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fantasticbeasts_kinkmeme) wrote2016-11-23 07:27 am
fantasticbeasts_kinkmeme) wrote2016-11-23 07:27 am
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Prompt Post #1
ROUND 1
FUCK IT WE'LL FIGURE OUT SPECIFICS LATER
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FILL [3/?]: Newt/other, eventual Gramander; arranged marriage, past abuse, h/c, learning to trust
(Anonymous) 2017-01-19 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)------
A week after Theseus finalizes his second divorce, Newt speaks for the first time, to give his consent to breaking the marriage. A month after finding his voice again, Newt returns to work. He locks himself up in his office and only leaves to go home or to supervise any creatures brought in after an Auror sting on shady breeders- and on one memorable occasion, a smuggling ring.
A year later, Newt still sees a Mind Healer twice a week. He’s relearned how to initiate a conversation without expecting a slap, and how to ask for things without flinching away preemptively to ward off a fist. But a touch that he doesn’t see coming, even if it’s just a brush of arms as someone passes him in the halls of the Ministry, will send him into a panic attack. He still can’t look most people in the eye without his skin crawling, particularly if they have strong personalities. He only ever feels truly safe when he’s in the hippogriff stables at home with the hippogriffs who have known him all his life to protect him.
Luckily there are very few people who work the Beast Division.
His work starts to bring him a modest acclaim in his own right, instead of standing on his brother’s position as Head of the Auror Office (these days the Ministry is abuzz with rumors of Theseus’s pending promotion to the Director of Magical Law Enforcement). The observations he’s made and studies he’s done have unlocked potential uses nobody else has thought of. There are a few wand-makers across the globe who have included diricrawl and fwooper feathers in some trial wands based on his work.
It takes longer than he would like, but he manages to pull together a pamphlet on dealing with and training Ukrainian Ironbellies (inasmuch as they are trainable) from his notes and recollections of the war. His pamphlet catalogues the feeding and socializing habits of the dragons; how to be aware of their body language to gauge their moods and levels of danger a wizard might be in at any given moment.
The printing house doesn't demand anything more than a thank you when the first printing run is finished and the Beast Division employees actually put together a party for him to celebrate it. The head of the Beast Division tells Newt that the Ministry intends to expand the Division to include a dragon-specific department, using his pamphlet for a guide. It's a week before Newt realizes that he's not expected to compensate for the inconvenience.
Augustus Worme commissions a book just before Newt’s 28th birthday, when the Ministry is celebrating Theseus’s promotion to the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. There are too many creatures in the world wizards don't know about, and even is Augustus is the only one who cares, he's willing to pay Newt to catalog all of them for his own satisfaction.
Newt accepts the offer before he remembers he has to ask his brother for permission, since travel is still fairly tightly controlled after the mess left by the Great War and all the wizards who took to the fight in spite of an emergency decree that they were not to participate. He’s lucky Augustus finds his awkward ways charming.
Theseus is, understandably, hesitant when Newt brings it up at dinner the next night; but he's never been the sort to deny Newt outright. Newt tries to hold Theseus’s gaze while Theseus finishes his sip of wine, hoping to convey how much he wants to do this. He watches emotions flit across Theseus’s face- he knows what it takes for Newt to look someone in the eyes now.
“A book?”
Newt nods and takes a breath. “I'd have to travel for it. It would require a lot of time- there are so many countries to visit to make sure I have the most complete list, assuming I won't be able to find some of the more shh species. I'll have starting points of course. I plan to make a list of all currently recorded species and what is known about them to see if I can track and corroborate the accounts.”
He's rather pleased with himself for having thought of a solid base point, so Theseus knows he's not going into this as a waste of everyone's time. Well. Probably not. Augustus did say that he was commissioning it for himself, so...
His mother doesn’t look happy, but Theseus watches him steadily before sighing and trying to hide a little smile that twitches at the corner of his lips.
“You’ve thought about this quite a lot, haven’t you?”
Newt nods slowly, and dares to hope.
“Very well,” Theseus says at last, smiling fully. “This could be the best scientific opportunity of our age, so go. I’ll get visas, safe conduct, and letters of introduction sorted for you. You’ll have to fill in the wand permits yourself.”
Newt Apparates out of his seat to Theseus’s side and grabs him in a hug.
+
Theseus presents Newt with a suitcase for his trip just a few days after agreeing to it.
The suitcase is a small thing, barely big enough for a couple shirts, a jacket, some underwear and a couple pairs of trousers. Maybe if he packs well there’s enough room for a scarf and a book. Then Newt spots the little latch on the front and turns off the Muggle-worthy charm. When he reopens the case, he finds that there is now a ladder descending into what Newt thinks looks like a shack.
“Undetectable expansion charm? But-”
“Head of the DMLE, remember? I took care of it. You’re going to need a place to keep things if you’re going to be in a new country every week for a year,” Theseus says, chuckling, “Make it your own.”
