the couch, tucked away into a corner and nibbling on a lemon pastry.
In her joy, Tina rushed over to sit down beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder and thanking him, telling him what a good job he’d done, telling him she was so pleased. As she thanked Newt and praised him, her hand was absentmindedly rubbing his back, firm strokes up and down accompanying her words. She barely took notice as Newt’s eyes softened and his head tilted back with a soft noise.
The guests began to arrive shortly. At the first knock on the door, Tina patted Newt’s head fondly, then stood and went over to the door to greet her friends. Newt stared after her, feeling something tugging at him, some feeling with no name. Though he was not very sure why, he found himself compelled to follow her across the room, greeting the newly arrived guests with a handshake and an awkward smile.
By the time Jacob and Queenie finally arrived, the mood was already cheerful and festive. Queenie was thrilled, taking in the room with wide eyes and a bright smile. Immediately, she began to mingle with the guests, catching up with one and casually flirting with another. From his place against the wall, Newt observed Tina as she watched Queenie, a smile spreading across her face at her sister’s happiness.
The party was an excellent success. After the last of the guests had gone, Newt found himself in the kitchen assisting Tina and Queenie with cleanup. (Queenie had insisted on helping, “what with all the effort you guys already put in!”) With the help of magic, everything was soon back in its place.
Queenie retired to her bedroom early, leaving Tina and Newt alone in the living room. Tina sat down on the couch, relaxing into the cushions with a tired but satisfied sigh. Newt continued to stand awkwardly until Tina gestured for him to come over. She tapped the cushion beside her. “Come on, come here. You’re allowed to sit on the couch, you know,” she teased.
Newt wandered over and seated himself next to her. He seemed a little weary from all of the social interaction of the party, and he slouched forward, staring down at his clasped hands as they twisted in his lap to expend his nervous energy. Tina rested a hand on top of his to still them, and Newt finally looked up at her, eyes wide and questioning.
Tina met his gaze with a gentle smile. “Newt. I can’t thank you enough. You’ve been so helpful, the party couldn’t have happened without you.” Her tone became lighthearted, teasing. “You’re such a good boy.” Her fingers combed Newt’s unruly hair back behind his ear, and her fingernails grazed lightly over the skin, giving him a little scratch behind the ear before starting to pull her hand away.
But Newt leaned into her touch, brushing his head against her hand. Tina watched as the look on his face changed, a relaxed and happy smile spreading across his features. Indulging him, Tina scratched his head again, ruffling his hair with a softness in her eyes. She loved when he felt he could let go of himself like this, loved that he could be so playful and honest with her.
As Tina played with his hair, Newt’s eyes closed and a soft, pleased noise rose from the back of his throat. It sounded almost like a purr. His head turned and he nuzzled the side of his face against her hand. He seemed so peaceful.
Tina laughed, happy to see Newt so at ease. She pressed the back of her hand against his cheek, praising him softly. “Yes, what a good boy. Look at you.” Her fingers brushed across his cheek to stroke his hair, this time petting the top of Newt’s head.
The purring noise came again, and Newt tilted his head to rub it against his shoulder, his eyes closing in contentment. He had stopped wringing his hands, his fingers instead splayed across the couch cushion in the narrow space between them as he leaned toward Tina.
She couldn’t say how, but the noise Newt was making immediately endeared itself to Tina, almost as if she had heard it before in some pleasant memory. Her hand moved back down to scratch the side of Newt’s head where it pressed against his shoulder. Newt leaned into the scratches and hummed, a blithe smile on his face.
Tina was beginning to realize that this was more than simple whimsy to Newt. The look on his face was something she’d never seen before, carefree and relaxed. She had seen bits and pieces of it when he was playing with his creatures, tussling, tickling, growling; meeting them at their own level. She had always thought of it as a sort of maternal instinct--was she allowed to call it that?--that he was playing as a parent might with their human children. But this was something else. Perhaps it wasn’t a human sort of playfulness at all.
Tina’s hand began to stroke slowly from the top of Newt’s head, along his neck, and down his back. Newt pressed happily into her touch. Now Tina was talking to him, low and gentle.
“Newt, is this something that you like?”
Newt seemed as if he were slowly coming back to himself, though he was clearly still contented. It started with his eyes, his gaze becoming just a bit sharper. In response to Tina’s question, he dipped his head and hummed.
Tina nodded, her voice still subdued. “Is it something you’d want to do again? More on purpose next time?” Before Newt could think she was judging him, she added, “I really liked seeing you so happy.”
A twitch of Newt’s head, and he seemed to focus still more. His words were slow and rough, as if his throat needed a minute to remember how to produce human speech. “Y-yes. Yes, I would. If you would.”
Tina smiled. “Of course I would.” She nudged his shoulder, “My good boy deserves some more attention, after all.”
Newt looked down at his lap again, blushing. But the sweet, flustered smile on his face was enough for Tina.