#grindelnewt

The partygoers’ outfits clashed as badly as the decorations. Some had on clothes that were essentially what they wore to their office jobs on a daily basis, others had opted for the latest muggle fashion that had already crept into the wizarding world, while some donned their most ridiculous lavish wizard robes for the occasion. 

Newt’s breath got stuck in his chest at the sight of everything. 

A hand pressed softly onto his lower back and air flooded back through his lungs. 

“Shall we find a quiet corner?” Grindelwald asked, his hand already gone from Newt’s body, not leaving even a small trace of warmth. 

Newt nodded, peering out at the crowd. He led them to an unpopular cluster of tables, the people who were loitering disappearing and never coming back. They were also near the balconies. Not that they were open to the public per say, but the doors were cracked open a fraction to let in a little bit of winter air. 

The night progressed rather smoothly, which surprised Newt. 

Grindelwald had offered to fetch all of their food and drinks, venturing into the thick crowd with ease and a natural grace that had people moving out of his way. Although this certainly wasn’t where the blonde would normally be, he fit right in. The only people who dared approach their table were non-Auror Ministry workers, or their spouses, that had met Newt once upon a time. All of them wanted to keep up appearances by greeting all of their acquaintances. Although none of them truly cared, some queried about Newt’s dashing friend. 

To anyone who asked, the blonde was a lord whose family wealth paid for itself. Bored of wandering his estate, he set to travelling, which was how he met Newt. He indulged in strictly creative hobbies but favoured reading and cooking. His suit, posture, and choice of words did wonders to help sell the story. 

Newt nursed his drink as he stared out into the crowd that was still at full capacity despite the many hours that had passed. His eyes would always drift back to Grindelwald, who had gone to fetch them another plate of snacks and new drinks. 

A glass of fire whisky rushed into Newt’s vision, shortly followed by the tipsy man attached to it. 

He had been wondering how long it’d take Theseus to find him. It wasn’t like he was hiding from him. 

“Newt! There you are,” Theseus exclaimed like he had been on the hunt for his brother since the party started, but if that was true then his breath wouldn’t reek of alcohol. Nor would he have been chatting up multiple Ministry ladies in, assumedly, hushed tones. (Newt could see a lot of things from his spot in the room). “Where have you been?” 

“Here,” Newt replied. He glanced at his brother but decided to keep his eyes on the mass of people. When he spotted Grindelwald at the bar, he downed the small amount of his drink he had left before turning to face his brother head on. 

Theseus was frowning at him like he was figuring out a really hard puzzle. “For how long?” Honestly, this man was supposedly a brilliant Auror who picked up on things quickly. At least people would know if he ever drank on the job. 

“The whole night, actually.” 

Theseus waved his hand, dismissing the idea and the conversation. Unfortunately, he used the hand that held his glass, causing the dark liquid to spill over the rim.  Not that he noticed it. “You stay right here! I have someone I want to, have to introduce you to.”  

“I told you, I’m not interested.” 

“You’ll love her,” Theseus said, ignoring the words coming out of his brother’s mouth. “Send your friend away – he’ll just get in the way of you getting to know her. And we want you to know her well.” He did a funny thing with his eyebrows – it was uncomfortable to watch. 

 Newt’s eyes flicked across the room and, without searching, found Grindelwald on his way back to the table. “I can’t just leave him,” Newt protested. 

“He’s not your date, for Merlin’s sake, ditch the man.” 

With extraordinary timing, a voice boomed out from across the hall in search of the one and only Auror Scamander and Theseus’ head swivelled dangerously fast in order to spot the person. Newt took this moment of distraction to slip towards the balcony doors. They were ajar just enough for him to sneak outside without opening them and risking any noise or someone noticing. 

The crisp air of outside immediately made him feel better. He leant his lower back against the stone railing and sighed, watching as his breath came out in white puffs. Like a dragon, he thought, amused. He kept one eye on the doors just in case someone had in fact noticed him slipping away into the darkness. Thankfully, nobody annoying followed him. 

A shadow appeared from one of the doorways at the other end of the balcony. 

A drink floated in his direction, followed by Grindelwald. “Do you share any similarities?” he asked, sounding genuinely at a loss. 

Newt smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes – a common occurrence lately when dealing with his brother. “Doing what we want.” Gripping his drink in both hands, he turned and leant his arms against the railing. He felt the blonde copy him, standing close (but never quite enough to touch). “Seems my plan failed.” 

“How so?” Grindelwald asked with a hum. He stared out at the city lights, but his eyes were always drawn back to the red head like a moth to a flame. 

“He still wants to set me up with someone,” Newt said. “I’m starting to think that even a date wouldn’t stop him.” 

“Shall we try?” 

Newt almost dropped his glass. 

“His reaction may be amusing considering he is certifiably plastered.” 

Newt swore he could have shattered his glass from how hard he was gripping it as he turned to look at the man next to him. “No need to go that far. I don’t want you to do something bothersome.” And it would be. Theseus would most likely throw a fit that he hadn’t met Newt’s date before such a public event. He certainly wouldn’t approve either, interrogating the blonde so harsh that he’d leave burn marks on fair skin. It would continue after the party as well, whether they kept up the ruse or claimed to have broken it off not long after. Either way, it would be an insufferable hell. 