Newt grins. He has always been very good at charms. “Thank you.”
+
As soon as Theseus agrees to send Newt on his book commission, their mother starts hinting that it would only be proper if Newt has a husband. For many weeks, Theseus refuses to bring up the idea with Newt before he leaves, despite his mother’s many attempts at nudging him into starting the conversation.
Sometimes Theseus wonders how much their parents knew about Newt’s first marriage- Newt is silent about it now, even as he was when he’d shown up at Theseus’s tent in Germany, hunching his tall frame and diminishing his presence so much that a third person entering the tent didn’t even notice him. Theseus knows his mother doesn’t know much about the second marriage save that Julius is an abuser. Theseus will never give her details, because he will never forget seeing his baby brother bloody and bruised at the hand of his ex-husband and he doesn’t think she can live if she knows. As it happened it was almost two full days before he could convince her to leave Newt’s bedside while he was in hospital.
She means well in wanting to see Newt married again, but as far as Theseus is concerned, a new marriage is still too tender a subject to broach, even for their mother’s peace of mind. He’s told her this. It doesn’t stop her trying once more two weeks before Newt was scheduled to leave for his first country.
“It's dangerous to allow your brother to be on his own for this book. We have no idea how long he’ll be gone for; he’ll be out all alone in who knows what country.”
“Mother...” Theseus sighs. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “We know his itinerary. Barring emergencies we know exactly what country he’ll be in and for roughly how long. He’s estimated a year for introductory field work and he’ll be able to use the spelled parchment in an emergency.”
“But Theseus, what if something happens? What if there’s trouble- you know how he attracts trouble around creatures. And you can’t just up and leave England anymore. You lead the DMLE now and you don’t know what the year will bring. Newt won’t have anyone to take care of him while he’s out there. It’s been over a year since the divorce- tongues are already wagging.”
“They were already wagging when we brought Newt to St. Mungo’s for a second martial-related visit, and the wagging only sped up when we announced the divorce,” Theseus grinds out. He relents some when he sees his mother’s wounded look. “Mother, I really don't think he'd take well to another marriage right now. He can still hardly hold eye contact with me- how could forcing a new husband on him help?”
“There must be someone who would just take care of him,” their mother insists. “You know how society will treat him if he isn’t married by 30, and the law won’t recognize him if something happens to you. If we can’t find someone suitable and trustworthy here among the old families, isn’t there anyone you know?”
Personally Theseus thinks society can take a long walk off a short pier. But he knows exactly how little value the law places on unmarried younger sons and he finds himself considering his colleagues in spite of himself. He has Auror contacts all over the world, after all, and many live in places where pureblood and half-blood don’t matter in the same way they do at home; some come from cultures where the wizards are more indulgent of their creatures.
He must know someone who would be a steady influence with pull enough among the wizarding worlds to keep Newt safe- someone who would be willing to indulge their partner, someone who would be careful with a partner who has been as hurt as Newt is, but who would also take looking after them very seriously.
Oh. Of course!
“Theseus?” his mother asks.
“Hm?” Theseus blinks. He realizes he’s been sitting in silence and flushes. “Ah, sorry mother.”
She smiles fondly. “What were you thinking?”
“I might know someone,” Theseus says slowly, “I’ll need to speak to him, but... it might just work.”
Re: FILL [3/?]: Newt/other, eventual Gramander; arranged marriage, past abuse, h/c, learning to trus
(Anonymous) 2017-01-19 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)Re: FILL [3/?]: Newt/other, eventual Gramander; arranged marriage, past abuse, h/c, learning to trus
(Anonymous) 2017-01-22 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)Re: FILL [3/?]: Newt/other, eventual Gramander; arranged marriage, past abuse, h/c, learning to trus
(Anonymous) 2017-01-19 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)I liked to read about Newt's mum. Previous parts made me think she didn't really care about Newt, so it was surprising - in pleasant way - to read about how she sat with Newt in the hospital for two days and didn't really want to leave him.
And Newt... What was left from my heart from the previous part, broke even more in this when you mentioned how scared he had become of other people. But it was also wonderful to read about his accomplishments - even if he wasn't getting as much recognition as Theseus. And he agreed to write that book - just how nervous he had to be at the thought of being all alone, among strangers, after what had happened to him?
The cherry on top: the mention of Percival! Because that was Percival Theseus thought about (and another point for Thesus for wanting to find husband for Newt in a country, where he would be more free), right? Will Theseus mention marriage before Newt to the States? Will he want to talk about it with Newt first? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?!!!
Goodness, this story is getting better and better with every part! I wish I could shower you with compliments and chocolate, A!Anon. I love this story and I want to thank you for writing it with my whole heart ♥
Re: FILL [3/?]: Newt/other, eventual Gramander; arranged marriage, past abuse, h/c, learning to trus
(Anonymous) 2017-01-22 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)And yes, that was definitely a mention of Percival. He'll show up shortly :3
Thank you for commenting - I'm glad you're still enjoying this!