Grindelwald’s lips ticked upwards, his expression sincere and open. “It wouldn’t be a bother – I did suggest it.” 

Newt wished he was staring at the blonde’s real face. 

“You don’t have to do something you don’t want to just to keep my brother off my back,” Newt ended up saying. 

“I want to.” 

Newt tapped his glass in thought as he glanced out at the cityscape. Lights from house clusters were slowly dwindling but he could point out where every secret bar and restaurant hid beneath the streetlight in the depths of the city’s underbelly. A smile grew on his own lips as he turned back to the man beside him. “Are we still talking about the same thing?” he asked. 

“One glorious night where we showcase our soul-binding love for each other to the cream of the crop of Britain’s political world, receiving a few scathing looks and comments but none of it matters because our passion burns too bright to be put out by jealousy of others.” Gellert grinned as he finished, earning a laugh from Newt. 

The reading bit of his fake persona was true – the lord actually read more literature and poetry than he did of politics and magical theory. 

Newt wished he was staring into mismatched eyes as he asked, “And if it was for longer than one night?” 

“I’d be a fool to reject any chance at being yours.” 

“Are you a fool tonight?” 

As he set his glass aside, Gellert’s gaze fell to Newt’s lips and stayed there. “May I?” 

Newt carelessly placed his glass on the railing before taking a step towards the other man, almost but not quite closing the already small gap. A hand grabbed his waist before slipping around to his lower back as their lips slotted together softly. Neither of them ever wanted to pull away from the pure bliss or the warmth of their bodies pressed so closely together. Attempting to ask for something without using his words, Newt nipped lightly at the lips against his. Gellert retaliated with a bite of his own, one of his canines catching on Newt’s lips. He took the noise the red head made as an opportunity to deepen to kiss. 

Eventually, after a period of time neither of them counted, they pulled back, but only far enough that they could rest their foreheads together. 

Newt sighed, a mixture of happiness and tiredness. He wanted to just leave the party and enjoy the rest of his night, but he knew that his brother would hunt him down and would ruin a nice moment, or potentially catch them in a compromising position. 

As if sensing his thoughts, Gellert stepped further back with a small nod. “Let’s ruin your brother’s annoying plan,” he said. This time, as they made their way back inside and to the cocktail table they had claimed, he let his hand rest comfortably on Newt’s lower back. 

It was honestly a little funny how the only difference with how they acted was where Gellert let his hand rest. For the entire night they had been standing extremely close to each other, talking quietly and ignoring majority of the people in the room. Anyone with eyes could have told you from the start that they would have preferred to be left alone with each other. 

It didn’t take long for Theseus to come bounding over, a lady in tow. 

The elder Scamander was visibly unhappy at the sight of Grindelwald there. “Newt, this is Penelope. Penelope, my brother,” Theseus introduced the lady, pointedly ignoring the man at Newt’s side. 

The lady held out a hand to shake (in terms of the man politely gripping the woman’s fingers) but Newt made no move to reach out across the small table. “Hello.” 

“Hi.” Penelope made a ‘what the hell’ face at the elder Scamander, clearly thrown off her game. Clearly, whatever information she had been fed, had been skewered (or just plain wrong). “And you are?” she asked, turning to Grindelwald who bent his head slightly in greeting. 

“Nikolai.” 

Penelope smiled tightly. “So,” she said, feeling like someone was stabbing her with an ice-cold blade while under the blonde’s gaze. “You like animals, yes?” she asked Newt. 

Newt raised a brow at his brother before smiling politely at the woman. “Yes, I do like creatures.” 

“So, do you just collect them? Or find them so rich people can have them?” She nodded towards Grindelwald as she asked the last question, more a genuine question than joking. 

Gellert and Newt frowned at the same time. 

“Most here would actually call me an annoying activist. I try to rehabilitate and release the creatures, stop them from being poached and senselessly killed,” Newt explained. 

“How much does that earn you?” 

“I don’t do it for money,” Newt said, tone harsher than normal. 

Penelope took an unimpressed sip of her drink before tilting her heard towards the crowd. She claimed she heard someone calling her name, excusing herself as she disappeared into the mass of people with useless flourish. 

That was far easier than expected. 

Well, almost. Theseus was fuming. 

“I told you to get rid of him,” he hissed, ignoring the fact that the man standing right next to his brother could hear him. 

Gellert inserted himself into the conversation when he felt Newt begin to tense. “I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said to the elder Scamander, effectively distracting him from whatever scolding he was surely about to give Newt. It filled Gellert with rage every time he heard about all the ‘talks’ Newt had gotten. 

“No.” Theseus was clearly displeased, brows furrowed, lips threatening a snarl. He held out a hand but was shunned as Grindelwald kept his visible hand wrapped around his glass (the other still on Newt’s waist, out of sight). “Senior Auror Theseus Scamander.” 

Gellert barely stopped himself from scoffing. What an obvious attempt at intimidation, whipping out his job title like that. Oh so scary. “Lord Nikolai.” 

Theseus wasn’t as good as keeping control over his emotions, nor his facial expressions. Honestly, the man was far too blatant in his dislike of the blonde. “And what do you do?” 

“A bit of everything, really.” 

“I meant for work.”  

“Oh, I have no need,” Gellert said as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. He managed to encapsulate the persona of a nobleman born with a silver spoon up his ass far too easily. “You know how things are.” He could see a vein being to protrude in the Auror’s neck. 

“How did you meet?” 

“Travelling.” 

“Why are you here?” Theseus demanded, becoming more frustrated with each second. 

Gellert smirked. “The invitation said a plus one was allowed. A date.” 

Theseus scoffed. Determined, he rounded the small table. “He’s not your date.” One of his hands wrapped around Newt’s arm roughly, heavily, and went to tug him away from the blonde. He tried again, more aggressively this time, but still fell short of his goal of physically ripping his brother away from the other man. 

The thing stopping him was Gellert’s arm around Newt’s waist; and the fact that Newt would rather stab his own hand than let his brother manhandle him like he was a toddler or some filthy criminal. 

“I think it’s time we left.” Newt spoke to Gellert only, shaking the hand off his arm. 

The pair snaked through the crowd as they headed for the exit, ignoring those who were starting to stare as well as the annoying Auror following them. The elder Scamander was stubborn and loud and was most definitely causing a scene that would be the main focus of the Ministry rumour mill for the next week or two. They made it so close to the doors before a hand yanked on Newt’s arm, forcing him to either stop or dislocate his shoulder. 

“You are not dating him,” Theseus yelled, scowling. 

A hush fell over the entire function hall as everyone turned to listen and watch the disruption. 

Great, Newt thought. He breathed deeply and evenly. He was never going to one of these stupid parties ever again. “Yes, I am.” 

“No,” Theseus exclaimed like his opinion mattered. “You’re not dating this stranger!” 

“He’s not a stranger,” Newt said, exasperated. 

“I said no!” 

“I don’t need your approval.” Newt’s voice was steely. A few of the partygoers stepped back, having never seen or heard of the magizoologist becoming this mad before. It was unnerving. 

“Yes you do. I’m the head of the family!” 

“What family? There’s nothing to be the head of.” 

Newt felt Gellert move closer to him as well as slightly in front of him as if he suspected that the elder Scamander would get so mad he’d try to lay hands on Newt again. Given he had done it twice in a short time frame, it wasn’t that far stretched of an idea. 

They really needed to get out of there. 

“Just wait until he sees all your beasts!” 

Gellert took a full step forward, amused when the Auror stumbled back a step to stay away. “I’ve met all of the creatures Newton cares for.” 

“And you’re fine with them all?” Theseus asked. He looked beyond rumpled and frantic; it was pathetic. 

“Yes. I support and believe in what he does entirely.” 

“I’m onto you,” Theseus declared, poking the blonde in the chest with a finger, forgetting the fear he had a second ago. “You’re manipulating him somehow.” 

“I would never.” Gellert was deathly serious. 

“You must want something from him!” 

“He’s my partner–” That rolled off his tongue quite pleasantly. “–and that’s enough, but I doubt you understand that concept. Senior Auror with a drinking problem who’s sleeping with over half of the secretaries in this room.” 

For a man that didn’t have a useful or reasonable response, Theseus sure knew how to keep his yelling going. He went on about how he should be respected because he was the head of the family, the older brother, and also a damn good Auror – his words – in a high position. He insisted that he had a say in Newt’s love life because of those reason and that this ‘Lord Nikolai’ was certainly not a fit match, rambling that Newt could not make such an important decision without including him. He kept insinuating that the blonde wanted something from Newt – more than likely his creatures – and that that was the only reason he was with him. He then took to saying that he would forcefully separate them and threatening the blonde to stay away. 

Newt placed a hand on Gellert’s arm, silently urging him to turn and leave. But the abundance of comments, especially the last few ones, had angered the blonde to the point that his altered appearance started to fade away. He was so angry that he was prepared to start a riot on the spot. 

Gellert took a step back, silently agreeing with Newt that they needed to leave. He laughed as he did so though, something dark and manic. “Do your worst.” 

Theseus scrambled to find his wand, prepared to do his worst right there. 

“Gellert,” Newt whispered, but with how quiet the room was, every single soul heard him. 

Gellert’s head snapped to look at Newt, the anger immediately being shoved to the side to be used for another day.  “Apologies, I should have wrapped this up sooner.” At least Newt didn’t appear particularly annoyed with him. 

Not wanting to waste any more time or energy on the elder Scamander, and not wanting to cause a bigger scene considering his disguise had disappeared, Gellert wrapped his arm around Newt’s waist and apparated from the spot. 

There were hundreds of wards and charms that should have prevented him from apparating, but what in the world would be able to stop him from taking Newt – who melted into his touches so pleasantly – home?